I looked at him with what could only be described as pure skepticism. “Affordable, direct ocean view Mexico Baja real estate and just steps from the beach?” I said. “Show me.”

As realtor and expat Max Katz drove me to a beachside community of Las Gaviotas on Rosarito Beach in Baja, Mexico, I imagined myself once again leaning over the edge of a balcony, hanging on to the railing as I strained my neck to the side in an effort to catch the tiniest glimpse of blue waves lapping a long sandy beach.

Not this time.

I entered the home for sale and was immediately drawn towards the sun-drenched great room. What unfolded before me made my breath hitch.   Cathedral ceiling exposing a wall of windows with a balcony beyond, framing a view of those crashing waves that make world-class surfers return over and over to Rosarito beaches.

“This is why I’m here,” said Max, an avid surfer who uprooted his family from Orange County, California 22 years ago.  “This is Northern Baja’s crown jewel.” And Max should know – he not only sells homes in Las Gaviotas, but he also lives there himself.

The gate-guarded Mexican beach resort of Las Gaviotas is a mere 35-minute drive from the border of California. It is a well-planned community with three layers of single-family, detached homes, each level having an unobstructed view of the cascading Pacific coast.  Residents enjoy a breezy beach great for surfing and paddleboarding, an ocean boardwalk, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, palapas, BBQ, and of course the requisite gorgeous sunsets.

“I came for the lifestyle and I’ll never go back,” said Max who turned 50 in November.  “The food is fresh and cheap, and it’s been a very safe place to raise my kids.”  Max and his family try to get to Las Gaviotas’ private beach nearly every day, to surf, swim, BBQ, camp, read under a palapa, or enjoy a relaxing bonfire at day’s end.

Read about the Best Beach Bargains in Baja, Mexico in Mexconnect, February 12, 2013