Your Real Estate Specialists in La Paz
La Paz Update August 2007
Hóla
Just a short note this month.
Having just returned from vacation, a quick survey shows nothing new in the past two weeks.
Construction on the existing projects continues.
Most thing are a little slow this time of the year due to summer vacations.
Nothing new on the weather front. No potential hurricanes at this time.
Enjoy the summer.
Regards
Gordon
La Paz Update July 2007
Hóla
Summer has arrived in La Paz. Temperatures have been running around 100 degrees this past week. The forecast for the next few days indicates that we may reach 106 degrees.
Not a lot of news at the moment. Things have slowed down some with the schools closed and summer vacations starting.
Construction is still going strong on El Mogote and the other high-end projects. Costa Baja is now selling their next phase of Residences, casitas and condos. Priced from $550,000 to 1.5 million dollars. The Costa Baja development will have a Gary Player designed golf course for all you golfers.
We have a new OFFICE MAX store next to the City Club and Soriana’s at Plaza La Paz. It will give Office Depot a little competition.
Just before school closed the school of music presented a piano recital which was very nice. Also the university continues with it’s 7th year of free music and dance programs every Saturday on the Malecon. The city theaters have presented a few plays and concerts recently. The curtural activity base of La Paz is slowly expanding.
Our neighbors to the South in Todos Santos have a new development project called Real de Santa Ana. The first phase will have mostly ocean or sierra de la guna view lots with three model homes priced from $160,000 to $180,000 USD. The basic info should be on my web site within the next 10 days, so check it out under Todos Santos http://osmx.com As a summer note Todos Santos is about 10 degrees cooler than La Paz in the summer.
That about does it from here. I will be on vacation the last two weeks of July so replies to inquires and the next newsletter will be delayed until the first week in August.
Have a great summer and enjoy the holiday on the 4th.
Regards
Gordon
La Paz Update June 2007
Hóla
Here it is June busting out all over and summer vacations starting. Hurricane season has started also. We usually don’t get much activity until later in the year. However there have been some tropical storms forming down south already, so it may be a busy storm season this year.
There appears to be a lot of construction activity at the Paraiso Del Mar development over on El Mogote. They are pouring foundations and building pads. They say that they will deliver about 3 homes per month starting in September.
Costa Baja is working on their next phase. They estimate occupancy in about 2 years. It is a large development and is to include a golf course.
The La Concha Pearl condos are past the pad stage and should start vertical construction. About 16 of the 34 units have been sold.
Colina Del Sol La Paz has only a few of the one bedroom units remaining. Depending on the floor prices are from $192,000 to about $216,000.
Colina Del Sol Los Barriles development is working on the streets, water lines and underground utilities in their phase one. They plan on building a model home this month and other home construction should begin also. Most all the lots will have a view of the Sea of Cortez.
hacienda del Cortez hotel is scheduled to close July 31.Construction on the new condo/hotel should start in September if all goes well. Their plans and prices have not been released yet.
The near-by Grand Baja condo conversion is still under way. I hear a change of plans will include a three or four floor parking garage.
Not much news from the Playa La Paz development. The work continues on site. No info on sales at this time for these high end units starting at $750,000.
The local government is to spend a couple hundred thousand pesos on the improvements at the cornmeal beach area. Nice beach and should blend in nicely with the rest of the malign improvements.
There are a couple new 3 bedroom units remaining in a small gated development on the south end of the abasola. Good location and convenient to everything. Priced about $260,000. Also near-by in the Fidepaz area and three nice homes prices run from $180,000 to $399,000
Maravia development out by Tecolote has installed more water lines and streets so more home construction can be started by the lot owners.
Planning work is under way on their golf courses also. There are a few lots remaining in phase one.
As a side note, the Ocean Oasis condo and villa development is sold out. All of the units were sold by AMPI members the professional Realtors of Mexico. If you plan on buying property in Mexico hire a professional.
I still have a fixer upper in the rustic (country) area of Chametla. If you are a do it yourselfer this would be a good project. Asking $65,000 but will consider reasonable offers. On the other end in a rustic area is a new beach front home on a half acre plus for $750,000.
A commercial condo/apartment lot is available a block off the Malecon and a commercial building on the Malecon will be available for sale soon.
