But first we had some false starts.

Before we left for Mazatlan we talked with a realtor to get a feel for what our house would sell for and what all the costs to sell are because comparable Mazatlan properties are much higher priced. I didn’t particular like what I heard so that had us hesitating. But as soon as we arrived here the end of April for a month’s stay we knew we wanted to make the move even if it meant taking a step back in what we were used to having in a house.

We were here less than a week and the realtor called me and said she had someone that she was sure would be interested in our house and did anyone have the keys so she could show it. Nope. Our house was not yet listed. We stayed a few more days and drove the 500 miles back to San Carlos. The couple looked at our house but decided on a different house because it had a full casita apartment they could rent out. Bummer because now we didn’t want to turn around and go all the way back to Mazatlan to finish the month. Although before leaving we rented a storage unit because our apartment is too small to hold much more than it has in it.

The cost to sell is quite high as compared to selling in the US. We listed the house. Then I (my job) had the problem of selling all the vehicles and figuring how to get our household things to Mazatlan. Mexico, at least the entire west coast, doesn’t have moving companies or the appropriate trailers or trucks to rent for moving ourselves. There is a US business that moves people to Mexico and we contacted the owner. He gave me a dollar amount and I didn’t call him back. He called me back a week later and cut his price in half. We had to have our things moved by a particular date because of needing to have him follow us to Mazatlan to the storage unit and then we had to return to Tucson for more appointments. The mover kept delaying the pickup of our household goods and so I had no choice but to cancel him. It turned out that he moves up to five families in a single long trailer and is coming from all over the US and the logistics are pretty tough.

We packed everything we had to have into the RV and the Mazda. The RV was probably way overweight and I was worrying about that. Very soon after listing the house we got an offer that was under the asking price and with a contingency that they sell their house first. We declined the offer. At the same time Mexico made a new rule that all their citizens, as well as temporary and permanent residents had to obtain a tax ID number by July 1st. There were rumors we couldn’t sell without it and/or that we would have to pay a 35% capital gains tax. The waiting list just to be contacted for an appointment was 3 months. More stress. And I had to sell my most favorite car ever, the 2003 Chevy Tracker. That was the worst!

I was so stressed about all that I had to do, the timing, the trips to Tucson, that the next day I told the realtor to remove the listing because I couldn’t go through with selling our house. We unloaded the vehicles, unpacked the boxes and put everything away and went to Colorado. And sold the RV in Tucson on the way there.

Then……while in Colorado, in the span of one week three innocent people were shot in separate incidences, 4 bodies were found, and there was arson at two restaurants. One of the people killed was a popular woman restaurant owner. I regretted the decision to back out of selling our house. And then…the realtor called and said the people who had made the offer previously now had a contract to sell their house and were offering over our asking price. Without any doubts, we said yes. I could see us now being closer to getting a home in Mazatlan that we would like. We had 30 days to move out and Steve had another appointment in Tucson on our return trip and we couldn’t change the appointment date.

We bought a canvas roof top carrier. Back to San Carlos and we had less than two weeks to move out. I rented a storage unit in Mazatlan again and we took a quick three day trip down there with our loaded car. The canvas rooftop carrier was amazing, not to mention a whole lot less expensive than all other types of carriers. In two trips, we managed to pack it with all our clothes, towels, linens, blankets, and pillows. I rented another storage unit in San Carlos because now that the RV was gone we could only take one car load at a time. We stored far less than what we had packed into the RV the first go around and still figured out it was going to take us at least 5 back and forth 1,000 miles round trips in our small car to get it all. And I sold the Tracker for much less than I should have. I am still losing sleeping over that car.

As a side note, people that are planning to move to Mexico often post on the forums what to do with their furniture and other items. Often they are advised and bullied to sell everything because supposedly they can buy whatever they need here. I can’t buy the lamps I bought in 1971 nor can I buy the bowl from the depression era that is from my grandmother or the Italian bowls a friend gave me. And the list goes on. Some people can give everything up and not look back. Not me. When we moved to Mexico in 2017 we rented the smallest U-Haul truck and stored everything in south Tucson. Every time we made a trip north, we brought a load down. I would do the same again with that move and this move to Mazatlan. I need my favorite things. And I have many favorite things.

Then just a few days before closing the buyer’s agent said he had a friend with a pickup truck and could help us move. His friend gave us a fair price and said he would rent a small cart type trailer that is open but at least we could move my favorite chair and a couple of other smaller pieces to Mazatlan. The day before we were leaving, the friend said he could rent a much bigger trailer with sides if we wanted. Yes! It was already dark and we didn’t have any more boxes available so we began putting things in garbage bags and gathering up whatever we presumed wouldn’t break if not packed.

We left at 6 am and because the trailer didn’t have a suspension, we had to drive slower than usual. The highway is very good the first half of the trip before getting as rough and pot holed as a road can get for about 150 miles and then it’s okay until Mazatlan. The pickup truck had a flat tire on the entrance road to the storage facility but limped in anyway. Mazatlan in August is very hot and extremely humid. Miserably humid. After loading up all our stuff at 5 am from the house and the storage unit, driving 11 hours, the poor guys had to unload everything and take it to the second level of the storage facility. The two men that moved us were going for a quick sleep before returning to San Carlos because then they were going to move the buyers of our house just 48 hours after moving us. They sure saved us many back and forth miles and sweat.