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Woooosh
Banned
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Location: Rosarito Beach
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I have seen many photos of the "Cameron" Penthouse there. Very beautiful layout, and now it has been remodeled? We had friends look it over pretty
hard in 2004ish but passed on it. I think it was in the $299K asking price range then. "Never be afraid to buy the best- you'll always be happy with
it". Even still- try to knock $50K off the price if only so you can have a boat in the new marina. 
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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Gypsy Jan
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4275
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Mood: Depends on which way the wind is blowing
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The Fire Disaster at Club Marena
| Quote: | Originally posted by Gypsy Jan
Some years back, we watched the first-built, smallest high-rise at Club Marena burn to the ground (this tower has since been rebuilt). The fire
department ran out of water in the first few minutes and could only stand around helplessly.
I don't know if the situation has changed, but no Rosarito fire truck was equipped to send a ladder higher than the third floor at that time,
according to reports.
Some reports said that a propane tank on the roof exploded and caught fire. Some reports said that an elderly woman tiving on a high floor perished
in the blaze.
I would not buy or even rent a home in a high rise in Rosarito.
That being said, there is a huge supply of single family homes in gated communites in the Rosarito area and it is a buyer's market. Just do a little
in-person investigation.
Rent and live down here for a bit to see if the location fits your needs.
We have lived here for years and love it. |
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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mcfez
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Is this the place?
http://www.baja123.com/REAL_ESTATE_IN_CLUB_MARENA/page_19485...
Hell of a lot of units for sale there......
I'd be concerned with rental units. There's a huge number of rentals in that complex too. You have a unit next to a rental? PARTY PARTY PARTY TIME!
Also..one little hot tub /gym for ALL the tenants/renters?
A: Your monthly Homeowners Association Fee starts at $195.00 for the smaller homes
Marked down from "One millon to 695" so a ad says here. Sounds suspicious that a unit ever would be priced at exactly $1,000,000 ......maybe $995,000.
http://www.rosaritobeachproperties.net/2009/09/29/spectacula...
Being a owner / lessee of investments on the Sea of Cortez side...I certainly regardless of amount of money I may have.....would look for a year at
other properties. This complex has week to week rentals......and other small red flags that I read.
Google search this complex and you'll see a hell of a lot of rental ads :-(
[Edited on 3-5-2011 by mcfez]
Old people are like the old cars, made of some tough stuff. May show a little rust, but good as gold on the inside.
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JESSE
Ultra Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Dave
| Quote: | Originally posted by lwpa
The unit we are buying is the penthouse which is two stories with 3600 sq feet and was totally remolded 2 yrs. ago |
Forget everything everyone has said. That super, super deal I was talking about?
You just got it.  |
I second that, a great deal.
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absinvestor
Senior Nomad
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My 2 cents worth is as follows: I think your mind was made up when you asked for comment. That is ok but I would be very cautious. We retired
full-time in Baja for 2 years in the mid 90's. We love Baja but Mexico is not the US. Prior to retiring in Mexico I owned a real estate company and my
personal sales were in the top 1% in the greater Denver,Boulder area. Even with my vast knowledge of real estate in the US I depended on an Ensenada
attorney to review my planned purchase. That attorney talked me out of purchasing and we leased a house on the beach. Many US citizens think they have
similar rights in Mexico but the court system is totally different. Many of my neighbors thought they had sound leases only to get evicted. We also
found that winters are chilly if not cold on the Pacific side beaches in Baja Norte. Problems are difficult to solve- for example we had long distance
charges on our home phone that we didn't make- when we contacted the phone company we weren't given the choice to press 1 for English. (I speak
Spanish but trying to get a billing error corrected is much different than ordering dinner and drinks!!) Had we not paid the bill our service would
have been immediately cut-off. You'll see other threads that verify that one day late on an electric bill means your service is cut-off. Restrooms, by
US standards, can be filthy. Buying American brand food ie cereals etc and cleaning products is expensive. You have to be careful with the drinking
water and how you wash and rinse the dishes. Medical service is not comparable to what we are accustomed to in the US. Also, we thought our children
would often come to visit us on the beach but the truth is they get two or three weeks of vacation a year and the visits didn't materialize. We love
Mexico and plan to return (this time to Baja Sur.) We will purchase a home. However, we are purchasing a very inexpensive home that we can afford to
lose and will keep our home in Colorado so we will have closer ties to the grandkids. The condo that you are considering buying will be available a
year from now (or one like it.) I don't know whether it is a great deal or not but I do know that if you are not happy the price you paid will not
matter. (Three of our past neighbors decided that they didn't like the chilly winters etc and moved back to California and Oregon. Their homes in Baja
are vacant and even though they have reduced the asking price several times the homes remain unsold.) Sounds like some of the condos in your complex
can be rented. Why not rent one for a year to make sure that full-time Baja Norte retirement is what you want? Good luck.
