# Sisal Mexico



## phil&sue

We are thinking of buying property on the beach in Sisal Mexico. We would appreciate any information on beachfront property, realestate pitfalls etc.


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## RVGRINGO

You must know that you will have to hold the land as the beneficiary of a bank trust if you are not a Mexican citizen. Have a notario insure that the land is not 'ejido' land and that it has a clean deed without leins before making your offer.


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## phil&sue

RVGRINGO said:


> You must know that you will have to hold the land as the beneficiary of a bank trust if you are not a Mexican citizen. Have a notario insure that the land is not 'ejido' land and that it has a clean deed without leins before making your offer.


RVGRINGO,

Thanks for the response.... We need all the help we can get. It is a big step for us and before we do anything I would like to hear from anyone who has any information por or con.

Phil


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## synthia

I'll put in my negative two cents worth. Are you planning to live there, or is this to be a vacation home? If you are planning to live in Mexico, then I always suggest renting for a full year, unless you can afford to sell the property at a big loss if it doesn't work out. In any country it's the same. Most expats go back home, usually within two years.

If you are planning to use it as a vacation property, give a lot of consideration to security for when you are not there.


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## phil&sue

synthia said:


> I'll put in my negative two cents worth. Are you planning to live there, or is this to be a vacation home? If you are planning to live in Mexico, then I always suggest renting for a full year, unless you can afford to sell the property at a big loss if it doesn't work out. In any country it's the same. Most expats go back home, usually within two years.
> 
> If you are planning to use it as a vacation property, give a lot of consideration to security for when you are not there.


I appreciate your comments. My wife wants to live there for a while before we decide. I was thinking of buying the property as a investment so I can hold the price. If we decided to move it would be a full time.


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## RVGRINGO

Before you consider buying, I would suggest that you live there for at least a full year in order to experience the extreme heat and humidity, hurricanes and mosquitoes. Most expats who live in coastal areas want to escape to higher ground and cooler temperatures for much of the year and must be able to afford to do that while having trusted employees to look after their property, perhaps in both locations, while they are away.


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## phil&sue

RVGRINGO said:


> Before you consider buying, I would suggest that you live there for at least a full year in order to experience the extreme heat and humidity, hurricanes and mosquitoes. Most expats who live in coastal areas want to escape to higher ground and cooler temperatures for much of the year and must be able to afford to do that while having trusted employees to look after their property, perhaps in both locations, while they are away.


RVGRINGO,

We have also thought about the Boquete area of Panama which is in the mountains. They say you don't need neat or air and it's called the land of eternal spring. 

It does have a raniy season... if it was like South Florida USA where it rains in the afternoon for a hour or so I could live with that. 

We have a lot of decisions to make.

Phil


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## VanessaNYC

phil&sue said:


> We are thinking of buying property on the beach in Sisal Mexico. We would appreciate any information on beachfront property, realestate pitfalls etc.


Hello,
My husband and I are also thinking about buying property in Sisal at Sunset Shores. Is this where you are thinking of buying? 
My sister and her husband currently own property in Playa Del Carmen, but they are considering moving to Sunset Shores in Sisal as they would then be on the beachfront. They love Mexico, though they live there only part-time. They spend most of the year in Seattle. 
Vanessa


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## phil&sue

Hello Vanessa,

We are thinking about Sunset Shores. Please e-mail us at xxxxx

Phil & Sue


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## VanessaNYC

Hi Phil and Sue,

I just sent you an email.

 Vanessa


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## synthia

I spent one day in Boquete. It rained and or drizzled all day. I don't think the rainy season is anything like what we have in Florida. Florida is basically a desert sand bar surrounded by water. Boquete is more like rain forest.


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## phil&sue

synthia said:


> I spent one day in Boquete. It rained and or drizzled all day. I don't think the rainy season is anything like what we have in Florida. Florida is basically a desert sand bar surrounded by water. Boquete is more like rain forest.


That's what I was afraid of....

Thanks


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## synthia

I'm leary any time I hear the 'springtime' claim. My experience is that the spring they are talking about is a raw day in late March. And the claim usually comes from people who think that anything over 77F (about 25C) is a blisteringly hot day.


