Why “Place” Is Our Most Powerful InvestmenT

When people ask me why I live and work in Baja California Sur, I often tell them: it’s not just the ocean views, the palm-lined beaches, or the year-round sunshine. It’s the sense of place. It’s what you feel when you stand barefoot on the sand, sip your morning coffee in the breeze, and realize you’ve landed somewhere meaningful.

I recently came across an interview with Zita Cobb, the visionary behind Fogo Island Inn, and her words hit home: “Place is our most important economic gift.” She’s talking about her small island in Newfoundland, but she might as well be talking about Baja.

Zita’s story is one of deep respect for community, culture, and connection. After a successful career in tech, she returned to her tiny hometown—once rich with cod and now economically abandoned—and chose not just to reinvest in it, but to reimagine it. She didn’t build Fogo Island Inn to bring in outside money; she built it to revitalize the local economy from within—with architecture, craft, and culture that honors the people who’ve lived there for generations.

This idea—that economic development can be human, soulful, and place-based—is something we think about constantly as we’re building Contigo Cerritos and guiding our clients through buying property here . Whether you're investing in a vacation home, a rental property, or your forever escape, you're not just buying a house. You're becoming part of a story.

And stories matter. They shape communities. They shape value. They shape legacy.

In a world obsessed with scale, Zita talks about the power of “small.” Fogo Island’s success didn’t come from building bigger or faster—it came from building deeper. From understanding the true assets of a place: its history, its people, its way of life.

Here in Cerritos Beach and Pescadero, I see that same potential. Baja is more than a destination—it’s a place that invites you to slow down, plug in to nature, and connect with something real. It’s not just about ROI in the financial sense. It’s about Return on Intention.

So as you explore your next move—literally or figuratively—consider the place. What does it stand for? How does it feel? Who does it serve?

Because the greatest investments aren’t just about profit. They’re about meaning. And when you invest in place, you’re investing in something that lasts.