Plan B

My ownership costs are horrendous. The high costs are not predial and fideicomiso. Those are minor.

But my rental costs would also be horrendous for what I own.

I could not possibly afford to rent for six months, a two bedroom, two bathroom, beachfront house with a private pool, over 1500 sq feet of deck space, a garage, and a 400 sq ft apartment on one-third of an acre.

High costs are associated with the destruction that beachfront property experiences. I bought a microwave oven. The salt air destroyed the circuit boards within a year. My neighbour has gone through five microwave ovens in 10 years. (I gave up after one microwave.) I pay a maid year round, because the salt has to be wiped off of things every couple of days whether there is anyone at the house or not. A yard worker has to work year round to water plants to keep them alive during the dry season and to keep the jungle from reclaiming the land during the rainy season. The pool requires constant attention and maintenance.

People who come from climates that have winters think we know about the effects of weather. I know I did, having lived in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Winnipeg, Toronto, etc., but minus 30° C and snow is nothing like the ravages of plus 30° C and constant salt air.

People who think that beachfront rentals are expensive have no idea of the costs of ownership of such properties.

If I were renting for six months, I would be renting an apartment some blocks from a beach. I would be dealing with people on the other sides of walls who might be wonderful… and might be horrible.

So renting an apartment several blocks from salt water makes far more economic sense from year to yer than owning beachfront property. But it is also a completely different experience.

(I have not included discussion of appreciation of property values because I hope to still own the property when I plan to die 30 years from now. )