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## teadust

Synthia I'm with you on the "eternal spring" weather description. 

Phil&Sue you might be interested in a personal trip report about Panama written by expat who lives at Lake Chapala, Jalisco. He and his wife visited several places in Panama to see if they could find an area that might suit them better than where they currently reside in Mexico. Boquette and David are mentioned...


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## phil&sue

teadust said:


> Synthia I'm with you on the "eternal spring" weather description.
> 
> Phil&Sue you might be interested in a personal trip report about Panama written by expat who lives at Lake Chapala, Jalisco. He and his wife visited several places in Panama to see if they could find an area that might suit them better than where they currently reside in Mexico. Boquette and David are mentioned...


Teadust,

I read the information and we decided Mexico is the way to go for us. We like the Mexican culture, food if we only could speak spanish.

Thanks


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## RVGRINGO

Here at Lake Chapala, and most everywhere in Mexico, Spanish classes are readily available. Learning Spanish does make living here much more enjoyable, allowing one to shop, travel and take care of the normal business of living without feeling like a tiny child. Most of us aren't fluent yet but we're still working on it. Granted, some expats don't bother, but they are pretty dependent upon friends or paid 'agents' to do things for them and they also seem to be the ones who grumble about every little thing that goes awry.


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## Rodrigo84

That's true about Mexico, you always find people to help you do things and it won't cost that much. However, Mexico is a great place to learn Spanish. We speak it among the clearest and use an informal grammar structure (you won't hear usted as much) usually like como estas, not como esta usted, that makes learning the language a lot simpler. Keep in mind that a lot of people want to practice English, especially the younger generation, so often you can pick a lot up just by talking. I have seen foreigners come to Mexico and within 6 months pick up a working vocabulary that they can get around on.

A good trick my cousin (an American who spoke fluent Spanish) was to go around one's house with one of those pocket translators or even a small english-spanish dictionary and start to point at something and find its name in Spanish. You'll sound find yourself asking even on a street, "how do I say ... in Spanish".


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## Shirlee and Nick

*Buying property at Sunset Shores*



phil&sue said:


> We are thinking of buying property on the beach in Sisal Mexico. We would appreciate any information on beachfront property, realestate pitfalls etc.


Hi Phil and Sue, We just came back from Mexico and went out to view the lots at Sunset Shores and would love to correspond with others that are considering buying there. Please let us know if that is where you're looking and if you actually saw the lots available. Thanks Shirlee


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## Shirlee and Nick

*Sisal*



VanessaNYC said:


> Hello,
> My husband and I are also thinking about buying property in Sisal at Sunset Shores. Is this where you are thinking of buying?
> My sister and her husband currently own property in Playa Del Carmen, but they are considering moving to Sunset Shores in Sisal as they would then be on the beachfront. They love Mexico, though they live there only part-time. They spend most of the year in Seattle.
> Vanessa


Hi Vanessa, My husband and I just visited the lots available at SS at Sisal and would love you input as in; have you seen the lots and who you are dealing with, when are you thinking of relocating and your thoughts on builders. Just a few, right!!! We would love to be able to get to know people that want to escape the US and all the political and financial turmoil. Shirlee and Nick


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## Hound Dog

Shirlee and Nick said:


> Hi Vanessa, My husband and I just visited the lots available at SS at Sisal and would love you input as in; have you seen the lots and who you are dealing with, when are you thinking of relocating and your thoughts on builders. Just a few, right!!! We would love to be able to get to know people that want to escape the US and all the political and financial turmoil. Shirlee and Nick


Shirlee & Nick:

Please be cautious about acquring "trust held" property rights along the Yucatan Gulf of Mexico shore. I know nothing about these recent developments in Sisal (which was the old port for Mérida during the time of Stevens and Catherwood and their adventures exploring the ruins in the Yucatan in the 19th Century). While we have not looked at Sisal as a place for a beach house, about four years ago we explored the Yucatan Gulf Coast from Dzilam de Bravo to Celestun with our emphasis on the beach areas east of Progreso. We have also considered Isla Holbox, Quintana Roo; not as a place to buy property but as a place to rent accomodations annually for a beach time escape from our high mountain colonial enclave of San Cristóbal de Las Casas in nearby (so to speak) Chiapas. 

