# cabo



## pkenneson (Dec 5, 2011)

is there anyone in the baja penn.that can give me some guidance on where to start.i am curious as to buying property,or a condo,or a time share.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

What makes you curious? Have you been there in the off season? The first thing to know is that you must purchase through a trust, fidecomiso, if within a considerable distance from the coast. There are fees to do it, plus annual fees. Condos and time shares; be very, very careful. There are scams out there.


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## m55vette (May 21, 2010)

Welcome aboard Pete, you'll find people here are helpful and have good info. You might get flooded with private emails from Realtors, be aware of their intentions. You may want to do a Google search on Cabo Real Estate and see if they have an MLS listing of houses.

Anyone know good areas in Cabo for a new to the area person to start looking?


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

m55vette said:


> Welcome aboard ... Anyone know good areas in Cabo for a new to the area person to start looking?


 Cabo is probably my least favorite place in Baja. The beach is overrun with highrise hotels, luxury sport fishing boats and jet skis. Once you are a couple of blocks away from the beach, it is a nice smallish Mexican city. But what is the point of living that close to the ocean if it isn't a pleasant place to stroll and watch the waves. But I have only visited a few times. Maybe there are some attractions there that aren't obvious to an outsider.


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## makaloco (Mar 26, 2009)

Depends on what kind of life you want. I don't know Los Cabos well, but if I were going to live in that area, I'd be looking around San José del Cabo. San José has the advantage of being near the water and the international airport but allows distancing from the worst of the tourist glitz. Cabo San Lucas strikes me pretty much as Tundra Green describes it.


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## pkenneson (Dec 5, 2011)

*real estate prices in cabo s*

RVgringo,are you there?someone said you had good info on moving to mexico,can you please help me get started.


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## pkenneson (Dec 5, 2011)

RVGRINGO said:


> What makes you curious? Have you been there in the off season? The first thing to know is that you must purchase through a trust, fidecomiso, if within a considerable distance from the coast. There are fees to do it, plus annual fees. Condos and time shares; be very, very careful. There are scams out there.


hey,thanks for replying.went there on vacation and was captivated by it all.dont need to be in cabo exactly,just really like the weather,place and people.Am curious about americans running a business also,maybe a fishing boat or such.any info would be appreciated.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

If your only experience with a place was 'vacation', please re-visit in the off season. Many such places are really dead; almost deserted, hot, humid, rainy, etc., and you might not like that half of the year. Look to where the majority of Mexico's major cities are located. They are in moderate climates, usually at 5000 - 7500' elevation, and for good reason. Beaches are, indeed for vacations & many of us, from central or western Mexico, can drive to the beach in less than a day. We wouldn't want to live there.
As for working, you will have to have a visa and the express permission from Mexico's Immigration authorities. There will be financial requirements. If opening your own business, plan on heavy start-up hurdles and expense. The economy isn't what it once was, and probably never will be. So, proceed with caution and I would suggest living in an area, on your own resources, for a year or more, before even considering a business. Are you fluent enough in Spanish yet?


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## pkenneson (Dec 5, 2011)

RVGRINGO said:


> If your only experience with a place was 'vacation', please re-visit in the off season. Many such places are really dead; almost deserted, hot, humid, rainy, etc., and you might not like that half of the year. Look to where the majority of Mexico's major cities are located. They are in moderate climates, usually at 5000 - 7500' elevation, and for good reason. Beaches are, indeed for vacations & many of us, from central or western Mexico, can drive to the beach in less than a day. We wouldn't want to live there.
> As for working, you will have to have a visa and the express permission from Mexico's Immigration authorities. There will be financial requirements. If opening your own business, plan on heavy start-up hurdles and expense. The economy isn't what it once was, and probably never will be. So, proceed with caution and I would suggest living in an area, on your own resources, for a year or more, before even considering a business. Are you fluent enough in Spanish yet?


thank you so much for the good advice.my wife thinks im being too impulsive,am going to spend a month in the area in sept.to look around and check things out.i speak spanish enough to communicate,but am not fluent by any means,am working on that.Guess i need to chill out and look around before i commit.thanks.


