Gerry and I have a long history. We first met in 2006 when he assisted us in purchasing a home. Unfortunately after 2 year I moved back to Canada due to a break-up with my partner in Mexico. He was later killed that year in a Motorcycle accident in Mexico. He had a new girlfriend and her relatives moved into the house assquatters. It took us 5 years to get them out and Gerry helped me fight the long legal battles in Mexico. I did eventually get the house back Oct 4, 2013. I gave Gerry a Power of Attorney to work on my behalf. He attended court, paid bills, met with Lawyers after Lawyers, copied documents and spent a lot of time and energy on my behalf along with his wife Dorothy.
Paula
He met me at the Lawyers the day my house was to be returned and went with me to the house after 5 long years of not being in it. We looked it over and he brought a contractor into to look at repairs along with a terrific painter. The house needed paint and every possible item was gone. Furniture, ceiling fans, light switches, all the appliances, clothes, towels, everything. At first I was going to sell the house but I really love the location and could not do it even though he had interested buyers.
The house is again beautiful and Gerry helped me find places to replace items, have things repaired etc. He also invited myself and my new Husband to get togethers with Manzamigos which I had previously enjoyed when I lived there.
As for a property manager; Gerry has arranged rentals, collected payments, hired cleaning staff (6000 Square foot House), paid electrical, water, internet charges, took care of the pool person and purchased supplies for him. I had some water damage this year and Gerry was on it, had the damaged repaired, painted areas damaged, had flower gardens done and the place mopped up.
He is honest and trustworthy, knows everyone, is a very busy man who never stops running. He also helps the renters with any questions they might have.
This is a long testimonial but I wanted you to know that having him as a property manager eases the worry of having a place in Mexico and living in Canada especially after the long battle with the squatters.
If you require any additional info do not hesitate to contact me.
“We chose to work with Gerry Szakacs after a poor experience with another Manzanillo realtor. Gerry showed us numerous properties that matched our desires when we visited Manzanillo, none of which worked out for us. However, Gerry contacted us to recommend a property that didn’t match our initial desire to be on the beach, but because he was so enthusiastic about the unit we agreed to take a look at it. He sent photos and information about the condo complex overlooking Santiago Bay that intrigued us to the point, that we ended up buying it without ever setting foot inside. Four years later, we’ve been nothing but pleased with our purchase. When we flew down for the closing, Gerry was with us every step of the way, which is critical when you are working with Mexican notarios (lawyers) and banks. Since we live in the U.S., Gerry has also served as our property manager, coordinating with visitors and helping make sure the unit is ready for renters. He and his lovely wife, Dorothy, have also helped us locate and manage contractors when we have renovated the condo. Except for the fact that he puts ice in his red wine, we have no hesitation recommending Gerry for anyone looking to buy or rent property in Manzanillo.”
Jack and Cindy Trilca, Charlotte – North Carolina
Condomino El Faro, Manzanillo
When we finally made the daring step to look for property in Mexico, we were drawn to the city of Manzanillo on the Pacific Coast in Mexico, a modern but still very Mexican harbour town. Totally new to the whole process of looking and buying property in Mexico, we found Realty Executives – Mexican Bay on the internet and contacted Gerry and Dorothy by email with some basic questions. They responded very fast and after having contact by email for awhile, Gerry mentioned that he was coming to Calgary, where we lived at the time, and if we were interested, he would make some time available to meet with us in person. It clicked right away. We flew down and got to meet Dorothy in person, who has a Dutch background like us, and with whom we connected from the first moment on. To make a long story short, when we finally found the property we liked they guided us through the whole buying process including having a translator present for the signing process. Since our condo had to be renovated completely, they kept an eye on things during the renovation and kept us posted with photos, emails and through Skype. Since we rent out our condo, they became our property managers and more importantly… they became our friends. Without a doubt that we recommend Realty Executives – Mexican Bay to anyone looking to buy, sell or rent property in Manzanillo, Mexico.
