Saturday, March 11, 2017

Morning Thoughts with Olive

  

I have been stuck in my house for too many days. This is my morning routine, coffee and internet with Olive looking on.  Don't know what I would do without my animals. Maybe travel.  But I like my home. I like being near the spa so I can swim. At least after I get over this sore throat. Having the animals is a great excuse to stay here.  I don't have much to do when I am stuck in the house. I have been spending a lot of time looking at houses for sale in Aguascalientes. A house that I really liked went back on the market. And there is now a huge property for sale with a shell of a house on it for 98 dollars. Can you imagine? I don't know how to get it on this site but I did put it on my facebook. I wrote to the agents twice asking if there was water and electricity on the property but no answers. I guess they don't consider it worth their time. Not much commission on 98 dollars. 

One thing I have learned about the way they measure the size of a house here is that they measure anything on the lot that has a roof. Once I looked at a house out in the country in this area. From the advertisement it seemed like it would have been large enough for me. But when I got there it was so small I could hardly turn around in it. Outside there was a broken down storage or maybe patio area. It was only a roof that was about to fall down and the floor that was made out of old wooden boards that were in dangerous disrepair, sticking up everywhere with weeds growing through them.  No sides at all. They considered that area as part of the house size....

So if you see a place online and it says that the house is 2000 sq. ft. Or so many sq. meters, check out the roofs on the property. They will be including  any porches or any other falling down structures.....   

I have no intention of buying anything. Okay, I THOUGHT about the 98 dollar property. I could afford that but it would cost a fortune to fix it up. I am guessing it doesn't have access to water or electricity. No one from the agency will answer my questions about that.

So I am bored. And still a little sick.  Maybe by Monday I will be able to swim again and then I will forget about scrolling through houses for sale. I can't afford anything in this area and my rent is cheap. I like where I live. I will stay here. I know it is the best place for me. But I will still dream of a place of my own somewhere. 

14 comments:

  1. Renting is not a bad thing, it keeps your options open... Hope you feel better soon.

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  2. Sorry to hear that you're still feeling poorly, Patricia. Saw you at the Wednesday tianguis. Hope you're feeling better soon!

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  3. Hi Pat,
    I know what you mean about "covered areas" being part of a house. When I was in Mexico, I went to a farm that had a covered cement area and the rooms of the house were off the the side. A few of them did not even have doors, if I remember correctly. But a happy and generous family lived there! I would love to live in the mountains in VA, and sometimes I look through the listings, too.
    Feel better soon,
    Karen in VA

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    1. Thank you Karen. Also true for here that some houses only have blankets for doors. P

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  4. Sorry to hear you not feeling well----get well soon. Have been concerned.

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  5. Good morning, P
    I understand *completely* about perusing real estate listings in Mexico. I call it "listing therapy." I have decided, finally, that tho I'd thought years ago I'd buy a little casita there, now I am only willing to rent. Just too many unpredictable forces in todays' world.

    Always, when traveling/living in Mexico, I miss the quiet of my country home here. But, just knowing that the quiet is eventually awaiting me makes it bearable. There is never any situation that's perfect, is there? I am guessing that it's the quiet you imagine when you view listings...

    Here, where I have peace and quiet at all time, I miss being out around people and the bustle and sounds of village life!

    Once, I found an adorable casita for rent short term in a village an hour or so south of Mexico City. So enamored was I that I *forgot* to check the immediate neighborhood at night. I paid for a month in advance and moved in.

    Turned out, the attractive, walled, upscale residence right next door, was actually a dreaded "Salon de Eventos"!
    One event, a wedding party, I think, went on till 4:30 AM in the morning. Big lesson learned!

    Sounds like you might be on the mend, since you are already looking forward to swimming again. Hope so.
    Take care,
    Fay

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    1. hi Fay, thank you for another interesting comment. What you wrote about renting online is so true and I know people who have had experiences like yours. My friend in San Blas buys up any property that goes on the market in her neighborhood for that very reason. No noise control or codes there. Anyone could move close to her and make her life miserable. She says this"if you don't like something that is happening in Mexico, just wait. It will change." She said that after her new neighbor across the street was practicing his tuba for hours every day in the street. But eventually he moved. But it is a really good reason not to buy here. You never know who will move in next to you. Thanks for keeping in touch. P

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  6. P,
    Thing is, I did NOT rent this casita online.

    The "Salon de Eventos" next door to my casita was *not signed* in any way. This happened in the beautiful little colonial town of Malinalco, a town small enough that signage was not needed. And because it was only two blocks from the Plaza, and an upscale neighborhood to boot, my guard was down...
    Fay

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    1. Hi Fay, there are so few rules and regulations in Mexico that you never know what is going to happen next. Sometimes that is a good thing and sometimes it is a bad thing. Makes me think of Christmas here, parties 24/7. I didn't sleep over a few hours for several weeks. P

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