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mcfez
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8678
Registered: 12-2-2009
Location: aka BN yankeeirishman
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Really well said absinvestor
| Quote: | Originally posted by absinvestor
My 2 cents worth is as follows: I think your mind was made up when you asked for comment. That is ok but I would be very cautious. We retired
full-time in Baja for 2 years in the mid 90's. We love Baja but Mexico is not the US. Prior to retiring in Mexico I owned a real estate company and my
personal sales were in the top 1% in the greater Denver,Boulder area. Even with my vast knowledge of real estate in the US I depended on an Ensenada
attorney to review my planned purchase. That attorney talked me out of purchasing and we leased a house on the beach. Many US citizens think they have
similar rights in Mexico but the court system is totally different. Many of my neighbors thought they had sound leases only to get evicted. We also
found that winters are chilly if not cold on the Pacific side beaches in Baja Norte. Problems are difficult to solve- for example we had long distance
charges on our home phone that we didn't make- when we contacted the phone company we weren't given the choice to press 1 for English. (I speak
Spanish but trying to get a billing error corrected is much different than ordering dinner and drinks!!) Had we not paid the bill our service would
have been immediately cut-off. You'll see other threads that verify that one day late on an electric bill means your service is cut-off. Restrooms, by
US standards, can be filthy. Buying American brand food ie cereals etc and cleaning products is expensive. You have to be careful with the drinking
water and how you wash and rinse the dishes. Medical service is not comparable to what we are accustomed to in the US. Also, we thought our children
would often come to visit us on the beach but the truth is they get two or three weeks of vacation a year and the visits didn't materialize. We love
Mexico and plan to return (this time to Baja Sur.) We will purchase a home. However, we are purchasing a very inexpensive home that we can afford to
lose and will keep our home in Colorado so we will have closer ties to the grandkids. The condo that you are considering buying will be available a
year from now (or one like it.) I don't know whether it is a great deal or not but I do know that if you are not happy the price you paid will not
matter. (Three of our past neighbors decided that they didn't like the chilly winters etc and moved back to California and Oregon. Their homes in Baja
are vacant and even though they have reduced the asking price several times the homes remain unsold.) Sounds like some of the condos in your complex
can be rented. Why not rent one for a year to make sure that full-time Baja Norte retirement is what you want? Good luck. |
Yeah.....how real!
........"Also, we thought our children would often come to visit us on the beach but the truth is they get two or three weeks of vacation a year and
the visits didn't materialize".
Fact is...we were planning g on moving to Baja full time too......but found that there are issues with doing that. We decided to keep the SF house
very small, and to build a farm up here in Natomas (sacramento)...I (wify too maybe) will go to Baja for 3o days and the farm 30 days...so on. I can
still have Baja and still have family!
[Edited on 3-6-2011 by mcfez]
Old people are like the old cars, made of some tough stuff. May show a little rust, but good as gold on the inside.
