If you’re looking for certified organic products in Los Cabos, you’re in luck. Ironically, we’re one of the worlds’ leading producers of organic herbs (so I’m told) but finding organic produce in the markets can be a challenge. Unless it’s Saturday morning, and then you’re in luck!

On the San Jose side of the world there is a huge organic/local market during the winter months. I’ve not been (working girl), but have been on the radio often enough with Sabrina Lear and Claudia Velo to have memorized their website address: www.sanjomo.com. They have more than 60 vendors every Saturday, including organic products and local artisans. Sounds like a lot of fun, one of these days I’ll have to take the day off and go enjoy the scene.

In the meantime, I visit the smaller organic farmer’s market here in Cabo San Lucas. While our market may be smaller, it continues all summer long (although with a vastly reduced selection but that’s the nature of local markets, you get what’s in season). This market is held just outside the back gate of the Pedregal community. If you take the main drag through town (L. Cardenas) to the town square and then continue straight for about a block you’ll see the turn-off onto a cobblestone street. Just across from the El Camino school is the Mar a Dentro spa, the market is held on their grounds and when there are lots of vendors spills out onto the sidewalk. Most of the vendors sell fresh, organic produce and herbs. And they are sooo good! Today bananas were in season. While organic bananas might never win a beauty contest with their commercially-grown kin, they win it all on taste. The herb harvest is pretty dependable in all but the very hottest weather, with fresh basil, dill, mint, lemon grass and many other types sold in large bunches for 10 or 15 pesos. Tomatoes, baby lettuce, citrus of all sorts, sweet potatoes, squash and tropical fruits can be found. Today I even had my first look at fresh (not dried) Jamaica. Jamaica is hibiscus blossoms commonly used to make tea.

Many of the vendors also have fresh, homemade cheese called queso fresco; some have organic free-range chicken for sale. Artisan bread that looks lovely is offered as are tamales. The Cabo Pirogie ladies are usually near the entrance, try to stroll by their booth while they’re sampling their yummy pirogies and sauces. OK, so Chipotle Pirogie is not specifically a Mexican dish, we’ll adopt it. Yum! Some of the vendors bring plants, and there is often a booth or two of hand-crafted items. The Humane Society has a booth selling T-shirts and Caps, not organic but for a great cause. They also bring used books and the occasional adoptable dog. A flower grower sometimes comes and offers the only cut flowers in Los Cabos that will last more than a few hours without drooping. Her arrangements last at least a week.

All of the above are sold at very reasonable prices. The vendors will appreciate having small bills or coins: change is at a premium.

Even if you’re not a health nut, the organic produce will eventually spoil you. And it’s a great way to start your Saturday, if you don’t run into someone you know at the market you’ll quickly make an acquaintance. Just one of the little adventures that makes living in Los Cabos more fun.

Carol Billups is Broker/Owner of REALTY EXECUTIVES Los Cabos. A Certified Home Marketing Specialist, she has enjoyed working with both buyers and sellers for nine years and still thinks hers is the best job on earth. She is also the real estate columnist for Los Cabos Magazine. You can read more of her articles on www.reloscabos.com. You can reach her from the U.S. or Canada at 1-760-481-7694, or in Cabo at 044-624-147-7541.

Search more than 2000 listings on the new www.lovecabo.net

© 2009 Carol S. Billups

Las Gardenias at Cabo Real will host the December 2009 Broker/Agent meeting on Wednesday the 2nd of December at 8am. Limited parking is available within the community, please follow the instructions of Las Gardenias security.

After the meeting, a tour of Las Gardenias will be provided by Martin Posch of Prudential California Realty – Cabo Gold Division. Las Gardenias will also provide a continental breakfast for the MLS members.

Las Gardenias is situated on the private road leading up to Cabo Real Golf Course ar km 19.5

Martin Posch and Prucabogold looks forward to welcoming the MLS team to the beautiful community situated on the 11th hole of the Cabo Real Golf course.

