Isla Mujures

[Tim2816]

Hello,  I have an opportunity to purchase a 3 bedroom house on the Island of Isla Mujures.  My parents are snow birds that have been going there for years.  It is a beautiful new build with tons of potential.  But I have no idea where to start.  I am located in Canada.  How do you go about finding out if the property is eligible for short term rental?  Do I have to purchase the property outright or are you able to carry a small mortgage?  How does insurance work?  If anyone is already on the island i would love to talk to you about how you went about setting up the property and what an appropriate rate would be.  How do I find comparable unit?  Is there a cheat sheet for beginners on how to get started?

[Brian2036]

@Tim2816 

https://isla-mujeres.net/

I assume you are talking about this place? If so, you spelled it wrong.

I would strongly advise AGAINST purchasing anything on an island unless you are going to live there yourself.

[Tim2816]

Is that not the point of Air BNB?  I as hoping they would help with the property management.  My parents go there for 6 months so I would have them stay at the property for 6 months and potentially rent it out the other 6.  Just looking for some advice on how to start the process.

[Michelle53]

@Tim2816    Airbnb is a payment processor. They are a listing service (like the MLS), and handle guest payments to hosts (like Paypal). That is all. Everything else is up to you to manage. 

This forum is a community of hosts and guests trying to help each other out with day-to-day issues. 

[Tim2816]

Thank you Michelle,  finally a useful response.  I appreciate you taking the time to point me in the right direction.  This is a very intimidating process.  I have rental properties locally but they are easy to manage.  I did not know how much of the process AirBNB would assist with so I was pointed to this community.  So far it has not been a great experience.

[Michelle53]

@Tim2816  Airbnb does not have robust support. Their support is largely outsourced, and not very knowledgeable. It's the easy way out to send people here to the Community Center for answers they don't have.

Folks here essentially donate their time and experience when they have a few minutes to spare. If you take a little time  to look at some of the topics here,  you will see what kind of questions come up - you might cut people a bit of slack for getting  tired of being the de facto free support organization for Airbnb so they don't have to have one. 

[Colleen253]

@Tim2816 , @Michelle53  is being generous. Even if Airbnb had robust support, they would not supply all the information you’re looking for.  As has been explained, Airbnb is simply a platform through which to market one’s listing. The only support you could expect would be with listing and platform technical issues. @Sarah977 actually had some useful points for you. Not too many places you can get free mentorship, or consulting. In this community forum, everyone does a great job of supporting one another. But we all need to employ a certain amount of self help and initiative. 

[Sarah977]

@Tim2816  You have to be a Mexican resident to earn money in Mexico, will have to register with the Mexican tax dept. and pay taxes here, and yes, it would be a good idea to actually get the name of the place you are talking about right. You don't even seem to know what the name means, or you wouldn't be calling it The Island Of...."

[Tim2816]

I understand what the name means. I didn't see a way to edit it to fix the spelling but I know the island well.  I have been many times.  I am not looking for grammar lessons I am looking for help with AirBNB.  I was hoping this would be a community that would want to assist other potential buyers.  Instead the only advise I am receiving negative unhelpful banter.  The process seems intimidating so I was looking for advice.  Hopefully there are more helpful users on here that can point me in the right direction?

[Sarah977]

@Tim2816  Well, a lot of the questions you are asking don't have anything to do with Airbnb. Local regulations are quite different all over the world. So you find out local regs by going to the local authorities. Same with mortgages- that has nothing to do with Airbnb. You find comparable properties by looking at the listings in the area.

You would need a local property manager, cleaners, etc. You will need a Mexican accountant. 

Read through everything on the main Airbnb Help section for hosts, read the Terms of Service, spend time on this forum reading about other hosts' experiences, pitfalls, suggestions, etc.

The thing about a question like yours, asking for people to tell you everything, is kinda like saying to a doctor, " Hey, can you tell me everything I need to know about becoming and being a doctor?

[Brian2036]

@Sarah977 

I’m glad you brought that up. I’d like to be a doctor but I’m too old to work every day so I’d like to to limit my practice to doing physical examinations on Wednesday afternoons.

Could you please do all the research necessary to get me a license? And maybe take the test for me if any is required?

 I tried calling Airbnb Customer Service but they hung up on me.

The dispatcher at 911 was also rude and inconsiderate.

[Tim2816]

Very insightful information.  You are clearly a valued member of this community.  The whole point of a community is to help like minded individuals.  In business you talk to others that have already been down the path.  A cookie crumb of info is the difference between being helpful and just being a D!k.  It did not take long to figure out which you are.  They need a thumbs down button for trolls like you.

[Helen3]

Hi @Tim2816 

You have come to a forum about short term rentals through a particular listing company and are getting annoyed because you are not being given information about buying a property in Mexico.

Surely you can see they are two completely different issues.

If you want information on what it is like to have a short term rental on Airbnb then look at the useful guides on this community and use the search function to explore issues of interest to you.

If you want information on buying a property in Mexico why not ask your parents who you state already have a place there/speak to local estate agents/explore  local legislation. 

Sadly the only person here who as you so kindly put it is being a **bleep**/troll is yourself.

[Joe3008]

hi need help in finding a sick friend in Isla Mujeres, his name is Frank....i need to reach him it's a serious health issue...thank you