Mexico Real Estate Blog

The Playa del Carmen real estate market is constantly adjusting and being affected by various factors from the region.  Some of these factors, as touched upon by the Playa del Carmen real estate board president, Wilberth Gutierrez, are discussed in a short interview with Thomas Lloyd, president of TOP Mexico Real Estate.

a)    With the Tulum municipality being formed last year, the new boundaries of the Playa del Carmen municipality have been reduced by nearly 40%.   The new boundaries begin in the village of Akumal.  This new reduced region for Playa del Carmen, has created the need for the city officials to redefine their strategies for the growth of the community.  Whereas before, growth was along the coastline, today, the growth is projected towards a westward direction or a bulging away from the coastline.
Therefore the city is now inviting and promoting the expansion from investors into the region who come from the industries such as universities, hospitals and health care sectors, entertainment and service suppliers.  All of which will bring a richer and complete range of activities for those who live in Playa del Carmen year round.

b)     The construction of the over pass bridges are advancing quickly.  We expect by the end of summer to have most of the construction completed and functioning which will bring an increased value and quality to the living conditions of the residents in Playa del Carmen.  People who are travelling from the north end to the south end will, or from one extreme to the other will be able to reduce their travel time by approximately 40% by using these new over passes.

c)     Finally the city Police and security department are working to continue supplying  their services to the rapidly growing city.  They are introducing a project where several command centers will be established in various points of the city.  This will drastically increase the response time to city emergencies by having the dispatch centers strategically located in key areas throughout the municipality.

Each of these projects plays positively on the Playa del Carmen real estate market by increasing the quality of life of the residents and out of town tourists visiting the area.

Thomas Lloyd graduated from Purdue University Krannert School of Management with a degree in Management/Financial Option Investments. He has been living, investing, and working professionally in Mexico for over 15 years. In the summer of 2009, he received the first federally applied Mexico Real Estate Degree and Mexico Professional Real Estate License S.E.P. #5978657. He is the current president of TOPmexicorealestate, you can contact him at (512) 879-6546 or through the company’s web site www.TOPmexicorealestate.com NETWORK

“Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely!”

Prospective buyers form their opinions about your Puerto Vallarta home within the first 15 seconds.  Therefore, you have to make your home as appealing as possible, as quickly as possible to the broadest clientele you can.  The new buyers need to imagine THEMSELVES in your property, living the good life.  Otherwise, they will not be interested in your Puerto Vallarta property and you may never get an offer.  The first thing to do is make a good first impression.

Re-paint your front door and change the old hardware.  Place planters on either side of the door with flowers in vibrant colors that excite the senses.  Inside the entry way, make sure the paint is creamy white and fresh and the floors look great.  All you need for décor is a thin table, a lamp and a vase with fresh flowers.   Then get rid of the clutter.  All the newspapers, mail, laundry, personal photos, collections and knickknacks must go.  Take all the furniture out of the rooms and bring it back one piece at a time.  Only the items that are essential should stay.  And arrange them to showcase the view, not block it!  Streamline your kitchen counters.  You can keep the coffee pot, but put away the toaster, blender, dishes, storage tins and fruit bowl.  You want sleek, clean lines.  You want the buyers to think, “Wow, look at the counter space!”  And the views, DON´T block the views.  Once you get organized, keep everything neat.  Polish the floors and put on a fresh coat of paint.  The bathroom can never be too clean, so hide the shampoo bottles and get rid of the old bathmat.  Search and destroy odors.  If you can smell it, we CAN´T sell it.   Make your home feel as spacious as possible.  Closets should only be half full.  If buyers see a jam-packed closet, they will think it will be too small for them too.  Bedrooms only need a bed, night table, lamp and maybe a comfy reading chair in the master.  So get rid of the exercise bike and pair down your excess belongings.  Pull the furniture out a few inches from the walls, and make sure the corners of rooms are visible.  Next, you want to “lighten up”.  No, not you, your place!  Get rid of any big heavy curtains, and install sheer window coverings and pull them to the side wherever possible.  You want the buyer to come in and think, “I could live here, it’s nice and bright.”  Then find yourself a superstar Mexico real estate agent who will spend some real time and effort marketing and selling your property.  Ask for referrals and get someone in AMPI and the MLS.  Finally, think price, price, and price. Because everybody wants to think they are getting a good deal right now.