Jack & Astrid van der Lee, Alberta – Canada
Puerto Las Hadas, Manzanillo – Mexico
We were looking for property in Manzanillo and had a verbal referral to Mexican Bay Real Estate – Gerry Szakacs. Unfamiliar with real estate agencies in Mexico, we made contact with Gerry. We were extremely delighted with his eagerness to find us the right property to meet our needs. When we arrived, he met us at the airport and true to his word, in the next week, he showed us many houses that met our criteria. We are now property owners in Manzanillo and are extremely happy with the property that Gerry sold us.We highly recommend Mexican Bay, Gerry and his wife Dorothy, to address your real estate needs. He knows the area, understands the property transfer processes and is a well known and highly respected business man in the Manzanillo community. We were so impressed with his honesty, his sincerity and his 100% focus on our needs, that we are proud to call Gerry and Dorothy close friends.
Mary Lou Guzman-Davis and Dwight Davis, Newcastle, California, USA
Calle Cima, Manzanillo, Colima
We have worked with Gerry Szakacs since we decided to buy a condo in Manzanillo. He was so helpful with all our questions about owning property in Mexico – we knew absolutely nothing. He handled our closing without any problems – it was smooth sailing with Gerry. He is a very special guy – the qualities I appreciated most about Gerry is his honesty and straight-forwardness. We refer everyone we know to him.
Marc & Val Doppler, South St. Paul – MN
Sunset Condos, Manzanillo – Colima
Mexican Bay – always friendly and helpful, was fast and efficient at finding us a great rental!! Thanks guys!
Gord & Bea Frame, Lakeside – Jalisco
We have known Gerry for several years and I’m proud to call him a friend. What I respect the most is his inviting personality and genuine concern about people. On a professional level, Gerry is best described as professional, dedicated, determined and honest! He has embraced Manzanillo and Manzanillo has embraced him. Gerry is extremely knowledgeable about the area and of the real estate rules and regulations in Mexico. It is with no hesitation that we recommend Gerry Szakacs to help you make your Mexican dreams come true.
Bob & Jennifer Price, Kamloops – B.C. – Canada
Puerto Las Hadas Condominio, Manzanillo – Mexico
When I came to Manzanillo to purchase a condo I worked with 3 realtors. Gerry by far worked the hardest and was the most informative. He also on my behalf steered me away from buildings that he felt didn’t offer as secure of an investment. After closing on a purchase, Gerry went far more than the extra mile to assure things went smoothly on the final paperwork of the sale not only saving me money but also time and stress as well as airfares. I highly respect his integrity, honesty and commitment to doing the job right.
Paul Davenport – Kelowna, B.C., Canada
Las Garsas, Manzanillo, Mexico
The business you developed I can say that your presence was very truthful and confident from the beginning till the end in the documents signature. So, I am very pleased and happy that I met a businessman very PRO. Thank you for your assistance.
Orlando Mercado, San Paulo – Brazil
We recently purchased a property in Manzanillo, Mexico through Gerry at Realty Executives – Mexican Bay Real Estate. Gerry’s knowledge of the local real estate market was excellent and he was very helpful and patient showing us a variety of properties available, taking time to understand what we were looking for. His service extended to assisting us in connecting with the local authorities needed to assist with preparing a bank trust and closing the sale through a local Notario. As we are currently living in Canada and speak very little Spanish, Gerry’s assistance and prompt responses to our enquiries has been very helpful. We are now the proud owners of beach front property in Manzanillo!
Tim & Wendy Steele, St. Albert – Alberta – Canada
La Tortuga Condominio, Manzanillo – Mexico
Gerry Szakacs has done a great job managing our condo rental in Manzanillo. Thank you very much!
Jeff & Lynn Stevenson, Montana – USA
Vida del Mar, Manzanillo – Mexico
We have known Gerry as a close neighbor and friend ever since he came to Mexico. We consider his integrity above reproach, and I have never seen anyone so willing to help out complete strangers.
