When Buying in Mexico, Don’t Become Too Picky! – Tip of the Week

Notice that word – “become.”  When most people start off looking for their property in paradise, they are very open and flexible.  After all, it usually opens up many possibilities that were not open before – a home on the beach, a penthouse, a large condo in a gated community, etc.

Back in the US or Canada, those items would’ve simply out of the reach of most budgets.

And Then We Get Spoiled 

Seeing what’s available can do something to us. A beautiful condo next to the golf course, a penthouse in a new gated community – “What if I could find that perfect property that has it all – for a cheap price?”

While we start of the real estate search excited about everything we see, we quickly find ourselves focusing on what each property doesn’t have:

“That beautiful penthouse is a mile from the beach.”

“This downtown condo next to all the shops doesn’t have a pool.”

“If I buy that lot, I’ll have to wait while they build the house.”

Priorities Make All the Difference

While we all have preferences, getting to the point of always focusing on the part missing can make a search frustrating and drawn out for you – when the fact is that you’ve probably seen several properties already that would’ve been near perfect.

To avoid this, it’s worth making a list of priorities.  Write down all the things you’ve seen “missing” and decide which ones are absolutely necessary, preferable and which ones are nice but could be done without.

Maybe the pool is indispensable, but, even though you like gated communities, you could do without if the complex were nice.

Then look at your list of properties again.  Are there some that meet all the “absolutely necessary” items? Perhaps they have a couple (but not all) of the “preferable” and “nice” as well.  Reconsider them.

Think back to how you would’ve seen these places back

“Is What I Want Possible?”

If you’re list of “absolutely necessary” becomes long, ask your agent if it’s possible or likely that you’ll find a property that meets all the points within your budget.

If you are working with the right agent, they will be honest with you either way:

• if they tell you that it’s very unlikely, then reconsider your list
• if they tell you it’s entirely possible, but the right property just hasn’t come up yet, then you know that you can keep searching with this criteria

Waiting somewhat for the right property isn’t a bad thing.  But just be sure that seeing what luxury on the beach looks like – when it’s affordable! – doesn’t make you pickier than you otherwise be!

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Andy Welbourne, from London, Ontario, has been living in Playa del Carmen and working as a part of the team with Thomas Lloyd for 7 years. He has worked with many Canadians and Americans to assist in finding their dream home in the Mexican Caribbean; many of these clients have turned into great friendships. Contact Andy at (512) 879-6546.

The TOP Mexico Real Estate Network; “Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely!”