I sometimes feel a little bad about not following the conventional advice: Rent first! Live here for a few years, try out different neighborhoods. Then, maybe, buy. We bought after coming here just five times, never staying more than 10 days at a time. Were we rash? Did we rush?
Then we met a seemingly sane couple from Florida who bought a beautiful property in Santa Lucia — on their first trip. Their neighbors from Rhode Island, also apparently sensible, also bought a stunner. They saw what they liked and didn’t want to lose it. Like us, they probably reasoned “if not now, when,” and topped it off with “we’re not getting any younger.” They didn’t want to dither, finding reasons not to buy here. They took a leap of faith. The Florida couple bought in 2009, which is a year before we came, and probably a great year to find stellar properties. It’s twice as hard in 2013. Even the cherry House Hunters International took on a more pessimistic tone in their last episode, repeating the notion that Frank and Dan were late to the game, snagging leftovers from a hot real estate market.
So is a whirlwind romance OK? Or do you have to spend years renting and weighing your options? We’re somewhere in between, because it took us about a year and-a-half before started making offers on houses. In that time we had figured out:
- What neighborhood was right for us (Santa Ana with its quick access to the north)
- We wanted a ”ruin” and not a finished house (with God-knows what construction standards, electrical issues and plumbing defects)
- That a garage was a priority, the overall width should be over 9 meters and there should be a pool, or room for one, large enough to swim laps in
- What we were comfortable spending (before multiplying it by three later on)
- What motifs suited us best, and which would wear thin (that is, where we’ll willing to fall on the romantic/rational design spectrum)
- What will we do all day? (With apologies to Theresa for stealing her title.)
- What kind of properties should we avoid? Corner properties, for instance. Houses next to cantinas, salas de fiestas and light-industrial businesses. Bus streets unless we went back more than 50 meters.
We keep getting asked about our time frame, but we don’t have one. We’re aiming broadly into the future, which is something I’ve always done. God laughs at those who make plans.
Postscript: This morning we woke up in our own home for the first time in two weeks. We slept well Mérida, but last night we both had nightmares. I dreamed that we had blindly bought a condo in Mérida. It was constructed of wood, and had decks hanging off the sides, something like the kind you’d find anywhere in the U.S. A band of party animals, feeling entitled, tried to invade our deck for a party. Across the hall were other expats, the kind who entertain constantly. The unit had none of the things that drew us to the region — no courtyards, high ceilings, or privacy. How could we have been so rash? We had lost our heads.
Years ago, I used to have the same nightmare, but set in Connecticut. We love our little English colonial, and for years thought we’d die in it. So I had a recurring dream that we hastily sold it and bought something inferior in its place. So last night, the “what was I thinking” theme returned in my head.
But then I woke up and rationally concluded that I’m thinking clearly. We have thought this through. We don’t know when the house will be done, and when we will inhabit it. But we’re going in the right direction.
I still have the “semester is almost over and I’m short 8 credits” dream, although I think last time Joanna was the dean I had to answer to.
Lee, we had an even shorter romance. We already knew we were beach people and not city people so when we saw the condo online we decided to check it out. It was less than a year from the time we found it online to the time we closed the sale. We never heard the advice of renting in a few areas first until after we’d bought our place…lol. So far, we’ve not regretted our choice.
If you’re type to take a chance and move down here, you’re probably impetuous enough to jump in with both feet right away.
A very good post Lee…
Now “the Dean” has a few more questions that will help you cover those eight missing credits. They are posted on my blog today.
Si, maestra…
I make it a rule to ignore the dreams that wake me up at 4am. They are always anxiety ridden. By 8am, all is good. Adventures are never fun if you think about them too much. In April of 2010 we saw an episode of House Hunters International in Merida. A month later we flew down for a week, were charmed by the La Ermita neighborhood and put a bid on the ruin that we now own. Granted, we haven’t been back yet, but hey! Our ruin is only appreciating and waiting for the day we decide to make it our own. So no regrets allowed for you Lee – I am waiting and watching to see how it’s done
I think the dream happened just to flush those anxieties out of my system. It was so absurd, anyhow. Had another strange dream this morning. Joan Rivers and I were walking though a hotel courtyard in Manhattan and I said to myself how New York has interesting courtyards, too, but in the cold weather nobody really celebrates them. Weird dream, right? I mean, Joan Rivers would be taking a limo, not walking.
I don’t know, something tells me that Joan Rivers would be up for anything. Have you ever seen her documentary? She’s a bulldog when it comes to her career – quite the life, many ups and downs. And you’re right about the courtyards in New York. I have lived in various apartments there but always wanted one like in the movie Green Card with it’s atrium garden. I suppose it could be somewhere in Mexico!
http://hookedonhouses.net/2011/11/07/andie-macdowells-apartment-greenhouse-from-green-card/
What a great website! Thanks for that! I’ve been trying to wean myself from New York City-worship. This won’t help.
Lee – Hooked on Houses is a blog started by a woman named Julia who used to be a freelance writer/wife/mom – who eventually turned her hobby (her blog) into her livelihood. She now makes a living solely through it’s advertising with 1.5 million hits a month. Here is a blurb from her ‘About’ page:
“After working for years as a writer and editor, I realized I had never had a chance to cover my favorite topic–houses. So in January of 2008, I created this blog as a place to share my obsession with like-minded house lovers like you. By 2010 I was able to quit my day job and focus on blogging full time. Love it.”
Maybe this will be your story soon?
I’ve actually tried this, but nothing has clicked yet. It does sound like the perfect home-based business for living in Merida. Just need a topic, and Yucatan Living is already taken.