In 1999, I took a weeklong vacation with a friend to Mazatlán, Mexico — and it was love at first sight. I was so smitten with the beach city that I went to a realtor the next day and bought a small house for $28,000.
My plan was to make it a second home for when I wanted to get away from California. But in 2002, at 49 years old, I decided to follow my favorite mantra — “Leap, and the net will appear” — and left the U.S. to live in Mexico full-time.
After a few years in Mazatlán, I was ready for a change. I considered several places, including Oaxaca and the Lake Chapala area, before turning my sights to San Miguel de Allende, a colonial-era city in Mexico’s central highlands, known for its baroque architecture.
I was very lucky to have found a charming place within my price range for $160,000. Since real estate in Mexico is a cash market — 90% of foreign buyers are cash buyers — I had to sell one of my rental properties in Mazatlán and take a small loan from my brother to come up with the money.
It took three months to close the deal, and by 2006, I was fully moved in.
Building the perfect home
My 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom San Miguel home has a front courtyard on the ground floor. On the second floor is the living room, kitchen, dining area and a small terrace.
It’s a gorgeous home with more than enough space for one person. But as a retiree who does painting, printmaking and sculpting on the side, I wanted to have a dedicated place to work on my art.
So in 2007, I began construction to add a third floor studio and a rooftop, expanding the total space from 900 square feet to 1,600 square feet.
I built two metal stairwells from my front door — one to the rooftop garden terrace, and the other leading to my studio so that visitors who come to see my artwork don’t have to enter through the bedroom.