Moving is a pain no matter who you are or where you live. Packing up every item you own, putting it in a truck, and then taking it back out when you get to your destination is extremely tedious. However, this process becomes much worse when your move takes you out of the country.
There’s so much more you’ll need to do before taking off. However, it’ll all be worth it in the end, especially if you’re moving to a location as beautiful as Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. If that’s where you want to go, then this step-by-step guide to moving to Puerto Vallarta will be of great assistance to you.
Start Saving Immediately
Even though the cost of living in Mexico is significantly cheaper than in the States, the first step of any move is to start saving for it as soon as possible. The process of moving can be quite expensive. You’ll need to hire a moving company to help get all of your possessions across the border. Then there are the actual travel arrangements you’ll need to consider like how far the trip will be by car or how much baggage you can take with you on the plane.
Of course, the most important part is ensuring you’ll have enough money for a down payment. In Mexico, it’s not uncommon for these payments to be more expensive than the ones in America, even though the overall cost will be cheaper. That means if you don’t have enough cash in reserve, you won’t be able to buy a house down there right away. Giving yourself time to save up before the move is the best way to handle this issue.
Determine What You Want To Keep
While stockpiling your cash, it’s not a bad idea to start thinking about what you’ll want to keep and what might be best to throw out. The more stuff you take with you, the harder and more expensive the move will be.
For example, cars carry heavy importation taxes that can cost more than the car itself, and the process is challenging, so it’s usually cheaper to sell your current one and buy a used or new one when you get there. However, you might not need to buy one at all. The public transportation in Puerto Vallarta is quite extensive. We suggest applying this logic to many of your other big-ticket items as well.
Figure Out What You’ll Need To Buy
Once you have a solid list of what you’re keeping, it’s time to determine what you’ll need to buy once you get there. Items like couches, beds, and dining tables are a must, so you should start checking sites like Amazon.com.mx or Costco.com.mx right now. Make sure you shop using the Mexican versions of these sites, though, because they’re the ones you will need to shop on once you move down there.
If you create a list of these items and start browsing for options now, it’ll save you a lot of headache when picking them out once you get there. However, you shouldn’t buy them right away. Since you don’t know what kind of house you’ll have just yet, you don’t want to buy something that has no chance of fitting. On top of that, if you wait, you look into custom-made furnishing by local craftsmen when you get here.
Look Into Required Documentation
One crucial step to moving out of the country is to figure out what kind of official documentation you’ll need to be allowed into Mexico. Resident Visas are the main item you’ll need. These are surprisingly easy to obtain as long as you can prove who you are and how you’ll support yourself. You could even hire someone to manage the entire process for you.
Something that will be a bit more challenging is insurance. Healthcare in particular is socialized in this country, but privatized is still an option if you prefer a better quality and American style health care. Private options are more likely to speak English as well. There’s also a third option to walk in and directly pay for whatever you need for much less than you would in America.
Learn the Language
While not strictly necessary, another thing you should consider doing before your move is to try to learn the language. Even though a decent number of people who live in Mexico know English, the primary language is Spanish. If you don’t want to have everyday struggles due to the language barrier, getting a basic grasp of Spanish will be very helpful. Once you’ve lived there long enough, you’ll eventually become quite fluent, but starting this process before moving is a good idea.
Scope Out the Neighborhoods
Finally, it’s time to start looking for a place to live, but before you start picking out houses you’ll want to scope out the neighborhoods. There are quite a few colonias in Puerto Vallarta, which means you’ll need to figure out which area best suits your needs. If you plan on going to the beach every day, you’ll want a place within walking distance.
If you’re someone who prefers the nightlife, having your own spot in or near the heart of town will help you live out that lifestyle. No matter what you choose, though, you’ll need to know what to expect when it comes to sizes, price ranges, and locations.
Give It a Test Run
One of the most overlooked steps in many step-by-step guides to moving to a place such as Puerto Vallarta is giving it a test run before committing. Living in a new country comes with a lot of culture shocks, and you can only truly experience these if you go there yourself. Not everyone can simply pack up their life and live it out in a completely new location without having been there first, so it’s never a bad idea to give yourself a little taste.
Fortunately, Puerto Vallarta makes this very easy to do. Many places offer shorter leases, so you can easily rent an apartment for a few months to see what it’s like to live in Mexico. And since you’re already down there, you can more easily visit the homes you’re interested in buying while enjoying your stay.
Start Looking for a House
Once you’ve completed all the other steps in this guide, it’s time to find your new home. Luckily, finding it will be fairly easy, thanks to the internet. However, once you have some possibilities in mind, things will become a little more difficult. A lot goes into the homebuying process, so you’ll need the help of some trustworthy professionals like us.
The last thing you want is to get taken advantage of when buying your brand-new home. At Mexpat Realtors, we make buying a house in Puerto Vallarta as straightforward as possible. We handle the tough aspects of the process and do what it takes to ensure you get a great deal.
Pour les questions relatives à biens immobiliers à Puerto Vallarta, ou real estate in Bahia de Banderas, property management, buying houses in Puerto Vallarta, buying condos in Puerto Vallarta or the surrounding areas Mexpat Realtors in Puerto Vallarta is a great resource call them or go to their website www.mexpatrealtors.com for more information
Source: Mexpat Realtors www.mexpatrealtors.com
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