If you are interested in any of these or other properties in the La Paz area let me know. Information on some of these properties are on my web site http://osmx.com or email me for more information. omni@osmx.com
Holiday’s to remember in June are Flag Day on the 14th and Fathers Day on the 17th. Today June 1 is Navy Day in Mexico.
Enjoy the summer.
Regards
Gordon
La Paz Update May 2007
Hóla
Today being May Day most government agencies, banks and businesses are closed. They are having a big parade on the Malecon for all the workers. Lots of people and vehicles in the parade. Also May 3rd is the birthday of the city of La Paz.
The local government has been busy lately. The have canceled and re-opened for discussion the downtown improvement project. They don’t seem to be able to get their act together to decide what to improve and where. They really need a parking garage for the downtown area. Also rumor has it that the city passed an ordinance banning some bicycles, dogs, and kids under 18 unaccompanied by an adult after 11 P.M. on the Malecon. I haven’t seen any signs posted with the restrictions but they say the fines are about $40 USD for the first offense and over $90 for the second.. Perhaps they were having problems later in the evenings.
The statistics released for Easter Week indicated a shortage of hotel rooms for major holidays or events. With the plans for the new condo/hotel to be started this fall on the site of the Hacienda del Cortez, it may help the shortage of rooms in the short term.
The price of the beach front home in El Comitan has been reduced to $749,000 The owners have travel commitments. See El Comitan on my web site. http://osmx.com under Houses
Paraiso del Mar on El Mogote seems to be moving along on their construction of the infrastructure facilities so their construction of homes should start by September.
President Calderon was in La Paz on the 19th for the dedication of a new dialysis facility at the new city government complex. I guess his schedule did not allow time for him to visit our AMPI meeting that morning.
The AMPI La Paz MLS tour held Saturday the 21st had a good turnout for the Colina Del Sol ,Los Barriles project. This is an eco-friendly project with recycled grey water for watering the landscaping of which parts of each lot are to remain the natural plants of the area. Also the utilities are under ground so no power poles to obstruct your view. More info will be on my web site in the near future. The tour was hosted by Re/Max del Mar the sales arm of Decope and DEC developers. Transportation was provided and the property toured on quad vehicles. Lunch was also provided by the host.
The Colina Del Sol Condos in La Paz have only 6 one bedroom units left for sale.
Have a good month and don’t forget Mothers Day on Sunday the 13th.
Regards
Gordon
Hóla
No April Fool’s joke: Lots of thing happening in
La Paz this spring. The next week most people will be off work for Semana Santa (Easter Week).
It seems they are building and remodeling everywhere. The city fathers still can’t decide on how to renovate and improve the downtown area.
The Gran Baja Hotel on the beach is being converted to 120 condo units with additional amenities of tennis courts, spa, gym, pool and pool-bar, gardens, business center etc. They are working on it again but the opening date is any body’s guess as are the prices. They will probably be increased at least 10% that their original prices due to the increase in construction costs.
Paraiso Del Mar on El Mogote is active with buildings up to store building supplies and a dinning room for the workers. I am told they have a couple diesels running on their wells for the desalinization system. They should be completing about 3 homes per month starting in September. You can log in to their site for the latest using the code TH0036 on my web site. http://osmx.com
Costa Baja Resort is about ready to start their next phase which will include a golf course but prices have not been set at this time. Probably start at $500,000 or so.
Maravia first phase is nearly sold out. If you want to be about 30 minutes from town with a view of San Lorenzo channel or a golf course and
mountain view you can buy a lot there and build a home or choose one of their 12 solar powered models. Lots start about $65,000 Small home a little over $100,000.
Our La Paz MLS is slowly growing. Difficult to get the local to share their listings and to co-operate. With the added exposure of AMPI and the joint agreement with the National Association of Realtors more pressure is being applied to conform to business practices used in most of the free world.
You can access our MLS at http://www.lapazmls.com
Another project rumored to start in August is the tearing down of the now Cortez del Hacienda Hotel on the beach in La Posada and to build a condo development. To bad. The old colonial style hotel and the palapa bar on the beach has a really nice atmosphere and a great place to watch the sunsets. Ah progress?? even in
Mexico.
I have still available 2 of the very few beach front homes in the
La Paz area. Check them out on my web site under John’s Casa and El Comitan.
