{"id":15995,"date":"2017-12-13T11:37:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-13T16:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/?p=15995"},"modified":"2020-09-02T13:23:03","modified_gmt":"2020-09-02T17:23:03","slug":"top-5-reasons-chris-judy-chose-mexico-plus-6th-going-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/blog\/top-6-reasons-to-choose-mexico-as-your-new-home\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top 6 Reasons To Choose Mexico As Your New Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Top 6 Reasons To Choose Mexico As Your New Home.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Chris and Judy Barrick are folks I\u2019ve gotten to know over the past several years, and their story is a great one for people looking to own real estate overseas<\/a>. \u00a0They made a list of the top 5 reasons they chose Mexico and then added a 6th reason that is priceless. Their description of what attracted them, and ultimately what led them, to owning property in Mexico<\/a> fits the profile of many people today looking for a vacation property in the tropics. \u00a0But this isn\u2019t where my relationship with Chris really took off.<\/p>\n

As many of you know, ECI Development does not work in Mexico, so there\u2019s no business reason there. \u00a0Chris, Judy, and I actually connected because he\u2019s an artist who works with the medium of wood. \u00a0His creations are spectacular and practical all at the same time. \u00a0The three of us hit it off because we both see the incredible opportunity to work together long term as it relates to our teak plantations and the value coming from processing the teak to lumber – and even one more step…finished products for the export market.<\/p>\n

Chris and Judy are visionary entrepreneurs who see the opportunity to work in the region and serve a huge need with a business that is near and dear to them. \u00a0By partnering with ECI Development and Hardwoods Unlimited, we all leverage our intrinsic assets for a greater benefit to all concerned. \u00a0Enjoy their story and stay tuned for an upcoming column when Chris describes building his home in Mexico and his adventures on that phase of the project. \u00a0Keep an eye out too for news on the teak plantation products as we ramp up the processing of timber to finished product.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Search \u2013 by Chris Barrick<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

My wife Judy and I have had the good fortune of travelling through the tropics and Latin America fairly extensively throughout the years. \u00a0Growing up along the border with Baja California (Mexico) in San Diego made travelling to Mexico just a part of what we did. During the 1970s and 80s, we would surf across the border 2-3 days a week, and long-range camping trips to surf, fish, and dive were frequent events. \u00a0In college at San Diego State, we would make weekly grocery shopping runs to Tijuana to save money while living on a college budget.<\/p>\n

In 1980, on a driving trip to Cabo San Lucas towing a boat, we stumbled upon a sleepy little fishing village on the Sea of Cortez called Los Barriles (The Barrels). \u00a0It was, at that time, nothing but a dirt road off the highway to a couple of hotels and a few houses. There was one telephone in town, and you had to wait to be connected to make a long-distance phone call. \u00a0The beautiful thing about Los Barriles is that it has miles of pristine white sand beaches, beautiful tropical water, and world-class fishing and diving.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Baja Peninsula and Los Barriles, about halfway between Cabo and La Paz.<\/em><\/p>\n

In 1983, my father bought a piece of beachfront property and we spent the next 3 years building a beach house. \u00a0Construction was very inexpensive compared to what costs were in the U.S. and our family being in the construction business made for a very affordable beach house at the time. \u00a0We made many 2-day, 1,000-mile driving trips taking building materials down to our house. \u00a0The house has been a central family destination for family trips, holidays, reunions, and even weddings throughout the years. Our kids have grown up there and made the driving trip numerous times.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to about 5 years ago – our kids were graduating from college, and Judy and I were staring at a big empty nest. \u00a0I had recently downsized my construction company and Judy retired from teaching after 22 years. \u00a0We started travelling and looking for a place to build a second home. \u00a0Our travels took us to the Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico, Honduras, Mexico, Belize, and Nicaragua. \u00a0We had fun getting to know all of these places and did our due diligence in each one looking for the right fit to build our next house. \u00a0Spending time in-country in the communities we were looking at was an important factor for us. \u00a0We want to be a positive addition to any community we\u2019re part of.<\/p>\n

Over the years, we attended a Live and Invest Overseas conference in Belize and spent some time exploring the country. \u00a0It was at that conference we met Mike Cobb. \u00a0Mike was just a genuine guy and, while being a developer, didn\u2019t try and hard sell us anything. We got along instantly. \u00a0The knowledge we gained from the conference was invaluable in our continuing search for our \u201cnext new house.\u201d<\/p>\n

We spent the next few years travelling, researching, and making multiple lists of positive\/negative attributes of every place\/property we looked at. \u00a0We have a very close family, and having a house that everyone can gather at is on the top of our list. \u00a0We fell in love with Nicaragua, but travel distance, especially for our kids who are spread out over the U.S., made it a challenge – along with our past history in Mexico. \u00a0Ageing parents, family, and being in close contact with our kids trumped all of the other items on the list of looking for a piece of property. \u00a0The last 2 years have been extremely busy for our family as both of our children got married and moved across the country (Chicago and Austin).<\/p>\n

Judy and I took a road trip with our labrador, Jake, this last August to Los Barriles to chill out for a few weeks and relax. \u00a0Over the years, we have become very connected to the community of Los Barriles and have many friends there. \u00a0While there, we always love to explore new areas. \u00a0Jake loves to ride in the truck and we spend days out exploring. \u00a0While exploring, we started looking at property, not really seriously, but just because that\u2019s what we do when travelling. \u00a0We stumbled upon a gorgeous beachfront lot for sale about 35 minutes north of Los Barriles with a beautiful reef and huge oysters all over. \u00a0Love at first sight! \u00a0We went back to the lot for 3 straight days, walked it, measured it, laid out potential home location, etc.<\/p>\n

