OT: Baja house update

[mac davis]

For those that asked, I put the pictures from our trip this weekend up today:

is coming along well and we're moving on Oct. 12!

Mac

[Morris Dovey]

|

|| House is coming along well and we're moving on Oct. 12!

Mac...

Looks good ... and less than a month to go!

-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA

[mac davis]

Thanks, Morris... As much as we're looking forward to living there, the process and change is still kinda scarey...

Mac

[Lee Michaels]

How much stuff has to be moved how many miles to make this move?

It really looks like a desert there. How is the temperature/climate there?

Are those big windows in the shop going to be a security problem? Is there any theft around there?

I assume that the roof doubles as a patio when weather/temperature allows, right?

Do you have air conditioning there? Phone? Sewer? Water? Cable?

How will you fit in with the locals?

[Locutus]

Don't take this the wrong way, I am sincerely curious.

Why would you want to live there?

[Joe Bemier]

Looks great, Mac! I think the *scary* will disolve into the adventure.

[Rick Samuel]

I second that. What kind of visa will/do you have?

[Teamcasa]

I'll second that Mac, it look like all is close to being ready! You'll be turning in Mexico in no time!

I sometime wish my lovely bride would like to live there! Keep the Cerveza cold!

Dave

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[J T]

Mon, Sep 18, 2006, 9:29am (EDT-3) [e-mail] (mac=A0davis) doth sayeth: For those that asked, I put the pictures from our trip this weekend up today:

House is coming along well and we're moving on Oct. 12!

California has exceeded its quota of illegals so they're exporting you to Mexico to make upfor it?

JOAT I am not paranoid. I do not "think" people are after me. I "know" damn well they're after me.

[mac davis]

The folks from San Felipe Storage are coming up (575 miles each way) with a 50' container... besides the big tools like the saws and lathes, we're at about 200 Uhaul boxes and a bunch of loose stuff..

Wonderful for me, but we live in Fresno, CA now and we're used to hot.... It can get to 110 F or more during July and August but the breeze off the water at night is wonderful... the winters are my attraction... coldest might be 60 or so and drop to 45 at night...

There is some, but security is pretty good there.. It's a member only kind of thing and we've been stopped a few times and asked what/why we were driving around... Most of the theft seems to be of building material in the houses in progress... One builder lost about 2,000 sf of ceramic tile in one night and they suspect someone on his crew...

For sure! A lot of folks use the roof like you'd use your backyard or patio... cool breeze, nice view, etc... We'll have a table up there with a big shade umbrella and the wall dividing the roof sections has 220v, water and LP connections for a spa, BBQ, etc..

The builder is putting in 4 "mini splits"... 1 in each bedroom, one in the great room and one in the shop....

All of the phones are wireless and it takes about 2 months to get one installed.. they were NOT ready for all the gringo orders..

Before our builder could start the house, the "ranch" (

) had to come out and put in the septic tank...

Water is from a cistern, you might see that in some of the pictures as a concrete square near the side lot line... they charge about $40 US to put 2,500 gallons in..

No cable yet... lot of satellite dishes around but we passed on that.... we don't watch a lot of TV and mostly have cable here for the Internet... We'll have DSL with the phone for about $30 a month... higher speed DSL is $50 a month and hard for us to justify for a while... All of the cantinas, coffee places, etc. have free wireless, so it's pretty easy to stay in touch down there..

Well, unfortunately, most of the locals are gringos and not all are fun to be with... we really prefer some of the Mexican friends we've made.. It's a very polite and relaxed society and easy to just join the flow... If you don't try to bring the USA with you... Please and thank you go a LONG way in Baja and as anywhere in the world, respect is a 2 way street..

GREAT QUESTIONS!! Mac

[mac davis]

We fell in love with it in a weekend!

As my wife put it, this is the destination we've looked for on years of RV trips and never found...

I could talk forever about the climate, people, etc.... but the bottom line at a real gut level is that it just FELT right...

Also, we never thought we could afford to retire.... Our cost of living there is over $3,000 a month lower than it is in California..