Also a real fixer-upper in Chametla if you want a large lot in a country setting. Owner just reduced the price to $65,000 USD See Chametla on my site. http://osmx.com
That is about all the latest at the moment.
Enjoy the spring and the April showers.
Regards
Gordon
La Paz Update March 2007
Hóla
I don’t know if March came in like a lamb or a lion. Somewhere in between I think. Nice day but a little cool and breezy.
Carnaval is over for another year. The turn out was good. Colorful parades, lots of vender’s hawking their wares, with lots of food, cotton candy and music with bands all along the malecon. Plus of course all the amusement rides and bumper cars.
According to a newspaper article the downtown renovation project has been canceled. I guess the politicians couldn’t agree on anything.
Construction has been halted on the Marina Sur development. From what I could get out of the newspaper article is that the developer has not yet donated back certain areas that they agreed to as part of the deal to buy the land to develop. Probably more political stuff.
I heard there was some activity scheduled today for the El Mogote, Paraiso del Mar project. Still have not seen any homes or condos going up. Maybe next month.
The Maravia project is moving along well. There are only a few lots left with a water view in Phase I. The other lots will have views of a golf course or mountains. So if you would like to be 30 minutes from town you can get a lot starting at $55,000 and your choice of 12 house plans. Depending on the lot location you have to build within 6 months to a year.
Conficasa International has added a couple more new plans.. CASH OUT If you have a free and clear home in Mexico you can pull cash out up to 50% of the appraised value. Also their new premier VI loan will help people that may be a little credit challenged but have strong assets and cash flow in their portfolio. They will tolerate lower credit scores. 80% LTV for full or limited documentation and LTV of 75% for stated income loans. No other lender has this flexibility.
Check my web site http://osmx.com for information about buying property in Mexico. Lots of info on the LINKS page also. You might want to subscribe to the FREE ezine Bajainsider for lots of info on Baja Mexico.
Don’t forget the daylight savings time change on the 11th this year. And don’t drink to much green beer on St. Patrick’s day.
Enjoy the month.
Regards
Gordon
La Paz update
Hóla
Brrrrr— It has been unusually cool and windy here lately. Nothing like the cold weather and ice storms across the states.
All the bad weather may make travel difficult for people trying to get to Florida for the Super Bowl.
There appears to be some activity over on El Mogote. From my office I can see what looks like several white buildings. Probably storage for building materials. So maybe something will happen this year.
Costa Baja is working hard on their expansion projects. The closing on any new properties is probably two years away. They are working on some great new plans including a golf course. The units price range will start at about $600,000 to over $1,000,000. I hope to have more details by next month. They are to host our AMPI meeting this month and present their new projects to the professional realtors here in La Paz.
According to a newspaper article this morning the luxury development Playa La Paz is in litigation regarding the transparency of the purchase of the property by the developer. It should be another interesting story.
The Pearl condo development next to La Concha should start construction soon. Rumor has it that they have their construction financing. The units will be on the beach and prices start at about $400,000.
Ocean Oasis, right behind Marina de La Paz has a new price list for their condos and villas. This is a gated area and the condos start at about $200,000 to $370,000 with the villas $180,000 to$216,000.
The city is continuing with their beautification projects and are sprucing up the median strips on some of the streets. They are adding palm trees, brick veneer planters and fresh dirt. Looks very nice all cleaned up.
We have a few more users on our fledging La Paz MLS. Check it out during your search for properties in the La Paz area. http://www.lapazmls.com
Check out my web site and the LINKS page for information about buying property in Mexico. Lots of helpful info. http://osmx.com
Tomorrow is Ground Hog Day when we find out how many more days of winter we are going to have.
Carnaval should be this month but I have not seen any published dates for it.
Lots of activities this month with Ground Hogs Day, Presidents Day holiday, the Super Bowl, Chinese New Year, and DON’T forget your LOVE on Valentines Day. Monday 5 February is a holiday here and the 24th is Dia de Bandera (Flag Day).
Enjoy the month.
Regards
Gordon
Update January 2007
Hóla
Sorry about the delay in getting the newsletter out. While I was on vacation I received a notice of suspected fraud activity on one of my credit cards. Of course they canceled my card and the chain of events like falling dominos started. The auto payment for my email newsletter host was denied and my account suspended so I had to re-instate the accounts. I think I am back to normal again. Lots of fun.
