Published by Los Cabos HOME Magazine
Issue Winter 2005

It's become commonplace to say that globalization has changed business, but the tectonic shifts run deeper than most businesses understand. These changes are permanent rather than cyclical; the fundamentals of how a business makes money have been altered by worldwide supply chains, instant communications and a surplus of readily available capital. More troubling to managers is the speed with which these factors can render products and processes obsolete, even endangering a business's survival.

As a practical matter, virtually every business is now a player on the global stage. But it's still hard for most people to see the specific ways global forces affect their businesses. People tend to look at them in piecemeal or linear fashion, failing to see emerging patterns. What they see often looks bewildering: a chaos of volatile exchange rates, competitive dynamics that are hard to define and understand, and uncertainty about a host of other complexities. The result is that more and more business leaders are getting blindsided, with a speed that was almost unthinkable in the past.... (Quoted from an article in CIO (Nov. 15, 2004) by Larry Bossidy, the retired chairman and CEO of Honeywell International, and Ram Charan, acclaimed business guru and author)

Los Cabos real estate is a multi-hundred million dollar industry caught in this hurricane of change. You, the foreign home buyers and investors, are demanding more from us as real estate professionals.  Some of us thank you for it.

When I first looked upon the Pacific side arch of Lands End from my stateroom window in the orange morning light during the Spring of 1988, I did not imagine what the future held for me here in Los Cabos. The place was quiet, the marina small, and the town was mostly along the water. The Hacienda Hotel, where my heart still communes with the spirit of Cabo, was the centerpiece of the landscape. Like so many of us, I kept coming back. In 1995, I made the move.

People were selling dirt and condos with no questions asked by either side. Many buyers, including me, learned the hard way. No more. Today it is different.  Today Cabo is global.

You the customer, come to Baja armed with information and a virtual portfolio. Even first timers have expectations and a notebook filled with data. Many of us who claim to be real estate professionals are not ready for you. For that matter, most of us who claim to be real estate professionals are not really. Not like your home town where a Realtor can only use this title if they earn it, and to do otherwise, would mean losing a hard earned license to practice.

Not here. No licenses exist here, and the only true Realtors are members of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and the Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals (AMPI). In addition, they are also the strong and supportive members of our Los Cabos MLS. They will keep you safe.They are your guides through the maze of the unfamiliar Mexican transaction. Use them, and ask questions. Lots of questions.

The professional Brokers and Agents, who pledge safety, service, and ethical treatment for you, are changing the face of our industry here in Mexico. Working in concert with the education programs of the NAR and AMPI, as well as the Canadian Real Estate Association and a growing international network, these men and women are committed to keeping pace with globalization. Like you, we are using internet technologies and on-line programs for continuing professional education and improved communication.

Our goal is to insure that no one gets blindsided in this age of globalization.