Loreto, Baja California Sur

I have just completed a new wordpress website for some clients in Loreto, BCS - not to be confused with Lareto, Texas which is a pretty tough town. Loreto, Baja is gorgeous. In my research I was constantly blown away by the beauty of the landscape. Red ragged mountains with giant cactus trees and sharp precipices overlooking the aqua blue Sea of Cortez dotted with islands. Amazing! And the wildlife you get there - you can go on a baby whale petting tour - yep baby whales. And you can swim with baby seals.

(ps. They are as soft and cute as you think they are - I know because one kissed me while I was snorkeling in La Paz.)

Anyways, I digress. My laid back, easy to please clients, John and Barb Haggarty have just moved to Loreto from Cabo to take advantage of a more relaxed way of life and a projected increase in tourism now that FONATUR is coming in to start developing the area. The have opened Mision Loreto Properties with the intent of providing qualified real estate services to people in the Loreto area. They go as far North as Mulege and down South to La Paz.

They are members of AMPI Los Cabos so they have access to the excellent (best in Mexico IMO) MLS system and you can search for all the listings in the Los Cabos area right from their site, which if you know anything about searching for real estate in Mexico, is a rare treat!

The site is built on wordpress using the mls IDX feed for the listings and some amazing imagery supplied mainly by a local photographer. Beautiful place, great people (sharp sense of humour!) and a nice looking, well functioning website. Check it out!

Work work work so I can play play play

SPRING 2011 IssueOver the past 6 months I have been working a lot! But it’s a labour of love so that makes it a bit less painful!

About a year ago I started to question where I was headed and what I wanted to be when I grew up. I didn’t find the answers to that line of questioning but I found some direction and about 8 months ago started Mexi-Go! Properties Inc. with a couple of partners. Together we have been building a huge custom listings website, launching a 64 page glossy magazine and spending about 18 hrs a day starting our start-up!

It has been an amazing experience and while it’s far from over it is about to propel me in a new direction. This summer my family and I plan on packing up and moving to Mexico. Some of it is for the weather, some of it is for the freedom (from a mortgage, from bureaucracy, from the rain) and some of it is to facilitate the growth of this business.

Mexico is a land of great opportunity and I could talk your ear off why it’s a great place to be - but that’s for another time. Right now I just wanted to take a break from some of the work and let you see what I’ve been up to.

Check out Mexi-Go! Properties at www.mexi-goproperties.com on Facebook and at  Twitter  and be sure to check out the Mexi-Go! Magazine!! 

Where will you be in five years?

MEXICO. Cabo San Lucas, Loreto, Manzanillo, Puerto Vallarta, Ajijic, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Leon, Guanajato, San Miguel, Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, Tulum. Puerto Escondido, San Cristobel. The list goes on.

Cabo San LucasTo me it is a country of warm generous people, beautiful art and culture, great food, gorgeous natural landscapes and good value! And the nearly one million ex-pats living across the country?… They clearly they share my sentiments. I have been travelling to Mexico fairly regularily for the past 15 years (longer if you count a couple of trips when I was a kid) and each time I see, taste, try something new and I learn more about this beautiful place that keeps drawing me back.

Last week I went to Cabo to meet with some new clients who own a great B&B along with a couple of other investment condos. They’ve been in the real estate business since moving down there in 1999 but with the new market realities have decided to strategize their marketing, update their branding and come out strong for the upcomng winter season. I sat down with Craig and Lori Harrison { theCABOharrisons} over seven days and helped guide them towards a more professional, streamlined approach to running their business and the results so far have been beyond expectation.

Now don’t think I worked every minute of those seven days - because I didn’t! I took a little road trip to the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen (and I’ve seen a few) toured around the charming artists community of Todo Santos - best Lemon & Rosemary sorbet ever!- and spent the evening in a roof top pool overlooking the La Paz harbour watching a spectacular sunset.

Hacienda CerritosThere is so much to see and do when in Mexico. The possibilities are endless and I’m not the only one who feels this way. Ask my mother and her group of semi-retired friend and nearly everyone of them vacations each winter in Mexico. Some have even made a permenant move down south. The weather is always warmer than here, the people, the top notch healthcare, the value for your dollar and the ease of getting around make Mexico not only a great vacation destination but also a wise place to invest.

Over the next few months I will begin to roll out a comprehensive program around buying and selling investment properties in Mexico. There is a world of colourful, warm and delicious opportunity there and I need to share it with you!