RaulJ
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed
Big Screen — Movie commentary
Blurt — Music's inside track
Booze News — San Diego spirits
Classical Music — Immortal beauty
Classifieds — Free and easy
Cover Stories — Front-page features
Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes
Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts
Feast! — Food & drink reviews
Feature Stories — Local news & stories
Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore
From the Archives — Spotlight on the past
Golden Dreams — Talk of the town
The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it
Letters — Our inbox
Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites
Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans
Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists
Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news
News Ticker — News & politics
Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated
Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna
Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated
Poetry — The old and the new
Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers
Reading — The hunt for intellectuals
Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails
San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds
SD on the QT — Almost factual news
Sheep and Goats — Places of worship
Special Issues — The best of
Street Style — San Diego streets have style
Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves
Theater — On stage in San Diego this week
Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative
Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work
Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego
Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads
Your Week — Daily event picks
La Bufadora, Baja – Escape from SoCal Sprawl
Hi Guys, I really enjoyed the article and, as always, found it to be well written and most informative. I wasn't here for the situation that several Americans and Canadians found themselves in but have talked to some of them. I have also talked to the heads of the Ejido and to some of the people that won the legal battle over rights to the land. From what I understand from both is that the Ejido felt that the land belonged to the Ejido and was available for sale. However, since there was a lawsuit going on, they made that clear to the prospective buyers. The buyers were aware that there was a cloud on the title to the land. In this case, a fideicomiso (land trust) would have done nothing to protect the prospective buyers. by the way, fideicomisos were not started because of this situation. They have been around for a very long time and were available then. I also understand that some of the buyers went to the winners of the lawsuit and came to a new agreement in which they leased the land and kept their homes. Others listened to their lawyer who urged them to go as far as taking their lawsuit to the Mexican Supreme Court. There the only winner was that lawyer. It is truly a shame that such a situation arose in this area with stunning beauty. As you know, Tom, I bought a couple of lots from the Ejido. However, under similar circumstances as met the ex-pats so many years ago, I would not have even considered such a purchase had I ascertained there to be a cloud on the two lots. Rather, as a holder of dual citizenship I was and am able to own land in Mexico. However, I still did my due diligence by going to the State's land office to verify that the person I was dealing with was the true owner of the land, by hiring an attorney to handle the wording of the sales contract and by going to a Notario (has nothing in common with a US based notary but acts much like a title company) and made certain that there were no claims against the two lots and that the sale was registered both locally and nationally. I would do this in the US as well by going to a reputable realtor and insisting on a title search and title insurance. I hate that some people were removed from property they felt was truly and legally theirs, but also feel that they failed in doing their due diligence. PS As you know, my background is in international banking, real estate and mortgage lending. I'll tell you of some of the situations I ran into in the US as well. Land fraud is not just here. It was and, probably is, north of us as well.— May 25, 2012 8:14 a.m.
Mexican Peso Weakened, Baja Tourism Rises
What a shame because you won't know what you're missing. I moved to Ensenada, just south of Tijuana almost three years ago and have never regretted my decision. The place is beautiful, the climate is wonderful, the people are friendly and the crime is low low low. The cost of living is crazy low. A really good restaurant is going to cost me about $20 to eat at and the not so good restaurants are almost as good. A decent meal will cost me less than $5 per person. Great wines abound while we are surrounded by a beautiful wine country. I'm building a home with a spectacular view of the Pacific for less than $50,000 (3 bedrooms, 2 baths etc). So, stay north if you wish. The rest of us gringos (and I figure there must be somewhere around 2,000 of us) that didn't fall for the lies and false hype of the "news" media will enjoy what we have. Have a great life.— May 24, 2012 1:04 p.m.