Welcome the Cool Breeze!  Even though the vernal equinox marking the official end of summer does not occur until September 23rd this year, Mother Nature speaks loudly enough today.  All over town people have turned off their air conditioning and opened their doors and windows to let in this beautiful weather.  With a climate of paradise most of the year, we wait eagerly throughout the summer for the pleasure of this day!  Glorious and beautiful, with a very soft sound of the surf coming from the Sea of Cortez and the San Felipe Bay, there is a new sense of excitement as we prepare to enjoy our outdoor living. 

It is Time to Come!  Now that summer has given way to San Felipe’s perfect weather, come to San Felipe and take advantage of our easy going outdoor lifestyle.  Relax by the pool, dine in town, barbeque carne asada, or go wild and make paella in your private villa with the freshest fish and shrimp (ask us for recipes).  Start your day with a cup of coffee or a stroll on the beach at sunrise, listening to the lapping surf as you encounter countless seashells and take in the flocks of pelicans silently gliding over the water’s surface until SPLASH! they make their catch. 

Stay at the Las Casitas Resort midweek.  Not that weekends aren’t great, too, but we are offering an unbeatable $50 US nightly rate.  The rate applies for any night from Sunday through Thursday with a 2 night minimum.  This private quiet escape has only 5 artful rooms with a large private patio and a sparkling and inviting pool.  We can arrange a cook to serve you dinner or help you enjoy an event.  Book all 5 units and have the place to yourself.  Or just come with a loved one for a romantic getaway.  We also have condos and homes available to rent, some with pools, some with a private staircase to the beach.  You will love the chance to find peace at La Hacienda!  Book online with a major credit card www.lascasitas.com.mx

Great Progress with Real Estate!  We have some fantastic property to offer at La Hacienda.  Here are the highlights, but you really need to see for yourself.

• 15 lots remain on the beachfront community.  This is San Felipe’s finest location bar none.  Upscale, completely urbanized, and with the best views.  There is so much more to say, but really that is already enough to make these home sites the best available.  The construction of infrastructure is underway.  We are proud to be working with Tafoya and Sons Construction to complete the project.  All the grading for the new community is complete.  The current work is the construction of retaining walls.  We expect 3 new homes to break ground this year.  Here are some very recent pictures.  
  
• We are putting in the first new street in the Baja Community!  The street is called Lujan and will have 26 new lots.  The titles for these lots are long since legally finalized and available for immediate transfer.  About half of these lots have already been presold, so do not delay!  The street will be brand spanking new with that fresh clean look of red brick paving.  This is the time to acquire the site for your dream home in the best location at the best prices.  Think there is a good alternative somewhere else?  Ask us to help you compare.  No one tries harder to bring value to our community than we do and we appreciate the opportunity to share and educate. 

Take a Real Estate Tour… Don’t miss your chance to acquire properties in some of the very best locations taking advantage of the timing in the real estate market.  With the slow market place in the US and its effects on buyers coming from the US into Mexico, pricing on beach property will never again be this low.  The recent rate cut by the feds demonstrates the strength and ability of the US economy to recover.  And do not overlook the demographics indicating the amazing shift in wealth to a generation that seeks vacation and retirement homes.  Mexico has again been named the #1 foreign country for US retirees.  Look up reports by AARP and International Living for more about this significant movement. 

As if you needed more reasons to make San Felipe your new home… the financing now available is better than ever.  We have financing for lots in the beachfront community.  Very reasonable loans are available for the construction of your new home.  And finally 20% down 30-year term mortgages are available!  More sources of capital have entered the market and their brokers have more local experience.  We knew it was just a matter of time.  With Stewart Title Baja offering title insurance and escrows, buying property in San Felipe has never been safer or easier.

What is a real estate tour?  We believe our best customer comes with questions and an appetite for learning before making a decision.  We see our roles as consultants in your exploration; helping you dig deeper into your questions and providing you with resources to get the knowledge you seek.  We are aware that you want to know about more than just our fantastic property, financing options, qualified builders, existing available homes, profitable model home opportunities, and great restaurant recommendations…. you also want to know what else is out there (yes, we show you the competition). In fact, we have a program to pair you with an agent from Coldwell Banker Coastal Properties to tour the various communities in the area.  You will receive valuable materials that Coldwell Banker Coastal Properties has prepared to assist buyers like you to become informed about their many options that exist.  We are confident that once you see all that is available that you will come back to our astounding location as your chosen spot to create your living memories for a vacation home or retirement living. 

Let us help you find that...

