Our Merida, Mexico Home Walkthrough - Part 1 

This is my favorite comment in the history of this channel! Thank you!

Thank you so much!

Thank you so much, and me too!!

Thank you very much!

Thank you so much for you kind words! I've been a part of many renovations, but working with Henry Ponce was on a whole different level. He made this place a home. Also, you absolutely should get on a plane and explore this place! Again, thank you.

Thanks, dre! It's been a fun venture. That's great that you're getting a house there, you won't regret it!

Muchas gracias, y no puedo estar más de acuerdo. Estamos increíblemente aquí, se siente como en casa en muchos sentidos.

Glad you like it! Thank you!

I would absolutely recommend renting first, and in several areas. Just like any other cities Merida has many different neighborhoods, all with their own positives and negatives. If you think you want to be in the middle of the action, and rent there only to realize you need to be a little further away... worth it. If you rent an area where the lots and lack of traffic are nice that's awesome, but if you realize you need a car/uber just to pick up some milk... might not be the right place. A dream scenario would be to take a trip to really find some neighborhoods you like, and then stay 2 weeks to a month in each. Sometimes having a more expensive but smaller house in the perfect spot is exactly what you realize you want. Sometimes spending a little bit less for more square footage, but having to walk a few minutes means everything because you realize how much you love the house. At that point to you've not only found out about the neighborhoods, but you've also seen several houses and can make a list of all the things you want and don't. My wife and I are the exception to the rule on most of this, but we also knew we wanted a house in Mexico, knew the type of place we were looking for, and had renovated so many houses in the States that we were (over)confident in what we wanted. Even then, there's one or two things I wish we'd have changed, but you'll do that in every house you have. Good luck and enjoy the journey!

Around $500k, not including furniture. We purchased the property for around $115k, and the rest went into the renovation. I do always add the caveat that our house is well above what anybody needs to put into a home here, but we built it for our purposes, meaning friends and family as well. I'm glad you noticed that it doesn't look complete in this video! The updated pictures on the website (in the description of the video) show that it is much more "finished" now. We arrived on our first stay in our home literally less than a day after work was complete. Unfortunately, that meant that several light fixtures (good eye), as well as a cabinet that was ordered incorrectly, etc. were not yet ready for prime time. Since then all of the work has been completed. As far as the cement wall look, it's typical for Merida. We added several accent walls that move away from the whitewash of most but wanted the furniture, wooden (and iron) doors, art, etc. to be the focus of the home.

Thank you so much for following the journey, and I'm so glad you were excited to see the end product! I'm going to keep making videos about the place, but now I'm sure it will be a transition into "owning" as opposed to building. Thank you again!!!

Gracias y tengo que darle a nuestro arquitecto todos los elogios por eso. Incluso cuando las puertas están cerradas, todavía se siente como si estuviera afuera.

@@AlexanderFromKC De nada Alexander, su casa es el reflejo de su personalidad, alegre y cálida.

Thank you so much! It was great seeing you and the family, and thank you so much for showing me your amazing home!

It's kind of the opposite, actually. Taller ceilings give the hot air a larger space to travel to, and then with the proper airway setup (and air conditioning as well) you allow the hot air to escape. That way it's a constant cycle of it rising and then being removed.

Thank you and good luck! We love it, so I hope you do as well. We're in the Chen Bech area, and it's growing like crazy!

He's a master for sure. It's so wonderful to hear this, because you want the beauty to last as long as possible. I can't imagine going with any other architect at this point.

I do too! Love his designs

The total with the house, renovation, plans, appliances, solar, and even furniture ended up around $600k.

Thank you so much, and good luck in your efforts! It took us years, but I absolutely love what being patient bought us!

I apologize for the quick movement. Our architect found some really good places to "hide" several of the units, especially in the bedrooms they are recessed into the closets a bit. in the front TV room it's probably out of frame because it's located on the walls where the doors are - way up high! There is normally a unit in every main room except the entry area, and always up high on a wall. Each outdoor condenser/compressor can handle around 8-10 indoor units, so they'll be on the roof while the interior pieces are inside. It's actually a bit of a compliment that they're hard to see!

Thank you so much!

Thanks so much for following, and I'm glad you're finding value in the channel! Our property is approximately 8 meters by 63 meters, so a little over 504 sq meters. On top of that (literally), we've added a full two bedroom "apartment" with it's own patios, kitchen and living room. I'm not sure I remember how many square meters it is, but I'm guessing that in total we're over 600 at this point.

Thanks again for the good details. Appreciate it. And all the best . I hope you and your family live long happily ever after in full health + wealth:)

¡Muchos gracias!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Thank you so much, Michael! It feels perfect for us, for sure!

Do it! I've seen it further up the wall as well, and I just didn't like it. When I saw it this way though, I loved it! Good luck with demo!

Yes I do!

