Someday...

Some day, we, our families, and our friends, are going to build a community on this slice of Mexican beachfront. I can't wait.

International Living Postcards-- your daily escape

Monday, July 31, 2006
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

There is a little speck of a place along the Mexican coast known as San Crisanto. This is where my husband and I recently left our hearts...and a piece of our retirement nest egg.

First, a brief history lesson...

For most of the last century, Progreso was just another sleepy fishing village, and no-one paid much attention to the Gulf Coast of Mexico, on which Progreso rested.

In the 1950s, residents of Merida (one of my favorite cities) started building summer homes along the coast to get away from the tropical city heat during July and August. After a while, they started spending the two weeks during the Semana Santa Easter vacation here, as well.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a small number of Americans and Canadians "discovered" Progreso, the village of Chicxulub, and beyond. They were enticed by the warm weather, cheap rents, friendly Yucatecan people, the laid-back way of life, the safe atmosphere, great food, and the proximity to Merida and the intriguing Mayan culture and archeological sites. Still, the word did not get out and the madding crowds remained far from this area.

Today, Progreso is a cruise ship destination (although not a very frequent stop) and more people are visiting. The city has been spruced up, restaurants have opened along the malecón (seaside promenade), and vendors sell handicrafts, seashells, t-shirts and more.

Now, to the current opportunity...

The beaches here are soft white-sand, and the water is safe and tranquil with little currents or tides--great for swimming, floating, windsurfing, boating, and jet-skiing. Palm trees, fresh seafood, and friendly Mayan residents add to the flavor. Plus, apart from the vacation influx during July, August, and Semana Santa, this part of Mexico is decidedly quiet and the beaches are beautiful and empty.

It's the miles of coastline traveling east from Progreso that has recently struck my fancy. Here, you encounter little hamlets with exotic names like Chicxulub, Cocal Josefina, San Miguel, Uaymitun, San Benito, San Bruno (these last two are not really towns, but do have signs), Telchac Puerto, and Dzilam Bravo.

Between Telchac Puerto and Dzilam Bravo is a little speck of a place known as San Crisanto, where my husband and I recently left our hearts...and a bit of our retirement nest egg (this is where you came in, dear reader).

Near San Crisanto, a real estate agent friend showed us a string of maybe 100 or so raw beach lots, 33 feet wide and, on average, 490 feet deep. They stretch from the road to the water. This is an absolutely pristine area--peaceful and quiet. These are privately-owned and titled lots, and contiguous lots are available. The asking price is $40,000 per lot--a great price and one I doubt you will find elsewhere in Mexico. We were told that if you bought more than one lot, the price could be negotiated.

The next thing I knew, Dan and I were the owners of two beachfront lots. My brother and his wife also bought one, as did another couple we know. We plan to build a "friends and family" compound here some day, and we couldn't be more excited about the prospect of living in this part of Mexico.

The agent who is listing these lots believes they will increase in value...possibly doubling within four years (but remember, it's his job to sell the lots). If you are interested in buying one for yourself, you can contact the agents directly--Eric Partney at Eric@mexintl.com, or Mitch Keenan at Mitch@mexintl.com.

We also purchased title insurance for our lots, through First American Title Insurance Company in the U.S.

Suzan Haskins
Mexico Insider, International Living

P.S. Before you write in...yes, foreigners can own beachfront property in Mexico. I'll have the full skinny for you tomorrow, but it is done through a fideicomiso, whereby a Mexican national bank holds the deed...in your name...in trust. This is perfectly legal, and we--and the hundreds of thousands of other foreign owners of beachfront and near-beach property in Mexico--are very comfortable with this system.

P.P.S. I don't receive any compensation from Eric and Mitch for recommending them. I recommend them simply because they got me a good deal, and I think they might be able to get you a good deal, too.