Snowbird Move-In Playbook: The First 48 Hours at Your Cabo Property

You just landed at SJD and your Cabo property has been empty for months. The first 48 hours determine whether you start the season relaxed or spend a week fixing problems. Here is the tested, step-by-step playbook I have refined over dozens of seasonal arrivals.

Before You Even Land

The best move-in starts before you board the plane. Two weeks before arrival:

• Contact your property manager (if you have one) and request a pre-arrival walkthrough. They should check for water leaks, pest activity, appliance function, and general condition. A good manager sends you photos. See our property manager guide
• Confirm your internet service is active. If you suspended Telmex or Totalplay during the off-season, reactivation can take 3–10 business days. Call ahead. See our Starlink guide if that is your primary connection
• Stock essentials remotely. Some property managers will do a basic grocery run before you arrive — bottled water, coffee, eggs, bread, toilet paper. Worth every peso of the service charge
• Check your insurance. Confirm your home insurance policy is current. If you paused coverage during the off-season (some owners do), reactivate before your flight

Hour Zero: The Property Walkthrough

You walked through the door. Resist the urge to pour a drink and collapse on the couch. The next 60 minutes are the most important of your season. Do the walkthrough first, settle second.

Electrical

• Flip the main breaker on (if you shut it off at departure). Check every room's lights and outlets
• Verify the AC starts and blows cold in every zone. If the compressor does not kick on, give it 30 minutes — condensation may have tripped the unit. If it still does not start, call an HVAC tech immediately. In November, you can survive without AC. In October or March, you cannot
• Check the refrigerator. It needs 4–8 hours to reach proper temperature after being powered off
• Turn on the water heater. Most Cabo properties use tank-style heaters (calentador) with an electric or gas ignition

Plumbing

• Open the main water valve slowly if it was shut off. A sudden pressure surge can pop fittings
• Run every faucet for 2–3 minutes. Stagnant water sitting in pipes for months can carry sediment and bacteria. Let it flush completely before using it for drinking or cooking
• Flush every toilet twice. Check underneath and behind for signs of leaks — water stains on tile, musty smell, warped cabinetry
• Check under every sink for drips. A tiny connection leak that ran for four months will announce itself with water damage
• Inspect the water heater for corrosion or leaks at the fittings

Pest Check

This is not optional. Los Cabos has scorpions, and they love dark, undisturbed spaces — which is exactly what your home has been for months.

• UV flashlight sweep: Scorpions fluoresce under UV light. Walk every room in the dark with a blacklight. Check closets, behind furniture, inside shoes, under beds, and in the folds of curtains. A UV flashlight costs $15 on Amazon — pack one
• Ant trails: Check kitchen counters, windowsills, and doorframes for ant activity. If you find trails, locate the entry point and seal it with silicone. Place bait traps before unpacking food
• Geckos: Not pests — they eat insects. Welcome them. If one is living in your kitchen, that is free pest control
• Mouse evidence: Check cabinets, pantry, and garage for droppings. If present, set traps and schedule a pest treatment

Structural Quick Check

• Walk the perimeter. Look for new cracks in exterior walls, displaced roof tiles, or storm damage
• Check all windows and sliding doors. Salt air corrodes hardware — a latch that worked in April may be seized in November
• Test the pool equipment (if applicable). The pump, filter, and chlorinator should all start. Green water is normal after months of no chemistry — it clears within 48 hours of proper treatment. See our pool maintenance guide

Hours 1–4: Get Operational

The walkthrough is done. Now make the house livable.

Connectivity

• Router: Power cycle (unplug, wait 30 seconds, plug back in). Wait 5 minutes for full boot. Test speed on your phone — if you are getting less than 10 Mbps on a fiber connection, call your ISP
• SIM card: If you do not have a Mexican number, stop at any OXXO (they are everywhere) and buy a Telcel prepaid SIM. Cost: ~150 MXN for the SIM plus 200–500 MXN for a 30-day plan with 5–10 GB of data. If your US plan includes Mexico roaming — T-Mobile Magenta and Google Fi both do — test it before buying a local SIM
• Starlink: If you have Starlink, it should auto-connect when powered on. If it does not find a signal within 15 minutes, check for obstructions that may have grown (tree branches) during your absence

Grocery Run

You need food. Here is the fastest path to a stocked kitchen:

• Full stock-up: Costco in San Jose del Cabo or City Club in Cabo San Lucas. Your US Costco membership works in Mexico. Budget $200–400 USD for a complete fill. Go early — the lines get long after 11 AM
• Fresh produce and staples: La Comer or Soriana for everything Costco does not cover. Both have locations in SJD and CSL
• Specialty and organic: The Organic Market in San Jose del Cabo runs Saturdays. Calimax Select carries imported and organic items year-round
• Water: Order a garrafón (5-gallon jug) delivery. Most neighborhoods have a local purified water delivery service — ask your neighbors or property manager for the number. Do not drink tap water

Hours 4–12: Settle In

The house is operational. Now dial in the details that make it feel like home.

