Finding a Place to Live in Baja California Mexico

Mexico is the number one choice for retirees wold wide. More than one million Americans and Canadians have chosen to retire in Mexico.  Retirees from Southern California on limited incomes ie Social Security can retire in comfort across the border in Mexico. This article is written for senior on social security income who are considering this move.

Making the decision to live in Baja California Mexico will bring unexpected surprises. Great weather of course and lower cost of living compared to Southern California or other USA locations are powerful motivators to make one jump across the border and live in Baja California Mexico. When considering a different country, with different laws and a completely different culture, doing your homework before deciding to move is essential. If in Southern California I recommend living in Playas which is the beach area of Tijuana. Playas is separated geographically by large hills running south parallel to the ocean. Information contained in the article is slanted to those who chose to live in the Playas area but at the same time has generalities that are applicable to Tijuana proper as well as Rosarito and Ensenada and other areas from Baja to the Gulf of Mexico.

Seniors on limited incomes would be wise to stay away from metropolitan Tijuana. Rosarito and Ensenada can be more expensive than Playas. At Playas the border crossing is only 10 miles away which cuts down on costs of going back and forth from the USA.  Nearly everything you need can be purchased in the village of Playas. Rosarito is a 30 minute taxi fare from the border, one hour by bus. Ensenada is 75 miles from the border, greatly increasing the costs of crossing over into the USA as one needs to do from time to time.  Playas an "oasis" coummnity that has its own personality and is quite different from Tijuana proper.

It is possible to find a place BEFORE you come. BEWARE of people who want to help find a place for a fee. Most will overcharge. It is not necessary to pay someone $150 to $300 to find a rental. Check out Craig's List for both Tijuana and San Diego. Post your own ad also..... although that sets one up for scammers and I don't recommend it. If renting sight unseen, insist not only on pictures of the ENTIRE apartment but of the building, various views up and down the street, and of the neighborhood. Send only one month's deposit to put a hold on the apartment before arrival although most rental agents will attempt to get two month's deposit.

I rented an apartment sight unseen in Rosarito before I came to Baja. This is the ad  I found. "Gated community (that was a joke), 3 minutes to the beach and 6 minutes to shopping". Sounded great. The pictures of the interior were quite nice. Unfortunately they did not show the bathroom which was a disaster, nor the fact that there were no closets anywhere in the apartment. The exterior of the building and the area where the building was located were slum like with graffiti, dirty exteriors, litter, abandoned cars, etc. 3 minutes from the beach? It took almost an hour to walk there. Standing on tiptoe and looking out of the corner of the living room window on a very clear day gave an approximate one square inch view of the ocean.

The gate community consisted of a neighborhood of about 300 buildings. The gate was not always manned. When manned the"guard" questioned no one. Cars and pedestrians passed through without stopping. It was a walk of 6 blocks just to get to the gate before exiting the "community" to then go to shopping and the beach, neither of which could hardly be described as nearby.

This rental was a disaster and all because I had not asked for all the information and pictures needed to make an intelligent decision. Fortunately the Mexican government has a 7 day "second thoughts" law which made seeking a better apartment immediately possible. I forfeited the rent and the security deposit equivalent to two months rnet which was quite a hole in my savings. Being in a safe environment was more important than the loss. A competent female real estate attorney located in Rosarito but accessible to clients in Playas is "ma ga" Actual name is "Mofeliagm". She is helpful and not expensive. Phone conversations were difficult due to language problems, emails were fine. Email address is: mofeligam@yahoo.com. She was very helpful to me.

It is best not to sign a lease for more than six months. This gives an adequate amount of time to determine just how suitable the area initally chosen is in terms of personal preferences and lifestyle. I moved four times in the first two years before finally finding a suitable place. These moves were based on ignorance of the rental business and mixed use neigborhoods.

