Updates

Cost of Living, Solar, and Curb Appeal

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:36:43 PST

Some Interesting Links...

Everyone always asks me how much cheaper it is to live in Mexico. Of course, it depends. It would be quite easy to lead a lifestyle just as expensive as the states or with many sacrifices, significantly cheaper. With that said, Lake Chapala residents Billy and Akaisha Kaderli have provided a recent analysis of the cost of living. I think they've done a great job with the exception of underestimating the cost to rent--I think it is more around $500 to $700 usd per month for a decent place with 2bdr, 2 bath in a nice neighborhood. Anyway, check it out here: Cost of Living Analysis

We are blessed with LOTS of sunshine in the Chapala / Ajijic areas. Also, our wonderful temperate and mild climate means that minimal expense is required to heat or cool our homes. However, electricity is more expensive here than most places in the US and Canada. That, combined with the trend for 'green living', makes solar energy a very viable and attractive option here, particularly for those with pools. The following link from HomeSavvi discusses: 10 misconceptions about solar power It is written for the Seattle market where the climate is obviously quite different, but I think it is a valuable article none-the-less.

A lot of my clients fall in love with 1, or more often, 3 or 4 homes when they come down to Lake Chapala. The biggest problem: They need to sell their home back in the North before they can buy here...and we know how difficult that can be these days. Here are some good tips to increase your Curb Appeal each for less than $50!

Ciao,

Thomas M Hellyer

Lake Chapala Real Estate
Constitucion #14
Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico 45920
(253) 777-0206 U.S. & Canada
(376) 766-4540 Mexico (office)
(045) 331-193-9637 (cell)
www.ChooseChapala.com
www.iRetireInMexico.com

Carnaval!

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:46:53 PST

New Orleans and Rio may be famous for their big Carnival / Fat Tuesday celebrations, but don't discount the hundreds of smaller parties...I mean religious celebrations...from throughout Mexico, from Merida to Veracruz to Puerto Vallarta to Barra de Navidad to Autlan (Santana's birth place) to our own in Chapala.

Starting Tuesday the 17th and culminating on Tuesday the 24th of February, the Chapala Riviera will be celebrating Carnival time with many parades, concerts, a pageant, horse show, lucha libre, boxing, ballet folklorico, etc!

Click on this link for more details: Lake Chapala Carnaval 2009

By the way, I voted for Mariana for Queen! Who will you vote for?

Beisbol in Mexico -- According to Lisa Guerrero

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:12:17 PST

There isn't much beisbol played down here in the Ajijic / Lake Chapala area, much to my son's chagrin... There used to be a team in Guadalajara, called the "Charros de Jalisco", but the team has long since disappeared. Here it seems soccer is king, with the famous Chivas Rayadas de Guadalajara, winner of 11 Mexican League championships, just an hour away...

There is a LOT of baseball played in northern Mexico however. Ever heard of Fernando Valenzuela? Famous sports correspondent Lisa Guerrero recently spent a few weeks in Mexico accompanying her husband Scott Erickson as he pitched in the Mexican Pacific League. She experienced seeing a pitcher (not her husband) drink a half bottle of tequila DURING a game and still get the WIN! She also noted that while there is no seventh inning stretch tradition, the crowd dances throughout each game to the sensuous salsa music that is played between EVERY pitch!

Baseball is perfect example of how everything is similar yet so different in Mexico.

Read her entertaining article from the LA Times here, where she offers 21 points of "Stuff you should know about baseball in Mexico".

History of the Poinsettia

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 08:23:55 PST

Who doesn't love a beautiful red, white, or pink Poinsettia plant to adorn the Christmas table? Did you know that the plant originates from Mexico? Or that it was introduced to the US in the 1800s by the American ambassador to Mexico Joel Roberts Poinsett? Also of note is the fact that 1 family had a monopoly of the US market for poinsettias of over 90% control for over 90 years!

Learn all this and more, including the religious significance of the Poinsettia here.

One Way NOT to Move to Mexico

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 21:55:17 PST

If you haven't heard, a Japanese national has made his home in the Mexico City international airport. He hasn't bathed in weeks and is living off of handouts, but is becoming a folk hero here in Mexico.

In spite of that, I readily encourage more traditional routes to emigrating to Mexico! It is quite easy, I don't know why this guy makes it so hard. Contact me with any questions you have about how easy it is to spend long periods of time in Mexico for foreigners. If I can't answer your question, for sure one of my 'Mexperts' can!

Cheers, Thomas
253-777-0206
thomas@thomashellyer.com

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travel/2008420584_webmexicoairportman21.html

Passenger stays for three months at Mexico City airport

By MARIA GALLUCCI

The Associated Press

MEXICO CITY — Hiroshi Nohara is on a layover at the Mexico City airport. It has lasted almost three months, and he has no plans to leave.

For reasons he can't explain, the Japanese man has been in Terminal 1 of the Benito Juarez International Airport since Sept. 2, surviving off donations from fast-food restaurants and passengers and sleeping in a chair.

At first, he frightened passengers, and airport authorities asked the Japanese Embassy to investigate why the foul-smelling man refused to leave. Now, he's somewhat of a celebrity, capturing Mexico's collective imagination with nearly daily television news reports on his life at the food court.

Tourists stop to pose with him for photographs or get an autograph.

The Tokyo native flew into Mexico with a tourist visa and a return ticket home, but he never left the airport. In an interview Thursday alongside the airport McDonald's, he said he had no motive for his extended stay and doesn't know how much longer he'll remain.

