Moving to Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta is a coastal city of the Mexican Pacific located in the Bay of Banderas, it is the second largest city in the state of Jalisco, after Guadalajara, which is the second largest city in Mexico. The city of Puerto Vallarta comprises the city, as well as the areas outside the city that extend from Boca de Tomatlán in the south to the Ameca river on the border of the state of Nayarit in the north. To the east it borders the towns of Mascota and San Sebastián.

It was Named Once The Friendliest City in the World.

  History

Six influences in the sixties and seventies made Puerto Vallarta an important tourist destination. First: the Mexican government resolved the centuries-old communal land disputes that the federal government had appropriated from the Union mining company in Cuale to be parceled out as community farms. The state of the communal title (ejido) of the land had stifled development in the city for much of the twentieth century. A significant transition from communal lands to private property within the current limits of the city of Puerto Vallarta was carried out in 1973 with the establishment of the Vallarta Land Trust (Trust) to supervise the sale of government lands in private hands, and the use of sales revenue to develop the City’s infrastructure.

  Second: American film director John Huston filmed his 1964 film “The Night of the Iguana” in Mismaloya, a small town south of Puerto Vallarta. During filming, the US media provided extensive coverage of Elizabeth Taylor’s extramarital romance with Richard Burton, as well as covering the frequent confrontations between Huston and the film’s four stars. Subsequent advertising helped put Puerto Vallarta on the map for American tourists. Huston’s cook opened a now busy restaurant in the Romantic Zone of Vallarta and part of the beach land of the South Bay of Huston is used heavily on a daily basis.

  Third: The Mexican government invested significantly in transportation improvements, making Puerto Vallarta an easy travel destination. The government re-developed the airport. Road transport improved significantly as the government invested heavily in road infrastructure and public services. Another vital improvement for the city in 1970 was El Salado pier, where the current cruise terminal is located, which makes Vallarta the first port city of Jalisco. The current 3-year construction of the new 167,000-square-foot Magic Harbor terminal with public spaces and stores, a large parking ramp and the largest aquarium in Latin America is scheduled to be completed in 2018.

  Fourth: In 1968 the municipality of Puerto Vallarta was elevated to City status. The elevation in the state reflected the interest of the Mexican federal and state governments in developing Puerto Vallarta as an international tourist destination that has since also attracted a very large and lively expatriate community.

  Fifth: The city showed its new image in August of 1970, when the president of the US, Richard Nixon, met with the then president of Mexico, Gustavo Diaz Ordaz, in Puerto Vallarta for the negotiations of the treaty. That visit showed the newly developed international airport and the infrastructure of the Vallarta resort. The presidential visit contributed significantly to the name of Vallarta appearing in the news as a top-level international tourist destination.

  Sixth: The development of a resort hotel in Vallarta had its peak since the 1970s. Before 1973, hotels in Puerto Vallarta used to be modest establishments with a medium price. There were only two large luxury hotels. Today, approximately 2.5 million people from the United States and Canada come to Vallarta annually as visitors and residents, while Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit now have more than 34,000 hotel rooms.

• Boca de Tomatlan – An authentic Mexican fishing village approximately a 30 minute drive south of downtown Vallarta accessible by land or water.

• Mismaloya – A fifteen to twenty minute trip south of downtown Puerto Vallarta. Home of the famous Mismaloya beach.

• Amapas – A hillside area located on the mountainside of the Romantic zONE with stunning views from the hills.

• Conchas Chinas – An hillside community southeast from Los Muertos beach.

• Alta Vista – At te southeastern part of Puerto Vallarta just south of the Rio Cuale, a hillside community with beautiful jungle and bay views.

• Emiliano Zapata – South of the River Cuale

• Caloso and Canoas – East of Emiliano Zapata and north the Rio Cuale.

• Centro – The oldest town – north of the River Cuale to Hidalgo Park.

• 5 Diciembre – Just north of the Center, and with Zapata among the first neighborhoods.

• Lázaro Cardenas – Which houses a large recreation complex and the city’s largest fish market.

• Versalles – The old pink Zone, prior to the development of the North Hotel Zone.