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Santiago
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3540
Registered: 8-27-2003
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| Quote: | Originally posted by absinvestor
Also, we thought our children would often come to visit us on the beach but the truth is they get two or three weeks of vacation a year and the
visits didn't materialize. |
20 years ago I heard this complaint from my own parents, echoed by other retirees in their camp. Out of 5 kids, I was the only one to visit, and this
was in the 1980s without my family. Can't imagine what it would be like today...
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Woooosh
Banned
Posts: 5240
Registered: 1-28-2007
Location: Rosarito Beach
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Mood: Luminescent Waves at Rosarito Beach
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From the Mayor of Rosarito: (This is the Mayor admitting to what the NOB media would not print about Rosarito, including the police crime. I give
credit to this new mayor Robles for admitting what previous Mayor Torres never could as owner of the Rosarito Beach Hotel.)
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=51476
"Mayor Javier Robles says his top priority is to bring back tourists since tourism makes up about 70 percent of his community’s economy. Hotel
occupancy rates have dropped to just 50 percent. Even though Americans make up about 20 percent of the city’s population, officials say many who once
enjoyed the beach community have yet to return after hearing the reports of crimes that have taken place the past several years around the city,
including the scenic 1 highway between Tijuana and Rosarito. The mayor says the city’s reputation has been so bad that many retired American
residents haven’t even been able to convince their grandkids to visit again.
Since many crimes involved police officers, city officials knew one of the first things they had to do before tourists would return was combat
corruption within its own ranks. The mayor is pleased to report that half of Rosarito’s police force has been replaced over the last three years.
Robles thanks the San Diego Police Department for helping to train its officers."
[Edited on 3-6-2011 by Woooosh]
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
Registered: 3-12-2006
Location: on the bayou
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Mood: undecided
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$580K for a condo?  Something is wrong with that picture. It's out of
focus. Sorta blurry. Fuzzy.
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4901
Registered: 7-23-2006
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Mood: Skeptical
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Cypress
$580K for a condo? Something is wrong with that picture. It's out of
focus. Sorta blurry. Fuzzy. |
Even on a clear day, sometimes, to see to the end of one's nose is blurry and fuzzy. Photoshop doesn't help, either!  
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Dave
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6005
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Bragging on a job half done
| Quote: | Originally posted by Woooosh
The mayor is pleased to report that half of Rosarito’s police force has been replaced over the last three years. |
Are we to assume the other half are spotlessly clean.
Any bets?
Not that it would matter at Club Marena. It's very easy for a resident of this or any nearby gringo enclave to have virtually zero contact with
Rosarito or the local populace. Like living in a separate world, really.
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Gypsy Jan
Ultra Nomad
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Dave is Correct
All of his comments are true.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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norte
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Registered: 10-8-2008
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lwpa
Hope you now realize that this was no place to ask for this kind of advice. Most of these folks aren't even close to being in your league. Go with
the lawyer advice and forget the small timers and nay Sayers
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Woooosh
Banned
Posts: 5240
Registered: 1-28-2007
Location: Rosarito Beach
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Mood: Luminescent Waves at Rosarito Beach
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Dave
| Quote: | Originally posted by Woooosh
The mayor is pleased to report that half of Rosarito’s police force has been replaced over the last three years. |
Are we to assume the other half are spotlessly clean.
Any bets?
Not that it would matter at Club Marena. It's very easy for a resident of this or any nearby gringo enclave to have virtually zero contact with
Rosarito or the local populace. Like living in a separate world, really. |
The police force problem is temporary. Last I heard they will be replace by the new Baja State police force that is being formed. That still leaves
the Tourist Police and whatever their role turns into while Rosarito goes looking for tourists. I see glimmers of hope with them and know a few good
men in that department.
