This assignment called for the appraisal of 91 hectares of beachfront land at Playa Novillero very near some land I previously appraised in 2012. Playa Novillero is Mexico's longest beach at 82 kilometers, but is isolated and lacking in visitors. Despite being zoned for tourist development, land uses at the beach reveal abandonment rather than new development.
The beach is ideal for families, having about 50 meters of sand extending inland and shallow depths for a long distance out, but the beach is busy only week per year during a Mexican holiday week.
There are no close international airports. Last time I was here it took 2 hours to get here from the Mazatlan airport, and this time it took me 4 hours to travel from Guadalajara. Decent roads end at the town of Tecuala, which is 22 km inland from the beach, and arriving at the small village (population 249) at the south end of the beach, one has to drive up the beach to access the beach properties. This time our GMC got stuck in the sand and I had to get down on my chest several times to clear the soft sand from around the tires.
Most of the beach homes are abandoned.
As in the last Mexican appraisal assignment, the loan applicants were pledging as collateral a property that they did not own yet, although they did possess a 4-year-old purchase contract and a document conveying "Special Irrevocable Power" for 5 years, with less than a year from the end of the contract. They said they were taking their time executing the purchase contract, but there was no plan to close on the purchase at the time of loan funding, leaving the lender with the prospect of having no collateral for the loan.
Just as in the other beach property assignments, the most consistent indicator of value in this case was the price per lineal meter of beach front.