That's great! Our architect was Henry Ponce and our real estate agent with Elizabeth Rodriguez. I'll link their information below! www.hponcehomes.com/home yucatanbeachandcityproperty.com/agents

Thank you! Cheers!

So ours is way over the top, but we purchased the house for $115k USD. The renovation was approx. $360k USD, and another $75k USD to fill it with furniture, fixtures, appliances, etc.

@@AlexanderFromKC thank you

That's awesome, Tony! He's absolutely amazing, so I'm happy for you - I know it's going to look great. Send me a message via my text line (816-727-7740), and we'll work it out!

Yep! abnb.me/7541SNBvNub

I'm so glad!

Local here, Mérida is 20-30 minutes from Progreso. There is not another Big city near sea unless You go to Cancún. Progreso by itself is the city if You want to wake up, walk and go to the beach, other places around are just beach towns.

I'll echo @FTGrimm on this one. Progreso is the largest beach town in Yucatan, and it is fairly large. That being said, I wouldn't call it a city, although it's so close to Merida (especially el Norte) that you're only 20 minutes from Costco, Ace Hardware, Malls, etc. There are other smaller beach areas near Progreso as well like Chelem, Chuburna, Chicxulub that have their own little "ecosystem" too. It all depends on what you're looking for in a town, because if you want to be more remote there's Sisal, Uaymitun, and Telchac Puerto as well.

Exactly right.

Thank you so much. So our builder actually does most of the furniture, and that's Henry Ponce. We did get a few random pieces from Costco, Amazon, etc. - mostly the filler pieces. Then there was a lot of work done by "calleveinte" in Merida. Wonderful place with some AMAZING pieces!

@@AlexanderFromKC Thanks! I very recently purchased a home built by Henry. The furniture is a very similar style. I love the mix of modern with some traditional pieces but may want to add a couple pieces (hence the question). Thanks again. Congrats on your house.

I haven't experienced anything like that yet, not to say that it's not possible. Merida being inland helps quite a bit, and it's rare that you hear anything about a power outage. My wife is an attorney and needs good internet (and therefore power), and was able to work any time she chose while we've been down.

Thank you so much! The lot is 8 meters (26.25 ft) by 63 meters (207 ft).

I’m believable!!! you have a big long land to created this amazing house I will love to see your house on two RU-vid channels that show the beauty of architecture of Merida your house would take many people's breath away from how beautiful it is cheers!!!

I'd love to be on that show, he's shown some really cool places!

We are currently working on permanent residency, but it's a bit of a complicated process. Temporary would be very easy, but we think we can get permanent residency. I'll keep you up-to-date as we navigate those waters.

You can buy property in Mexico without residency.

@@meatgravylard But , is it recommend, because buying property in a country you dont have any ties gives me anxiety !

@@AlexanderFromKC Good luck with that Alexander; you know I think with everything thats happenning here in america, having a home in a city like Merida and in a country like Mexico is a good idea !

You can buy property in mexico as a tourist, temp or perm resident. Doesn't matter.

Yep, that wasn't too long ago!! Architect/builder is Henry Ponce. HenryPonce.com

@@AlexanderFromKC thank you

There are definitely bathtubs in houses, but it's more popular to have just a shower, not sure why to be honest. We had a tub planned in one of our initial designs, but then started thinking that our kids would only need the tub for another couple years. If you're looking to rent, just look for one but if you plan to build, the planning is easy for one. This isn't the first time I've been asked this, by the way. Also, I chose the outdoor shower over the tub... and regret nothing lol!

This is completely incorrect. Many of the homes in Merida are vacant and are renovated by both foreigners, as well as Mexicans from Yucatan and several other Mexican states. It is true that there is are areas with a large community of ex-pats, but when you know that Merida is a city of nearly a million people, the overall expatriate population is 1-2% at best. I applaud your desire to build affordable housing. We need more of that everywhere. However, stating that foreigners are buying so much real estate that it's leaving no room for the local population isn't just misleading, it's (as stated previously) completely incorrect. All the best to you building affordable housing, I wish you all the success in the world.

@@AlexanderFromKC It’s not that foreigners are taking a lot of the real state, it’s just that their driving prices way up. You can pay a lot more than us Mexicans can. That’s why I’m choosing Campeche, instead of Merida, the prices haven’t gone through the roof yet.

Thank you!

En el límite de Mejorada y Chembech

Not even close. THIS house is really expensive, but it'd be 1 1/2 to 2 times as expensive in the USA. Most places in Merida are incredibly affordable, but as I've said in almost every comment, video, and description... we went over and above with this place because we were building to fit our particular needs, and we could. Do not judge average prices based on this build, or you'll end up making an incorrect statement like you just did.

You were right on time! Feel free to join the live chat next time!

I will!

Yep. Close to the Chen Bech market.

@@AlexanderFromKC Wow, I have been watching them build your home - I live on C. 57 at 44

@@retired_mex We're close!

@@AlexanderFromKC next time I walk by I'll knock on your door and say hello