Warren and Jean Scheifele, Manzanillo – Mexico
My husband and I had the good fortune to work with Gerry when we selected Manzanillo as a possible retirement area. After meeting with him and letting him know what our parameters were for a retirement home, he showed us exactly what we had requested. We were able to negotiate the entire transaction, with the current owner and Gerry within 30 minutes and had bought the house of our dreams. The entire real estate transaction was seamless and conducted in a timely manner. We would highly recommend this firm to anyone thinking of retiring in the Manzanillo area.
Roy & Brigitte Cowan, #9 Calle de Paris – Santiago, Colima, Mexico
Please let this letter serve as an acknowledgement as to the excellent job you did of representing us in the sale of our property. Your continued and diligent follow up in processing the title documents and keeping all sides of the transaction informed were of great assistance in swiftly closing the sale. It was a real pleasure working with a real estate professional that understands the inner workings of the Mexican real estate market. I look forward to working with you again on the sale of one of our properties.
Fred and Judy Cooke, Colorado – USA
We would recommend Gerry at any time. For attentive and personal service in Manzanillo, he is the realtor we look for the most exposure for our properties for purchasing or selling. His attention during the sale and in the final paperwork makes it so much easier to complete the transaction.
Jim & Jackie Simmons, Manzanillo – Mexico
I would highly recommend the services of Gerry and Dorothy Szakacs. They not only helped me find and buy my condo here in Manzanillo, but have been managing it for the past two years. I am only here for about six weeks every year and the rest of the time they take excellent care of my property. I have been renting my unit here in Puerto Las Hadas to other vacationers and Gerry and Dorothy take care of all the little details, laundry, cleaning service, transportation in from the airport etc. to ensure that the needs of my guests are met. In short it affords me great peace of mind when I am not here. Gerry and Dorothy are friendly, honest people and I value their support and friendship a great deal.
Sue Vickers, Manzanillo – Mexico
When my partner & I decided to move to Mexico, our main concern was to find a realtor who we could trust who spoke English as well as Spanish. After searching the web for a long time, we finally hit on Gerry’s site. After communicating with him and his lovely wife Dorothy, both by email and telephone, we finally had a date to come to Manzanillo to start looking for property. Gerry met us at the airport and took us to our hotel. (Not very many realtors would do that.) We spent several days looking at all kinds of property and at no time did we feel that Gerry was getting fed up with us, or wasting his time. We didn’t find the right house yet, but with Gerry’s help we know we will within the very near future. Both Alan and myself recommend Gerry highly, and have given his name to several of our friends here in British Columbia and Alberta.
Lots of Luck !
My wife and I would like to thank Gerry and Dorothy for all their hard work in getting us our first property outside of Canada. We purchased a lot located in Peninsula de Juluapan overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Gerry not only did the sales transaction but quite often went out of his way to pick us up at the airport when we flew in and has given us good advice on the building process. Thanks Gerry and Dorothy for all your help and we are looking forward to being neighbours when we get our winter home built.
Loren and Charlene – Canada
When we came to Manzanillo, we were looking to make a possible acquisition. When we asked the locals about real estate companies, we were continually pointed in the direction of Gerry Szakacs and Realty Executives – Mexican Bay Realty. Gerry is a well respected businessman as well as a hard working philanthropist. Being originally from Canada has provided Gerry with a unique perspective into the type of properties that are attractive to the North American taste and lifestyle. It didn’t take long and he found us the perfect property. Gerry then used his professionalism and patience to guide us through all the complexities & minutiae involved in the acquisition process. His attention to detail and overall knowledge of the process was exemplary. When asked a question, he always gave a honest answer or a sincere opinion. The transaction was seamless and we soon became the proud owners of a beautiful condominium in the La Iguana complex.
Darcy & Misty, Bonnyville – Alberta – Courtenay – British Columbia
Gerry and his wife Dorothy continue to make us feel at home every time we go back to Manzanillo. They have taken the time to introduce us to many of their friends and colleagues as well as inviting us out to many of the local functions. Gerry & Dorothy are not only our Realtors, they are also our friends.
Alan Brand & Irene Petersen, Manzanillo Colima
