It must be going on about 10 years now that I acted on one of those ?Seemed like a good one at the time ideas?. You see, I had lived here in Los
Barriles in my little room/office at the VOS building for a few years and sure was sick of being so easily accessible to clients and workers. Back
than I sure was hurt and angry and coming to grasp with the reality of just how abusive one my partners of many years really was, (is) and how adapt
he was at walking off with of the company funds. At that point in time, I just plain wanted out of construction and Los Barriles the sooner the better
I thought.
So a friend who lived West of Santiago, suggested the most ideal, lovely, sweet cute little Palo de Arco walled house with a palapa roof and orchard
on a half acre of property located smack dab down town in the tiny forgotten in times past little village of Agua Caliente. No gringos ever think of
living there, the place seemed a perfect escape from all the nonsense that tormented me, no phone, no computers, next to no one even knew who I was in
this little pueblo, ah yes, it was a perfect idea, or, at least, I thought so at the time.
I remember the original idea was that I could work from notes on my lap top under the trees of the orchard and come into Los Barriles and deal with
clients and projects a few days a week and the rest of my time would be dedicated to real rural Baja life, a garden, maybe some chickens. Yes sir,
maybe I would start some kind of back yard cottage business that would take me out of construction and into producing something that I could myself,
make and sell, I don?t know, it sure seemed like such a good idea at the time.
I was able to obtain the property legally in my grandsons name including filing, it all came in for around $7k, what a deal, what an opportunity, a
new home, new life on this property, so cheap, how could I be so lucky, boy was I smart or what to see this opportunity. Yes sir, yippee doggies, this
seemed like such a great idea, just an hour from Los Barriles, I was going home back to the Baja of my youth.
The orchard there still produces the juiciest sweetest grapefruit, several varieties of mangos, limones, oranges, there a couple of avocado trees now
coming of age to do more than give shade, an ancient tamarindo, bananas, nopales, two giant wild ciruelas, it is just the most gorgeous little ol
piece of property. Yep, no doubt I sure thought that I got a good deal!
For sure, such a place should be preserved, with that little house and all, it is all just so cute, what a classic example right out of Baja history,
the walls are woven Palo de Arco with a lime and cement plaster on one side. It has a low palapa roof, barely six ft. 6 ?tall at the highest point, at
about 5 ft. where it meets the walls. Boy, am I smart or what to recognize this opportunity, is how I saw it when I bought it.
The cutest little tiny town has a tiny catholic church, a tiny clinic, a tiny library, 2 tiny stores, a tiny cancha, and even a tiny elementary
school. Agua Caliente was and is just the cutest tiny little ol ideal Mexican village. Yep, I was quite satisfied with my purchase into this little
bit of ? acre paradise surrounded on one side by a cattle corral, the pigs that live in the property on the opposite side, and my neighbors who live
in the two different homes on either other side, sure was (is) real Baja California Sur.
Meanwhile, at the time I could afford it and wouldn?t be moving there right away, so, I hired the original owners brother who lives just a few block
away to be the care taker and water the plants, weed and rake, and well I figured maybe 15 hours a week maintenance would and actually to this date
does keep the place in clean order and the plants green.
So, it?s been many years now, and nope, I never moved onto the property. The first few trips out, I discovered that I would have no peace, both my
neighbors love loud radio music; one is into Mexican rap and the other into Nortanio, where the two sound meet on my property, it becomes just awful
noise. And privacy? Well, being the only gringa living in this little forgotten town where there is nothing to do but watch what your neighbor is up
to, you know, I stuck out like my I was from another planet.
A couple of years into owning the place, my ?bad partner? finished off all he could before the rest of us booted him out of the business, so with him
long gone, The VOS of course recovered and more than bounced back, and that became a dead issue.
I built a little apartment above the garage on my daughter?s property just a kilometer out of Los Barriles, so I could be near my daughter and the
grand kids growing up. My daughter, who is one of my partners, and the Engineer, who was my other good partner, fell in love, got married. I actually
did retire, and now I am as likely to be found in Oaxaca as Baja. Life took a very different direction from what I thought it would on the day I made
that great(?) decision to buy the property in Agua Caliente.
As such, the little property in Agua Caliente stands in limbo in the little village that time forgot. I must say that it is as enchanting as the day I
bought it, but no more developed, never even built a septic, and after the rains filled it with mud one year, doesn?t even have a decent crapper.
Nope, nada have I developed there since I made the choice years ago as to where I would grow and I decided it is not going to be that place.
Still, I cannot bring myself to just walk away from the investment and it has become a bit of a dilemma that haunts me when I choose to think about
it. You see I have been paying an average of $500 pesos a week in wages and social security for the caretaker for many years now, Boy howdy, now there
is an awesome sum when one starts adding it up. Expect that the good news is that because of my decisions ( or lack of); Serafin has a ?real job? even
though he is getting up there in years and blinder than ever, poor old guy, he couldn?t find work even way back then when I hired him ?part time?. So
you know there is even less of a chance now. What does one do, how do you cut it off, how do you walk away? Apart from paying him what god, my
accountant and the government only knows the sum for all the years he has worked for me and legally and morally has a right to, what would he and his
wife do? After all, I am their only base income. I know they have a son and daughter who aren?t economically much better off than them; those kids
sure don?t need the added burden.
Still, the only reason I can think of that I am morally more responsible for Serafin than anyone else I meet on the street is because I choose to be.
I guess it can be useful in that when I feel bad about not helping some beggar on the street; At least, I can reflect on the fact that I help Serafin.
