We were able to move into our condo in Playa during October of 2008.  We truly loved it, and one of the reasons was because it was move-in ready.  But I recently ran across the pictures from that first year and I hardly recognize it as the home we enjoy now!  Although we have only been able to spend one week in Playa at a time for now, I am pretty amazed at what we have accomplished during those short vacations.  I thought it would be fun to share the highlights of the changes we have made and some of the funny stories that go along with them, complete with “before” pictures – and some "after" pictures at the end.   

I am especially impressed with what we accomplished as I think back to that first week that we were able to move in and call it ours.  Although we purchased the condo furnished, there was nothing other than furniture there plus a small set of pots and pans.  So we immediately set out to purchase everyday necessities such as towels and sheets, dinnerware, small kitchen appliances and utensils, things for the walls and décor items.   We had brought a few things from home with us, but you can’t pack much in two suitcases.  We quickly found WalMart and Sam’s Club to be invaluable, and joined City Club across the highway as well.  Lots and lots of shopping!

But the bigger to-do’s were to arrange for satellite installation, and purchase outdoor furniture and a washer/dryer.  We quickly determined that a gas dryer was much more preferable to an electric one, but gas wasn’t available on that side of the condo.  So, through a neighbor we met the day before, we hired someone to run a new gas line from the roof (where our propane tank is stored) down the other side of the building and through the wall into the storage room. 

By far the biggest hassle was shopping for furniture and the washer/dryer.  We discovered after only one night that our plan to make do with the full size bed in the master bedroom was a bad idea (Mark is 6’4” and I am 5’ 8”).  It seemed romantic at the time, but that went out the window quickly.  We spent several days walking up and down the highway, where many of the town's furniture stores are located.  I wish I had worn a pedometer those days - we logged quite a few miles!  We finally bought a new king sized mattress and frame at Telebodega, and then went about trying to arrange for delivery, all in our VERY limited Spanish.  In Mexico, it is very difficult to find some places with simply an address, and we didn't even know what ours was!  So a hand drawn map was our best option to help the delivery men.  Yikes!

Same was true for our beautiful teak balcony furniture (which we also found on our treks up and down the highway).  Amazingly enough, both deliveries made it to the condo, eventually.  We had to hang out on our front balconies almost the entire day just watching for the delivery trucks, and then had to rush down the stairs, yelling and screaming with arms in the air, to flag them down when they passed us by.  Quite dramatic, I can assure you, since we would be leaving for home in Texas the following day – not much room for error.

On our second trip we would purchase the bikes, the BBQ pit, recover the dining room chairs and also bought and hung a new ceiling fan in the den.  But by far the funniest thing we did this trip was purchase the large, tall vase that now stands in the corner of the dining room.  We found this vase at a store on the highway and loved it immediately.  But when we stood on the street with it, we couldn’t get a taxi driver to stop!  I guess they didn’t want to try to figure out how to fit it into their cab, it was almost as tall as I am.  So, Mark took the vase and hid out of sight around a little corner while I flagged down a taxi.  When I got in, Mark came out of his hiding place and loaded the vase across my lap with the other end sticking out the window of the other side. It was pretty hilarious.  We tipped the taxi driver well.

In October of 2009 we had decided to make some major décor changes.  Although I liked the white walls, Mark didn’t.  So I took pictures of the condo and met with an interior decorator back home to select a new wall color.  We chose a color from Sherman Williams because we had seen one on the highway just outside Playa and hoped that we could get the same color.  Once in Playa, we took a taxi to the paint store and asked him to wait while the paint was being mixed for what we needed - one, 5-gallon container of paint.  Mark and I were very proud of ourselves, having completed this transaction 100% in Spanish.  But that pride was very short lived when I saw them loading FIVE, 5-gallon containers into our taxi!  Instead of about $100usd in paint, they had mixed about $500 worth of paint!  It was a tense moment to say the least.  Let’s just say that we are not welcome back in the Sherman Williams store in Playa.  Back at the condo, Mark even stepped into the paint bucket back at the condo, another fun event.  But in the end, we love the color and have a great story to tell.  New curtains from home finished the new look.  What do you think – do you like the color?

