Walk out Your Front Door and Wiggle Your Toes in the Sand…

This is where I'll be spending my Christmas holidays... in Casa Xaxnuc on the Costa Flamingo.

Only 3 days left! The clock is ticking...come midnight Dec. 31, all prices go back to retail on the IL Bookstore. But don't worry--you still have time to save 15% on everything.

Friday, Dec. 28, 2007
The Flamingo Coast, Mexico

Read more about Mexico in International Living Postcards--your daily escape

The Flamingo Coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula is traditionally overlooked by both tourists and expats contemplating a move to Mexico…but that could be about to change.

More and more tourists are visiting the area by way of additional cruise ships docking at the port of Progreso, thanks to the unfortunate demolition by Hurricane Dean of the Costa Maya pier on the Caribbean side of the peninsula last summer. Several additional cruise ships per week are now stopping in Progreso…with an average of 2,425 tourists departing each ship.

That’s a lot of eyes seeing this part of Mexico for the first time, and a windfall of cash being brought to the area, which can be put to good use for infrastructure and other improvements.

Those from the U.S. and Canada who aren’t coming on cruise ships seem to be coming for reasons beyond tourism. Many of them are looking for a kinder, gentler place to live or for a place to retire, buy a second home, or open a business. Foreigners are now buying approximately 15,000 houses per year in the state of Yucatan. The local immigration department reports that it is processing approximately 500 applications per month by foreigners for temporary residence in Yucatan--90% of which are by U.S. citizens.

Many of these transplanted residents are refurbishing homes at the beach or in Merida’s Centro area, about a 40-minute drive from Progreso. You can still get quality construction from $40 to $75 per square foot. In 2006, we bought two beachfront lots here, each measuring 10 by 150 meters (over a third of an acre). We plan to start work on our own Mexican beach home in 2008. We expect to build a very nice and modern 2,000-square-foot home on the beach, with a swimming pool, for about $190,000. That includes costs for the lot and associated closing costs, installation of electricity and septic system, architectural renderings, permitting costs, and construction of the home and swimming pool. It also includes building a small caretaker’s house--a cost that will be shared with adjacent neighbors.

Here’s an idea of what’s currently on the market here (these are all beachfront properties where you walk out the door and wiggle your toes in the sand):

* An 8,100-square-foot beachfront lot close to the small town of Santa Clara…for $57,000

* A recently remodeled two-bedroom, one-bath condo on the beach at Chuburna…for $65,000. (Monthly homeowner’s association fees are about $30)

* In San Crisanto, a two-bedroom, two-bath home on a small beachfront lot…for $120,000

* Farther south along the coast, on a secluded private beach near Sisal, a large two-story, three-bedroom, two-bath home on a 7,600-square-foot lot…for $169,900.

Suzan Haskins
The Latin America Insider, International Living

P.S. For the rest of December, you get 15% off the Mexico Owner’s Manual, which tells you everything you need to know to set yourself up on the beaches of Mexico.

Editor’s Note: For more listings like the ones Suzan mentions above, see the Mexico International website.

Read related articles:

- "Go Local" and Live on $500 a Month in Mexico

- Why Do Expats Choose This Part of Mexico?

- How to Buy Real Estate in Mexico