Interview With Bob Story -- Mazatlan

Q>
Most other expats I have met on the internet have chosen Lake Chapala because of the large english speaking expat community. What made you choose Mazatlan? Does Mazatlan have a significant expat population?

A>
We explored the Lake Chapala region and felt as though it was just another subdivision like we grew up in the United States. If we had wanted to live like we did in the U.S., then we shouldn't have gone to all the trouble to move 1,800 miles to enjoy Mexico. That area is NOT the true Mexico, IMHO.

Mazatlan's main charm is that it is not primarily a tourist area like Cancun or Alcapulco. There are only about 5,000 Canadian & Americans who live here permanently. The largest industry here is the production of the finest beer in the world and the harvesting of shrimp. Tourism comes in third. As a result, the emphasis is on enjoying life and not chasing tourists for their dollars.

Q>
How long ago did you move to Mazatlan? Did your immigration go smoothly?

A>
We arrived in Mazatlan with our FM-3 Rentista Visas in hand on June 12, 1998.

About 2 weeks later we attempted to register with Immigration but of course we had to fill out some government forms, in Spanish of course. Because we didn't remember our high school espanol we enlisted the help of a Mexican lady that we had met via the internet. She completed all of the translations and typed our forms for us. Two more trips to immigration and we were all set for a year!

Q>
That's good, I've heard some immigration horror stories. So tell us about your accomodations?

A>
Heeding the advice of those who have gone before us, we leased a 3 bedroom house near the Zona Dorado and began looking for a home to buy. I think we must have looked at almost every house for sale in the State of Sinaloa. Even as far away as Teocopan, which is about 45 miles south.

We found a house on a dead-end street in the area known as "El Dorado". It's a 2 story, 3 bedroom house that was built by an Englishman who lives in the San Francisco area. He originally was asking much more than what we could afford but we were told that we could make an offer on the property because his ex-wife was pressuring him for her divorce settlement. We made an offer considerably below his asking price and with the provision that it was contingent upon obtaining a mortgage through MetroCiti Mortgage Corp. He accepted our offer and less than 90 days later we moved into our new home. I was so impressed by the services of MetroCiti that I applied for a job and was accepted. I am now the Loan Consultant for Mazatlan and am busy arranging loans for several Americans who want to make Mexico their full-time or part-time home in Mazatlan.