Seeking Wisdom and Advice

Greetings, Fellow Zihua Lovers! Events have been moving far faster than I ever thought possible. The land is being cleared. The real estate agency is ZihuaBello. Their website could use some TLC from our Fearless Leader, Rob. (It is clunky and awkward but eventually, you can find what you need.) However, La Jefa, Santa Lucia, exudes confidence and experience.

Next step is the fideicomiso. ZihuaBello is recommending Ms. Violeta Montufar at Bancrea. There does not seem to be any branches for Bancrea in Zihuatanejo. The branch in Tijuana only has 9 reviews on Google but they are all very positive.

For the notary public, they are recommending notary #2. The reviews for notary #2 on Google are also very positive.

Any and all intel and/or recommendations regarding these two choices are much appreciated.

The gentlemen clearing the land were recommended by a dear friend and so far, they have been tireless busy bees, albeit slowed down a bit by the rains.

All in all, I could not be more pleased and excited. If nothing else, as the organic matter keeps hitting the ventilating device in the U.S. with no signs of pushback from the Invertebrate Republicans, if nothing else, I will be most happy simply to pitch a tent in Paradise and live off the five monstrous mango trees.

Onward and upward!

It may be too late, but I highly advise you not to build your own house on your own plot unless you are filthy rich. And, in that case they'll know that and take you to the cleaners.

I'm building a house in the hills in Jalisco, and if wasn't for my wife, who is local, and local knowledge, they'd be working you for your money more than local prices.

I hope your mango trees give fruit.

Good luck!!

It may be too late, but I highly advise you not to build your own house on your own plot unless you are filthy rich. And, in that case they'll know that and take you to the cleaners.

I'm building a house in the hills in Jalisco, and if wasn't for my wife, who is local, and local knowledge, they'd be working you for your money more than local prices.

I hope your mango trees give fruit.

Good luck!!

How about a preassembled tiny house ordered from Mercado Libre or Amazon? You are speaking with an Official Founding Member of Tightwads Anonymous. Yet, point taken and I will be ever vigilant. Originally, I did not plan on this area but when this plot became available, it was too good an offer to pass up.

Literally hundreds of foot-high mango shoots were cleared away. Looking forward to next year's harvest. Lots of cocos, too.

Many Graces!

Decent plan. We were fortunate to rent an almost beach front house in Southern California for 38 years, until we moved here. It was 500 square feet with the garage that wouldn't hold our VW beetle. After the first 10 years the rent went up to 500 USD a month and stayed there. Teaches you great habits and tiny houses are wonderful.

We were fortunate to be able to buy a "bones" house on a quarter acre by the dolphins on la Ropa. The basic house was up, but didn't have most things like electric, plumbing, fences, kitchens all those things. We were very lucky and were referred to two guys, our wood man, and our everything guy. 8 years later we still use them for lots of things and have been treated exceptionally well. Juan, our wood guy, comes every year and refinishes whatever needs it, replaces window frames, everything.

Just don't go with Scocia bank. Enjoy the process! Remember clean living pays off, Karma is real.

though crazy expensive now, I might suggest from experience avoiding a lot of wood in your structures, even parota which is beautiful and durable, but takes a beating in the subtropics and to look good may require annual treatment with some type of expensive product. Cement, far from perfect, if mixed correctly and then sealed prior to first painting, has a pretty good shelf life in Zihua,

Make your house beautiful from the inside and a fortress on the outside.

though crazy expensive now, I might suggest from experience avoiding a lot of wood in your structures, even parota which is beautiful and durable, but takes a beating in the subtropics and to look good may require annual treatment with some type of expensive product. Cement, far from perfect, if mixed correctly and then sealed prior to first painting, has a pretty good shelf life in Zihua,

Make your house beautiful from the inside and a fortress on the outside.

Awesome insight. Many thanks!

Rob is not a big fan of the faux cobblestone streets and sidewalks downtown. However, they do hold up well, especially when the streets turn to rivers during the rainy season.

Congrats, Padrino. Lot #107 is a lovely property. My clients, the sellers, fell in love with that property 25 years ago when they were staying on La Ropa Beach.

--
Tim Sullivan

Congrats, Padrino. Lot #107 is a lovely property. My clients, the sellers, fell in love with that property 25 years ago when they were staying on La Ropa Beach.

As the young'uns would text, "OMG!" I knew I remembered that name from somewhere or something having to so with Zihuatanejo! You're Tim Sullivan! Thank you very much for your kind words and all your help.

