Buying Real Estate in Mexico...Our New Home in Mineral de Pozos!

After over a little more than a month and a half, we finally signed the papers on what will be our new home in the town of Mineral de Pozos! Buying real estate in Mexico is a bit different than in the US, and needless to say, it has been a learning experience. We were lucky in a number of ways however, and even though there have been delays, overall things went fairly smoothly. First, the realtors we worked with (I use this term loosely, pretty much anybody can sell real estate in Mexico, and there is no real licensing or training involved, although there is some organizations springing up that are attempting to bring some order to the chaos!) turned out to be a real gem, and we felt comfortable and safe with them throughout the entire transaction. Hector and his daughter Rebeca work as a team as Hector does not speak English while Rebeca does. Hector has a strong background in banking and business, and is very good at navigating the paperwork and government bureaucracy one must deal with here. Rebeca acted as our translator and she is a cheerful and delightful person to work with.

When we originally started shopping for a house, we were looking at homes in San Miguel, but after a couple of trips to Pozos, we fell in love with the town and changed our focus to homes there. Once a mighty mining town with nearly 90,000 residents, Pozos is now a small town of around 4000 people, of which only a handful are gringos. At any given time, there are only a small number of homes available, and we were only able to look at a handful of properties as we began our search. Weirdly enough, the first house we looked at, and ultimately made an offer on, turned out to be owned by a very close friend of a very close friend! Although the two of us shared a number of mutual friends, we never got to know each other, but getting a strong thumbs up on his character from several of my friends gave us a lot of confidence in working with him. As it turns out, he is a pleasure to know, and we too have now become friends.

 Although the final closing is still being delayed by some technical difficulties that I will not bother to get into here, we hope to begin doing some needed repairs, clean-up, and a fresh coat of paint to the house in preparation for moving in later this summer. Long-term plans call for the addition of a second living quarters for us that will allow us to use the original casita as an Airbnb or guest quarters.

The house itself sits on a large half-acre lot dotted with cactus and other high desert vegetation, and has a commanding view of the nearby mountains. In addition to the casita, there is a walled compound that is just waiting for a large garden area and the addition of the new living quarters. Although the pictures make the house appear to be out of town, it is right on the edge, and the main square and shops are just a short walk away. The town of Pozos has been named a “Pueblo Magico”, a designation that brings both private and government funds to the area, and is helping to revive the town while preserving its historic character. As Kate put it, "San Miguel captured our heart, but Mineral de Pozos captured our soul". We are very excited about the move and hope we will see you here!