In 2009, when I qualified for (early) social security, my husband and I starting talking about where we could semi-retire while still participating in our Seattle based Private Investigation Agency.    

Our requirements included Beach, Beach, Beach, no snow, internet, and, of course, a low cost of living.  We had vacationed at many of the Caribbean Islands, but the ones that have infrastructure are also pretty pricey.  I looked at some Central America beaches, but my husband pointed out that it would take a long time and expensive air fare to travel back to the US if our business was to require our presences.

So, we started looking at Mexico.  Still, travel time and expense to return to Seattle was a consideration.  When I found Puerto Penasco on the internet in 2010, the area was still experiencing a downturn in housing prices.  The beachfront condos were not only beautiful and affordable, but the beaches looked gorgeous, and travel time was definitely not a problem.

We booked a long weekend after Labor Day, 2010.  Yes, it was HOT and MUGGY, but we wanted to see the area at its worse, weather-wise.  Like most visitors at that time of the year, we went from air conditioned condo to pool bar to air conditioned restaurant.  What's not to love?  We absolutely fell in love with the friendly, welcoming Mexicans.  Having lived in coastal California and Seattle, we found the Sea of Cortez to be amazingly clean compared to the Pacific Ocean.  We fell in love.

On the Saturday of that long weekend in early September, we signed a lease on a fully furnished and equipped beachfront 2 bedroom condo for a fraction of our mortgage payment in Seattle.  By October 30, 2010, we had sold or given away everything we owned except clothes and computers, and arrived for our new life in Puerto Penasco.

My (younger) husband enjoyed retirement for about 6 months before he decided to go to real estate school.  Although our investigation business required a lot of internet/computer savvy, he was never part of that end of the business.  So, when he went to real estate school, and then became a sales agent, I became his back office.  When he passed away unexpectedly in 2016, picking up his sales side of the real estate business seemed like a no-brainer.  I had been a real estate broker in California, but that has zero application to Mexico.  In early 2017 I completed the 120 hours (ugh!) of in-person real estate school required to be a Licensed Real Estate Advisor in the State of Sonora, Mexico.

12+ years after arriving in Puerto Penasco, I love living here even more, and I would love to help you discover our little Slice of Paradise.