• fabulous sea-side vacation home you have been dreaming of as your get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life…  a place to take a vacation year round
• retirement home you have been longing for that will make each visit from the children and grandchildren a memorable experience that the entire family can cherish
• next great investment that will make you say “why did I wait so long to take advantage of this fabulous opportunity”

Book Now!  Why hesitate?  The rates to stay here are super.  The weather is perfect.  Now is the time to buy.  Let us help you in all aspects of your trip and adventure.  Let us know what you need.  Go ahead, ask anything!  Log on to book your stay today.  www.lascasitas.com.mx

By the Way… we are often observing interesting wildlife scenes at or near our office and sometimes we are lucky enough to have a camera nearby.  We post some pictures on the San Felipe Living web site. www.sanfelipeliving.com   The site has various sections.

• Forum – many topics about local lifestyle.  Check the Nature forum to find pictures of birds, fish, lizards, horses, and much more!
• Gallery – photos of just about anything.  Be sure to check out the food pictures from local restaurants and home cooked meals – one of our favorites
• News – we posted a very recent video of a road runner close up.  This is a rare catch as road runners are quite shy and of course quick in passing by – beep beep!
• Classifieds – buy, sell, trade, need we say more?  This new section of the site is already getting visitors selling or seeking home furnishings, building materials, and various services.
• Local Business Directory – how do I find someone to….?  Check through the business directory for local merchants. 

Best of all, it is all free.  Please browse, contribute and enjoy.

More On Wildlife…  one of our fun activities these days is watching the goldfish grow in the ponds in front of our office.  This is a one million gallon system of 3 freshwater ponds.  The pond ecosystem is a natural environment and surrounded with colorful flowering plants and towering palm trees.  We introduced 20 small goldfish purchased from Walmart.  These were not fancy pond fish, just your basic inexpensive fish you put in a bowl.  My how they have grown!  Starting out with us at about an inch in length, they are now 6+ inches long!  And are they fun to watch as they scoot about forming groups and splitting off, flitting between the warm sun and the cooler shaded areas.  Our ponds have also attracted ducks - as the weather cools, the ducks come down from the mountains.  A few of them have been visiting our ponds.

News Flash… after 6 weeks of wondering, our 2 turtles were spotted this morning for the first time!  They are the red-eared-slider variety.  The vet told us that they will love our ponds and have no problem with the summer heat, but should be introduced during warm weather to seek out their hiding places and food sources before the cooler winter weather arrives.  So we picked out a couple of healthy active young turtles and released them in the center lagoon.  We eagerly checked thoroughly each day, scanning the clear water, the rocky sides and edges and abutting plants.  After weeks of nothing, and noting road runners and turkey vultures in the area, we began to wonder if turtles could survive after all.  Then a friend told us that perhaps turtles were not as smart as we had been presuming, and may have wandered off from the ponds, down the road, to who knows where. 

Ask Alicia, Your Real Estate Advisor – What is going on with the real estate market in San Felipe?  In many parts of the US, local markets have been hit hard with a glut of inventory and a shortage of buyers.  This fact has put downward pressure on prices and extended the time that homes remain on the market waiting for a match to be made.  While some markets show signs of healthy activity and even growth, a few areas have serious problems.  One of the key factors affecting this trend is the repercussions from financing being too available in the wrong circumstances.  As a result, credit for home purchases has tightened.  This has affected the borrowing ability of many potential buyers who would rely on their home equity to obtain cash to purchase in Mexico.  Attractive home equity loans are still very available, but they generally require more documentation from the buyer to prove income and assets and the best loans require that the borrower still retain equity in the property rather than risk maximum leverage.  The effects of this are felt in Mexico by causing prospective homeowners to hesitate or delay their move. 

We know this is temporary as are all economic cycles.  The US is a very strong economy and its housing market one of the vital components.  The demographics show that record numbers of Americans will continue to move to Mexico.  And Mexico continues to move up in terms of desirability for vacation and retirement home seekers from not only the US but Canada and Europe as well. 

Baby boomer wealth transfer will continue to fuel people’s moves to Baja California.  And San Felipe’s natural beauty and proximity to the US border will continue to attract a growing share of Mexico’s immigrants and visitors from the US.  And talk about growth… San Felipe property is still significantly less expensive than resort property in any direction.  Compare to Penasco/Rocky Point, Ensenada/Rosarito, Los Cabos, Cancun/Playa del Carmen, San Miguel de Allende, Chapala/Ajijic, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Mazatlan and you will find that San Felipe is a bargain!  Look deeper and find that San Felipe has a far more abundant supply of drinking water than most and maybe all of those other communities.  This is due to the fresh water collected from the Pacific side storms and humidity that is stored in huge underground rivers and aquifers underneath the magnificent mountain range San Pedro de Martir visible from any point in San Felipe.  Still being so close to the foggy Pacific coast, practically every day is sunny in San Felipe, marking breathtaking sunsets, the opening scene to mesmerizing starry nights!  The reasons to settle here continue with the care and foresight brought to growth and planning by a truly caring community of government leaders from the Mexicali and San Felipe areas.  Baja California is a very special place and in their hearts.  It is also in ours and we invite you to come and discover this special place and make it your home, too!