The previous owner and the realtor watch while Nancy cuts off the Se Vende signs!

The news is out! We have papers signed all around, and the transfer of the fidecomiso is in progress!

We bought a wonderful old restored colonial-ish house in the centro in Mazatlan. The house is huge and amazing…we keep pinching ourselves that it will really be ours. The main floor is the original house, nicely redone. The upper floor was added, and has a great master suite, office, and patio. He didn’t do everything, though, as the kitchen and bathrooms still needs lower cabinets and the two patios are pretty rough. That’s good, though, because we like to do that kind of renovation…just not the big nuts and bolts kind. All the walls are white and we love the idea of creating a warmer space that represents our style. The owner had a website that he said he would keep up for a while here if you would like to take a look at some more pictures.

We had a very bumpy couple of days as we negotiated with the owner. Partly the deal was harder because we were dealing directly with the owner, and yet it was easier because he is also from the US and already had the fidecomiso in place. There were some moments today when I thought the deal was totally dead but in the end we put it together.

The house is amazing. It has wonderful handmade tile from Guadalajara on all the floors. See below.

We went over there this evening to do a little measuring and to ceremonially cut off the signs. The realtor, Erin, came by with some champagne and we all toasted to Mazatlan and had a very enjoyable visit.

The picture below is of the side patio that needs some pruning, retiling, and a fountain.

The house itself is just a few blocks from the Plazuela Machado, the beach & malecon, and the mercado. The owner talked about some of the neighbors and it sounds like a nice group to get to know. He has another restoration project only a few blocks away so he’ll still be our neighbor.

It has been quite a day and I’m sure I’ll write more about the process and our excitement to actually get our life shifted south. But, now it is time for a big, deep breath and some sleep, I think.

We just got back from a brisk early morning walk on the malecon. The air is fresh, the water and sky are blue. Fluffy clouds. Lots of people walking, smiling, greeting the morning.

We aren’t ready to talk about our housing adventures – probably by tomorrow we will feel like we can, but not yet. I’m amazed that we slept last night.

I am reading again, second book so far this trip. The last few weeks have been so busy that I haven’t even opened a book for ten minutes before bed.

For once our trip isn’t passing quicky…seems like we’ve been here a long time and we still have four more days. That’s good, we still have a lot to accomplish here.