By the time we build the 2nd house, we'll have about $350,000 US invested.... not much more than out house in CA is worth... If your home is paid for, you can live pretty well down there on about $1,200 a month.. including health, home and car insurance...

Also.. my wife gets to retire before she's 49 and be near the ocean, her dream...

I get a new shop that's a bit bigger than my present garage, it's got AC and

220v and it's MINE... no washer/dryer, sink, family storage or anything... Y E S !!

OH.. and our next-door neighbors are friends from our town here... Mac

[mac davis]

We just got them last weekend.. *g*

Called an "FM3"... like a legal immigrant visa... maybe like a "green card" here?

It costs a couple hundred bucks and you go through the sign and thumb print thing.. took an hour in July and 10 minutes this trip to get it... It has to be renewed every year, and after 5 years, you can apply for dual citizenship..

If you had told me 2 years ago that I'd be moving to Mexico I would have told you that you were nuts... that I'd never leave California, much less the COUNTRY..

Mac

[mac davis]

I'm sure it will, Joe.. thanks... Most of the stress and stuff isn't living in Baja, it's getting all of our junk there and selling our house in California... and all the damn time deadlines and red tape to get it all done..

Mac

[Tom Nie]

Mac, So weird to see the "landscaping" when around here is so green and all woods! I've heard a lot of negatives about banditos, etc. Freightliner said they'd fly me into Mexico City but wanted no part of my driving down. So, together with my loving "green" I have to ask - why Baja? TomNie

[mac davis]

you're just going to have to kidnap her to Baja, Dave... the more time she spends in Baja the less she'll want to go back.... We haven't thought of Calif. as "home" for about 6 or 8 months!

When we did the walk-thru with our builder this weekend, he was showing us how he was going to double up a block wall on the roof to sort of recess the spa hookups... I asked him to make the new part about "a Tecate bottle" lower than the existing wall and he knew exactly what I meant.. *g*

Mac

[Lee Michaels]

"mac davis" wrote

I am not asking for an exact figure, but do you have any idea how much less the tax bill will be by not living in California?

[mac davis]

I wish.... it would probably be a lot less red tape...

OTOH, it's sort of hard to swim across the river with a house full of stuff on your back.. *g*

BTW: they're not illegals.... they're "undocumented aliens".... another good reason to be getting out of the land of the Governator... Mac

[J T]

Tue, Sep 19, 2006, 8:32am (EDT-3) [e-mail] (mac=A0davis) doth sayeth: BTW: they're not illegals.... they're "undocumented aliens"

According to what I've been hearing the politicians are pretty well taking care of the documentation for 'em. Hmmm, wonder if we can export politicans? Nah, that'd be kinda like spreading the black plague, wouldn't be popular at all.

JOAT I am not paranoid. I do not "think" people are after me. I "know" damn well they're after me.

[J T]

Tue, Sep 19, 2006, 8:32am (EDT-3) [e-mail] (mac=A0davis) doth sayeth: BTW: they're not illegals.... they're "undocumented aliens"

According to what I've been hearing the politicians are pretty well taking care of the documentation for 'em. Hmmm, wonder if we can export politicans? Nah, that'd be kinda like spreading the black plague, wouldn't be popular at all.

JOAT I am not paranoid. I do not "think" people are after me. I "know" damn well they're after me.

[mac davis]

Tax as in property or income??

property tax in Mexico is based on your land.. doesn't matter if it has a $1,000,000 house or it's vacant... out tax right now on each of the 1/3 acre lots is about $400 a year..

Property tax in Calif. is based on the sale price.. roughly 1.25% of the sales price, plus local assessments..

My wife bought our house in the late 80's for $75k and our taxes now are about $900 a year..

My main income, from web work is taxed in the States because the clients send a

1099... I'm talking to a tax guy now to make sure that I won't also be taxed on the income a 2nd time in mexico.. (The money is direct deposited to our US account)

I've been advised not to "legalize" my wood business unless I make a LOT of money, as it involves starting a Mexican corporation and is subject to 30% income tax... haven't verified that yet...

Mac