The biggest knock on this place, at least from my point of view, is the beach. It’s not great right here in Loreto. Of course, as one property management lady put it, “If we had great beaches, we’d be Cabo. And we don’t want to be Cabo.” It’s a great point. Here’s the thing, though: there is white sand to be had about an hour’s drive north in Conception Bay. It’s borderline Caribbean looking up there. Even better, just a 20 minute boat ride takes you to Coronado Island, just outside of Loreto Bay. Di and I shared this entire crescent beach with a pelican and a sleeping Mexican boat captain.
We’ll be looking at rental properties today, with a goal of securing a rental agreement for our final return in early January. We’re hoping for something with local character, but there is a fallback newer apartment, 2br, 2bath, fully furnished with swimming pool, etc, for $600/mo.
Even if I had the money, I’m not sure I’d buy here just yet. Although the market has been slammed, and everything is for sale, I don’t think people have yet accepted that their homes aren’t worth what they were just a year or so ago. I can relate. It’s a bitter pill to swallow when your most prized asset is suddenly worth a fraction of itself because of some nebulous thing they call “the economy.” My guess is it will take another year, just like it did up in the States, before homeowners are willing to shake off the denial and drop their asking prices for real.
An Expat-In-Training 
Keep us informed, i look forward to your stories. Loreto/conception bay sound great to me.
personally i would not buy a place in any foreign country, much better to rent, and be able to move at any given moment. if you buy a place, you have a big ball and chain around your ankle
Have fun, keep up the writing
Thanks Steve. Yeah you were right about Conception Bay, it is definitely beautiful with all sorts of cool little white sand coves. I think it was you who recommended Mulege which we checked out as well. Unfortunately it had been hit by a hurricane a while back and there were still plenty of signs of it. Sheared off palm trees and upside-down boats all along the river there. Apparently it got more than its share of the hurricane that hit last week after our departure as well. La Paz was hit hard too. Loreto experienced a tropical storm with flooding, but according to a friend we made (who will be our landlord starting in January!) the wind was not an issue there. Will try to get a post out today. Lots of exciting news to share!
jb
Looking forward to your update 🙂
lovely pic
John, Good to see that you have found your Nirvana! I will be visiting Panama the first week of February, and it looks like Santiago and Vina Del Mar, Chile, as well as Mendoza, Argentina in September 2013. My search for Nirvana continues……
Hello everyone and especially to John and Maya. Whew. I have just read ALL the posts from the beginning to here…NOT the end right John 🙂 ??
Sharing your thoughts, fears and dreams has been a tremendous help for me. Thank you! I have my sites set on the pacific coast of Mexico between Mazatlan Puerto Vallarta and inland to Guadalajara. If any reader knows of a blog similar to what John has done here, but in my geographical interest then I would be so hatful to read the real world experience of their adventure.
Thanks John, for the nice words and the gentle prodding. We’ve been extremely busy with all the planning and conversation surrounding our move, but I am currently sitting in a Starbucks and ready to write an update while Di works out at the gym next door. Sorry for leaving everyone hanging. Unfortunately I’ve never had more professional writing projects stacked up as high as they are now, even as I prepare to get out of Dodge.
As far as blogs from Vallarta area expats, I haven’t really looked for those specifically. I’m sure there are still affordable areas there. We love the little town of Sayulita, just 40 miles north of PV, but the cost of housing is not as cheap as it was just a few years back. There is another little town to the south of PV (the name escapes me) that quite a few people have recommended. Apparently you must access it by boat. I could imagine it being less costly just given the remote access, but have not researched it. Regardless, good luck with your search, and thanks for following the blog.
jb
Hey hey, it’s Johnny B! Glad to see you on the grid again. Is your brother planning to go with you? Sounds like you’ve got it narrowed down at least. It seems that many parts of Mexico are priced higher than you’d think. Are you finding that as well?
Enjoy that $4 cup of coffee, those days are numbered! 🙂
Yeah, I just recently discovered the pumpkin spice latte they sell this time of year. That damn thing is almost worth the $4.00! Mike is planning to take 2 months off the job to come down with us and get a feel for the place. He could technically quit now and keep a pretty decent pension, but he adds another 2% to that number for ever year on the job, so he’s wrestling with timing like everyone else. My guess is he’ll find enough down there to make him want to bail altogether very soon. Interestingly, he was the first to mention the Baja idea to us in the first place, so my guess is he won’t be content to watch us do it alone for long. My Dad, on the other hand has almost done a complete 180. After he saw our pics, he wanted to get started on a passport application that night, effectively removing the toughest hurdle of all. How’s it going on your end? Are you any closer to laying out a gameplan/timeframe?
I smiled when I read what John write about his brother “…but he adds another 2% to that number for ever year on the job”.
A short story:
Preface: I am 61 years old.
I was recently at Chase back here in Tucson when the young teller obliging asked if there was anything else she could help me with. “yes” I exclaimed, you can tell me when i am going to die. She looked puzzled and asked why on earth i would want to know such awful information. Simple I answered, if I am going to die the end of this week then i would like to really enjoy and spend most of money money before I die. However if I live to be 99 then I dont have enough and so that could be a problem.
In 1990 the stats were this: only 72% of us all live beyond our 21st thru 65th year. The other 28% may have left all their hard earned dreams in the bank 😦 and have zero use for it now.
My point is this: tomorrow is promised to no one and life has a habit of melting away before our eyes. In the very profound words of the strong(er): “Just do it!”. I have been researching the topic of moving to a kinder, more affordable and more relaxed place to live for about 18 months now and I can just feel it that Summer 2013 i will have made up my mind where that place is. Hopefully I am still alive at that time!
Greetings Tucson John. Goodyear, AZ here. Nice to have double-digit temps again, huh. Those triples were starting to get old!
Er….grateful….not hatful….darn silly iPad keyboard!!!