Further information can be found at www.lasgardeniasatcaboreal.com

205 Golondrina at Las Gardenias is now sold and off the market. There are now only 10 new condos left. For more details please visit http://www.lasgardeniasatcaboreal.com

There is a new type of fractional deal in Cabo. Please visit this LINK for more details. Fractionals of the third kind

Did you know that Prucabogold are on Facebook? Check out our page at www.facebook.com/prucabogold

Last week we were busy shopping for our WhereInCabos’ customers and, as it’s usually the rule, we ran into a few tourists that were wondering aimlessly along the aisles at a major grocery store in Cabo San Lucas. We know that wondering in foreign stores can be both fun and overwhelming, especially if you happen to be wondering around right smack in the heart of a busy weekend that happens to coincide with a pay day in Cabos. The crowds and noise can be a bit too much…. add Spanish labels to the mix and sometimes even the simplest of shopping trips can become quite a handful.
So.. there we were last weekend shopping away, when we found a couple staring at the dish-soap options that were available and we overheard them wonder whether the medium size bag of dishwasher powder would last them for the week. When we heard this we had to intercede and explain that in Mexico powdered dish-soap doesn’t necessarily mean dishwasher soap and in this case the one they were about to choose would have ended up filling their kitchen with suds as it was not dishwasher soap but the old-fashioned powdered dish-soap that you dissolve in water to wash your dishes in the sink. We were glad to help avert a kitchen disaster and they were glad to’ve found an English speaking couple to help them clear their doubts. Alas, there was no dishwasher soap available there and we recommended they go to a different store, but they decided to just get some liquid dish-soap and get back to their vacation. A good choice if you ask us.

The moral of the story… remember that when in Mexico even if something looks like a duck and walks like a duck it might not always be a duck… but luckily we’re here to help.

My Go-To mortgage broker Tina Rebello and I are working on a new form letter for our shared website, explaining how we will work with the client once they sign in for information. I like the draft so much I’m going to post it here for the world to see, and then add some extra comments at the end.

Dear Client,

It is with great pride and pleasure that Realty Executives and Conficasa Mortgage International of Los Cabos extend to you the real estate and financing services available for your potential Mexico dream home! In addition to providing you the programs and benefits we offer, we would like to take the time to inform you on a few important parts of the transaction.

Part 1: When requesting real estate of financing information through lovecabo.net, you will not be bombarded with phone calls, emails or campaigns. Your information is not shared with anyone other than Realty Executives and Conficasa Mortgage of which both companies take the highest level of professionalism. Realty Executives will initially contact you with an email or phone call depending on the preference you’ve indicated and will proceed according to your wishes. If selected in your set up on lovecabo.net, Conficasa Mortgage will initially contact you with either a phone call or email to get you introduced and determine level of needs and information. Further, you will set the tone for further communication.

Part 2: When looking at properties in Mexico, there are important things to consider such as expected down payment when financing as well as closing costs associated with cash or financing transactions. Such closing costs are different than what you may be used to in your previous home buying experiences. Therefore, it will be important to discuss this information in the early stages of your communication as both Realty Executives and Conficasa Mortgage want your experience with Mexico home buying to be delightful as well as informed from start to finish.

Part 3: There are 4 parts to the home buying process. The first part is determining your interest, needs and expectations. Once a level of expectation has been established, if you are considering financing – pre-qualification is highly recommended whereas the programs in Mexico are designed for highly qualified individuals. If financing is of interest, based on pre-qualification, a pre-approval letter will be issued. Part 2 of the process will be finding your property. Part 3 of the process will be formalizing a purchase contract as well as (if applicable) initiating the complete file process for financing. Part 4 of the process will be the closing process which is also commonly different that your previous experiences in home buying. The closing process in Mexico takes between 45-60 days as there are various entities involved in granting title in Mexico.

On behalf of Realty Executives and Conficasa Mortgage International, we appreciate your interest and look forward to working closely with you throughout your possible transaction. We understand that purchasing a dream home is one of the most important decisions you will make in your lifetime.

Yours Truly,

Notice: we put ‘finding the home’ down on the list of priorities. Getting yourself educated, and getting your resources lined up in advance are the top priorities. I’d much rather spend an hour or more with a prospective buyer in the office explaining the procedures and costs before we ever get into the car to view properties. That way we can all relax and enjoy the process rather than experiencing a series of surprises once they are committed to a deal.

The closing costs are especially important to understand in advance, as they are very different from those at home. The buyer is responsible for paying the closing costs, including the cost of setting up a trust and paying the acquisition tax (sales tax). It’s important to budget those into your decision process. If you will be using financing it’s especially important to work with the mortgage broker in advance, they can usually give you a preliminary ‘go or no go’ answer quickly.

