At David Pullen Properties, our expert real estate team truly values helping our clientele in how to decide if buying a home in Mexico is right for you. Whether you are looking to retire and live full-time in Puerto Vallarta-Nayarit, Mexico or focused on long-term investment opportunities we look forward to finding the perfect home based on your requirements and budget.
Picking out a new house can be exciting and terrifying at the same time. How do you choose the best location? What if the house has problems you can’t afford to fix? What’s the tiebreaker if you love two places equally? We offer a variety of conclusions in how to decide if buying a home in Mexico is right for you by answering all of the aforementioned questions in detail.
The first and only way to begin the decision-making process is to determine a realistic budget. A dream home becomes a nightmare the moment you can’t afford it. “As you calculate an approximate spending budget, look beyond the listing price,” says Broker David Pullen with over 25 years in the Puerto Vallarta real estate industry. Here’s why: A house with a vaulted ceiling costs more to cool than one with a low ceiling. And a house with a pool means paying to maintain it. All these extra factors can add up. For some, luxury has no costs yet for others, the “extras” will add up.
Another less-tangible way to decide if a home is right for you is to trust your intuition, says Salvador Michel, a realtor and Director at David Pullen Properties. “I believe that most buyers form an impression in the first few seconds after they walk into a house,” he says. Even as a seasoned agent with over one decade of experience, he says he formulates an impression almost immediately. “Is this a happy house? Or does it depress me? Notice how you respond—and trust your reactions,” Michel adds.
Michel says he’s noticed that when a house is a good fit for a buyer, the couple or family will begin to talk about where they’d place their furniture. “When a client is doing this, he or she is mentally moving into the home,” says Michel. The upshot? If you’re viewing a house and find yourself imagining your sofa near the window and your green chair near the window overlooking Banderas Bay, pay attention. Chances are, the house is a nice match for you.
That said, there’s no such thing as a crystal ball when it comes to house hunting. And wondering whether the house will be too small if you plan on inviting relatives down from the U.S. or Canada — or possibly too big when it will only be used for a couple of weeks per year — is inevitable. But David Pullen, says that while it’s important to envision a home’s role over time, making a decision with too many variables in mind can work against you. “Buy the house for the way you are living today and expect to in Puerto Vallarta over the next 5-10 years,” he says. Then adapt as you go. “This is truly how to decide if buying a home in Mexico is right for you.”
How you live, not where you’ll live. A house that offers dramatic oceanfront views and enormous windows onto Banderas Bay can seem like a wonderful place to call home or your 2nd home. But if you’re rarely home during the day and prefer to stroll the streets of downtown Puerto Vallarta, the sunsets or views aren’t going to be visible most of the time. Focus on features that will please you indoors as well. This advice is particularly applicable to high-traffic parts of the house, such as the kitchen. A sleek, minimalist European stainless steel breakfast bar may set your heart on fire, but if you’ve got busy schedules and plan on having guests visit often, a practical kitchen with lots of room and sturdy smudge-resistant cabinetry may be a better match.