Do you have a question about the Mexico Real Estate market? Just ask!
Michael Green moved to Puerto Vallarta to take advantage of the unsurpassed lifestyle PV offers. Today, with over 12 years of experience, Mr. Green is one of the most recognized brokers in Vallarta. TOP Mexico Real Estate “Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely!”

The Playa del Carmen real estate region has a new Internet application that is amazing.  The feature allows users to take you down to view streets, residential neighborhoods, and views as if you were standing on the street.   When people are from out of town, and new to a city searching for properties, it can be difficult to feel the atmosphere of the neighborhoods and the conditions of the streets from simple photos.  The TOP Mexico Real Estate network has incorporated a brand new method to view particular properties from the streets and allows the users to virtually pivot 360 degrees to see the surrounding areas.  Currently only five cities in Mexico have this capability which include Mexico City, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta, amongst others ….and Playa del Carmen!

“The Playa del Carmen real estate market is lucky to be only a handful of cities in Mexico to have this amazing feature”   states Beatriz Lozano from the Internet Technology department at Top Mexico Real Estate.   “today, if you are trying to sell your home and want increased exposure,  this feature has been very successful in allowing interested buyers to see the property at street level and basically, walk through the neighboring streets in Playa del Carmen…all from the comfort of their homes in Canada, USA, Europe!”

I believe we are the first real estate company in Mexico to offer this mind blowing feature.  I am very proud and happy of our team here at TOP Mexico Real Estate and sign off by saying

“stay tuned and visit our web site constantly… you ain’t seen nothing yet!!

Thomas Lloyd graduated from Purdue University Krannert School of Management with a degree in Management/Financial Option Investments. He has been living, investing, and working professionally in Mexico for over 15 years. In the summer of 2009, he received the first federally applied Mexico Real Estate Degree and Mexico Professional Real Estate License S.E.P. #5978657. He is the current president of TOPmexicorealestate, you can contact him at (512) 879-6546 or through the company’s web site www.TOPmexicorealestate.com NETWORK

“Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely!”

We have seen a dramatic increase in the Puerto Vallarta real estate traffic and interest over the last few weeks.  One well established office in town reported that they have more transactions in process right now than they had for the entire summer.  Comments from fellow agents range from “better than earlier in the year” to “really busy”, to “going crazy!”  Many observers have termed the previous year a “buyers market” in most of the Mexico real estate region.

I do not subscribe to this assessment; I believe it should more correctly have been considered a “stagnant market”.  This is because many potential buyers were scared off by worldwide economic turmoil and over hyped media reports of drug violence and swine flu.  The buyers that were here made extremely low offers that sellers were not willing to accept.  Recently, it appears that buyers have begun to realize that the Real Estate market in Puerto Vallarta is strong, stable and offering excellent bargains for retirement and mid to long term investing.  The vast majority of sellers here paid cash for their property and are not in a panic to sell.    There was never “sub-prime lending” here in PV and consequently there is no mortgage crisis or foreclosure market here.  With $USD financing now readily available (typically with a down payment of 25-30%) a vast new market is poised to emerge.   The world economic turmoil has undoubtedly trimmed the nest eggs of most new buyers entering the market.  Therefore, I see a “return to affordability” as one of the primary drivers of the market next year.  Properties priced from $150k to $300k are right in the sweet spot for most buyers and this market will be active.  The $300k to $600k market has also seen a lot of increased activity, especially with $USD financing now available.  Luxury Puerto Vallarta properties priced over $1 million USD have never been a large percentage of the overall market; however we are seeing more showings and interest in these properties as well and expect numerous sales of well priced properties in this market as well.  In summary, I see a fairly strong market recovery over the next year.  It will not be a straight line upwards, or be the frenzy that epitomized 2006 and 2007, but it will be strong and it will be stable.  I believe that the market hit bottom in late spring/summer 2009 and anyone who purchased a property at this time should be commended for their guts and market timing.  This is not to say that there are still not good deals available in the market.  There are.  And there are sellers who still willing to negotiate on terms and price.  However I definitely see the tide turning, so if you are buyer and just found your “perfect place”, you better make your offer today, because the property may not be available tomorrow.  We will check back in May 2010 and see how clear my “crystal ball” was.

