Free Will Means You Can Buy a House in Mexico With Your Best Friend

Best friends Gabby and Megan like to do everything together, and that even extends to buying their first home. Despite neither being homeowners in the United States, they have decided to pool their savings and go in on an investment property together in Tulum. “It’s definitely a big risk going forward with this,” Gabby admits.

The idea is to have the home double as a short-term rental that can make them passive income when they aren’t there and allow them to have a place to stay when they are. While home prices are currently still affordable in Tulum, investors are quickly capitalizing on the popular, bohemian beach town, so it’s only a matter of time before opportunities like this will be hard to find.

Tulum is located on the Caribbean coast of Mexico, just an easy two-hour drive south of Cancún. It is an increasingly popular destination thanks to its beautiful beaches, lush jungle geography and heavy emphasis on health and wellness. “When we come to Tulum, we don’t look for men. We're going to go have fun and adventure and do more ceremonies and healing and self-care,” Megan says to their real estate agent, Lev Makievsky.

Lev, whose social media posts showcasing affordable property in Tulum are what caught Gabby and Megan’s eyes in the first place, definitely gets the town’s appeal. “I love Tulum because of the energy that's here … with the health, the wellness, the retreats, the architecture, it's known now as a worldwide destination on a scale like Mykonos or Ibiza. You've got large brands coming here and building massive real estate projects [and] master planned communities. It's just been on an uphill trajectory,” he says of the booming local market.

Since the house the girls are looking for will serve two purposes — as both a rental house and a second home — their wish list is rather long. They have asked Lev to help them find a three- or four-bedroom home with at least as many bathrooms. They also want a private pool, a location close to the beach, and a bright and airy bohemian aesthetic. Gabby tells Lev that they “love unique architecture, too,” making it clear that a cookie-cutter-style home is not going to work for them. Their combined budget is $400,000, which won’t take them very far back home in California, but in Tulum, Lev optimistically thinks, “That budget is very healthy for what they're looking for.”

The first property Lev takes the ladies to see is in an up-and-coming area called Region 15. In Tulum, the municipalities are given numbered names, and Region 15 is a fast-developing area where a lot of residential communities are being built. The newly built home Lev takes Gabby and Megan to see is a turnkey property that would work well as a rental. “This is a three-bed, three-and-a-half bath, and it's $367,000 and it comes fully furnished,” Lev tells them as they check out the townhouse that also comes with a private pool.

“It’s gorgeous,” Gabby gushes as she admires the open-concept kitchen and dining space.

Upstairs, Lev shows them a bedroom suite that comes equipped with a kitchenette and its very own rooftop plunge pool. “So you have the downstairs, which is a two-bedroom with the pool, or you could rent this out by itself with the pool, or you could rent out the whole thing,” Lev explains. The potential rental income for a home like this could bring in anywhere from $2,000 to $8,000, depending on the rental configuration.

Despite all of this flexibility, they’re not really vibing with the architecture. “I do love that you can separate it, but it's not what we're looking for on the inside,” Gabby says.

Lev is hopeful that the next house he shows them will be much more impressive. “These are the sphere homes,” Lev says as they arrive at a compound of funky, orb-shaped buildings.

“I’m obsessed,” Gabby says.

“I really love it already,” Megan agrees.

This three-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom house is clearly giving Megan and Gabby the Tulum feels they were hoping for. “I’m in love,” Gabby gushes as she walks through the airy interior living room to discover there is another living room located outside, right off the private pool.

Priced at $385,000, this house is also well within their budget. However, while the first floor made their jaws drop, “When we worked our way upstairs, it definitely let us down a little bit,” Megan explains to Lev about the smaller bedrooms and not-very-memorable decor.

“We’re not bland,” Megan says.

“No, you’re spicy,” Lev agrees. “If you can stretch your budget to a little bit more, I could probably show you something that's going to just knock you out.”

Megan is skeptical about going above her budget but is willing to see what Lev wants to show them. “I'm excited to see what a little more money can get me because I'm not that impressed by what we've seen so far.”

Lev takes the women to see a house located in an area called Holistika. “It's right up your alley when it comes to health and wellness. You have yoga, sound healing, cacao ceremonies …” he tells them.

Immediately, Megan and Gabby are excited by what they see. “This place is so dope,” Megan says, giving her highest praise to the curb appeal of the complex.

The house is a half-circle-shaped building split into two homes, with each side featuring three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. Priced at $435,000, Gabby is unsure. “Thirty-five grand more for a half-circle,” she says doubtfully. When they walk inside, all doubts appear to fade away. “It’s gorgeous,” she says.

“A boho beautiful, magical treehouse,” Megan agrees.

With three fantastic options, Gabby and Megan have a lot to consider. To ensure they are making a sound decision, they do some head-clearing yoga while they weigh their pros and cons. “I think when it comes down to it, the townhouse was amazing, but we should give that one the boot and kind of start in between the sphere and boho,” Megan says, officially eliminating the townhouse.

As they struggle to decide between the orb and the half-circle, boho homes, Megan suggests they “visualize it” and try to picture themselves living happily in one of the two houses.

Ultimately, they choose the boho half-circle. “Did you hear the news? We’re homeowners,” Gabby says, smiling.

“We bought the boho villa,” Megan chimes in.

“I know there [were] definitely a lot of people that doubted us and thought we were crazy for wanting to buy something international, but we knew it was the best decision,” Gabby says.

Congratulations, ladies, we hope yoga-nna love it!