BajaNomad

2nd home ideas in Baja?

BajaDreams - 1-31-2017 at 11:18 PM

Let me start by saying I LOVE Mexico! The wife and I take a tip there every year, usually anywhere there is a Mayan Palace as, alas, we bit many years ago.

Anyway, to date my very favorite place to go is Puerto Vallarta. Been there many times, and no one ever has to convince me to go back!

Now I'm starting to think of a small, not too expensive, 2nd home in Mexico. I like the idea of Baja as an easy drive to CA and healthcare if needed in the future. (Not getting any younger here!).

What I don't know is Baja. Sure, I have been to Los Cabos, but that was over 25 years ago. Plus it would be nice to be a little further north.

So, for those of you who know Baja, where should I consider for a 2nd home?

Now let me say that I personally could live anywhere, and I mean anywhere. Small fishing village where almost no one speaks English would work. BUT, the lovely missus Dreams would definitely need someplace larger, with at least a reasonable ex-pat population, plus some things to do besides the beach.

So where should I be looking?

Your input is appreciated!

ljprusko - 2-1-2017 at 06:13 AM

With the current political climate, I wouldn't be buying any property in Mexico. I'd wait it out to see what happens.

mexicali-kid - 2-1-2017 at 06:33 AM

We like the area South of Rosarito Beach. Look for a home in a gated community. Here the locals are friendly, services are good, food is great. On a good day it takes about 45 minutes to return to the States; if you have Sentri.

rhintransit - 2-1-2017 at 08:15 AM

Loreto. Sleepy fishing village for you. Loreto Bay. Large expat community and the wife will love it.

[Edited on 2-1-2017 by rhintransit]

Udo - 2-1-2017 at 08:25 AM

I moved to Baja with the same ideas as you, BajaDreams.

So we originally bought a place in Bahia Asuncion, then the medical thing popped up and we needed to find a place closer to the border.

We settled in Ensenada area.

bajaguy - 2-1-2017 at 08:31 AM

Ensenada or surrounding area, hands down......and rent, don't buy

willardguy - 2-1-2017 at 09:15 AM

I'd vote for the tijuana-ensenada corridor, terrific year round weather :D

BajaUtah - 2-1-2017 at 09:25 AM

We really like the East Cape area of BCS and built a home there. Easy fly in/out of CSL airport with home being about an hours drive north. All the advantages of the big city with San Jose del Cabo/Cabo and La Paz but a fairly rural feel where we are (just south of La Ribera). Nice local restaurants and activities and a beach to ourselves most of the time. Great weather except for those pesky hurricanes.

I was the same way with my wife in that I'd live in a tin shack on the beach in the middle of nowhere but in order to preserve marital harmony I needed a place with more of a community feel (with all the good AND bad that that entails). We really have it where we are. Whenever we get to Baja we have more get together's with friends we've made over the years than we ever do north of the border.

When I was looking into buying we seriously considered the PV area but unless you got up into the San Pancho area it was just too touristy for me. Plus there is a reason it's so green, it's wet a lot and we are desert dwellers. It's tough to beat where the desert meets the sea for us.

MMc - 2-1-2017 at 09:27 AM

I have owned 2 places in the greater Ensenada and will retire there. I you live in So Cal. it's very easy weekend.

Lee - 2-1-2017 at 02:07 PM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaDreams  

So, for those of you who know Baja, where should I consider for a 2nd home?


You have a whole lot of exploring to do before settling down. BCS is huge. Liking an area enough to rent or buy/build is a bigger decision. Many of your questions will be answered the longer you spend down South.

Assuming you'll be driving The Baja? The difference from Mexicali to PV vs. San Diego to Cabo is a couple hundred miles. You might like PV better.

And the PV road is easier. The Baja road is not an easy drive but that's me. Not hard but not easy. You'll find out.

Martyman - 2-1-2017 at 02:39 PM

The real Baja doesn't start till you are south of El Rosario. Go check it all out then decide. Ensenada is nice...for a evening.

Hook - 2-1-2017 at 02:39 PM

You really should give San Carlos, Sonora a look. VERY active adult gringo community with Mexicans mixed in. My God, the ladies group activities go on every day of the week. Hiking, kayaking, card groups, golf, pickleball, disc golf, birding, many yoga classes, ceramics, and on and on.

It's basically a two lane (each direction) freeway for 99.9% of the route, from the border. Excellent beaches.

bajatravelergeorge - 2-1-2017 at 04:00 PM

A lot depends on how far you want to travel to get to the activities for the wife. If you want to be a short distance from activities, then get something in Rosarito Beach. If you want a lot of activities that are more Mexican related, then Ensenada would work. Living on the Gold Coast between Rosarito Beach and Ensenada is nice, but it requires a little more travel to get to the activities. I mention these locations because you can be in San Diego in short order and have access to world class medical care within an hour or two. Your dollar will go a long way right now in Baja so I'd consider a purchase vs. renting.

bajaguy - 2-1-2017 at 04:15 PM

Gee, all this time I thought the "real" Baja started when I crossed the border. I'll have to get my Baja Almanac out and also check with David K
Quote: Originally posted by Martyman  
The real Baja doesn't start till you are south of El Rosario. Go check it all out then decide. Ensenada is nice...for a evening.

bajaguy - 2-1-2017 at 04:18 PM

Come down and check Ensenada out. Plenty of ex-pats to go around and various cultural and entertainment events. Guadalupe Valle (wine country) a short drive from town.