• Bugambillas and Ramblases – Located on the northwest slopes of the hills east of the city and relatively poor areas that receive service mainly by dirt roads, except hillside areas that have good views and, therefore, attract residents with more resources.

• Pitillal – It was once a small town and now it’s populous neighborhood straight east of the harbor.

• Bobadilla – Just north of Pitillal and also an important residential area. • Marina Vallarta – An upscale development located just south of the airport and a few miles north of Puerto Vallarta itself.

• Jarretaderas and Las Juntas – Located between the Ameca River to the east and Nuevo Vallarta to the west, the 200 highway to the north. Two small Mexican communities with low-priced housing.

• Nuevo Vallarta – A planned residentialcommunity located fifteen minutes north of Puerto Vallarta’s Airport.

• Mezcales – A small village of 4,000 people about 20 minutes north of the airport.

• Bucerias – A charming Mexican fishing village with 17,000 residents located just north of Mezcales.

• La Cruz – Located between Punta de Mita and Bucerias and approximately 30 minutes from Puerto Vallarta. This area has become more relevant as part of the larger tourist development called Riviera Nayarit.

• Punta de Mita – A luxury area at the tip developed with luxury homes, The W Hotel that was just named to the Top 10 in the world, Regis Hotel, Four Seasons Resort, hotels, golf courses and Bill Gates huge development.

Condos, Townhouses and Beautiful Homes

There are literally thousands of homes throughout the

Vallarta area from the far north to the far south. New constructions, old properties, some remodeled and others not yet. Prices go from high to low. Some are available for rent, others for sale. Honestly, you should allow 2-3 days to drive your rental car, or hire a taxi or Uber to take you through all the different areas until you get to the point of saying “this is good” a few times and “no way” a few times.

Realtors

There are several dozen real estate offices and many dozens of real estate agents in Vallarta. Most of them are very

professional, they tell you the truth and they help yousincerely to find the perfect property for you. Obviously, allreal estate expats work with excellent English and manymoved to Vallarta several years ago from the United States orCanada. Unfortunately, there may be some bad apples among real estate agents in Vallarta. Our strongest recommendation is never to rent or buy real estate without first seeing them and evaluating the location, etc. We are not real estate agents, but once you explain what type of property you are looking for, price range, rent or purchase, and schedule, we will be happy to direct you to some honest and reputable real estate agents who have helped many expats .

Attorneys

Due to the constant and rapid growth rate in Vallarta, there are also many lawyers in Vallarta. All legal documents here are in Spanish, perhaps with partial translations into English. Definitely, you should hire a lawyer if you are not comfortable with any part of any real estate transaction to make sure you understand everything. We recommend that you hire a lawyer to purchase a property instead of a lease. We hire a lawyer when we buy our house. We can also direct you to an excellent lawyer, specializing in real estate, if you wish.

Property Insurance – Buyers/Renters

As part of any real estate purchase, or lease for more short term, we suggest you buy property insurance as usual in the United States and Canada. It’s the same in Mexico. There are many insurance offices in Puerto Vallarta, so you can shop around, but ask the agents if you can have at least the first pages that show coverage in English because some offer that and others don’t. If you wish, we can refer you to our agent.

Bringing your Personal Belongings to Vallarta

When you move to Vallarta, you have the option to take everything with you when you drive, hire a carrier or take it on the plane as luggage. If you drive, you can pack your car, trailer and luggage rack if you wish. Border agents may ask you to see your luggage, but in general they don’t ask you that. There are also excellent trucking companies that we can recommend that do this all the time and always arrive on time, but they are not cheap. You can also bring a large number of extra suitcases such as luggage when you fly. This can also be expensive, but you have everything with you. Obviously, it depends on your situation. A precaution about bringing all your furniture, works of art, etc. to Vallarta. First, most condos and houses that you can buy or rent come furnished. Also, some wooden furniture in the north is not termite-proof like tropical wood. In addition, the tropical style furniture can be different. There are options and they are all personal.

Another option that people have when they move to Vallarta is to acquire some or many of the quality Mexican elements for their home. There are stores in Vallarta that offer some of them, but it is also fun to go shopping in the towns of Tonala and Tlaquepaque, located east of Guadalajara. That is the central distribution area for Mexican art, ceramics, furniture and other probabilities and purposes.