Your description of the inspection process is fascinating and definitely made me think of our own move to Mexico, except in our case we were told it's effectively impossible to get a home inspected because it's not a profession which exists here. I'm really not sure how this works with larger buildings (such as those in the city near us, Oaxaca de Juárez) but it seems there are no building codes to follow here in Oaxaca, and you don't seem to need to get permission to build anything. You could hire someone who knows what they're doing to walk your property and sort of do their best to eyeball what's going on, but that's hardly a scientific or certified process. I'm still wrapping my head around it.
Hi Jacob! Thank you. For our initial inspection, we had a Costa Rican 'inspection' service. In retrospect, I think they made that up and same as Mexico-maybe it's not really a thing. When we sold, the inspection was done by a gringo living in Costa Rica that had been a home inspector in the U.S. When we remodeled (see Not all Storms come to disrupt your life post), and the upcoming posts about the remodel, we did need real architecture plans and needed to get building permits. I'm sure there are those who don't 'need' permission there either, but since we were running a business, and needed to insure the property/contents etc after the rebuild we always approached anything in the foreign country as to not do anything that would cause any problems (or put me in jail-see other post about not ever wanting to go to jail!) Good luck navigating-find someone you trust to help and do your research. Thanks for following!
OMG 😂😂😂😂😂 I'm dying at the photos of the Who Sled LOOOOOL!! That's exactly what it looks like!
I also LOVE that people will rent out their identities in a parking lot LMAO! This was one of my favorite posts so far. A perfect example of real life for people who THINK they want to go live in paradise. It's never simple!
Sounds familiar. Marriott sent me to St. Thomas. Working with the locals was an experience and everything needed came through Puerto Rico. My final pool inspection, (100K gallons of brown water without chemicals ) Passed with flying colors after a little US dollar help. Everyone worked when you're with them, go to a meeting or lunch, all work stops.
Looking forward to your next chapter. Brings back memories.
Your description of the inspection process is fascinating and definitely made me think of our own move to Mexico, except in our case we were told it's effectively impossible to get a home inspected because it's not a profession which exists here. I'm really not sure how this works with larger buildings (such as those in the city near us, Oaxaca de Juárez) but it seems there are no building codes to follow here in Oaxaca, and you don't seem to need to get permission to build anything. You could hire someone who knows what they're doing to walk your property and sort of do their best to eyeball what's going on, but that's hardly a scientific or certified process. I'm still wrapping my head around it.
Hi Jacob! Thank you. For our initial inspection, we had a Costa Rican 'inspection' service. In retrospect, I think they made that up and same as Mexico-maybe it's not really a thing. When we sold, the inspection was done by a gringo living in Costa Rica that had been a home inspector in the U.S. When we remodeled (see Not all Storms come to disrupt your life post), and the upcoming posts about the remodel, we did need real architecture plans and needed to get building permits. I'm sure there are those who don't 'need' permission there either, but since we were running a business, and needed to insure the property/contents etc after the rebuild we always approached anything in the foreign country as to not do anything that would cause any problems (or put me in jail-see other post about not ever wanting to go to jail!) Good luck navigating-find someone you trust to help and do your research. Thanks for following!
OMG 😂😂😂😂😂 I'm dying at the photos of the Who Sled LOOOOOL!! That's exactly what it looks like!
I also LOVE that people will rent out their identities in a parking lot LMAO! This was one of my favorite posts so far. A perfect example of real life for people who THINK they want to go live in paradise. It's never simple!
Never simple living in paradise!
Oh the joys of ownership! Great post, Marlo. The unrestricted views are fabulous.
Thanks Jeanine!
We actually remember that view-obstructing feature. Yuck.
I can't believe you guys got all those appliances in the truck. Like playing Tetris.
And that spaghetti electric panel is classic. It's a miracle it didn't catch on fire daily.
Wish you could’ve come back to see the non-obstructed view pool!
Sounds familiar. Marriott sent me to St. Thomas. Working with the locals was an experience and everything needed came through Puerto Rico. My final pool inspection, (100K gallons of brown water without chemicals ) Passed with flying colors after a little US dollar help. Everyone worked when you're with them, go to a meeting or lunch, all work stops.
Looking forward to your next chapter. Brings back memories.
Thanks Dave!