Don't buy, rent until you find a place you like

If you want further info, U2U me

[Edited on 2-2-2017 by bajaguy]

MitchMan - 2-1-2017 at 08:22 PM

Point #1 - logistics.
Since you say you are getting older (me too), there are things to consider for a 2nd home in Baja. Pick a town/city and specific location that is very close to an airport. If you pick a place like Mulege, how are you going to get to the Loreto airport? Not cheap, not convenient, not quick to get there, especially in a circumstance where time is of the essence. Even Loreto has problems with reliable and frequent and low priced airfares to/from the USA.

Pick a place that has good, reliable, capable healthcare in terms of various specialists and adequate facilities. The small towns just don't have that.

You will need maintenance (especially in Mexico) and parts for your home, your vehicles and your toys. Even if you are a fix it kind of guy, you still need parts...and quick. Small towns could be a problem.

This might not be a problem for you, but if you try do anything administratively, like create a corporation, or if you need legal services and filings, not living in or near a town with all the state and federal agencies or various other services, will cause a nightmare of an experience for you, not to mention professionals (attorneys, accountants, architects) where there is only one or two, they do not have competition and will behave like a monopoly (if you know what I mean).

Point #2 - Politics
This is the first time that this has been an issue. Given the grave and extremely serious and rapid deterioration of relations between the Trump administration and the country of Mexico, there are any number of issues, ramifications, and fall out that could come from this; probably sooner rather than later. I can come up with several possibilities right off the top, especially if Mexico decides to retaliate is some or many ways. I am going to La Paz for a month and will post my observations to this forum on this issue.

You can travel to Baja and look for suitable places and homes to buy, but I would hold off buying anything until the political situation plays out.

BajaDreams - 2-1-2017 at 10:37 PM

First off, let me say THANK YOU to all who responded!

For those who worry about the political climate v. a purchase at this time, this will be a process, not an event. I really just needed a few ideas to start, preferably up north.

I'm thinking this summer maybe the missus and I will take our HiLo down there and spend a week or two roaming around.

While i'm in here, any comments on taking a trailer over the border?

mtgoat666 - 2-1-2017 at 11:06 PM

Quote: Originally posted by del mar  
Quote: Originally posted by bajaguy  
Gee, all this time I thought the "real" Baja started when I crossed the border. I'll have to get my Baja Almanac out and also check with David K

Quote: Originally posted by Martyman  
The real Baja doesn't start till you are south of El Rosario. Go check it all out then decide. Ensenada is nice...for a evening.


:lol: the "real" baja....pity those poor fools in san quintin, they don't know what they're missing!


Actually, Ensenada is where Baja starts. The TJ area is border/mfg-based economy. Ensenada is more of the start of the older ranching, farming, fishing economy.

But expats talking about "real Baja" area speaking about a fantasy life of living on a ranch in the desert, or living a life fishing (or in rare cases their fantasy is living a mission preacher life, converting heathens to Catholicism)

Funny, the people talking about "real Baja" don't even speak or read enough Spanish to really begin to figure out what the flock is going in, and their physical isolation in expat ghettos means their source of knowledge is just other expats.
Expat ghetto dwellers just got a vision of what Baja life is, and if they maintain their gin intake then their vision stays blurry enough to avoid seeing anything with clarity that conflicts with fantasy.

BajaDreams - 2-2-2017 at 01:13 AM

Entonces, esta bien que yo hablo un poco espanol! Fall um pocu de portugues tamben, mais Brasil e demais longe.

Puedo entender bastante espnaol cunado la gente hablan lentamente, or despues muchas dias/semanas circa personas que hablan espanol.

fishbuck - 2-2-2017 at 03:08 AM

It all depends on how much time you have. And how hard you want to drive. Or how willing you are to fly.
My plan when I lived in SoCal was 4 day weekends driving. Burned most of a day getting to San Quintin so 2 days fishing and goofing off.
I looked all over the peninsula. I love La Paz area, East Cape, Todo Santos. But those places will reqiure flying or a 3 day drive. So not practical for a once a month trip. Full time might be nice.
The driving seems harder than it was. The road is improving but traffic has increased alot.
I use to get that "ahh!" feel when I turned the corner at Playas de Tijuana. Now I don't feel it until well past Maneadero.
Now that I live in Washington. I fly from Seattle to San Diego, rent a car, drive down.
I suppose it takes about the same time as driving from Newport Beach but costs alot more and takes more effort. Still worth doing but now it's probably going to be every 3/4 months.
My ace in the hole is that I have my own runway and a pilot license. No plane right now but I can rent.
But renting is a catch 22. The plane is at the border and it's about an hour each way. So $300-400 round trip.
I will probably buy myself a nice but cheap piper cherokee 140 and get there for about 8 gallons of avgas. About $50. But even a cheap plane still costs money even just parking it.
So there's a few experiences I've had and maybe that will help you with your idea. Baja is different things to each person. So... " do your own thing"...

Cheers!:coolup:


Martyman - 2-2-2017 at 02:09 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bajaguy  
Gee, all this time I thought the "real" Baja started when I crossed the border. I'll have to get my Baja Almanac out and also check with David K

Quote: Originally posted by Martyman  
The real Baja doesn't start till you are south of El Rosario. Go check it all out then decide. Ensenada is nice...for a evening.


Please, please anybody BUT David K. I'd rather talk to you bajaguy, then the mapking.

As far as Ensenada goes there is one great place, I do love me some Anthonys!!

bajaguy - 2-2-2017 at 02:11 PM

I don't know if that is a compliment or not........
Quote: Originally posted by Martyman  


Please, please anybody BUT David K. I'd rather talk to you bajaguy, then the mapking.

As far as Ensenada goes there is one great place, I do love me some Anthonys!!

UnoMas - 2-2-2017 at 07:19 PM

Right now I would not think living in anything anywhere in Mexico that didn't have a trailer hitch attached to it...;)