Transportation

• If your car is stored: Check the battery (trickle charger should have kept it alive), tire pressure (they lose 1–2 PSI per month), and fluids. Drive it around the block before committing to a highway run
• If you need a rental: Book in advance during high season (November–March). Alamo, National, and Hertz have airport counters. Local agencies are cheaper but read the insurance terms carefully
• Ride-hailing: Uber works in Los Cabos for getting around until your car situation is sorted. Taxis are plentiful but agree on the fare before getting in — meters are not universal
• Mexican auto insurance: If you drove down or stored a US-plated car, verify your Mexican auto insurance is current. US policies do not cover you in Mexico

Home Environment

• Open every window for 30 minutes to air the house (do this in the morning before it gets hot)
• Check the mattresses for moisture or musty smell. In humid months, stored bedding can develop mildew. If it smells off, strip everything and wash it or run it through the dryer on high heat
• Run the washing machine empty on hot to flush standing water from the drum and hoses
• Set your AC to a comfortable temperature and let it run continuously for the first 24 hours to dehumidify the house thoroughly

Day Two: Administrative Sweep

Day one was about making the house livable. Day two is about making your life here functional.

Bills and Accounts

• CFE (electricity): Check that your account is current. Log into CFE's portal or visit the office in SJD or CSL. If you have unpaid bills from the off-season, settle them — CFE will eventually disconnect
• OOMSAPAS (water): Similar check. Water bills in Los Cabos are modest ($20–50 USD/month for most homes) but unpaid accounts can result in disconnection
• Internet: If your connection seems slow, call your ISP and confirm you are on the plan you are paying for. Telmex in particular is known for quietly downgrading inactive accounts
• HOA: If you owe HOA fees, get current immediately. Some communities restrict amenity access for delinquent accounts

Medical and Safety

• Confirm your health insurance covers you in Mexico. If you use a Mexican policy, verify it is active for the season
• Stock a first-aid kit if your old one expired during the off-season. Pharmacias (pharmacies) are ubiquitous and many medications available over the counter in Mexico require a prescription in the US
• Program emergency numbers into your phone: 911 (general emergency), Cruz Roja (Red Cross ambulance), and your nearest hospital

Community Reintegration

• Introduce yourself to any new neighbors. In seasonal communities, turnover between seasons is common
• Check in with your HOA or community management for any new rules, construction updates, or upcoming events
• Reconnect with the expat community — Facebook groups, WhatsApp chats, and in-person meetups are the social fabric for seasonal residents

Common Mistakes I Have Made (So You Do Not Have To)

After doing this enough times, here is what I wish I had known from the start:

• Not checking under sinks first. A slow drip that ran for four months turned my bathroom cabinet into a science experiment. Three minutes of inspection would have caught it before departure
• Forgetting to check the water heater before showering. Cold showers in Cabo are fine in July. In November at 6 AM, they are not fine
• Grocery shopping at 2 PM on a Saturday. Costco in SJD on a Saturday afternoon during high season is a contact sport. Go before 10 AM on a weekday
• Not bringing a UV flashlight. Found a scorpion in my shoe the hard way. Once. Now the blacklight comes on before the lights do
• Assuming the AC works because it turns on. An AC unit can run without actually cooling — the compressor may have failed or the refrigerant may have leaked. Test with a thermometer, not just your hand in front of the vent

The 48-Hour Rule

I tell every snowbird client the same thing: give yourself 48 hours before you relax. Not because Cabo is stressful — it is the opposite. But because the small problems you catch in the first two days are the ones that become expensive problems in week six if you ignore them.

Walk the property. Flush the pipes. Check for critters. Stock the kitchen. Get your phone working. Settle the bills. Then pour the margarita, walk to the beach, and enjoy the fact that you are spending the winter in one of the most beautiful places on earth while everyone else is shoveling snow.

That is what all this preparation is for. Not to add stress — to eliminate it so the rest of your season is nothing but the life you came here to live.