In Highland Chiapas we have access to a number of coastal areas all, of which are quite beautiful, from the Oaxaca coast to the Chiapas coast to the Gulf from Veracruz state to the Caribbean and, of course, the expansive Caribbean shore to Belize. So, we can pick among many different coastal areas most of which are beautiful and some of which are butt-ugly. The Gulf Coast from Dzilam de Bravo to Progreso is among our favorites with splendid white beaches, attractive aquamarine seas and local color provided by rustic fishing villages and (normally) deserted beach towns made even more colorful by mysterious ruins and semi-ruins - the detritus of countless dreams destroyed by the ruinous hurricanes that regularly devastate this isolated and dream-like coastal region. 

We have decided not to buy along this wonderful Yucatan Gulf Coast but to visit each year the coastal areas from the wild Oaxaca coast to the Gulf near Mérida to Isla Holbox to the Beautiful Caribbean from Tulum to the Belize border and inland to incredible Lake Bacalar. We have residences in both Chiapas and Jalisco´s Lake Chapala and that´s quite enough responsibility , thank you. 

Why?

(1) I grew up in a hurricane zone along Alabama´s Gulf Coast and know from bitter experience that these wild and dangerous storms are unpredictable and unbelievably destructive. In fact, the first home my wife and I lived in in 1971/72 as renters along the western shore of Mobile Bay some 15 miles north of the Dauphin Island beaches and the open Gulf was completely destroyed by Hurricane Frederick in 1979 - a storm that devastated Mobile and reclaimed the entire western sand spit of Dauphin Island for the sea. Not even a board left to remember our extended honeymoon years before we left for San Francisco. Don´t you believe those who underestimate the destructive power of these storms in order to sell you a piece of coastal land that could disappear at the whim of God in a few seconds.

(2) Forget the whims of God. Think of the whims of man. The Gulf coastal areas of the Yucatan are developing and developing rapidly. All of a sudden, local people in the region notice foreigners buying up and , in their view, raping the natural environment to plant their ugly concrete seasonally occupied beach houses where dunes, sea oats and mangroves ruled for thousands of years and the collective community spirit turns rancorous. Local and state bureaucrats, rightly attuned to the local mood start enacting draconian rules to limit the destruction and, for the propety owner, this means uncertainty as to how he/she can exercise the property rights he/she thinks they acquired when purchasing their trustholds.

I could go on and on but that´s enough for now. Let´s just say that by renting beachfront access each year you can enjoy the variety this beautiful Southern Mexico offers on three nearby seas and avoid the risk concomitant with ownership in an environmentally and politically risky region. That´s our take on this after much time spent contemplating our alternatives but you must decide for yourself. Have at it and "Damn the torpedoes - full speed ahead."


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## phil&sue

Shirlee and Nick,

We sent you a private message......................

Phil & Sue


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## phil&sue

Shirlee & Nick

Our e-mail is (edited) send us your telephone number and we'll give you a call.

Phil & Sue


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## Shirlee and Nick

phil&sue said:


> Shirlee and Nick,
> 
> We sent you a private message......................
> 
> Phil & Sue


Thanks, will do today.