We’re not trying to wrap you up in red tape, in fact we’re trying to get you into your dream home with a minimum of fuss!

Carol Billups is Broker/Owner of REALTY EXECUTIVES Los Cabos. A Certified Home Marketing Specialist, she has enjoyed working with both buyers and sellers for nine years and still thinks hers is the best job on earth. She is also the real estate columnist for Los Cabos Magazine. You can read more of her articles on www.reloscabos.com. You can reach her from the U.S. or Canada at 1-760-481-7694, or in Cabo at 044-624-147-7541.

Search more than 2000 listings on the new www.lovecabo.net

© 2009 Carol S. Billups

Here’s the thing: these days we’re selling homes not once, but twice. And it’s not an easy sale.

It’s no secret our market is ‘challenged’. This is the worst downturn I’ve experienced. Period. There are very few buyers, and many of them are looking to finance their property. We have great cross-border mortgage companies and the interest rates are the lowest ever. So you’d think that would be good news, right? But it isn’t.

About 95% or even more of the properties in Los Cabos are owned out-right. And our carrying costs are very affordable. So, in prior downturns no one lowered their prices, they just hung onto the property until the market turned back in their favor. Many of our sellers are treating the market this way again: refusing to lower prices or lowering them only a percentage point or two. It’s just my opinion, but I think this time that strategy is fatal.

It’s really too soon to say what the recovery will bring, but already I’m seeing signs that financing will play a larger roll than in the past. Not only is it available, and affordable, but many buyers will be reluctant to tie up so much of their portfolio in a single asset. By financing the Los Cabos property they can use only a fraction of their cash for real estate and invest the balance elsewhere. Which is all great news; except that it also means that now we have the sell the property not once but twice. Once to the prospective buyer and after that to the loan appraiser.

If you will be financing your home here it’s critical to tell your real estate agent and get yourself pre-qualified for several reasons:
1. Only a pre-qualified buyer can really negotiate. These days any contingency for the buyer to obtain financing weakens the offer.
2. Only by being pre-qualified are you sure of your price range.
3. Your agent will select homes to show you based on their ability to get them closed. The harsh fact of the matter is that it’s immaterial what you are willing to pay for a home: the more important factor is how it will stand up to the appraiser.

Even with pre-qualification, if the banker can’t be convinced that this home is a good value and worth the price they won’t complete the loan. Therefore, when deciding which of many homes on the market to show my buyer I need to focus in on those I think are priced well enough to make it through the appraisal process.

So far the movement we’re seeing is on smaller, more affordable properties whose price has been reduced significantly. Of course the first buyers are going to go for the true bargains, that’s the nature of the beast. Or you could make a case that the actual property values have dropped to the point that those are the new, real values. Homes selling today are selling for 2005 prices: about 30% less than they would have fetched in 2007. Of course there are so few transactions that it’s hard to say for sure, but that’s my gut feeling.

So here’s the dilemma of a listing agent in Los Cabos in the fall of 2009: so many sellers are either in denial that our real estate has gone down in value, or counting on doing the old fashioned wait-them-out tactic. No matter how many statistics I have to support my pricing suggestion they put a higher than realistic price on their home and all I can do is hope the buyer, if we’re lucky enough to find one, is paying cash. Which is unlikely considering most of our ‘cash’ buyers in the past were really self-financing (pulling equity out of their U.S. property) because of tighter restrictions on loans in the U.S.

So here’s a tough love appeal to sellers: get real with your pricing or take your home OFF the market until conditions change. And be ready for a long wait, we’re not going to recover from this mess over night.

Carol Billups is Broker/Owner of REALTY EXECUTIVES Los Cabos. A Certified Home Marketing Specialist, she has enjoyed working with both buyers and sellers for nine years and still thinks hers is the best job on earth. She is also the real estate columnist for Los Cabos Magazine. You can read more of her articles on www.reloscabos.com. You can reach her from the U.S. or Canada at 1-760-481-7694, or in Cabo at 044-624-147-7541.

Search more than 2000 listings on the new www.lovecabo.net

© 2009 Carol S. Billups

Desert Soaps are some of my favorite soaps. I love their fragrances and I also like the fact that they have moisturizing and exfoliating options. Now we are finally going to offer them for our clients at WhereInCabos.com. If you want o feel pampered by the desert, you absolutely need to order some of these, plus they make a wonderful souvenir.