After all, he works and is not a beggar because of me. I know, you know, we can?t go around caring the burden of the whole world on our shoulders, if
we each just take on a little project like this one, it doesn?t solve the worlds problems, but helps a bit. So, you get kind of how my reflections are
in regard to how I deal with this situation.
Another issue being that I never paid the predial taxes on the property since it changed title, and really the predial were never paid before hand as
it changed status from being Ejido to fee simple when I bough it. So ahum, the fines are yearly adding up. I do feel a resentment as I know that NO
one in that town pays predial taxes that I am being requested to pay in my grandsons name. There is no way they could be paying the amonts quoted me,
they don?t have the kind of money to pay the amounts requested that my son-in-law has brought me back from Catastro, it just can?t be, way beyond my
belief for a rural piece, but he claims it is because fines are on top of fines and it is the municipality of Los Cabos, which has become a very
wealthy and taxes have gone up big time there. Still, the people of Agua Caliente are poorer than poor, they can?t possibly be paying these amounts.
I expect that if I don?t resolve this or just forget about it and let the property go, I am passing on a burden not a piece of paradise to my
grandson, who name is now on the title. Will he someday incur a debt beyond belief for this worthless but beautiful little piece of paradise? Can the
government just take the property away from non payment of taxes? Or, worse yet, as he has other properties, could these properties be attached for
non payment of the taxes on this piece. I have no idea.
As of late, I have considered the possibility of going to Serafin and giving him the property as a form of compensation for lack future wages or a
retirement funds. Who knows, he is old enough maybe Social Security will kick in for him in a minor sort of way, maybe that is the solution. I wonder
what the title change will cost me if I did donate the property back to Serafin?s family? As I wonder if my grandson will be responsible for taxes
unpaid from the date the property went into his name until it returns to the Castro family. Ironic that it has gone from Castro-Castro to Castro and
would go back to Castro-Castro on the title, Serafin and my grandson are all Castro?s, but not related as far as we know.
I don?t expect anyone can help me make this decision, I have looked at it from every which way for years now, and can?t seem resolve a decision, so I
just keep paying Serafin. As beautiful a piece of property as it is, can?t imagine who would buy it. For sure, I nor, my family want it, haven?t even
been out to see the place in over a year, really have no interest in being there, but again, with all the investment, I just can?t seem to walk away
and forget about it. I did want to run it past Y?All because I think it is very much a Baja and how a gringa can innocently get herself into a mess of
costs over nothing kind of story. Ah well, sure seemed like a good idea at the time.
[Edited on 4-19-2005 by Eli]Bruce R Leech - 4-19-2005 at 04:06 PM
I have Known other people that have gotten in to smiler situations and it is tough. but what I would do if I were in your shoes is have a Layer draw
up the necessary papers and trade or give the property to the family in exchange for what you would need to pay to let him go. this way you git out
from under many problems and make them happy at the same time.
Eli...
Mike Humfreville - 4-19-2005 at 04:32 PM
That's in a really nice area. Has the property gone up in value?capn.sharky - 4-19-2005 at 04:33 PM
A layer is a great other name for a lawyer. Except it is usually the client that get laid. Could be a lawyer is a layer and the client is the layee.
At any rate, Bruce, I knew what you meant.Bruce R Leech - 4-19-2005 at 04:38 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Mike Humfreville
That's in a really nice area. Has the property gone up in value?
by the way she described it and the location I would Guss it hasn't . but you could only compare it to other similar sales in the recent past.Eli - 4-19-2005 at 04:48 PM
I know Bruce, that is my daugther's advise also. Still, I can't stand to pay a lawyer, rather just keep putting off the decision and paying Serafin
than do that. Anyway in the moment, maybe next winter I will make a decision, I have been putting this off for years, it can wait a few more months. I
think Serafin is on the verge of being declared legally blind therefore handicapped, maybe he could get decent comp from Social Security and retire
before I let him go, which could save me having to pay him a buy out.
Mike, You are right, it is a beautiful area. As it is one of those places the world forgot, property values have not increased except on paper in Los
Cabos Catastro office.Bruce R Leech - 4-19-2005 at 05:04 PM
keep us posted Eli this is a point of interest to a lot of us and it also can help others to keep clear of this type of thing.
Sara
Baja Bernie - 4-19-2005 at 06:36 PM
I can not make up my mind--are you an onion, yes I am sure because when one layer is removed another always appears--then I think you are a spider
because for sure there are so many webs you weave. The true Eli, Sara, Sally, are always dancing around just a little out of reach. Guess that is one
of the things that attracts us all to you. Sadly, it seem that you have become entangled in one of your own webs.
Thanks so much for the original Plaque created in you mind and by your hands. The comments on the back make it doubly valuable to me. (Why do you not
sign them I know that those who purchace or come by them would appreciate to have your name on their face.) I believe that a number of your friends
on this board would be most happy to own one for themselves.
Okay----Mine is an abstract of an angel and the Muse-- with the comment on the reverse that they will sit always on my shoulder.
I have created another Memorial to Don Jimmy for the booksigning this next Saturday. After the event is over I will be sending it down to you with
Chuck Potter. I understand he will be returning shortly before you are off to the land of the little people.
Stay happy and cool!
Woops! Not on their face--on the face of the plaque.
[Edited on 4-20-2005 by Baja Bernie]Eli - 4-20-2005 at 10:04 AM
Well Bernie,
I know, I got caught up in that one, jeje, Like I said some good comes of it; Serafin has a job and he and his wife really need the social security.
Next year I will figure this out.
