The Latest Real Estate News from La Paz

Hi Friend,

As expected, it's been a busy winter season for real estate in La Paz. Most homes are selling quickly, many close to or at asking price. That has left few properties available for sale on the market, but for clients who have some flexibility, an open mind and the help of a good realtor, there are still some good finds out there.

As an example, check out Casa Esperanza, a beautifully finished 2 bedroom home on a large lot in the hills of El Centenario, featuring beautiful mature landscaping, soaring 13 ft ceilings and a stunning cupola in the main living area. Interested in building your dream home just steps from the beach? Take a look at the El Comitan Calle 7 listing, where you'll find a large buildable lot in the beachside community of El Comitan.

With friends visiting in town this month, we recently went out on two of the more popular tours that make La Paz such a special place to live and to visit. First, we headed to Puerto Chale to see the grey whales. This was the third time we've been to this location, and we were not disappointed. Just a two hour drive from La Paz, you can make it to Puerto Chale and back easily in one day, no overnight stay required. Puerto Chale has grown a lot in the past 2 years, and when we went on a Sunday, the place was bustling with visitors!

A week later, we finally got a calm, clear day and headed out to swim with La Paz's famous whale sharks, courtesy of local tour guide Jay Gittens, a marine biologist who runs the Whale Shark Diaries eco tour company. While we've done this tour before as well, it's always an amazing experience. Just a 15 minute boat ride from the La Paz malecon, we entered the reserve area and found plenty of whale sharks swimming in the waters. With the help of our expert guide, Eprin, we were able to jump in and snorkel with several of them. Trust us, it never gets old. All in all, both experiences were a great reminder of why we love living here in Baja, and sharing this amazing place with our friends.

Have you been dreaming of opening your own bed and breakfast in this place we call paradise? Before you decide, check out the video below, where you can watch our friend Brighton West interview local expat, Leanne Vanderkool, owner of Casa Kootenay, and get an inside look at what it takes to run a successful B&B.

Our Spotlight on El Centenario this month highlights a local favorite place to go for delicious roasted pork, Carnitas "Los Yñiguez.” If you haven't been yet, check out our article on this family-owned business where they serve up some of the best carnitas tacos you've ever had.

As we head into spring, the weather is starting to warm up and the north winds are coming to and end. Sounds like a perfect time to plan your next visit to La Paz. We hope to see you here soon!

Regards,
Jim & Rebecca MacDonald
Baja Life Realty

Your private oasis awaits! Casa Esperanza is a gorgeous 2BR/2BA home featuring multiple open and covered patios for outdoor entertaining, a heated pool and mature landscape. One of the most popular models built in Lomas del Centenario, this beautiful home on a quiet street feels like home the moment you walk in the door. The large, 1,244m2 lot has been meticulously landscaped, with mature trees, stone paths and thoughtful terracing to create a zen-like feel. The property is also fully walled/fenced for privacy and security for pets. Surrounding the home are several natural stone patio areas offering private spaces to relax, including a rooftop patio with ocean view, and a heated pool on the main terrace. Inside, the main living area's soaring 13' ceilings and large cupola create an open, airy feel. A spacious kitchen with breakfast bar opens onto the large living/dining room. The huge master retreat features doors that open out to the front patio, a master bath with tub, natural stone shower, walk-in closet, and double vanities with stone sinks. The guest suite is also spacious, with an included murphy bed, with separate doors that open onto the garden terrace. The home includes a covered carport with automatic entrance from the street, large workshop, separate fenced areas for pets, 15,000 liters of cistern capacity, automatic landscape irrigation, city utilities and fiber-optic Internet service. Offered at $349,000 USD, MLS Listing ID #22-409.

View more photos and listing details here.

Lots of folks moving to La Paz want to know if they can own and operate a business here. Hey, retirement is not for everyone, yet! Some popular options are to either rent out your home when you're not here, buy a property specifically to rent it out, or open and operate your own bed and breakfast. In this video from our friend Brighton West's YouTube channel Almost Retired in Mexico, local expat Leanne Vanderkool talks about her experience opening and running Casa Kootenay, a popular B&B located right on the beach in La Paz.

Watch the video here.

Back in Canada, local pork producers once came up with a campaign to encourage folks to “Put Pork on Your Fork”. No such campaign is needed here in El Centenario, where locals in the know put Carnitas "Los Yñiguez” at the top of their list of favorite places to eat on a regular basis. In Canada, the line would stretch down the road with people waiting to eat this delicious, locally-sourced pork. Here in El Centenario you won’t have to wait, although you’ll almost always see cars lined up in front of the bright green restaurant located on the highway at kilometer 14.5. Carnitas “Los Yñiguez” is a welcoming outdoor restaurant with plenty of shade, tranquil greenery and tables covered in bright checkered tablecloths. They prepare all parts of the pig, cooking it in pork fat in the traditional Michoacán style. Popular options include costilla (tender ribs), maciza (shredded pork) and chicharrones (fresh pork rinds), plus more adventurous things like buche (stomach), tripa (tripe) and hígado (liver). If you order maciza, you will get pure meat without skin and fat, while mixto includes some of both.

Read the rest of the article here

Everyday Spanish
Each month, we'll bring you a useful Spanish phrase or tip to help get you started speaking like a local.

My nephew has been staying with me for a few months, and we’ve been practicing Spanish together. He has found these little tips to be really helpful:
When you are speaking about yourself in the present tense, the verb will end in O. Examples: "Como platanos." (I eat bananas.) "Tengo un perro." (I have a dog.) "Quiero ir a la playa." (I want to go to the beach.) "Busco el mercado." (I look for the market.) It might seem that these simple sentences are rather abrupt in English, but they are commonly used in Spanish, and you will not sound rude or crass. Avoid confusing your listener by remembering that if your verb ends in A or E, then you are talking about someone or something else. So, if you say “No habla español,” you are actually saying “He/She doesn’t speak Spanish."

At the gas station: “Lleno con regular, por favor." (Fill with regular). A customary goodbye is “Nos vemos” (See you again) or “Hasta luego” (Until later). You might also hear “Que te vaya bien” (May it go well with you) or “Dios te bendiga” (God bless you). And...my nephew’s personal favorite phrase is “Tia Fernanda, necesito mas guacamole, por favor.” I fear he could eat his weight in guac every day.