Consulting Services for Business, Real Estate, Tours, and Living in Cozumel Consulting Services for Business, Real Estate, Tours, and Living in Cozumel
In recent years my US company, Blue Oak Mountain Technologies, Inc., has been looking for new consulting services to perform for Americans and others who like to visit Cozumel, Mexico, a beautiful island roughly 12 miles off the Yucatan peninsula and about 60 miles southeast of Cancun. Since we are a US corporation, we process all monetary transactions in the US, but we have a small information only office in Cozumel. While our main business in the US is technology architecture invention and corporate documentation and training materials for technology companies, in recent years we have been looking for other sources of business to augment our revenues, and this one looked like fun.
Starting in 2005, we also have a Mexican consulting company called Rojo Vivo Consultores, S.A. de C.V. that is based in Cozumel. Since Rojo Vivo is a registered Mexican corporation, it is easier to do business legally in Cozumel and the nearby Yucatan peninsula. We offer professional services for business documentation development (such as business plans, policy guidelines, contracts, and forms), plus training course development, quality control system design, and business management consulting. Our customers include the local RE/MAX agency, Diamonds International, and a company that is opening Hypoxi body shaping studios all over Mexico. Rojo Vivo is also working with the CometoCozumel! tour website.
How We Got Started Consulting for Real Estate in Cozumel
In the process for prospecting for various kinds of consulting business, we have found that one big area of interest in Cozumel for many people from the US and other countries is how to buy real estate and build a home. We have just completed the process of buying a land and building a new home and office on our 5 acre lot here in the jungle of Cozumel. We call our new place a "Jungle-O™." Like most buildings in Cozumel, it is made mostly of concrete, but it does have a palapa roof that survived the 170 mph winds of hurricane Emily and the 186 mph winds of hurricane Wilma (for 3 days) in 2005.
We have learned a few things about what to do and not to do along the way. So the obvious next step seemed to be to leverage our new knowledge for consulting. In order to share what we learned in the past 3 years, Rojo Vivo has started working with local real estate agents. Together we hope to help people interested in spending more time in Cozumel get the information they need, find the properties they want to invest in, and help them find the resources they need to get started designing and building or remodeling their homes. During this process, we concluded we like the RE/MAX agency the best, so we have decided to work exclusively with James Watts and his company Cozumel RealEstate, S.A. de C.V. www.Cozumelforsale.com
In addition to working with the RE/MAX agency who bring people interested in lots to see our home here in Mariposa Estates, I also work directly with the owner of Mariposa Estates, Fulvio Cuccurullo, who is both a Canadian and a Mexican citizen.
The beautiful island of Cozumel:
About Real Estate in Cozumel and the Value Proposition of Our Consulting Services
Cozumel has many types of real estate for sale, both on the beach and in the jungle: Condos, townhomes, homes, and lots of all types are available, both in town and on other parts of the island. Currently, one of the best buys for lots are those in Mariposa Estates, a new jungle development on the south end of the island (see the picture above), in an area that is developing fast. The lots are large (2 hectares or just under 5 acres) and reasonably priced (about $80,000). Electric lines have already been installed and turned on in Mariposa Estates, so power is available right now. One home has already been built there (ours), and two to four more are planned to start construction later this year. (By the way, after hurricanes Emily and Wilma both, the local power repair guys had the power back on in only 16 days for Mariposa Estates, and even less time for other places.) In January 2009, a new zoning law goes into effect allowing homes with 4 bedrooms and a studio or study in Mariposa Estates, one for every 2.5 acres. These homes can be approximately 5,000 square feet (including pool area), and now two homes that size can be build on the 5 acre lots, or 4 smaller two bedroom homes.
On the other hand, if jungle living is not your style, you may prefer a home next to the ocean. In that case, there are two other developments just north of Mariposa Estates, a condo development near the Wyndom Hotel (toward town) called Residencias Reef, and a gated community of beach homes called Costa del Sol . The emphasis for both of these developments is on the spectacular natural setting; the architectural feeling is definitely Mexican Caribbean. Here, crystalline waters and world famous reefs are just off your private beach and homes are sited among natural tropical vegetation. So either way, you can find a place that is right for you.