A good rental agency, that takes reasonably good care of their properties and does not rip off Americans is Corona International. Contact Pedro or Joel at 664 630 8033. Both speak English. The office girl does not speak English. Pedro's cell phone 011 52 1 664 221 2293. Joel's cell phone is 011 52 1 664 504 5951. The office is located between Paseo de Plays and Del Pacifico at 165 Avenida Nieve. This is just one block up from ocean. Avenida Nieve crosses Paseo de Playas at Oasis of Hope Hospital. It is the 3rd stop light when entering Playas from the

border, on the far side of the bullring.
Rentals are available in the $300 or $350 a month range that will be clean and safe. Beach front could be more $400 and up. Furnished apartments are available but not as readily as non furnished. Check the neighborhood and the neighbors for noise if possible. Mixed use areas are everywhere. Consequently a neighborhood will share quite nice homes and apartments with a restaurant, café or bar some of these have permits for live music until 3 am. A 2 or 3 bedroom house within 2 blocks of the beach in a nice residential area will rent for about $500 or $600.

There is no credit check when renting but expect to be asked for at least 2 months as a deposit, sometimes 3 or 4. This can be negotiated down ward to 2 months, by simply stating that a deposit of more than 2 months is not acceptable . NO CHECKS are taken and US dollars is the preferred. form of payment. Ask for the lease to be given to you in English or pay to have it translated BEFORE you sign it.

I rented a rather ordinary one bedroom apartment but right on the beach with a "killer" view for $375 a month and only one month's deposit. One surprise that awaits new folks is the fact it is very rare to have an owner willing to do ANY minor repair work. When minor plumbing problems or other repair needs occur be prepared to pay a plumber or a handy man. Only very MAJOR repairs will be handled by the owner. A reliable plumber in Playas is Jesus Hernandez. His store front shop is located at 2050B Paseo Ensenada. 664 631 1047. The hours are 8:00 am to 10:d00 pm. He sells plumber supplies also. Good handy men that do carpentry and other kinds of repair are hard to find. Jesus Hernandez, the plumber, has several referrals.

There are no ready solutions to neighborhood problems that arise, like noise or stray dogs. This is a very good reason to sign ONLY a six month's lease. If you rent through an agency, some help might be available for these problems but don't count on it.

I wanted to live "on the beach" and tried through 4 different rentals over a two year period to find the "right" place.  A brief recap:

Nice 2 bedroom condo @ $400, 10 months. Across the street from the beach.  Major maintenance required and not provided.

3 bedroom house $500 3 months.  One block from water.  I met with owner, paid deposit and one month's rent.  Ovner  was to return with lease for me to sign and to arrange for repairs. Never saw or heard from them again.   Left after 3 months giving neighbor (property owner) USA bank money orders for the rent to give to owner when the owner returned which he did 9 months later.  I was not given an address or phone number for the owner.   Maintenance to make place truly livable never done.

One bedroom in duplex  "RIGHT" on the water. $400 "Killer view" which I loved.  Other apartment occupied by "psycho" neigbor who threatened my life.  Did not stay there long.  Owner did nothing about this situation even though neighbor was months behind in paying rent.  Moved in a hurry and didn't choose well AGAIN!

One bedroom again, right on the water, "killer view". $375 Lived there during the winter months (when it was damp and rainy) developed black mold through out the apartment as the exterior walls were not sealed properly. Owner oblivious and couldn't be bothered with such a minor problem although it is a serious health hazard. Also had my gas tank stolen repeatedly from supposedly locked and gated area. 

FINALLY,  deciding that the late night early am noise from the beach bars and restaurants along the waterfront were not for me, I went inland 2 blocks to a decidedly residential neighborhood with NO beach front commercial establishments. I still have a view of the ocean over the roof tops and a small window of white water view from my deck.  I can stroll  to the beach (including 160 steps down to the beach) in 10 minutes.

3 bedroom, 1500 square feet house "American" style with no maintenance problems and  with deck, washer and dryer, dishwasher, oversize sunken bath tub, et al.  $520.  Although I do miss watching ships sail from one side of the horizon to the other, I do not miss the noise nor the maintenance problems.

Can you avoid my mistakes?  I hope so.  It is hard when one can not chat with neighbors (who don't speak English) but be prepared to choose as wisely as possible and to move more than once if necessary to find the RIGHT place.

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