About us
Five years ago, we were the ones asking the questions.
We bought a house in San Juan Cosalá. We learned what a notario actually does, sat through the inspection and the avalúo (appraisal), and tried to make sense of a closing statement. It all went fine, as it usually does. But we remember what it felt like not to know, so we’re happy to explain every step.
We found Mexico the way a lot of people do: our first visit was Puerto Vallarta, and we kept coming back. During the years we spent caring for Russ’s mother as her dementia advanced, long stays in PV were what kept us going. After she passed in 2019, we moved down for good.
Two years in Vallarta, then a visit to Lake Chapala, and that was more or less that.
What each of us does
Russ works the numbers. Business Management at Georgia Tech, and he held a real estate license in the States. These days he tracks what’s actually selling at Lakeside: what a subdivision has done over the past year, how long listings sit, and where asking prices and closing prices part company.
Mike reads the house. Anthropology and Psychology at William & Mary, with agent training at Ajijic Real Estate. He notices what a place will be like to live in — the light at four in the afternoon, the noise, the neighbors, whether the walk into town is actually a walk. A spreadsheet can’t do that part.
Work with either of us and you get both. That’s the idea behind R&M.
And outside work
We both sing with Las Voces del Lago, and Mike performs in local theatre. We’ve gotten to know a lot of people here over the years, and that’s part of what makes living and working in Lakeside feel like home.
We’re agents with Ajijic Real Estate, the office at Morelos #4 in central Ajijic. R&M is the two of us; Ajijic Real Estate is the brokerage we work under.
Ask us something specific and you’ll get a straight answer, with the figures attached. We look forward to hearing from you.