Still another choice is to have a condo about a block from the beach next to the golf course on the north end of the island. In that case, a Palmar or Penninsula Grand may be your choice. Or, you may choose to buy a home in town. Whatever lifestyle you want can usually be found someplace on Cozumel.
One concern many people have about buying real estate in the parts of Mexico like Cozumel that are in the so-called "restricted zone" is that they cannot directly hold title to their land because it is within 50 kilometers of the coast. Mexican law bars foreigners from doing so. Naturally, this raises concerns about property rights, even though there are perfectly legal ways to own property in the restricted zone. One of them is a "fideicomiso," a is trust through a Mexican bank for condos, townhomes, or residences on lots up to 9,999 square meters. The bank trust simply holds the title to the property for you, the term of the trust is 50 years, and it is easily renewed for additional terms. A fideicomiso can also be sold and inherited, and is in some ways similar to a living trust in the US. Another way to own land in the restricted zone is to form a Mexican corporation, and in this case it is the corporation that holds the title to the land, and you own all the stock in the corporation. This is necessary for large lots such as the two hectare lots in Mariposa Estates because there is a substantial investment requirment of $300,000 USD or more if you use a fideicomiso to hold the title to a large lot. You can find more information on land ownership in at most Mexican consulate websites and many real estate websites as well, including the one for Mariposa Estates.
The risks involving property ownership and rights are not restricted to Mexico, however. In the US, you may directly hold the title to your land, but your property title may become a largely meaningless piece of paper if you happen to have a "wetland" or "endangered spices" or some other "restricted something" on your land. In fact, in areas such as the ones just mentioned, property ownership in the US seems to be getting more risky, while in Mexico the state of property rights has been improving and the risks to land ownership seem to be getting smaller.
We have learned what we know about living in Cozumel firsthand (and sometimes "the hard way"), but you don't have to. From the RE/MAX agency you can get answers to your questions about buying property, designing a home, finding an architect, finding a lawyer, finding a builder, and dealing with the local culture. No, we don't know everything, but we can certainly help you and make your experience here easier.
There are also some potential inconveniences most people just do not think of: For example, most people we have talked to who are considering moving to Cozumel have told us they would never think of putting a fireplace in a home in such a warm climate. Yet we know from first-hand experience that it can get cold at night in the jungle, all the way down to 45-55 degrees F (about 8-13 degrees C) during some nights of the Winter months. Usually, it is warmer, but that doesn't help on those really cold nights!
But cold is not a problem if you have a beautiful propane fireplace to keep you warm. (I happen to know one of the only builders on the island who builds fireplaces: Dino and Mario Puc --- and, two of the most honest guys here.) We are also knowledgeable about alternative energy sources such as standby generators, solar and wind power generators, batteries, and inverters. We know how to make potable water in the jungle and how to build environmentally approved septic systems (only some areas have city water and sewers). And, we can help you with communications to get telephone, Internet service, and US TV channels in areas of Cozumel where there are no phone or cable lines.
Contact Information
Contact Greg Czora to see Mariposa Estates or any of the other of the great real estate buys in Cozumel. Greg is also the main contact for Blue Oak, and both for Rojo Vivo for real estate investing or home building consultations.
The most direct way to reach Greg for a consultation is to call my cell number, which is: (044-987-876-7667 dialed in Cozumel or 011-521-987-876-7667 dialed outside Mexico). For additonal information about real estate, go to: www.Cozumelforsale.com and email greg@cozumelforsale.com.
For business consulations in Cozumel, contact Rojo Vivo Consultores, S.A. de C.D. using the same phone numbers and email addresses.
Links to Other Businesses We Work With or Recommend
Here are some links to other businesses in Cozumel:
At Home in Cozumel beach house rentals
© Copyright 1998 - 2010, Blue Oak Mountain Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Welcome Page | About Us | Testimonials | Services | FAQs
