After retiring from Arco after 22 years, Nancy Edwards moved to Cozumel, Mexico from Dallas, Texas. In 2001 she founded Cozumel Living and it has grown into the largest and most experienced real estate office on the island. In the 13 years she has sold real estate in Mexico, she has always passed free and clear title to every property that has been sold. Cozumel Living takes pride in having strong ethics and continue to work toward being the best real estate company on the island.

What sets Cozumel apart from other real estate locations in Mexico such as Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, or Los Cabos?

We are an island in the Caribbean with the best diving and most beautiful water and reef system in the world. I visit the other side of the world every year, mainly Bali, Indonesia, and of all the places that I have been diving, I believe Cozumel is the best. Cozumel is a much smaller market. Our prices steadily escalate a little every year. Right now we have some great deals due to many Americans not being able to afford second homes and are willing to sell below our market level. Since Cozumel is a relatively flat island, we don’t have a lot of oceanfront properties or properties with ocean views. This drives the price of the properties directly on the ocean higher.

There has been a lot of press recently about the drug violence in Mexico that would raise concerns about public safety. Would you like to address this?

After the information that has been circulating in the media about the high rate of drug related crimes in Mexico, we decided to search for statistics to get a more accurate idea, and more important for us here in Cozumel, to investigate what is happening, because we sincerely feel very safe living on our beautiful island.

The USA media has been saying that Mexico had 7,000 drug related homicides in 2008, while in the USA there were around 40,000 drug related homicides. Comparing the population of both countries, Mexico 103.3 million and USA 298.2 million (according to estimates from 2005), while the population of USA is 2.88 times larger than the population of Mexico, the drug related homicide figure in the USA is 5.71 times larger than Mexico.

We only had 5 homicides in 2007 (2008 figures are not available yet) and we found out that includes suicides and traffic accidents (predominately moped accidents). Our island is very safe and peaceful. Although our businesses are suffering as a result of what is being reported, we are fortunately not an area affected by drug crimes.

How large is the expatriate community in Cozumel?

There are many expat’s here, but they are mostly snowbirds and not full time residents. There is not a large, large number of full time expats, but I would have to ask Immigration for statistics on that.

What are some of the best things to do or see in Cozumel?

The water! It’s such a beautiful, crystal clear turquoise. It’s unbelievable. The sand, a palm tree, the sunset, the square on Sunday evenings, a trip to the east side of the island, the golf course, snorkeling, diving … I could spend hours looking at all of the beautiful colored tropical fish and corals. The Mayan people are such wonderful, happy people. I don’t think I can think of anything about Cozumel that you would dislike.

What evidence would suggest that Cozumel real estate will appreciate in value in the coming years?

It’s a resort island. It has always slowly appreciated and always will. It’s a charming place where people will continue to want to come and to buy second homes. Our infrastructure is improving and that always increases values as well.

What can an interested buyer expect to pay for a new condo on the beachfront in Cozumel?

It averages around $480,000 up for a 3 bedroom, but there are some great deals right now. I just listed a brand new, never lived in 3 bedroom condo for $100,000 below this price.

To learn more about Cozumel Real Estate you can visit the Cozumel Living website or email Nancy at nancy(at)cozumelliving.com.