That's a great idea! I'll do an update when I'm back in La Paz in December. Thanks for the suggestion. I know that Villas del Centenario is under construction. This spring I saw them putting in utilities.

Very nice. You got in "early"! I'm currently in Cabo for the night but I'm having a happy hour this Sunday night at Mezquite Verde at 7pm. I hope to see you there!

It's definitely more affordable in La Paz compared to PV! But both places have high end and low end options if you search for them!

Nice - sometimes you just gotta hop in when it feels right. Congrats on your purchase!

@@AlmostRetiredinMexico Thanks Bryce well be visiting lapaz in the near future and will look you up. Flying back to Idaho on Friday. Peace love and happiness .

Thanks Ken! I'm guessing it's kinda cold in Idaho right now ;-)

@@AlmostRetiredinMexico yes it is just got back 28 degrees. Have to pack Mexico awaits. See you in the near future.

Yes - they've already gone up a lot since before the pandemic. So maybe people realizing that either "life is short I need to retire early and move to Mexico," OR "I can work remotely so I might as well work from Mexico."

Progress is being made! :-)

Glad to be of service to you :-) The real reason I'm in La Paz now is to get construction un-stuck at my place. Putting in a new pool etc and things kinds slowed to a crawl after I left.

Hah! El Centenario is a small world :-) Vista Colinas is the small development just down the hill from Jim's house, right?

@@AlmostRetiredinMexico Yes, right below Jim's place, the videos are great, so many answers to unknown questions, its been tough with the travel restrictions.

Thanks Chris. I've been enjoying making the videos - I'm learning so much myself! And I'm totally ready for all the restrictions to end!

Glad to share. One thing I want to make a video about is property taxes on vacant land. I've heard that vacant land can have higher property tax than built up land. Lemme know what you experience.

So true! Some of the things I showed in this video look exactly the same, and others are totally different!

The beach at El Comitan is beautiful. So much nicer than it is down on my part of El Centenario. But I am walking distance from El Mezquite Verde, which is a bonus. I'm assuming it's also really quiet in El Comitan - we have highway noise at our house. Noise can really travel! I only wish there was a way to bike to La Paz without going on the highway. I know a lot of people do it, and I'm a really confident biker, but I'd never bike on that highway!

@@AlmostRetiredinMexico Hello Sr., I have been watching your videos. I lived in Ensenada, BC , I loved the breeze in Ensenada, so I wonder myself , how is the breeze in La Paz? Warm, cold, fresh, hot, ...... Etc

The breeze is great here. I'm not sure how to describe it, but I've been told that La Paz is unique in BCS in how the wind blows in summer and winter (it switches directions in between.) Right now the wind is coming from the north. I hope that helps!

@@AlmostRetiredinMexico yes , thank for taking the time in answering , I'm from Mexico City , and I'm thinking to move BCS , but is not an easy decision. Tnks once again

Thanks Karina. La Paz really is a magical place. I hope to meet you and your partner in La Paz in the future!

Thanks Jeff!

Lomas is a great spot. And there are still buildable lots remaining. I have one about a house in Lomas: Mexico Home Tour kzfaq.info/get/bejne/etaqZqaXncXFo2w.html and also search for Casa del Bagre, which is my favorite restaurant up there.

If we get really technical, the view from my beach house would be an ensenada view. But up in the hill, they probably see La Paz bay and maybe the Sea of California ;-) But you’re right, it would be hard to see the ocean.

That sounds perfect! La Paz is a bit hot in the summer ;-)

@AlmostRetiredinMexico Thanks for responding! We'd spend summer at our off grid cabin and 10 acres up north and go south in winter, to escape our deep snows and cold.

@@bretttilley6308 great idea, I live near Peterborough Ontario and I’m thinking the same thing

I've only been to Ensenada once and we didn't explore much. But the location close to San Diego is ideal!

Thanks

You should!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks Dane.

Sorry to miss you! I was in La Paz most of the day yesterday (filming a new video.) Sorry to miss you. I hope you're enjoying La Paz. How was your visit to El Centenario? (and no, it's not weird! I would have invited you over if I was home :-)

Me too. Same thing with condo fees…

Hi Art, we had both water and garbage service restored pretty soon after the storm, no problem.

Sad to hear parts of La Paz are waiting for water. I think power (and thus water) returned at my house about 48 hours after it went off.

@rebeccamacd Thanks for replying. And I just became your 3rd KZfaq Subscriber. More dog videos please!

I live downtown and my electricity was never cut off during Olaf huracane

Jack from Terraza Grill? I have never seen his dogs.

@@AlmostRetiredinMexico wrong Jack I guess

When I was here in the summer, I worked indoors with AC in the afternoons when it was hot. It cools off at night and is rather pleasant. Lots of expats have pools that they'll use in the summer for quick dips a few times per day. Most people live closer to local stores than the big box stores as Mexican neighborhoods are filled with corner stores, little markets, etc. But it's more common in La Paz as expats are less likely to own cars, so they do their shopping more often and closer to their homes.

@@AlmostRetiredinMexico Do you mean in Posada the easier amenities are available without a car but with a shopping cart or delivery?

@@dovygoodguy1296 There are two large local groceries near La Posada. I know folks who walk there and then Uber home.

I'm not sure, but I've heard that loans in Mexico 1) have high interest rates, 2) require higher down payments, 3) require you to have established a credit rating in Mexico. There is a company based in the US that will do loans with down payments of 35% for properties in Mexico. I don't know much about it: www.globalmortgage.mx/

Denise - I live in Baja California Sur (and Oregon when in the US.) What about you?

I guess it's all relative. Baja California Sur has the 5th highest average house prices in Mexico. But La Paz is probably on the lower end of those prices (compared to Todos Santos, Los Cabos, etc.)

