Place to buy in BAJA

[09BigRed]

I've been seeking and searching for an area to buy a small house near the coast in Baja. Trying to get your opinions on best locations and not expensive. Thanks fellas

[Justin Hambleton]

Which coast and how far do you want to drive to get there? Planning to live there part time or just a vacation getaway?

[ehall]

Pm bajatrailrider he has lived in San Vicente for 10yrs or so if I remember correctly. Short bike ride to the pacific coast from there.

[az1liner]

as justin has mentioned , living & chillin in baja as a resident has to be geographically " desirable " and depending on what your looking for ...its there , i was in the same frame of mind 10 years ago and went with the idea of, no matter where i was to crib up....i would always be gone to some other place doing stuff....as baja has various seasons and climate factors it was too hard to pin point a " central  location to be a 2nd home ( also if i had a place down there i might not ever come home.....on time anyways ...) so i have ust stuck to being nomadic and just make plans on hitting different areas at different times , which has worked out pretty well , im not tied to a piece of property that limits my travel , forces me to maintain it , etc.....

 

just my 2.05 cents worth.....

[TecateRay]

BajaNomad is a site to check out. They have want ads and lots of expats who can advise on owning property and living in Baja.

[09BigRed]

Game plan is to use it as a vacation spot and a retirement place when I lay the wrenches down.im also gonna hit up bajatrailrider...

Edited July 2, 2015 by 09BigRed

[USMCVietVet]

You don't want to ask me i spent 30 winters there and owned property--never-more ? ? ?

[jimmyh]

My place is at San Jacinto, Shipwrecks. KM149 south of Ensenada. About 30 lots on the beach. We lease land from the ejido for $2k/yr. about half the lots are developed with homes. It is all off grid we have water tank solar panels septic etc. Gorgeous place very secure about 3 miles off the main highway. The farmers live about 2 miles inland from the area. So there is no local mischief around the area. There are several ex-pats that live down there full-time. A great place to surf right in front and to launch day trips or longer trips from. Just south of Colonet and north of Camalu.

Edited July 3, 2015 by jimmyh

[09BigRed]

Why "never more" it's a good place to get away on weekend basis and would be a perfect pad for me and lady. She loves the water and beach front. Also quiet is a must so away from tourist would be good.

[Baja trail Rider]

You don't want to ask me i spent 30 winters there and owned property--never-more ? ? ?

Im real sorry you had a bad time in mex. My first was 1975.Liked it so much,retired and moved here.Never looked back.

[09BigRed]

See that's what I look forward to. A place I can call home when I'm not busy in this CA world. I've been to Mexico about once a year for the last 20yrs. So a place down towards the beach front and with some peace would be awesome. Of course my riding the open desert and trails would make my day.

[Oil Baron]

You need to decide if you want to be connected to the power grid.  Without electricity, things like A/C and refrigeration are more complicated,  time consuming, and expensive regardless of what skills you have.  

[PPDBAJA]

There are a lot of different places, Todos Santos its a really cool Town, 1:20 hrs from San Jose Int. Airport, 45 min. From Cabo San Lucas, 50 min from La Paz ( capital). Nice weather. If You like it I have 2 lots for sale there, in town, 15 to 30 min from beaches, water and electricity, clear Title, and if You like front beach property We have 1.5 miles for sale too!!.

North of Todos Santos, just passing Meliton Albañez ( ejido).

Good Luck!!

Ppdbja.

[soylent_green]

we have a place off grid  on the pacific side. 

 

First I suggest you and your wife get SENTRI so you won't have to deal with 3 hour border waits.  http://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/sentri

Apply now.  The application time is running over 4 months.

 

Also, get a US passport card so you can carry around that instead of the book passport and you can also use the  "Ready Lanes"  

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/card.html

 

Pick up a FMN Mexican tourist card and ask for a 180 day validation. It really isn't a multiple entry visa, but some people use it like one.  Something like $25. Better to have it and not need it...

 

Then, take 3+ day weekends and days off and go explore different areas.  Plenty of options - gulf, pacific, grid, off grid, maybe wine country, or venture farther south where Ppbja is. I would just suggest find an area you could see yourself spending a lot of time at, and meet some of the people there.  Thats how you will hear about available property.  And meet your potential neighbors - and who you might avoid.  "Bad roads bring great people", but it also brings a few certifiable crazy types.  We are fortunate that we don't have that issue.

 

Ours is a place the original owners got sick and eventually passed away, the kids stopped going and  in 7 years  nature pretty much took the house over.  They had sentimental attachment to to place, but were never going to go back. A friend of ours gave us the heads up on it becoming available and thats how we got it.  We've had it over 2 years now. And we've put a lot of work into it - look forward to enjoy it more instead of working on it.  We try to get down 1 or 2 3-day weekends a month.  