Do you have a question about the Puerto Vallarta Real Estate market? Just ask!
Michael Green moved to Puerto Vallarta to take advantage of the unsurpassed lifestyle PV offers. Today, with over 12 years of experience, Mr. Green is one of the most recognized brokers in Vallarta. TOP Mexico Real Estate “Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely!”

The Costa Maya real estate market is still in the early stages of development.  On the southern half of Quintana Roo south of the Riviera Maya and bordering with the country of Beliz, the Costa Maya region extends for nearly 100 km along the Mexican Caribbean waters. The northern half is marked by the border with the Sian Kaan Reserve limits and southern far point with the small village called Xcalak.  Mahahual is situated in the middle of Costa Maya where a cruise port exists receiving thousands of tourists a year at their piers and downtown boardwalk.

Last week I took a client to see some Costa Maya real estate options.  We travelled north to a beachfront lot in the Sian Kaan Reserve. I hadn’t been there for a couple of months and was surprised to see how much the vegetation had grown and how I had forgotten just how wide and incredibly beautiful the beach was; gentle waves rolling in over the fine sugary white sand with a multitude of tall elegant palm trees swaying in the breeze. This lot is at the entrance of the reserve and only a 45-minute (50km) drive away on a well-surfaced road from the busy Mahahual village (it was a cruise ship day), yet the feeling of peacefulness there was amazing.

Residential buildings are the only type of construction permitted in the reserve and the building density is very low here. That means that the lots are large so it’s perfect for people looking for peace and quiet with the knowledge that there will always be a lot of space between you and your neighbors. Needless to say an offer has already been made on this lot!

In the late afternoon preparations were being made for the Mahahual Carnival 2010. The carnival has been established for the past few years, but this year was the first where there was a great feeling of community as both Mexicans and foreigners, living along the coast, in the village or in the main residential area, “Las Casitas”, which is next to the cruise ship port, were ready to party. The floats were led by “Las Bomberitas”, (the fire fighting girls), sponsored by Sol beer, who proved to be very popular!

Following were a number of other floats, including the International Float, a recycling float, the school floats, with the youngest dressed as baby chicks to the older ones looking very professional in their glittery costumes complete with large colourful feathers, “Las Mahahualeñas” a group of ladies dedicated to community work in Mahahual, dive centres and many more.

The procession left the “casitas” and passed through the village doubling back on the new promenade, “malecon”. It was spectacular to see the tourists and locals alike (many wearing their own carnival face masks) watching in awe as the array of different floats passed them by.  Finishing up at the stage area on the “malecon” different groups performed their dance routines with spectators enjoying the show and lots of cold beer. A full moon, the palm trees and the beach completed the perfect picture of paradise and provided a stunning backdrop for a great evening enjoyed by all.

Come visit us for Carnival 2011 to see what it’s all about!

Rebecca Lotto is from the United Kingdom and has been traveling and living in Latin America for nearly ten years.  Costa Maya has become her home residence in the past 5 years where she and her husband have settled and have become involved and active in various community organizations.  Rebecca brings British business ethics and Mexico business experience together to give buyers unparalleled service. 512-879-6546

THE www.TOPmexicorealestate.com NETWORK

“Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely!”