Buyer Beware When Considering Property in Baja California

Reed Johnson’s article on the Baja real estate boom was fascinating (“Taking Baja South,” Home Design, Oct. 14). I also found it fascinating that Americans are flocking to Cabo San Lucas now that it is expensive. I like a bargain, and when I go to another country, I like to mingle with the locals and enjoy the cuisine and wine of the region.

Maybe Americans have too much money and are getting bored. My husband and I yearn to move to a place where nobody wants to be, where we can rub shoulders with real people and not worry that some poseur from L.A.’s Westside is going to show up with his posse and ruin the day.

The sad irony in Johnson’s excellent article is his take on the locals who are struggling to make a decent living in their shantytowns while, nearby, those “ugly Americans” are living high on the hog. Sad indeed.

Cecelia Kennelly-Waeschle

Malibu

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The true story is much more complicated than what was portrayed in your issue on Baja. First, anyone considering an investment in Latin America should speak, read and write Spanish passably before considering investing. Without that preemptive cultural knowledge, you are limited.

Second, when were these ownership laws written? Has anyone tested the 50+50 bank trust rule?

Third, I’d suggest talking to someone who has sold property in Mexico, rather than someone who has purchased it, before making the decision to buy. If you’re still bent on buying something, consider buying property that is owned by a gringo. At least then, when the shouting comes to screaming, it will be in the same language.

I struggled for three years to finalize my purchase of beachfront property in Costa Rica. Eventually I won, but any profit or joy was lost.

Robert Pollock

Palm Springs

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After owning a home in Estero Beach for more than seven years, I think people should know that Baja is changing. The residents are running out of water, and nobody is sure where they are going to come up with the water to support all the new developments. Tijuana and Rosarito have become extremely dangerous, and carjackings are becoming almost everyday news. Forget about taking a nice car down there, or you’ll be a sitting target.

I would encourage anybody who is thinking of buying a home in Mexico to go to www.gringogazette.com to read articles on Baja that show the flip side of living in a country riddled with crime, water pollution and corruption. I have no regrets about buying my casita, but I would encourage potential buyers to pay only what they can afford to lose for a house in Baja.

Lani Bray

San Marcos