Happy Valentine's Day

La Cochera

This is a beautifully renovated colonial home located on Calle 68 in Santiago.  The restoration was completed over a year ago by Keith Heitke and David Sterling of World Studio International. La Cochera was designed and built for a friend of theirs from New York and is now for sale.  Soaring ceilings are found throughout, including a glass greenhouse-type ceiling over the kitchen and guest bath. The garage and guest bedroom retain the original large limestone block floors.  Both bedrooms look out onto an open terrace with fountain - a nice spot for morning coffee.  The spacious sala (living room) opens to a covered terrace overlooking an impressive infinity swimming pool flanked  by tropical plants. There is a nice size bodega/laundry room just off the terrace. I've linked the You-Tube video of La Cochera. Much better than trying to describe. Notice the front door when Keith enters the home- massive!

Casa Mango

This is one of the few homes in Mérida with a gas fireplace in the sala. We had looked at Casa Mango on the real estate sites primarily because of the large lot, keeping in mind our two dogs and the difficulty of walking dogs along the streets of Mérida.  When you enter this home you immediately are drawn to a soaring display wall along the right side of the front room. In the photos what appears to be a built-in book case is actually a floor to ceiling space for displaying art objects. The fireplace, though not connected to fire logs at this time,  was in the center of the wall. There are attractive old pasta tiles throughout. The bathrooms are unique, having natural stone spouts rather than the usual shower head. I reached over and turned it on and out came a flowing stream of water fanning out into the shower area. I can only imagine it would be like taking a shower under a small mountain waterfall. The rooms are spacious with tall ceilings and the kitchen is typical Mexican style. Walking out to the back you find a huge circular pool which may have had its inspiration from the crystal clear cenotes which are found throughout the Yucatan. Beyond the pool are gates which open up to a HUGE orchard. When we saw the house there was a young man raking and cleaning the grounds. Sour oranges were all over and he had collected a large bag full. With some repair the walls could be restored and the orchard transformed into a beautiful garden. Casa Mango is located in Santiago and definitely has that lovely old colonial feel.  There is room enough to build a casita and still have a nice sized garden. There is also the sought after garage. You can see this home on Mexico International listing #002510.


WOW!!  >>>>>>

The 'Want List'

Months ago we started a list of things we wanted in a home should we buy in Merida.  We came up with a list based on what we had seen from photos and videos on the various real estate sites.  There are numerous real estate companies in Merida; some are American owned with bilingual agents and others are owned by Yucatecans.  Buying real estate in Yucatan is quite different from what we experience in the US or Canada. There is no multiple listing source, but you will find the same house for sale on competing sites, often with different prices. When a seller reduces a price, the price reduction does not always get changed on all the sites. I have seen a house reduced by USD $50K on one web site with the original price on another site, even after several months.  It probably pays to check all of the sites even if you have chosen one over the other.  But I digress. The point of this post is to share our want list (not in any order of importance):

1.  Location - within walking distance of varios parques.

2.  Colonial facade - preferably with high beamed ceilings.

3.  Single story and high privacy walls.

4.  Arcos y columnas  (arches and columns).

5.  Dos dormitorios / dos baños

6.  Great cocina y baños

7.  Medium size piscina (swimming pool)- not too large, not too small, long enough for laps would be great.

8.  At least some garden area- large enough to grow some beautiful tropical plants and at least a potted limón tree or two.

9.  A patio central (central courtyard) with fountain would be nice.

10. Architect designed & construction management.

11. Lots of light, indoor/outdoor living

It's possible to find most of these things in several houses on the market at this time. It all boils down to finding the one you like best that is within your budget.  Or you can choose the option of purchasing a home that is in need of renovation and have all the desired elements included in the design. We think that at this time we will opt to experience the joys (and pitfalls) of renovation vicariously through more adventurous and brave mortals.  Our first home in Merida will be one that has already been renovated. Did I just say 'first'?