So far, this adventure reminds me of the wonderful quote attributed to Joseph Campbell:

“A bit of advice given to a young Native American at the time of his initiation: As you go the way of life, you will see a great chasm. Jump. It is not as wide as you think.” ― Joseph Campbell

More advice: Read The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. It will change your life. It is a "How to" book about life. It weaves together the most important lessons from the world's major religions and shows how the ancients are calling to us from hundreds and thousands of years ago, trying their best to help us not squaunder this precious, fleeting gift of life that has been given to us. (Psst. If that doesn't motivate you, know that it was the book that George Lucas used to create the world of Star Wars. Joseph Campbell was on the set of the first three films as a consultant. He is the man behind The Force.)

Geez, not saying you have to live over and above your means and have a much larger home than needed. But 500 square feet regardless of location and cost is just downright depressing, especially for more than one person.

though crazy expensive now, I might suggest from experience avoiding a lot of wood in your structures, even parota which is beautiful and durable, but takes a beating in the subtropics and to look good may require annual treatment with some type of expensive product. Cement, far from perfect, if mixed correctly and then sealed prior to first painting, has a pretty good shelf life in Zihua,

Make your house beautiful from the inside and a fortress on the outside.

Awesome insight. Many thanks!

Rob is not a big fan of the faux cobblestone streets and sidewalks downtown. However, they do hold up well, especially when the streets turn to rivers during the rainy season.

Our first home built of brick and cement by my wife's parents was built in the early 50's when cement and many other building materials were still brought by ship from Acapulco. While it's taken a beating from earthquakes and hurricanes, it still stands strong. Our new home is also built of brick and cement, and we feel even safer in it since now we don't have to deal with flooding issues except when I allowed too much water into our cistern before we put an automatic switch on the pump.

The faux brick with its red tint was just a way for politicians to drive up the cost of paving downtown streets so they had more money to skim from. It's extremely noisy compared to flat cement roads. And it looks phony. When we have so many talented people who know how to lay adoquín and real paving stones, it doesn't make sense to use faux brick. Ixtapa's oldest neighborhoods have adoquín roads that require minimal maintenance, and I think they look great. Like our downtown streets, they aren't built for speed, but they drain well. Ixtapa actually has streets with visible drainage systems, something no streets in Zihuatanejo have apart from the infrequent metal grills crossing a very few downtown streets, though I wouldn't doubt they show up in the budgets.

Again, the two of us and always at least one large dog did it for 38 years in California. It was great. Location, location, other than here, it was the best place we ever lived.

How about a clue as to which area you are in?

How about a clue as to which area you are in?

Thank you for your interest. Sorry for leaving anyone hanging. I am just a bit nervous since the transaction won't be finalized until November. Don't want to tempt the Bureaucracy Gods. The lot is between the OXXO / Modelorama intersection and the restaurant Las Adelitas on the main Centro / Playa La Ropa road. In reality, I never thought I would purchase something in the La Ropa area. I was orginally looking at plots in the area between Plaza Kioto and Soriana. However, this plot was attractively priced and was far more beautiful than anything else I was coming across. Thank you for asking. I am flattered. Wish me luck.

The paperwork will take about 6 moths no matter what they say. We were also assured that once we said Yes, it was ours, and the rest was just a time consuming formality.

You are just around the corner from us, we are next to LOOT. A good neighborhood.

How about a clue as to which area you are in?

Thank you for your interest. Sorry for leaving anyone hanging. I am just a bit nervous since the transaction won't be finalized until November. Don't want to tempt the Bureaucracy Gods. The lot is between the OXXO / Modelorama intersection and the restaurant Las Adelitas on the main Centro / Playa La Ropa road. In reality, I never thought I would purchase something in the La Ropa area. I was orginally looking at plots in the area between Plaza Kioto and Soriana. However, this plot was attractively priced and was far more beautiful than anything else I was coming across. Thank you for asking. I am flattered. Wish me luck.

Were you ever told that the area is prone to flooding? It is, after all, what we call a humedal, and I've seen high waters there. Hell, I had to stumble my way home through them because the beach was even more dangerous with raging torrents. I recommend building on stilts and having a raised parking area. Unfortunately, way too much construction has been permitted in the humedal, which only makes things worse. Those once-every-ten-year storms are becoming more frequent. ¡Suerte!

The best piece of advice that I received when building my first home in Troncones was about size.

I told an expat gringo that I was planning a small place. Two bedrooms and two bathrooms. About 1,500 sq feet. We have friends or relatives come stay from time-to-time, hence two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

They told me I was building ‘way too big.