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## HolyMole

*Re Hound Dog's suggestions*

Thanks for the sage advise from those posters who recommend renting for a year before making any commitments. That note about retirees often returning home within the first two years is a bit sobering.
I thought I knew a bit about Mexico...and about sisal....but knew nothing about Sisal. I guess it's in the Progresso area.
Buying land to build, of course, has its own dangers and frustrations anywhere, but especially in Mexico, and especially along the coast. And, with the worldwide economy in trouble, I'm reading lots of horror stories of folks who put down large deposits on units in high-rise condos along the beach, only to have the builder/developer demand full payment months, or even years before the units will be ready for occupancy. 
I assume Phil and Sue are American. My wife and I have always intended to retire permanently to Mexico from Canada, but thought we should check-out both Costa Rica and Panama before making any firm commitments. So, we booked a 6 month trip, to be split between CR and Panama, then had to cancel for health reasons. It's just as well, though, because the Canadian dollar, which was close to par with the US at the time we booked our airfare, has now dropped to 79 cents US....meaning that retirement in Panama, (which uses the US dollar), would be at least 20% more expensive.
(Like many folks around the world, I can't understand why, if the currrent worldwide financial meltdown has largely originated in the USA, their currency should have gained 20% against the Canadian dollar, when all we hear here is how fiscally prudent our Canadian government and financial sector has been, compared to the fiasco in the US. I guess you have to be an economist to understand).


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## phil&sue

HolyMole,

Your right Sue & I live in Virginia USA. We seem to be in the same time in our lives as you we are 57. Actually we are also looking into Panama and just finished e-mailing a guy that lives in Boquete Panama and also has a house in Boca del Toro Panama. I believe he was from Canada but I could be wrong on that. 

Is is a big decision and we would all hate to make a mistake. 

I can tell you a lot about Panama, email me at [email protected] and supply your telephone number & I'll call you. My business number is on my web-site powerwashofva.com.


Take Care,

Phil


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## HolyMole

Thanks for the offer, Phil
I'm 63 and my wife is 62....I retired 2 years ago. Initially, we thought we would have to move full-time to Mexico, (or wherever we ended up) because we could not afford two residences; one in Canada and another in Mexico. However, because we're mortgage-free in Canada, it now looks like we can probably afford to rent for 6 months in Mexico and still have our home in Canada.
I did a lot of research on Panama and have many websites bookmarked. We've had to rule Panama out, however, due to it's being tied to the US dollar. That 20%premium for the currency is just too much. The Canadian dollar has done well against the Mexican peso, (and against the Costa Rican colon), and, if we chose to move permanently to Mexico, we'd be in the "peso economy", and not subject to the wild fluctuations of the US vs Canadian dollar. 
It seems to me that the principle reason for considering Costa Rica or Panama over Mexico would be the relative political peace in CR and Panama and the very troubling crime/drug gang situation in Mexico, as well as the roadblocks imposed by Mexican laws on property ownership near the coasts or borders, and the whole confusing situation regarding ejido land.


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## maylane

The local government in Yucatan now has laws that you may NOT build within the first 60 feet of the high tide mark. Some allow you to build within that 60 feet IF you build on stilts.


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## couz

*Beachfront at sunset beach*

We have purchase property at Sunset Beach near Sisal. 

E-mail us at [email protected]





QUOTE=phil&sue;89832]We are thinking of buying property on the beach in Sisal Mexico. We would appreciate any information on beachfront property, realestate pitfalls etc.[/QUOTE]


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## couz

*Sunset Shores*

Hi Shirlee and Nick,

We purchased a lot on Sunset Beach. We've started a blog for owners. E-mail us at [email protected] and I will send you the website.



Shirlee and Nick said:


> Hi Phil and Sue, We just came back from Mexico and went out to view the lots at Sunset Shores and would love to correspond with others that are considering buying there. Please let us know if that is where you're looking and if you actually saw the lots available. Thanks Shirlee


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## couz

*Sunset Shores*

Hi Vanessa,

We purchase a lot on Sunset Beach near Sisal. We have started an owner's blog. E-mail us at [email protected] and I will send you the website.



VanessaNYC said:


> Hello,
> My husband and I are also thinking about buying property in Sisal at Sunset Shores. Is this where you are thinking of buying?
> My sister and her husband currently own property in Playa Del Carmen, but they are considering moving to Sunset Shores in Sisal as they would then be on the beachfront. They love Mexico, though they live there only part-time. They spend most of the year in Seattle.
> Vanessa


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## phil&sue

Couz,

Check you e-mail

Phil & Sue


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## RVGRINGO

Now that you should be in contact, I have removed your e-mail addresses so that the spam bots won't pick them up, if they haven't already, and flood you with unwanted junk.
Hope you don't mind.


