El Departamento Perfecto (the perfect apartment)

We booked our Air BnB for a little over 2 weeks, to give ourselves enough time to find an apartment here. 

One of the reasons that we chose to move to Puerto Vallarta specifically, is that it is an easy place to immigrate and get settled. It’s Mexico on easy mode.

The Apartment Search: In Puerto Vallarta, real estate agents manage the interaction between renters and owners. A real estate agent will show you apartments, interface with the owner, draw up the lease, and be loosely involved until the lease period ends. Most real estate agents advertise apartments on Facebook groups. I hate social media, but these kind of groups have been a godsend. We looked at a bunch of posts, and found a real estate company that we vetted, that was showing apartments we liked. Once they knew what we were looking for, they sent us other ads. All of this, of course, was done over WhatsApp. (Everyone uses WhatsApp here – including businesses and even government agencies).

We saw a handful of apartments on the outskirts of wealthier (read: high-concentration expat) neighborhoods. They were high-rise luxury condos boasting ultra-modern furnishings and decor, and many many amenities (parking spaces, laundry, swimming pool, and, the final perk: “a five minute walk to Costco!”) 

We saw about ten apartments in all, and finally found one that was perfect for us: a modest 2 bedroom place on the outskirts of a very central neighborhood, not in the tourist zone, but near it, with a mix of Mexican people and expats.

The rental process was shockingly easy. In other parts of Mexico, renting as a foreigner is trickier. Landlords sometimes require a fiador (a local co-signer or guarantor who owns debt-free property in that specific state), or you have to purchase a legal rental bond (póliza jurídica) to ensure that you won’t break the lease early.

We did a walkthrough and got the keys today!

We filled out a very brief rental application that was quickly approved. They didn’t care that we didn’t have residency cards yet. They sent us a very standard lease. We met with the two real estate agents and the owner, who all answered our questions. We signed the lease, paid with electronic and cash payments, and got receipts. 

Our apartment is in an older building with just five units. The unit was decorated in a more traditional way – bright Mexican tiles in the kitchen and bathrooms, old paned windows, and beautiful colonial-style Mexican furniture. We have a second bedroom for guests, though you’ll have to put up with my accordion practice serenades. We can see the ocean from our bedroom. There is a giant shared rooftop terrace with 360 degree views of the city. I am in love!