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## La Paz (May 16, 2011)

pkenneson said:


> is there anyone in the baja penn.that can give me some guidance on where to start.i am curious as to buying property,or a condo,or a time share.


pkenneson, no one place is going to be a perfect fit for everyone! There are potentially hundreds of important considerations/issues that you may not have yet taken into consideration. For starters: 


What age are you? 
Are you retired or do you still need to work to keep a roof over your head & food on the table?
Will this move involve just yourself? Wife? Husband? Kids? Pets?
What kind of life-style are you looking for? How much monthly income will be required to support your expected life-style? Do you want to live in town amidst the hustle, bustle & noise? In a quieter, possible more remote area? IMO, there's a large disparity between "property, condo or timeshare". Do you want to live in a tourist destination, ****** enclave, or a smaller quieter (or NOT!) area among the local people? 
What activities/amenities do you enjoy? Are they available in the area(s) you’re considering?
How’s your health? Do you have any pre-existing medical conditions which may require ongoing or specialized care or medication?
Any special dietary requirements?
Is either of the following important to you: Easy access/distance to international airport? Availability & quality of hospitals, medical & dental care? 
There is a tremendous difference between spending 1-2 weeks vacationing in an area versus living there, presumably full-time.
Have you ever experienced a hurricane? 
Do you have any idea of the cultural differences? 
Do you have any idea of what's involved in getting permission to immigrate to Mexico? The initial process & the costs, the annual responsibilities & costs?
Do you have any idea of Mexico's legal requirements to operate a business here? The laws governing taxes, permits, *monthly* tax reporting, employees, employee benefits, employer responsibilities?
Local utility costs, groceries, vehicle insurance, homeowners insurance, 
Are you aware of tax implications as a US citizen living abroad & earning income outside the USA & how Uncle Sam will be standing in line if you violate any is the IRS imposed laws, despite the fact you ain't in Kansas any longer? 

The above questions are just the tip of the iceberg & not meant to be discouraging, but rather to get you thinking; I’m not asking (nor expecting) you to answer all those publicly. But if you expect viable advice from people, you do need to share to a certain extent, otherwise, you’ll most likely end up getting blind-sided by things you never thought to ask. Strangers on a forum can’t decide what’s best for you, only you can, but if you want some guidance, you’ll need to be prepared to share to whatever degree you’re comfortable to receive meaningful feedback for you to sort through.

Regarding opening a business....you’ll have to do a lot of in-depth research on this one. Simplistically, the rule-of-thumb of current laws states that a foreigner can work or create a business if they have a skill not available in country or if they create jobs for locals. 

IMO, Immigration (INM) is far too lenient in the work authorizations that they do grant to foreigners. How INM can justify that "skills not found in country" could possibly extend to construction, boating & fishing jobs, real estate & even pool cleaning skills, to name a few....is ludicrous! That those skills cannot be found in country is totally beyond how my brain functions. It's one thing if these endeavors are *creating jobs for the local population*, it's totally different when gringos hire other gringos to do the work & those other gringos are granted permission to work status as well!

Following is a link to a recent newspaper article regarding how locals feel about gringos taking work, income & their livelihoods away from them. 

Piden frenen competencia desleal de extranjeros 

If you don't speak Spanish, run it through a translator to get a general understanding of the article.

This has been a sensitive topic for a long time & locals are finally bringing it to the boiling point & demanding legal resolutions. So if your relocation plans hinge on making money locally, you might want to consider adjusting your plans accordingly.

Probably the most important question I can ask....do you have the ability to leave your USA standards & expectations at the border? Because you will definitely not be in Kansas (or even Nevada!) any longer, Toto!  

There are many Baja forums & even some town-specific forums which might give you a much more Baja-specific overview; Google “Baja forums” as a good starting point....research, research, *research* & then ask specific questions for any issues or questions you may still have.


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## pkenneson (Dec 5, 2011)

La Paz said:


> pkenneson, no one place is going to be a perfect fit for everyone! There are potentially hundreds of important considerations/issues that you may not have yet taken into consideration. For starters:
> 
> 
> What age are you?
> ...


thank you for giving me a starting point to work from,i know it aint easy.just needed a starting point.im thinking 5 years.thanks alot.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Oh, oh! That will be 2016. Read "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand; or, see the movie.


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