Northern Mexico Fixer Upper?

Here's an interesting question I received a while ago:

My husband and I want to retire to Mexico in about 4 years. We are doing lots of research, but would like some input from anyone with experience. We want to be either in Sonora or Chihuahua state. We would like to be in as temperate a zone as possible. We would also like to buy a small fixer upper so we can work on it, live in it at the same time, and cut costs in the long run. Question is, where do we look? And how? We're thinking on the outskirts of a small town, but not too too far from doctors etc. But we have dogs and would also like a bit of privacy from time to time. If anyone would care to respond to our inquiries, we would appreciate it. -- Peggy

And here's another query from someone else along the same lines:

By the way, did you ever look > into places closer to the border and maybe have some ideas /
tips / advice?? Thanks -

Hmm, good thing you are doing your research, Peggy, because I don't know northern Mexico very well. In much of it, the climate is pretty hot in summer, cold in winter, and windy. And a desert-type landscape, not a lot of water. But the convenience to the US can't be beat, and with rising gas costs that's a factor. Personally, I am not fond of the vibes of towns right on the border, but you don't have to go far into Mexico to find more interesting places.

One place that Kelly and I liked a lot was a town called Parras de la Fuente, not far from Saltillo, well maybe a couple of hours or so... the link takes you to the page I wrote about Parras, with photos. It would not be far to Texas. Without looking it up, my memory is that it may be in the state of Coahuila. We didn't notice any foreigners living there, but it could be a good candidate for adventuresome folks. I continue to think that more Americans will be coming south and that thus more places will develop small groups of expats.

A small city close to New Mexico is Nuevo Casas Grande. We often enter Mexico at Columbus, NM / Palomas, Chihuahua (Palomas has another formal name, General something) and go through Nuevo Casas Grande before cutting south toward the city of Chihuahua.

As for fixer-uppers, Mexico is full of them. They are everywhere. They may not be on the market with a realtor's sign on them, but start asking around. (And even with bad Spanish, you can get started. Especially in the north of Mexico, many Mexicans speak English.) Ask where you stay, where you eat, wherever you see a friendly person. Say you are looking for a small house to rent or buy.

I'd highly recommend renting something for a while before buying, just to get to know the area. We rented a place in Bernal, Queretaro, last year, for 1200 pesos a month, about $100 US.

Here's another page from my site, where I give tips on buying real estate in Mexico.