“You are thinking as a Canadian. You think that your “living room” will be indoors. Your “living room” will be outdoors.”

They recommended that I reduce the interior size of the house substantially and pour money into building much more shaded areas. I was sceptical but built 1,000 square feet inside and over 1500 square feet of shaded areas.

If I were doing it again, I would probably reduce the inside space to 750 sq ft and build even more shaded areas.

I subsequently built a carriage house with a garage/kitchen below and an apartment above. The apartment is 40 sq m (430 sq ft) and we find it is ample for one person.

Were you ever told that the area is prone to flooding? It is, after all, what we call a humedal, and I've seen high waters there. Hell, I had to stumble my way home through them because the beach was even more dangerous with raging torrents. I recommend building on stilts and having a raised parking area. Unfortunately, way too much construction has been permitted in the humedal, which only makes things worse. Those once-every-ten-year storms are becoming more frequent. ¡Suerte!

Many thanks for the intel. They did mumble something about raising the ground and having good drainage but no mention of floods. I guess I am going to have to have a few tents on hand. When one floats away, I will just pop up another.

When people talk with me about buying land in coastal Mexico, one of the things I tell them is to visit it during the rainy season. Figure out where the water is going to come from and where it is going to go to. It is going to get to the ocean somehow. You don’t want your lot to become a River of Tears.

When people talk with me about buying land in coastal Mexico, one of the things I tell them is to visit it during the rainy season. Figure out where the water is going to come from and where it is going to go to. It is going to get to the ocean somehow. You don’t want your lot to become a River of Tears.

You folks are AWESOME! These are great tips and tricks that should save me some serious tears. Luckily, even after the recent rains, there were no rivers running through the plot on their way back to the sea. Hurray! Many thanks to all for your help.

We checked it during the downpour, driving past, and you were golden. Lots of shade, too.

We checked it during the downpour, driving past, and you were golden. Lots of shade, too.

Thank you very much!

Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah! Those mango trees are simply magnificent! Aha! You have helped me come up with a name for them. The Mangonificent Five!

Watch your placement of things, we found out the hard way that their roots take out walls, foundations, floors, and quickly. Had to have our two removed. If you DO have one trimmed or removed, be sure to get a permit or do it on a Sunday. The fine for having one of our trees trimmed was more than the property tax.

Watch your placement of things, we found out the hard way that their roots take out walls, foundations, floors, and quickly. Had to have our two removed. If you DO have one trimmed or removed, be sure to get a permit or do it on a Sunday. The fine for having one of our trees trimmed was more than the property tax.

Apparently that was only because of your foreign origins. For weeks the ayuntamiento has been telling people to trim their trees to avoid damage from the storms. No mention of getting permits. I asked them if it was a scam to fine more people or if what happened to you (without being specific) was just a thing against Gringos. Of course, there was no reply.

We all know the truth.

When I was building I told my contractor that I wanted to plant mango trees. They told me I didn’t.

They said that mago trees are like willow trees in the north. They demand lots of water. Flourishing mango trees mean there is lots of water in the soil. That might suggest considering whether there might be problems associated with excess ground water to be addressed before construction. (My contractor also said it is cheaper to rectify geophysical issues before construction than after.l

My soil has a lot of clay, so mango trees would have required a lot of watering (Read money and excess demand on a scarce resource.)

The contractor said that if they were anywhere near a cistern, septic, or pool, the roots would penetrate even concrete to get to the moisture and the roots would split the concrete.

I still kind of wanted mango trees. The contractor said that eating mangoes are so cheap during the season that buying them is cheaper than growing them and putting up with them during the season. Huh?

He took me to his home where there were several large mango trees. (They can easily grow to 30 feet or more.) The place smelt like a winery. The mangoes were fermenting on the trees. There were scores of fermenting mangoes on the ground. The contractor said they picked them up every day. There with hundreds of wasps. There was bird poop everywhere from the birds eating mangoes.

I decided to have other vegetation and buy my mangoes.

Eddy Grant sang “I love you like a mango”, but he didn’t sing, “I love you like a mango grove.”

https://youtu.be/ZzUSPRLEL1E?si=mpx5J9P3mAsa3AWu

Please accept my heartfelt thanks for all the help and advice this forum has given me. This is a dream that I never really thought would become a reality. But here I am, yet another wide-eyed, clueless gringo enamored with Zihuatanejo taking the plunge into real estate ownership. Your experiences and wisdom will surely help me avoid some of the potential landmines along the way. Many Graces!