In 2010 we decided to replace the sectional sofa (which never wanted to stay together) and the matching chair with all new furniture.  We kept the same look – cream colored leather – but we bought much higher quality furniture that is so much more comfortable than what we had before.  And no more sectionals - two large club chairs plus a sofa give us plenty of space to relax and spread out.  I only wish we had done this earlier!  Now you can actually nap on the couch without rolling off!   And we continue to do other smaller projects.  On our last trip Mark installed a peephole so you can look out the front door before opening it, and we bought new comfy cushions for the lounge chairs down at the pool.  Now you have options - you can nap indoors or out!

Take a look at a few of the "after" pictures below.  Visit our Condo Pics Photo Gallery to see all of the pictures of our home in Playa.

For now, I think we may be finished with major projects, and now we can just relax and enjoy our little piece of paradise.  What do you think about our changes?

Let's buy a home in Mexico!

In my last entry, I talked about how we came to realize that there was more to life than working for corporate America until we were 65, hoping to squeeze in a few fun years somewhere before heading off into the far blue yonder.  Here is the beginning of the tale of how we purchased our little slice of paradise.  

Once we decided that the area surrounding Playa del Carmen was our choice, we then did what everyone does – explore the internet looking at properties for sale!  After chatting with a few realtors online, Mark headed to Playa alone to do some looking around.  (He always has more vacation time than me).  He met with a young realtor and, armed with our checklist of things we knew we wanted, found a lovely condo in the nearby community of Puerto Aventuras.   He brought home plenty of pictures and before we knew it we were wiring $5,000 earnest money to a foreign country!  But that property was not to be. 

After searching around online, I found an attorney located in the Austin area who was well versed in real estate transactions in Mexico.  After a few emails and a phone conversation, we hired him to represent us in this transaction and forwarded him the sales contract that we had signed.  I immediately got a tense email from him stating that he would like to talk to Mark and I on the phone together.  This can’t be good.

He explained to us that we were purchasing a condo in a complex that had 3 phases, and our unit was in phase 2.  No big surprise here, we knew that.  However, the contract stated that the seller would not even START the process of transferring ownership/title to the purchasers until the completion of phase 3.  So we could be waiting years for ownership of our unit – not to mention the risk that the builder may or may not even complete the project!  Really?  I don’t think so!  He recommended that we terminate the contract and request a refund of our earnest money.  Uh huh, I am sure you see where this is going, right?    

As you might imagine, this was a drama in and of itself – lots of phone calls and emails trying to talk us out of it, then full of promises that the refund had been wired, check was in the mail, today is a bank holiday – yada, yada, yada.  But – big surprise coming – NO money!  We were pretty sure at this point that we would never see that 5 grand, but we never gave up while we moved on to find another property.  Our passion for this project was not diminished.  If anything, we were more determined than ever.

Fast forward a few months.  On a normal Thursday night at the end of May, 2008, Mark received an email from another realtor, one that would eventually become our good friend, announcing that he was representing a seller who wished to move to a larger home in Playa.  This condo he was selling had everything we were looking for and much more – we got really excited while viewing the pictures and especially when we realized how awesome the location was.  I think you could say it was love at first sight!  Long story short, I pulled my mother into the adventure, and she and I were on a plane to Mexico two days later.  This time, it was Mark who couldn’t take off work on such short notice.

Before I tell you about seeing the condo for the first time, I have to tell you about getting our other earnest money back from our first fiasco.  After several months of almost daily calls and/or emails, I am now in Playa so I decided that I will just “pop in” and pay an unexpected visit to Veronica (our contact for the builder).  My mom and I are walking down 5th Avenue and we see the office of the builder, and a young woman is sitting on a chair out front talking on a cell phone.  She sees us as potential customers and sees an opportunity for a sale, and we get her most charming “Hello, how are you?” complete with a huge smile and sparkly eyes.  I say to her “I am looking for Veronica” and she tells me that she IS Veronica, still all sparkly.  Then I tell her my name and all I can tell you is NO MORE SPARKLY!  After about an hour and a half of “I can sit here all day – I’m not going anywhere until I get my money”, the funds were wired and received back home.  (Moral of the story – don’t ever give up, just get on a plane).

Stay tuned to my next post with more of the “adventure” that is buying property in Mexico!