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## DanandAna

Hi, 
We recently bought a lot on Sunset Beach last May and are planning to build a house there. There are two methods to ownership. Transcaribbean Trust is who we used and I assume you talked to them as they are marketing both Sunset Beach and Sunset Shores. Please let us know if you would like information. The transactions were easy. We live in S. Florida and are familiar with the weather patterns which are similar. We are learning more about Sisal and the Yucatan everyday and are really excited about our investment.

Good Luck to you!


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## RVGRINGO

Be very, very careful of agencies who advertise and target expats for development property. Coastal property must be purchased in a fidecomiso (trust) and this is held for the buyers benefit by a Mexican Bank. Inland and away from the border, one may buy with a normal deed and no annual trust fees, etc. Also note that the buyer should always choose the notario to look after his interests; don't use the seller's notario. You have the legal right to choose. If the seller insists on using his notario, run!


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## DUTCH

*Important Information*



maylane said:


> The local government in Yucatan now has laws that you may NOT build within the first 60 feet of the high tide mark. Some allow you to build within that 60 feet IF you build on stilts.


Hi every body, Since August 2008, this new law has stopped all construction possibilities along the beach coast in Yucatan. This law considers 60 mts (not feet) from the high tide line inland as an ecological reserve This means SEMARNAT (the ecological ministry) will not authorize new buildings in that area. This situation is so critical that local builders had construction projects unfinished or pending.

For land owners at the beach it is a big concern. We were invited to buy in Sisal and we declined because of this. If you already own a lot at the beach, I would suggest you to sell it or keep it until the situation changes; how long it will take we don´t know. Lots of PRI related politicians own land in Sisal or Celestun areas and they are selling without providing this information to buyers. It is your choice in the end. 

Best option is to buy a second hand house at the beach. We had done an extensive research on the situation and buying a lot at the beach is not my recomendation. 

We were in contact with some officials in SEMARNAT and obviously this is a political issue. Hope this information is helpful.


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## maylane

*sisal*



DUTCH said:


> Hi every body, Since August 2008, this new law has stopped all construction possibilities along the beach coast in Yucatan. This law considers 60 mts (not feet) from the high tide line inland as an ecological reserve This means SEMARNAT (the ecological ministry) will not authorize new buildings in that area. This situation is so critical that local builders had construction projects unfinished or pending.
> 
> For land owners at the beach it is a big concern. We were invited to buy in Sisal and we declined because of this. If you already own a lot at the beach, I would suggest you to sell it or keep it until the situation changes; how long it will take we don´t know. Lots of PRI related politicians own land in Sisal or Celestun areas and they are selling without providing this information to buyers. It is your choice in the end.
> 
> Best option is to buy a second hand house at the beach. We had done an extensive research on the situation and buying a lot at the beach is not my recomendation.
> 
> We were in contact with some officials in SEMARNAT and obviously this is a political issue. Hope this information is helpful.


Dutch...thanks for the info (yes my mistake 60m vs 60 ft) but as I read discreto 801 it includes revamping of older homes on the beach also...have any take on that?


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## DUTCH

*Decret 801*



maylane said:


> Dutch...thanks for the info (yes my mistake 60m vs 60 ft) but as I read discreto 801 it includes revamping of older homes on the beach also...have any take on that?


Dear Maylane, here a textual description of decret 801, which includes a list what is no longer authorize “no se autoriza la edificación de hoteles, condominios, villas, casas habitación, desarrollos habitacionales y urbanos, piscinas, restaurantes, instalaciones de comercio y servicios en general, marinas, muelles ni calles, en una franja de 60 metros, desde la línea de costa (20 metros de la Zona Federal Marítima y 40 de protección de la primera duna)”.

This means if you already have a Beach Front house, you canot have a new pool, or a new solid concret addition/extension, but you can have a palapa/terrace or roof gardens, as long as is not consider solid/concret construction.

Remodeling (interior or exterior), updating or restoring is not a problem.


