Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - There is an abundance of locksmiths in Puerto Vallarta - and we don't say that lightly. Many ferreterias (hardware stores) will make keys, if you can find someone to help, but your best bet is to find the locksmith that your friends recommend. They are everywhere.

The first time we went searching for a locksmith in Puerto Vallarta we walked around our corner and almost lost our hat on a large low-hanging wooden key, painted bright red, that was strung above the sidewalk. There was another one directly across the street! Brothers, we found out, who both had learned the trade from their father, who had his own little shop several streets over.

Since there is such a profusion of locksmiths in Vallarta, the competition is a little fierce. Speed seems to be the skill most widely performed in the process. Not always the best. We are a big fan of slow and methodical.

Where we come from, north of the border, having keys made is not expensive, nor is it in Puerto Vallarta, but we usually don't take our keys to be made. We have a different method of operation when we need a new key. It is so cheap to have a locksmith come to your home, and the end product will be much more satisfactory. We have never paid more than $500 pesos for the most complicated procedure and house calls seem to run about $350. Comparison shop.

When you take a key to be made on a cutting machine, a direct copy is made, notch by knick. Chances are you will get back home and find that it doesn't work at all. The reason for this is simple: the key you handed off to be copied is most likely also a copy. You cannot keep making copies of copies. Originals can be hard to come by so we conquer that dilemma by starting out with a brand new lock and key. We believe it's the best solution.

In Puerto Vallarta, the locksmith's job is not completed until the lock is secure and your key actually opens the lock. It's an amazingly quick procedure. When buying property, one of the first things one should do is change the lock. Regardless of what country you're in, there is no telling who has copies, and it is such an easy fix!

Que es cómo es.

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Timothy Real Estate Group is a full-service real estate sales, rentals and development agency representing some of the most distinguished properties and developments across Puerto Vallarta, Bahía de Banderas and the Riviera Nayarit. For more information, visit TimothyRealEstateGroup.com.

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