Yes, foreigners can't own land directly. But they can own land thru a bank trust (called a fideicomiso.) They are very common and very safe. They cost about $500 per year to maintain. I think it's 30 miles from the coast and 50 miles from the border.

Correct - everything has gotten more expensive. But it’s still affordable compared to similar parts of the US

Foreigners can own beachfront property thru a fideicomiso. I’m planning a future video just about that.

Awesome - which community are you in?

AirbnB is the fastest way into a new place. Does your landlord have other places? Or maybe they can recommend a place their cousin owns 😀 Or go on the Facebook group Loco La Paz Expats and post your situation- I’m sure a good option will pop up! Best of luck to you!!

Howdy neighbor! There are two local guys Ben and Otton who coordinate monthly volunteer cleanups - and they also work with the politicos to get the city to cleanups too (and to try to stop the dumping.) Otton Arce is on Facebook. And I cannot remember Ben's last name.

It depends on where exactly she lives and how far she's willing to walk. We live on the beach where swimming is not good. But on the Comitan side of El Centenario, the beaches are swimmable. Lots of gringos live up in the hills so walking to the beach can be a mile or so.

@@AlmostRetiredinMexico Thank you for your response! She is not close to el Comitan. When you say say the swimming is not good, what do you mean? Is it too wavy? Is it at least possible to swim there?! Thanks so much for the info!

@@melizmatea The problem on the side of the beach (near El Mezquite Verde if you look on a map) is that there is a lot of muck. It's great for bird watching, but you don't want to step in it. It gets progressively better as you go towards Tiki Todds. I think it's swimmable there - but I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone swimming there. I've seen lots of people swimming near Comitan. The bay (technically it's an ensenada or inner-bay) is never wavy - unless the wind is blowing really hard.

@@brightonwestvideo Thank you!

Yes - that’s correct Jeff. But Terraza Grill was closed this past Friday… so I missed the happy hour crowd. Not sure what happened

@@AlmostRetiredinMexico we've never been at night... Usually for breakfast.. Is there many people on Fridays usually?

Yes - Friday around 6pm there is usually a group of expats from Lomas.

I believe it's an aquifer. And there is also some desalination going on north of the city for some of the resorts. La Paz, like most cities in the Baja Penninsula was built in an oasis. There's no sign of it anymore, but I guess the water is still down there.

Cheap. Most gringos pay less than $500 per year.

I’m not sure I understand your comment. There are many housing options, but those high end lots are really only affordable to Americans and Canadians because wages are so much higher north of the border.

@@AlmostRetiredinMexico When I visit La Paz, I will say I'm Mexican and that I live in Mexico so I won't get the prices that can"only" be afforded by "Americans" (U.S. citizens) or Canadians. Irony.

In the case of buying a house, I don't think there are gringo prices and locals prices (usually the price is published.) But you can always buy in a neighborhood / a house that's more typical for Mexican families for a much lower price. You just may miss out on things dishwashers, pools, air conditioning, ocean views, underground utilities, etc which Americans and Canadians seem to be looking for (and are willing to pay for.)

@@davidrodenborn5905 Yes ! I totally agree with you. I have property in Mexico and I know how, where and who to buy it from. Yes, yes, stay away from expats who think they can fool people.

@@AlmostRetiredinMexico Things ! They don't give happiness. It would be an honor to live where the locals live. (Poor or rich) Because you should know that in Mexico, some locals are very rich...Just like "north of the border" there are rich and poor... There are locals who can afford million dollar houses, and not in the outskirts, but in High End neighborhoods in the city with al the services they need. Don't worry, I know my way. I have the money to get a dishwasher, a pool and anything I want by hiring an honest "albanil" . I have lived in different parts of Mexico, including Mexico city for 43 yrs. I have a house with a big swimming pool right on the beach in Pie de la Cuesta, Guerrero. But guess what? I bought the property 1 hectarea, from a local, I had my house built with an enormous pool and had coconut palm trees planted. It's a paradise. I bought it without the "intermediarios" who only sell to "people who can afford it"....Anyone with common sense can buy land for a reasonable price with ocean front and have a beautiful home. Especially in the Out skirts of La Paz,..(the desert).......Don't underestimate the "locals"...Your are in a very cultural and rich country and you still need to learn a lot. A country that is rich in resources, tradition, history, culture and above all, happy, wise, itelligent and good hearted welcoming people.

Nope. You might have seen wet sand. And if you saw it near my house, the water is mucky at low tide ( which the birds love, but sometimes it’s smelly.)

There are 3 private bilingual schools. IMB - institución Mexico Bilingual is one. I don’t know the other names. There are none only in English.

Prices have gone up here, but still cheaper than PV!

Hola ;-)

Yeah - it's tough. We were at a restaurant last night and the owners dogs were hanging out with us - and we noticed the male was intact. Ugh! But it's hard to say something... especially when they are serving us food and drink!

Hmmm... not sure about Jim's email. I got through with jim@bajaliferealty.com... but his WhatsApp is +1-408-220-5981. Happy Pretirement!

@@AlmostRetiredinMexico Thanks Brighton! Spoke with Ian Wilson this afternoon. Will talk with him further very soon.

Great - Ian will be in one of my future videos. He's great on camera and he gives a tour of the rest of La Paz.

Es major si puede llamar con bajaliferealty.com/ o diamanterealtors.com/

Did I mispronounce it?

@@AlmostRetiredinMexico Real estate guy pronounced it Centan “air”io. Lol.

@@gregbuser4690 I never noticed that before! He's originally Canadian, so I give him a pass when he pronounces something funny (although this couldn't be considered a "Canadian pronunciation.")