MoveToMexico200x

Well here I am in Mexico.

I went to look at the property of interest today that I mentioned in earlier posts.

Long story short, it sold yesterday.

I found this out only after I had spent 2 plus hours doing a very thorough inspection of the property. I measured every room and the backyard and noted restoration requirments and took a bunch of pictures.

I guess it was not meant to be.

The keyboard I am using has sticky keys and it is not obvious how to enter some special characters (Alt 64 is an ampersand) and so I am going to cut this short.

Property Taxes in Mexico

The rate is .08 percent, that is 8/100's of 1 percent and thus the yearly property tax on a home vaued at $100k is $80.

It turns out that the cost of shipping possessions to Mexico is less expensive than what I had expected. Below is the quote I got from SSL - Sea Shipping Line.

The transport details were not given but I suspect that the container goes to Los Angeles via rail and by way of vessel through the Panama Canal.

Note that the difference in cost between a 20 foot container and 40 foot container is $550. A 40 foot containter will hold everything in the house here in California with some room to spare.

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We are pleased to provide the following rate quotation for your shipments of household goods from oakland port to progresso port as outlined below.

ocean freight rate per 20': $2,200.00
ocean freight rate per 40': $2,750.00
export documentation: $75.00

the above rate is all-inclusive with the exception of applicable destination charges. if you intend to load the container yourself, please advise your zip code and if you can obtain permission from the police department to have a container and truck in front of your location for 2 hours while you load.

I was going through my photographs which I am digitizing and found the image below that was taken on a previous visit to Merida. It appears to be a real skeleton encased in the retention hardware.

I just happened upon this while walking down a city street. There was no plaque or anything offering an explanation.



I wonder what the poor fellow had done. Perhaps some bad application architecture decision was made or an equally severe dastardly deed of that day had been committed.

Some new photo's of the same house that I will be looking at on my 1st day in Merida went online on a different realtors web site.

Mayan Living Real Estate

And here is the other link that I provided earlier for the "Jens Yucatan" site.

Tierra Maya Real Estate

Someone mentioned recently that the 3 Merida realtors that cater to gringo's now have some agreement to show each others properties, like MLS (multiple listing service) in the states but on a small scale.

The Yucatan is one of Mexico's most tranquil and safest states, with a climate resembles that of Florida or Cuba. Yucatecans are good, tranquil and hospitable people who have strong roots and traditions. They take pride in their city, known as "The White City".

Crime is not tolerated in Merida, and it has the distinction of the city with the lowest crime rate per capita in Mexico.

WHY IS MERIDA CALLED THE WHITE CITY?

(1) the inhabitants generally wear white guayaberas, huipilles and Panama hats
(2) there is a white lime mixture that is used to spread on most of the roof tops to make them watertight
(3) the cleanliness of the city. The streets, plazas and parks are generally cleaned every day.




The above is from the FAQ page on the Mayan Living Real Estate site.
and from the Yucatan Today web site

Portia and Vlad, my coworkers at ESC have asked about Mexican immigration policy.

There are 4 levels which are briefly described below:

FMT - Tourist visa for up to 180 days, after which you must leave the country.

FM3 - A one year permit to reside in Mexico as a Non Immigrant. You must provide proof of income (about $750 to $1000 USD per month or half that if you own a home in Mexico). Once an FM3 has been granted, a permit is required to leave the country. The cost of this permit is $400 pesos. Otherwise, there are no restrictions on leaving the country with an FM3 as there are with an FM2, you can come and go as you please. Once you've obtained your FM-3, you're allowed a one-time opportunity to import a reasonable amount of household goods into Mexico.

FM2 - Confers IMMIGRANT status. As an immigrant you're not a permanent resident but you are eligible to apply to become an INMIGRADO after renewing it consecutively for five years, you become a quasi Mexican Citizen. With an FM2 you cannot leave the country for more than 3 months a year, or a total of 18 months over 5 years.

Inmigrado - This is the status you obtain after having an FM2 and abiding by its rules for 5 years. You become a quasi Mexican Citizen. If you are sure you are staying in Mexico this is the way to go. No more renewing your visa every year. You can work at most jobs, and do almost everything except vote. Its kinda like getting a green card in the US. One disadvantage is that you can no longer keep your US registered car.

This is my 1st blog post to chronicle the process of locating, buying and moving to Mexico.

If things go as planned, I have 69 more work days after today.

I spoke with a friend who lives in Merida today on the phone. He just bought a 2nd place to restore. He suggested when buying a property that an "Agreement To Sell" document be drawn up that includes a penalty clause stating that if the seller retracts from the deal they are required to return double the down payment. The agreement should also state an agreed upon exchange rate between peso's and dollars.

Below is a link to the house in Merida that I have an appointment to look at on 12/31/2003.

Beautiful house located in the traditional barrio of Santiago

Email from the realtor indicated that 10 percent as a down payment was also acceptable in Mexico as it is in the USA.