| A New Concept for Foreigners Buying Property in Mexico |
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| Tuesday, 07 November 2006 | |
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Gringo Furniture is filling a niche for a much needed service. A new Gringo is in town and it looks like she is really going to make a difference to the landscape of furnishing property in Mexico. Foreigners buying real estate in Mexico have many obstacles ahead once they take that plunge to buy their DREAM home. Once past the closing of the property, reality sinks in and they realize they are now in a different country, with a difference in language and a different culture. All of this can add up to stress and frustration, taking the fun out of their new home.
Karen Scott is the person behind Gringo Furniture. Her idea was born after she finished furnishing her second home in Puerto Morelos Mexico, on the Riviera Maya. She had already experienced all the downfalls of furnishing her first villa in 2002 and was prompted by friends to use her on-line experience to start a business geared towards people just like her. She told us the story behind her idea:
”Back in January of 2002 my husband and I bought our first villa in Mexico. It was a very exciting time in our lives and we were so thrilled to finally have the dream of owning a vacation home become a reality. The closing of the property was much different from what we had experienced in Canada. We were lucky to have purchased a home that had clear title and we had found a lawyer who would complete the deal correctly. By July of that same year we were owners of our new villa. One of the most exciting jobs for me was to decorate the villa. Finally I was going to be able to buy all those Mexican pieces that were so expensive up in Canada and have them in my new home in Mexico! So, off we went to Mexico on a week’s holiday from our jobs up in Canada. We jumped on a plane, rented a car for the week, planned out what stores we were going to go to, and set off on our first full day believing we were prepared and organized. It seemed easy enough, we were excited, and hopefully, we would have time left for the beach near the end of the week. Within the first few hours we realized we had underestimated the magnitude of this job and there was not going to be a single moment left for anything other than shopping for the week. Bye-Bye to the beach, bye-bye to any rest or relaxation we had hoped to get. This week was going to consist of getting up at the crack of dawn, drive around, get lost, drive around again, get lost again, find parking and try to furnish this villa with something acceptable. The excitement of this job was gone and what settled in was panic and thoughts of going over our budget and compromising what we really wanted. Not knowing the language posed a bigger problem than we had anticipated. The inability to use our credit card posed a risk as we had to withdrawal large amounts of cash out of our account and carry it around. But getting what we bought delivered was the most frustrating to us. Most items we wanted were at 3-4 weeks out for delivery, which would not work, as we’d be back home by then. When we changed our choices to things in stock we compromised what we wanted and realized we were also paying far too much. We bought furnishings at different stores and had to pay full delivery at each place. The deliveries came at different times during the week which stopped us from accomplishing more because we had to sit at home and wait for the delivery to arrive. And, as we all know, nothing arrives on time in Mexico and we wasted precious days waiting for deliveries that didn’t even come. In the end we finished the job after having to come home and then return a few weeks later to finish up. We were exhausted, over budget, stressed out and certainly not 100% happy with what we bought. We arrived back home the second time only to go back to work with no vacation days left, un-relaxed, broke, and wondering why this job, that is normally so easy to accomplish in Canada, was so darn hard in Mexico.”
The idea continued to grow as the finish date of the villa loomed closer and closer. She researched, found partners, got financing and decided her new villa was to be the test run for Gringo Furniture. To her delight she was able to pick out exactly what she wanted for her villa in the comfort of her own home in Canada. Measuring each piece and comparing it to the construction details of her new villa, she knew exactly if a piece of furniture was going to fit or not. The final price tag was probably the best surprise. She was under budget by $10,000 and had not compromised on anything. Karen then booked her flight to Mexico for Mid October to receive the furniture. She arrived on a Sunday and the furniture arrived on that Monday by 11:00 AM. By 6:00 PM that same day the house was furnished and she was able to go out for a long, enjoyable dinner. She now had the rest of the week to get things exactly the way she wanted them, hang pictures, buy nick-knacks, visit with friends and most of all take long walks on the beach. Unfortunately, life is never as we expect and Hurricane Wilma dropped by for a visit the Thursday of that week. Karen tells us that not only did the new villa withstand the category 5 hurricane winds but so did the furniture and incredibly, so did the town of Puerto Morelos. Within weeks, things were on track to being rebuilt and the town was ready for high season which was a mere 6 week’s post Wilma.
After much research, planning and trials, Gringo Furniture has
hit the marketplace and has already furnished many homes all over Mexico. Their site is up and running and customers can buy all their furniture safely and securely on-line, and then have it delivered to their home within 4 weeks. If a customer wants that personal touch they can book an appointment and meet with one of our consultants in the Riviera Maya. Customers will be able to choose from an assortment of fabrics and finishes to customize to their tastes.m Keep and eye on this company as it is going to fill a long standing need for foreigners buying in Mexico.
See Karen’s newest villa and its furnishings here at: www.casamerlot.com
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Launched in September 2006, Gringo Furniture is a solution to take one of the
biggest stresses out of owning property in Mexico; “buying furniture”. No
longer will foreigners have to endure language difficulties, over pricing,
endless trips to different stores, out of stock products and arranging and
waiting for numerous deliveries.
In 2005 Karen and her husband began construction on their
new vacation home in Puerto Morelos. The thought of having to spend more weeks
shopping was, to say the least, daunting. Their villa was twice the size of the
last one and had an additional 2,000 sq ft to furnish. That is when Gringo
Furniture started to grow in Karen’s mind.
They will
be initially focused on the Riviera Maya but they hope to grow throughout Mexico in coming
months. 
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