Not a lot of real estate transactions closed during the holidays as most all the government offices were closed. We should be up to speed by the end of the month.
Still no building activity on El Mogote for the Paraiso Del Mar project. Costa Baja is promising new things and more inventory to be released in the near future including a golf course. Privada La Posada development is working on Phase III, 2 to 4 bedrooms about 1500 sq. ft. about $160,000 USD. Marina Sur has put up a lot of buildings but sales are slow. Especially since they increased the prices up to the $200,000 range. Construction has started on 2 or 3 homes in the Pedregal project that overlooks the La Concha resort and the bay. Lots are available in Phase III. Maravia lots North of town are selling well. The first buyers should be starting construction of their homes most anytime now.
That about does it for this month. Enjoy your MLK holiday the 15th.
Regards
Gordon
December update 2006
Hóla
Not a lot going on at this time as everyone is getting ready for the holidays and school vacations. There are of course the
Posadas (parties) coming up and the Christmas programs at the city theater. Also this Sunday at Marina de La Paz is the annual subasta (auction) which is a charity fund raiser sponsored by the Club Cruceros for the kids in the poor areas of the city. The boaters support several projects like providing breakfasts at the schools, buying school supplies for the kids and sometimes medical help like hearing aids or glasses.
There are a few more tourists in town as it is getting colder up north. There are still cruisers here that came down with the Baja HA HA group and we will be getting visitors from mainland
Mexico as the schools and government offices close about the 15th until about mid January. So not much legal work or title transfers will get done for the next month. We do have some better loans available as the lenders get more experience in
Mexico they are giving better terms and options. So if you want financing we have it available. You can pre-qualify on my we site. http://osmx.com Also on my site are listings of 2 Very Rare to find, beach front homes in
La Paz.
The Baja 1000 off road race finished here in
La Paz last month with a good turn out. More than half of the starters finished the race.
The Marvia development North of town opened and the lot sales have been brisk with about 100 already sold in phase I. Paraiso del Mar hosted and informational tour for the local government officials to bring them up to date on their progress. Maybe they will start construction soon. A couple condo projects that have not progressed much lately may get revitalized soon. I think one is still looking for financing. There has been news of an industrial park opening here as well as a convention center for
La Paz in El Centinario. Also rumors of redevelopment of the central downtown area. That would be a big improvement for the city center. What we need is someone to invest in a couple parking garages. If someone with managerial and home repair experience would like to move here and start a Property Management business now is the time.
La Paz is on the verge of being able to support a good vacation rental business.
The big story today of course is the inauguration of Philippe Calderon as the new president of
Mexico. The Latin passions run high and the election was very close so there was a lot of tension at the legislature this morning. Unfortunately for the country the person that lost is a sore looser and is going to make it difficult for the new president to move ahead.
I will be on vacation from the 21st to Jan 4th so I will not be replying to any emails until after I return. Have a Happy Holiday season. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year, etc.
Regards
Gordon
Travelers to Canada and Mexico Take Note!
Effective January 23, 2007, passports will be required for all U.S. citizens traveling to or from the United States via air, to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Bermuda, and the Caribbean (with the exception of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands). As of January 1, 2008, passports will be required for U.S. citizens traveling to or from the United States via land and sea, as well as air, regardless of destination. Get the details from a State Dept. Fact Sheet, or check out a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the topic. U.S. REALTORS® serving clients in these markets and accustomed to moving back and forth across borders with just a driver’s license or birth certificate should apply for a passport as soon as possible. The US Postal Service web site offers a locator for post offices providing passport services. REALTORS® elsewhere might think about clients with a second home in Canada, Mexico or other affected countries, who may appreciate a reminder about the forthcoming policy change. If you’re planning to travel abroad, get foreign entry requirements for Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.
Gordon G. Herpst
CONFICASA INTERNATIONAL
REAL ESTATE LOANS IN MEXICO
Alvaro Obregon 460-C, La Paz B.C.S.,23000, Mexico.
TEL(612)123-4888 Local FAX 123-4988
TOLL FREE FAX 1-877-805-7372
Web Site http://osmx.com
REAL ESTATE LOANS: gherpst@conficasa.com,
YOUR BUYER’S BROKER IN LA PAZ