Sometimes I feel the big complexes and gated communities in Rosarito give residents a false sense of security. You're only as safe as the 1200 peso a
week guy at the gate. There was an elderly Mexican guy held hostage by narcos at the Ocean Towers for months last year- the narcos felt safe. When
you choose to live in these places- you create a disconnect from the community. I built a very secure house in a nice downtown fracciamiento so I
would have both security and community. I think when you've decide to buy the penthouse, everyone in town is already beneath you. LOL
[Edited on 3-7-2011 by Woooosh]
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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Woooosh
Banned
Posts: 5240
Registered: 1-28-2007
Location: Rosarito Beach
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Mood: Luminescent Waves at Rosarito Beach
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" Even though Americans make up about 20 percent of the city’s population, officials say many who once enjoyed the beach community have yet to return
after hearing the reports of crimes that have taken place the past several years around the city, including the scenic 1 highway between Tijuana and
Rosarito. "
By "population" he must mean the 20% of ex-pats who actually live in Rosarito. I wonder how many have moved back north and what reasons they gave.
What's the ex-pat refugee rate? About the same rate as affluent TJ families fleeing north to San Diego? What is Rosarito doing to bring them back?
[Edited on 3-7-2011 by Woooosh]
\"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\"
1961- JFK to Canadian parliament (Edmund Burke)
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lwpa
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Registered: 11-20-2010
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I agree that I probably made a mistake in asking for advice in this forum. Most seem to be focused on the price which they consider high not even
knowing the development or what similar comps have sold for in the past year.
This condo is a second home for us to be used probably at most 6 months a yr. We never said we were staying all year long. I am not uninformed about
Club Marena in particular or Northern Baja in general. We have been renting at Club Marena for over 10 years, and have rented at 4 other locations
for another 10 years. I have been visiting Baja for over 40 yrs..
As stated by some, when I posted my mind was probably already made up as I said we had already signed a purchase agreement. Why did I ask for advice
then? I was hoping someone knowledgable would provide some tips about the closing process. Instead most commented on what they consider an extremely
large amount of cash for something that wasn't worth the price without any knowledge of my personal financial condition or the particular condo.
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rhintransit
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Posts: 1588
Registered: 9-4-2006
Location: Loreto
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| Quote: | | Originally posted by lwpa Why did I ask for advice then? I was hoping someone knowledgable would provide some tips about the closing
process. Instead most commented on what they consider an extremely large amount of cash for something that wasn't worth the price without any
knowledge of my personal financial condition or the particular condo. |
folks can only work with the question(s) asked, not unspoken hopes...
enjoy your second home, it looks great.
reality\'s never been of much use out here...
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mcfez
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8678
Registered: 12-2-2009
Location: aka BN yankeeirishman
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| Quote: | Originally posted by lwpa
I agree that I probably made a mistake in asking for advice in this forum. Most seem to be focused on the price which they consider high not even
knowing the development or what similar comps have sold for in the past year.
This condo is a second home for us to be used probably at most 6 months a yr. We never said we were staying all year long. I am not uninformed about
Club Marena in particular or Northern Baja in general. We have been renting at Club Marena for over 10 years, and have rented at 4 other locations
for another 10 years. I have been visiting Baja for over 40 yrs..
As stated by some, when I posted my mind was probably already made up as I said we had already signed a purchase agreement. Why did I ask for advice
then? I was hoping someone knowledgable would provide some tips about the closing process. Instead most commented on what they consider an extremely
large amount of cash for something that wasn't worth the price without any knowledge of my personal financial condition or the particular condo.
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Perhaps you should had made this all clear in your original post, and save the helpful ones (us) the time. Thanks for your ungrateful response in this
post above. I sure wont ever respond to any of your future postings...you freakin Dolt
[Edited on 3-7-2011 by mcfez]
Old people are like the old cars, made of some tough stuff. May show a little rust, but good as gold on the inside.
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
Registered: 3-12-2006
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lwpa, Each to his own.
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DENNIS
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I get the feeling we've been "toyed" with.
"Ask the hired help what they think, then mock them for their inability to really understand."
Enjoy your vacation cottage, lwpa.
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