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Hi All, we are new members looking for info on moving/retiring to Baja, particularly Rosarito or Ensenada areas. Can anyone provide input on the following items (and anything else you think may be helpful):

* If you live there now, and you had it all to do over again, would you ? Why ?

* Any recommendations on realtors ?

* Any recommendations on "For sale by owner" websites etc... ?

* Best Locations / areas (based on costs, weather, things to do etc...) really prefer to be as close to the ocean as possible !!

* Areas / locations to avoid (based on crime rate, poor weather, high cost, dumpy housing accommodations etc...)

We currently live and work in northern california (near Sacamento), we are in our mid 50's and plan to fully retire in the next 2-3 years. We would most likely spend 50% of our time in Baja and the other 50% traveling in our RV throughout the US, Mexico and Canada.

PLEASE NOTE: WE WANT TO HEAR FOR THOSE WHO HAVE "BEEN THERE - DONE THAT" AND/OR ARE STILL DOING IT !! WE ARE NOT INTERESTED IN HEARING FROM PERSONS SUCH AS REALTORS WILL PAINT A ROSIE PICTURE TRYING TO SELL SOMETHING, WE WANT THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY TRUTH FROM THOSE WHO HAVE OR ARE EXPERIENCING IT.

Thank you

The Beach Couple

I do not live in Baja but I travel there once a month. I love it. You will get plenty of feedback on this site from many people who know more than I. Good luck and welcome.

beachcouple

There are several people on here that can steer you in the right direction. I'm not one of them but welcome you just the same.

Hola! Just wanted to weigh in on the realtor issue. Hopefully, with the resources available here, you can be pointed in the right direction, which fundamentally excludes the use of realtors. Especially in the areas you noted, using a realtor will just translate into you paying more than you need to. Even if you go on the real estate websites, you will see plenty of properties for sale, at unrealistically high prices. Best advice, if you can swing it, would be to look to rent for at least six months and get the feel of the area. The other key issue is whether to buy, with a bank trust, or consider buying on leased land. There are many very affordable homes for sale that have land leases with surprisingly low annual rent. Some folks have a major problem with the concept. And, there are horror stories about people being kicked out of their homes. The possibly most notorious incident happened in the Punta Banda area of Ensenada a decade ago. Beachfront properties were basically seized because the people who sold them did not have title to the property. Chutzpah. But, there are many scrupulous land owners, where the parcels have been in the family for generations. Just saying, the best affordable situation is to buy a home on leased land. Nothing wrong with buying outright, with the bank trust. It all depends on what you can afford, and what your future plans are.

Check your messages. Think I can help you get started.

I always suggest rent before buying. If you are going to be gone 6 months out of the year I would highly recommend you look into an area with good security or somewhere you can leave a caretaker on site...

WELCOME.
My best advice would be consider everything you have ben told by others and on this site Then throw out about 95pct. of it.
THEN COME SEE FOR YOUR SELF.
AND BY ALL MEANS STAY AWAY FROM THE BOTTOM FEEDING REAL ESTATE PEOPLE.

Originally Posted by beachcouple

...WE WANT TO HEAR...THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY...

Well; if you really want the UGLY, I can recommend a starting point. Here are some papers and blogs:

Agencia Fronteriza de Noticias | AFN Tijuana
Border Reporter U.S.-Mexico border, covering immigration, politics, organized crime, Homeland Security, corruption and drug trafficking.
CRIMEN SIN CASTIGO
DiarioSanDiego.com
En Linea Tijuana
http://www.frontera.info/
Google Noticias
http://www.lacronica.com/
El Mexicano
Justice in Mexico
Mexidata
Narco Tijuana
Narcotráfico en México
Nota Roja
Radar Politico | Lo que realmente importa
rosaritoenlanoticia
SintesisTV el canal de la frontera. Noticias, Deportes, TV en vivo por internet, Cultura y mucho más
El Sol de Tijuana
elsudcaliforniano BajaSur
San Diego and Mexico Border News - Baja, Tijuana, Calexico, Tecate - SignOnSanDiego.com
El Vigía | Periodismo con la gente

The bold ones are in English. If you can't read Spanish, you can paste the URL into
Google Translate
with somewhat-legible but sometimes funny results.

Have to register at El Vigía but it was one of my favorites.

"...one of them did not tolerate more and better discussion..."

See what I mean?

Uhhhhhhhhh....Marty, somehow I don't think that was what beachcouple meant....it's kinda hard to miss that kinda crap on the news. noproblemo has been in touch with them, and I figure Teniente will after his chili-induced heartburn goes away & he logs back on after his hot week-end.

beachcouple, I'm about 900 miles further south than you're interested, so I won't weigh in on the far northlands, but I'd pick La Paz again in a heat-beat!

We are also in La Paz. If you are going to spend 50% of your time traveling, I beleive Baja Sur is worth considering. If we had to do it again, we would. Left to my own devices, and ignorance of Baja Sur, I would have probably chosen the Ensenada area for its proximity to the US. My husband, way more familar with Baja, brought me here for a look-see and the rest is history. We like the water and the Sea of Cortez is a more comfortable body of water for a couple of oldsters who haven't been on a surfboard since Sherman marched through Atlanta, to putz around on and in.

I think renting can also be a very good idea. If you want to buy, prices are down. Our realtor experience was okay. I know of a realtor or two here who are really good, totally honest and invalueable at helping people who don't understand the real estate procedures in Mexico. So they can be found, it just takes some effort.

Good Luck with your evaluations!

If we weren't here we would probably end up in Bahia Asuncion or somewhere outside La Paz. Life right now forces me to stay closer to the border so this is far enough south that we are away from all the border nonsense but the 4+ hour drive is doable.

If I didn't need to be in the states 2-3 times a month, we would have certainly moved farther south...

Originally Posted by longlegsinlapaz

Uhhhhhhhhh....Marty, somehow I don't think that was what beachcouple meant....it's kinda hard to miss that kinda crap on the news. noproblemo has been in touch with them, and I figure Teniente will after his chili-induced heartburn goes away & he logs back on after his hot week-end.

beachcouple, I'm about 900 miles further south than you're interested, so I won't weigh in on the far northlands, but I'd pick La Paz again in a heat-beat!

OK, I'm back.....had a new liver installed after the Ensenada Wine Festival and the glass lining replaced in my stomach after the Chili Cookoff and Salsa Competition..........

hey, beach couple..........check your private mailbox............