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## profit

*corporations are the way to go*

you can also form a corporation.. the other way you need bank approval for everything,,
peace


RVGRINGO said:


> You must know that you will have to hold the land as the beneficiary of a bank trust if you are not a Mexican citizen. Have a notario insure that the land is not 'ejido' land and that it has a clean deed without leins before making your offer.


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## phil&sue

profit said:


> you can also form a corporation.. the other way you need bank approval for everything,,
> peace


Thanks for your input.... We already purchased property just outside Sisal and have our corporation in place.


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## profit

*fantastic*

i am openeing an indian restaurant in merida..if you ever want to chat we will be open in a few weeks.. dinner is on me...namaste grill.. pseo and remate next to bachacha bar..peace and good luck with your property i'm sure its beautiful..


phil&sue said:


> Thanks for your input.... We already purchased property just outside Sisal and have our corporation in place.


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## phil&sue

profit said:


> i am openeing an indian restaurant in merida..if you ever want to chat we will be open in a few weeks.. dinner is on me...namaste grill.. pseo and remate next to bachacha bar..peace and good luck with your property i'm sure its beautiful..


Thank You and we will next time we in Merida.. Good Luck with your new business.

Phil


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## lrmp

*Sisal*

Hello we are also looking to buy property in Sisal in Sunset Shores. Have you made a final decision, have you visited the property? Any information you can provide would be great. Thks.




VanessaNYC said:


> Hello,
> My husband and I are also thinking about buying property in Sisal at Sunset Shores. Is this where you are thinking of buying?
> My sister and her husband currently own property in Playa Del Carmen, but they are considering moving to Sunset Shores in Sisal as they would then be on the beachfront. They love Mexico, though they live there only part-time. They spend most of the year in Seattle.
> Vanessa


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## chrischild

*sunset shores*



lrmp said:


> Hello we are also looking to buy property in Sisal in Sunset Shores. Have you made a final decision, have you visited the property? Any information you can provide would be great. Thks.


Hi I am from England and I bought a lot on sunset shores 18 months ago
I am thinking about selling and if you are interested and would like more details 
then please text me your email address to 044 07798 865083 UK cell phone


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## nacj96

We are looking into buying property in that area also. Did you make the move? What did you think? Any advice?


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## TundraGreen

nacj96 said:


> We are looking into buying property in that area also. Did you make the move? What did you think? Any advice?


You have resurrected a thread that is more than three years old. None of the previous posters on this thread are currently active. However, you may get some responses from current posters.


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## Hound Dog

[_QUOTE=nacj96;1352505]We are looking into buying property in that area also. Did you make the move? What did you think? Any advice?[/QUOTE]_

As TundraGreen wrote, you have resurrected an old thread about the Sisal area and individuals looking at the possibilty of buying in a development known as Sunset Shores - a development with which I am unfamiliar.

Just a word of caution about the Sisal area based strictly on hearsay so take what I say with a grain of salt. On another thread regarding buying or renting beachfront property on the Yucatan Gulf Coast between Celestun on the west to Dzilam de Bravo on the east, there were posters warning of serious beach erosion along the shore west of the Progreso pier which is where Sisal is located. Those posters and others indicated that a new extention of the old Progreso pier, famous for its long reach into the sea to act as a port for deep draft vessels, has, due to its construction fundamentals which differ from those of the original pier, caused serious on-going beach erosion along the beachfront west of the pier so that formerly broad beaches are literally disappearing and beachfront structures are being compromised. I don´t know for sure if this is true and, anyway, we are only interested in properties east of the pier as far away as the Telchac Puerto area and then only to rent not buy. Having grown up on the Alabama coast and experienced the devastating affect of hurricanes over the years, I avoid buying beachfront properties in hurricane zones and that is one but that´s just me and to each his own.

I am noit trying to discourage anyone but, if I were considering renting or buying in that area I would appreciate a heads up on potential problems which may or may not be disclosed to me by property owners or real estate agents.

Other than these warnings, I must admit that the Gulf Coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from about Chicxulub to Isla Holbox is my favorite coast in all of Mexico and I often visit the Pacific and Caribbean as well. A great, underrated place.

Good luck.


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