Desert Soaps offer handmade soaps and lotions created from natural ingredients including bark, herbs and flowers found in the surrounding desert. Kind to the body and good for the environment, these soaps and other body care products are excellent for anyone seeking organic natural soaps. 

La Huerta del Sol’s greenhouse grows wheat-grass and sunflower, radish, and broccoli micro-greens that are delicious and nutritious. Their hydroponics center is located in Cabo San Lucas and orders are harvested 24-hours prior to delivery to ensure total freshness and nutritious value.

Wheatgrass is the young grass of the common wheat plant as it grows from its seed and is harvested in the early stages of growth, on the eight day after sprouting. This germinal plant contains high concentrations of chlorophyll, active enzymes, vitamins, and other important nutrients. Wheatgrass is, probably, the freshest food you’ll have all day and the energy from wheatgrass juice is very easy to absorb. It is assimilated within 20 minutes in an empty stomach and the energy from it will last you all day long.

Order your wheat-grass and micro-greens through WhereInCabos.com next time you visit Cabos and use your time in Cabos to unwind and detoxify.

Not much to report

I left Cabo about a week ago now.  My last night in Cabo was once more with the now skeleton crew of the kid’s posse. There was only 6 of us left as boats had been leaving for days now. We decided that we should check out Lover’s Beach at Land’s End. We had been there for at least a week and hadn’t even been to Cabo’s most famous landmark.

In typical fashion, we decided to make our trek at night with two dinghy’s and a bottle of tequila. Since one of the dinghies was a lot slower than the other, we made the trip from the marina to the beach side by side. A few of us holding on to the opposite dinghy and the faster one pulling the slower for the most part. It was just a big raft up moving through the water in the dark. Good times.

When we beached our dinghies on the deserted beach, it was about nine. We were the only ones there (I’m also pretty sure it is a national park, and we were there illegally, after hours). Everyone pretty much scattered to the wind, running up and down the beach, exploring, laughing, enjoying the freedom.

Land’s End is this thin strip of land that jets out and on one side is the Pacific Ocean and on the other side is the bay that cradles Cabo San Lucas. We landed on the side of the beach that was on the bay. I wandered across the beach to the Pacific side. The high rocks blocked out a considerable amount of ambient light from Cabo and the moon had not risen yet. It was a perfect night. I laid down in the sand that was still warm from the day’s sun and looked up to the stars.  I heard the crashing of my favorite ocean, the odd chirping of dozens of bats flying over head and felt the cool ocean breeze. I laid there for about twenty minutes, thinking of nothing.

When I got my fill, I wandered back to the beach on the bay side to see what everyone else was up to. I found that the three guys had climbed up the craggy rocks. I didn’t hesitate to scramble up. I have been really missing rock climbing. When I got to where the boys were I realized that I might have been interrupting dude-time.

I have a tendency to forget I’m not one of the boys sometimes. But before I had a chance to change my mind, here came the other two girls! With all of us up there, I said I’ll be right back, and scrambled back down again. I grabbed a bottle of tequila and shoved in down the back of my pants, another water bottle full of some sort of booze and shoved it down the front of my shirt. A girl’s gotta have both hands to climb, you know! And up I went sloshing the whole way.

We had a few celebratory shots and climbed down before we would be too tipsy to. (yep, bottles back in the clothing for the climb down)

One of the guys and I walked back over to the pacific side to explore a little more in the dark. He told me that while I was off on my own they rest of the group had climbed into a cave that they had found.

Of course, I couldn’t be left out, so to the cave we went! It was more of a crack in the rocks. The first five feet smelled prety strongly of piss, but once you got past that, it mellowed out. With no flashlight and no moonlight, we climbed in blindly, one hand over our heads so we wouldn’t hit anything and one hand ahead to feel when we had hit the end. Every image of creepy-crawliees filled my brain, but I was trying to play it cool. The cave ended about 40 feet in and we sat down in the sand facing out. The cave mouth was silhouetted in starlight. Inside the cave was warm with no ocean breeze to cool things off. It was wonderful.

We stayed in there for probably an hour finishing off our bottle of tequila and talking and bullshitting about books and life and travels. It was a pretty amazing moment in time.

This is about all i have to report right now. I’m sitting idle in Puerta Vallarta for a while, until I can come up with the next stage of my travels. Stay tuned.