In April of 1998 I visited the Puerto Vallarta area for the first time at the ripe old age of 24. I vacationed with a high school friend and we camped on the beach in Sayulita and surfed our brains out. During our short 10 day stay I was drawn in by the picturesque backdrops of the turquoise Pacific Ocean against the emerald green palm dotted lush mountain sides just as so many other North American and Canadians have in the past and continue to do so presently and I decided that this was the place where I wanted to live. After returning to my Native California I started selling off all of my possessions that I really didn’t need and I worked several jobs at the same time so that I could pay off my debts and go back to Mexico and make a life for myself in the "Paradise" that I had found. After 3 very long months of juggling 4 job schedules and working insane hours to pay off my debts I save enough money and
I finally boarded a plane on August 1, 1998 with the same High School friend. I packed 2 surfboards, a backpack of clothes and $950 USD and we returned to Mexico to live. In the same year only 2 months after arriving back to Sayulita the novelty of camping on the beach grew old and my friend and I rented a small place in Bucerias. Even though this "Place" didn’t have doors and our bathroom faced straight out to the street, it had a roof and it sure beat going outside and digging a hole in the sand as a bathroom during a torrential downpour with lightning pouncing down all around and mosquitos biting every exposed part of your body at 3 AM because our bodies were not agreeing with the Awesome Mexican food that we loved so much. This was heaven compared to the tent and we were as content as ever in our humble little "Place" where we slept on top of our board bags under a corrugated asbestos roof that had a FAN that helped keep us from melting in the tormenting humidity and heat while we slept.
You guys are probably thinking, "Why would anybody in their right mind leave the comforts of the United States or Canada and endure this lifestyle"? Well, don’t most people dream of some secluded palm lined beach and just relaxing off the days? And if you surf as I do, you dream the same thing but with sick, uncrowded peaks peeling right out in front of your hammock... We’ll this is sort of what I had found as very few people surfed then and I got served up great waves with virtually no crowds. Not only the fact that Puerto Vallarta and its surrounding area that make up the Bay of Banderas is a "Tropical Paradise" it is the people who really make this an awesome place to live. I find that warm friendly faces and giving attitudes of the locals who live in the area are genuine and this is what really counts. They may not have much in the way of material things to offer but they definitely will offer you a genuine friendship and help a friend in need in any way that they possibly can. It is because of this genuine people who will open up their world to you, mixed with the warm turquoise pacific ocean and lush tropical backdrops that I endured this lifestyle and have lived here ever since.
In the same month that I moved to Bucerias I met "Chico" who I surfed with all of the time and was one of those people who offered me a genuine friendship. Shortly after becoming friends he introduced me to his sister Tere. We started dating and married a year later on October 16, 1999 and now we have an awesome 5 year old son named Kahle Alejandro. Now that I had "Fallen in Love" those $950 USD that was rapidly dwindling, suddenly didn’t seem enough and so I decided that I had goofed off long enough and it was time to go to work. I had noticed that this area was a highly solicited and visited by many tourists but it still lacked the infrastructure and there was so much land and so many properties available at more than reasonable prices that I decided that Real Estate was going to be my lunch ticket. I had a friend that worked at the Real Estate Group / El Grupo Bienes Raices and he got me an interview with the broker and I was offered the job. I started my real Estate Carreer in June of 1999 and I have been representing Investors and Sellers of Real Estate throughout the past Decade and for the same great company which is now the Oldest and most experienced real estate company in Bucerias and most of its surrounding areas. During my Real Estate experience I had noticed that many people who purchased land to build out had a very hard time getting their dream homes built out the way they had expected because of the communication barrier and the fact that a lot of these foreign investors could not be here during the construction process. Since I live here, I speak Spanish Fluently, I’m well connected and I had build my own home with Alfredo Carrillo, 360 CUSTOM BUILDING’S master mason, I started helping out my clients who wanted to carry out the construction of their properties in the area and I have many happy and satisfied Friends who have been able to comfortably and painlessly build out their dream vacation and /or retirement homes. This is where the Idea of what is now "360 CUSTOM BUILDING" was born...
At 360 CUSTOM BUILDING we have great partners, awesome workers with a special attention to quality and detail; we have that genuine desire to help others carry out the construction of their dream homes; We offer the necessary experience; we are honest and devoted and although it sounds a little out of place in this description, we own our office outright so we’re not going anywhere. The combination of these special qualities makes 360 CUSTOM BUILDING a SOLID and SOUND choice just like our constructions.
Phil, Tere & Kahle Moreton