Then we started making the positive\/negative list. \u00a0The top 5 are:<\/p>\n

Positive<\/span>:\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Negative<\/span>:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Family History\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 No cell service<\/p>\n

World-class beachfront\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Long drive from Barriles on a dangerous road<\/p>\n

Reef\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 No local grocery store or medical facilities<\/p>\n

Location\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 2 hr. drive from the airport to pick up visitors<\/p>\n

Great fishing\/diving\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 No local restaurants<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The 6th is:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Isolated \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Isolated<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Can you see where this ended up? \u00a0I\u2019m an adventurist and love exploring and being in the middle of nowhere. Judy loves exploring but also having civilization at least close by. The lack of cell service was a real tough one for her. \u00a0(Being honest, it was for me too).<\/p>\n

We went into a local real estate office in Los Barriles, doing our due diligence on the beachfront lot, and happened to be\u00a0talking to the agent\u2019s husband (he\u2019s gringo and she\u2019s a Mexican national). \u00a0He\u2019s a contractor and has lived in Los Barriles for over 30 years. \u00a0He said he knew of a lot close to town that wasn\u2019t on the market and the owner needed out. \u00a0Los Barriles has really grown in the last 30 years and now has 3 supermarkets, a medical clinic, a small shopping mall, banks, gas stations, restaurants, great cell service, etc.<\/p>\n

We jumped in the truck and drove 5 minutes north of town to a lot in an established development full of very nice homes. The lot was one off the beach but sat elevated above a small arroyo to the south which made for unobstructed ocean views and direct access to the beach 100 meters away. It was a large lot (1\/3 acre), had all utilities (phone, water, and power), and no one could ever build to restrict the view. \u00a0It was also close to my parents and brother who have houses in Los Barriles. \u00a0We weren\u2019t in town, but still close enough to have all the conveniences of town. \u00a0Winner, winner, Chicken Dinner! \u00a0We let it sit for a few days and made our list again (of course, going to the lot on a daily basis and laying everything out!).<\/p>\n

\"The\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Chris and Judy\u2019s Lot in Los Barriles\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Beach View in Front of Property<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s funny how we were just on a lark and this kind of fell into our lap. \u00a0Lucky? \u00a0Probably, but it would have never happened without knowing the area, spending time down there, and being connected. Boots on the ground. After sleeping on it for a few days, going through the list multiple times, and preliminarily designing a house, we decided to make an offer. We went back and forth with the owner who lives in the U.S., finally deciding on a price. Easy right? Not quite like buying a property in the United States. I\u2019ll detail the purchase process in the next article.<\/p>\n

Till then,<\/p>\n

Chris<\/p>\n

——-<\/p>\n

Thanks Chris for a great story about your process on how to buy property in Mexico<\/a>. \u00a0Your history with the town and your desire to locate conveniently to drive from San Diego for family and ageing parents make a lot of sense. It will be fun to see how the buying and building process goes over time.<\/p>\n

\"The\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Los Barriles Home\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Cabo San Lucas Home<\/em><\/p>\n

For folks looking at Mexico, properties in Los Barriles range from mid-hundred thousands to well over a million dollars. \u00a0But compared to Cabo San Lucas real estate<\/a>, where the same product could cost upwards of several million, being a little off the beaten path certainly pays off. If you are looking for property off the beaten path as a vacation home, or perhaps an investment in the path of progress, well done. \u00a0While requiring more time and effort, the rewards for either reason are certainly worth it.<\/p>\n

Here is<\/b> probably the most extensive ebook on <\/b>Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Eliminating Your Taxes, Protecting Your Assets And Regaining Privacy Over Your Life And Investments<\/i><\/b>. It is called<\/b> The<\/b> Ultimate Guide To Going Offshore<\/b><\/a>.\u00a0 Visit our bookstore to purchase it today!<\/b><\/p>\n

If you’d like to learn a little more about France, please read: What You Show Know Before Moving to France<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Enjoy these articles by Escape Artist.<\/strong><\/p>\n

E-Commerce in Mexico<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

10 Reasons To Move To Mexico <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Different Types of Companies in Mexico<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Drugs, Cartels, and Crime: How Mexico is Misrepresented and Stereotyped\u2014and Why So Many Americans\u2026<\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n

If you want to learn Spanish, you should get in touch with some of my associates at IWillTeachYouALanguage<\/a>. Visit their website today to sign up for expert Spanish language lessons<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here is an amazing interview with my friend Olly Richards: Secrets to Learning A Foreign Language Quickly\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Top 6 Reasons To Choose Mexico As Your New Home. Chris and Judy Barrick are folks I\u2019ve gotten to know over the past several years, and their story is a great one for people looking to own real estate overseas. \u00a0They made a list of the top 5 reasons they chose Mexico and then […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":238,"featured_media":28282,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[56,1136,233,235,340,380,451],"yst_prominent_words":[9240,9261,5235,5232,9242,9259,9256,9260,3472,1763,1899,9241,9233,2406,9258,2100,9257,5072,5234,9154],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/guadalajara-4562248_1280.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15995"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/238"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15995"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15995\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40531,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15995\/revisions\/40531"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15995"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=15995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}