# Finding a house in central Mexico



## John Frusciante (Jan 3, 2017)

I will stay for a month in Guadalajara soon, and then moving to Guanajuato for a longer period, probably settling there indefinitely. 
The only website where I could easily and quickly find a place to stay was Airbnb, but then I realized it is incredibly overpriced compared to the other channels that are used by people. 
But I have no idea where to look -- someone told me it's much easier to find a place to stay when you are already there, just asking people. I thought there was a more convenient way, but guess I'll take it if it works. 
Ads websites can be good but when I used them in the past, for other countries, the response rate by email was pretty low, so I just wasted a lot of time.
Any insight would be appreaciated! I'm mostly interested in Guanajuato area now (capital most likely, SMA seems more expensive and I don't like Leon so much). For Guadalajara, using Airbnb for just a month isn't a big deal.

Thanks in advance


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## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

When we first got here we rented for a year. It was set up by the realtor we were working with trying to find a house to buy. We signed an annual lease for about 17,000 pesos I believe.

So after reading your post I went to Century 21 Guadelajara and Century 21 Guanajuato. Both have many houses under 'houses for lease' for less than we paid.

I'll also throw out this bizarre idea. 30+ years ago a spent a couple years working for the old Eastern Airlines. There was - and still is - a monthly soft covered book - perhaps and inch thick where airline employees (captains, stewardesses etc) list properties they have available all around the world. I guess they figure that a airline pilot is less likely to trash a nice property. This service goes back to the 60's. You can get some really good deals. We have taken at least 5 or 6 vacations to hawaii over the years. You are supposed to be an airline employee - but you can always say - "I was an airline employee' OR ''my parents are airline employees'. Anyway the publication is called ASU Travel Guide. It costs $30 USD per year. Might be worth a look.


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

I would forget the Internet and rent a motel while you look around. Neighborhood can be all important and house condition is better checked in person


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

In Guanajuato capital there is a publication called "El Chopper" that lists rentals available and that is where you'll find your best and least expensive listings. Unfortunately they don't have an online version so you have to wait until you are there in Guanajuato to get a paper copy.

Also, see the links below:
https://www.vivanuncios.com.mx/s-renta-inmuebles/guanajuato-gto/v1c1098l10334p1
Renta guanajuato capital - Trovit


I mentioned these rental websites in another post and got shot down by folks saying that internet ads are aimed for high end rentals. That may have been true 10 years ago but it is much less the case nowadays. These listings show rentals for as low as $100 a month and I just can't call that high end! Most of the listings are in the $400-$500 range although there are some high end ones too ($1200). As a matter of fact, several of the ads we found in the paper we also found on vivanuncios.com.

Again, boots on the ground with "El Chopper" in hand is always best for finding rentals but looking at web ads can give you a fairly decent idea without actually being there. 

To give you an idea: We rented a very nice 3 bedroom house in an excellent neighborhood (but not right in the centro) for ~$425 a month. It was unfurnished so of course expect to pay a little more for furnished, but it doesn't sound like you need 3 bedrooms either.


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## Stare Decisis (Jan 29, 2017)

Maybe it's because I'm a millennial (and don't have feet on the ground in Mexico yet to look at apartments myself), but I prefer internet searching. 

I've mostly been looking at listings on segundamano.mx, and there's no shortage of ads for rentals in Mexico City or the other parts of central Mexico I'm interested in. Prices are much, much lower here than on AirBnb, but I'm sure you could find something even lower through word of mouth. 

I've seen listings for both furnished and unfurnished places, though it seems to skew towards longer-term rentals (minimum 1 year lease). I really like all the filter options. 

The site is in Spanish, FYI.


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## John Frusciante (Jan 3, 2017)

Stare Decisis said:


> Maybe it's because I'm a millennial (and don't have feet on the ground in Mexico yet to look at apartments myself), but I prefer internet searching.
> 
> I've mostly been looking at listings on segundamano.mx, and there's no shortage of ads for rentals in Mexico City or the other parts of central Mexico I'm interested in. Prices are much, much lower here than on AirBnb, but I'm sure you could find something even lower through word of mouth.
> 
> ...


Do you call them? Or just email them? If you email them, what's the response rate?


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## Stare Decisis (Jan 29, 2017)

John Frusciante said:


> Do you call them? Or just email them? If you email them, what's the response rate?


Sorry, I haven't gotten that far, yet. Just browsing at this point. It was recommended on a blog post I read about moving to Mexico City - but I can't find that link, anymore (it was a few years ago). 

I found a different blog post saying their response rate is low, but I can't link to it as I'm not at 5 posts, yet. 

So, maybe not useful for actually securing housing, but useful for gaining insight into the rental market.


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