 

Feel free to PM if you got any specific questions on the ins and outs based on our experience.

 

below are the guard dogs and the other pic are some unwelcome neighbors.

Edited July 7, 2015 by soylent_green

[Baja trail Rider]

I know SLGs place is real nice!

[Oil Baron]

A lot of people get a lot and park their trailer or motorhome on it and then build a carport over it to shade it and then build around it, and the trailer becomes part of the house simply because it has plumbing.  DON'T DO THIS.

 

First build a two car garage with a bathroom.  Then you have a secure place to lock your stuff up and you can camp out of that while you add on a kitchen.  Then add on from there. 

[09BigRed]

we have a place off grid on the pacific side.

First I suggest you and your wife get SENTRI so you won't have to deal with 3 hour border waits. http://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/sentri

Apply now. The application time is running over 4 months.

Also, get a US passport card so you can carry around that instead of the book passport and you can also use the "Ready Lanes"

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/card.html

Pick up a FMN Mexican tourist card and ask for a 180 day validation. It really isn't a multiple entry visa, but some people use it like one. Something like $25. Better to have it and not need it...

Then, take 3+ day weekends and days off and go explore different areas. Plenty of options - gulf, pacific, grid, off grid, maybe wine country, or venture farther south where Ppbja is. I would just suggest find an area you could see yourself spending a lot of time at, and meet some of the people there. Thats how you will hear about available property. And meet your potential neighbors - and who you might avoid. "Bad roads bring great people", but it also brings a few certifiable crazy types. We are fortunate that we don't have that issue.

Ours is a place the original owners got sick and eventually passed away, the kids stopped going and in 7 years nature pretty much took the house over. They had sentimental attachment to to place, but were never going to go back. A friend of ours gave us the heads up on it becoming available and thats how we got it. We've had it over 2 years now. And we've put a lot of work into it - look forward to enjoy it more instead of working on it. We try to get down 1 or 2 3-day weekends a month.

Feel free to PM if you got any specific questions on the ins and outs based on our experience.

below are the guard dogs and the other pic are some unwelcome neighbors.

Man oh man,I've been to Ensenada and Tecate too many time and I haven't done the passport card and ready lane. I'm gonna look and get all this going.

[trackmaster]

Curious how the sentry pass works. I followed a guy I know had that card and he was in line beside me for the same 3 hours?

[soylent_green]

To take advantage of SENTRI, you must use the SENTRI lane. They also now have walking lanes for SENTRI

You can use a SENTRI card as an ID at any line, but if you are in a regular or Ready lane, then you wait like anyone else. No advantage in those cases.

There are no SENTRI or Ready lanes in Tecate.

If you have SENTRI and your passengers do not, they cannot ride in the vehicle with you in the SENTRI lane. They  have to walk across (real easy at the Otay border because drop off is right next to SENTRI lane).

But your dogs can ride with you in SENTRI ?

Application to SENTRI I believe is running around 4 + months.  You have to also go for an interview. And you also have to have your vehicle added at that interview.

You cannot use a SENTRI lane in a vehicle that hasn't been added to the SENTRI program, but it doesn't necessarily have to be the vehicle you added (you can drive anyone's SENTRI approved vehicle)

I'm adding an additional vehicle to my account, and its been 2 months without notification of approval - then I have to schedule appointment after that.  Thats just adding a vehicle.

 

The good thing about SENTRI is that you can add it to the GLOBAL ENTRY program and use the immigration kiosks at airports.  And you can add it to the TSA quick check.

Lot of people don't realize it, but you can use Global entry in the SENTRI lane. I believe it is easier and faster to get Global Entry. BUT, you have to add a vehicle so that might be tough if you are not reasonably near the border. You can also use SENTRI at the Canadian border NEXUS lane and vice-versa, but I believe you do not have to register your vehicle in the  NEXUS program.

 

===

 

fyi, if you have a Washington St enhanced ID or from the other states that have them, you can use the Ready Lane. Like SENTRI -  you cannot have passengers without READY IDs  in your vehicle.  They walk or you all ride in the regular lane.

 

 

++++

 

Maybe someone else can answer this question - Motorcycles in the back of you SENTRI truck in the SENTRI lane. I've been told no and I don't push my luck.  Seems not worth the trouble to get on the wrong side of CBP.  

Edited July 8, 2015 by soylent_green

[09BigRed]

I aiming towards below and outside of Ensenada. Still at driving distance so I could go down there about 2x a month.