"I don't understand why I'm here," he said through a visiting interpreter originally hired by a television station. "I don't have a reason."

The embassy can't force him to leave, and since Nohara's visa is valid all Mexican officials can do it wait for it to expire in early March.

During his stay, Nohara's wiry goatee has grown into a scraggly mass. His red-tinted hair is speckled with dust and dandruff, and his cream-colored jacket and fleece blanket are dingy with overuse. He smells like he hasn't had a shower in months.

"He's a calm person, a nice man," said Silvia Navarrete del Toro, an airport janitor. "He just sits here and eats all day."

Various stalls in the food court give Nohara free snacks and drinks, sometimes even throwing in hats or coffee mugs with store logos to get free publicity during his frequent television appearances.

Strangers often buy him pastries or hamburgers; he prefers the latter.

He sits with the interpreter, talking and laughing for hours, at a small table covered with cups of cold coffee, packets of ketchup and sandwiches wrapped in foil.

Stroking his facial hair, Nohara said the 2004 film "The Terminal," starring Tom Hanks as an Eastern European man stuck in a New York City airport, was not his inspiration. But he acknowledged the similarities.

"My life," he joked, "is 'The Terminal 2."'

Pueblo Fantasma (Mexican Ghost Town!)

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 21:15:03 PST

I always was fascinated with the ghost towns of the American West. South Pass City in Wyoming was one we visited regularly as children. Read this great article about a Mexican ghost town that is being reclaimed by foreign artists:

http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-tr-pozos16-2008nov16

I love these stories of folks venturing into new and 'unexplored' places. Of course, just as North and South America were not DISCOVERED by Columbus, these places have certainly already been discovered. I always like to know what makes someone choose between a gated community of expats vs. moving to one of the thousands of 'undiscovered' yet enchanting hamlets in Mexico...

Immigration Compromise!

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:53:10 PST

Mexico provides a facilitated visa program for retiring foreigners that invest in Mexico! How about that?

This interesting article from Fox News suggests that this could be part of the re-stimulation of the US market.

Sounds good to me! Retiring Mexicans can move to Miami, and you all can come down here!

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,454972,00.html

Realtors Say Foreigners Hold Key to Real Estate Revival

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

By Phil Keating

American real estate agents say there's a surefire way to help the country's plummeting real estate market: Let foreigners retire here after they buy.

Miami agent Tony Macaluso is leading the charge to create a special new "Silver Card visa" that would ease restrictions on older immigrants — but the National Association of Realtors, Congress and the State Department aren't biting just yet.

"This idea would be for someone who is over 50, who is retired, who has proof of income, who is not relying on our health care system or our welfare system," Macaluso told FOX News.

"When they come here it would be on a non-work visa, so they would be retired [and] their wealth that they are earning in another county would be spent here in the United States. And if there is something we could clearly use is more money coming into the country," he cotinued.

Foreign nationals who no longer work, but desire to spend their golden years in the United States can currently buy property here — and many do.

But most of them have only tourist visas and must leave the country every six months and wait a few months more before they can re-enter the United States.

"I don't want to leave," said French citizen Estelle Nezel, who owns property but lives in the U.S. on a tourist visa. "I just want to stay here."

Other countries have realized the economic value of foreigners and the retirement capital flowing in to their nations.

Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica all encourage wealthy retirees to live in their respective countries with special visas, and even offer tax incentives. Partly because of this, an estimated 1 million Americans have retired to Mexico, 65,000 to Panama and another 35,000 to Costa Rica.

Nezel says she's an example as to why it makes sense.

"If I stay here, I rent a car, I go shopping, I spend money. I'm not taking anything from America. On the contrary, I'm just giving," she said.

While the National Association of Realtors has studied the "Silver Card" idea, it has yet to take a stand on it. The U.S. State Department, which issues more than 80 different types of visas, doesn't comment on proposals before they're mandated by Congress.

In the meantime, while Macaluso and other real estate agents struggle to find home buyers in dire economic times, they continue to work to persuade anyone who will listen of the advantages of a "silver card visa" for the United States.

"We need to step up to the plate saying, 'This is a really great place to be. We have a fine country we would like you to share. We would love you to come and spend your retirement funds here within our borders,'" Macaluso said.

Would you feel safe in Mexico?

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:54:42 PST

I do. It's not hard. I avoid dark alleys, cross the street if I see a group of unseemly characters, don't run drugs, and use common sense, kind of like back when I lived in the US...

But don't take my word for it, Julia Taylor is an expert on living in Mexico. I think you'll like her blog about safety in Mexico: http://home-sweet-mexico.com/dont-let-the-bad-press-stop-you-mexico-is-a-great-place-for-canadians-to-visit-this-winter.html/

Saludos,

Tom

Assisted-Living Options Growing in Mexico

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:00:14 PST

As our retirement portfolios shrink and the US healthcare system is the ELEPHANT in the room, what are your plans for when you are no longer able to care for yourself? Many are looking to Mexico...a room opening onto a shaded courtyard being cared by a trained nurse dining on delicious cuisine for 1/3 of the cost has a nice ring to it doesn't it?

Here is a good article from the Dallas News...

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/DN-assisted_16int.ART.State.Edition2.4a28496.html

The Wonders of Tequila

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 20:43:15 PST

Tequila -- the word alone invokes many emotions; confusion trying to remember the distant and hazy memories of a Spring Break in Cabo, bewilderment as to why the chemically challenged and noxious Jose Cuervo Especial even exists with so many wonderful 100% agave reposados out there, etc. But it has been discovered by scientists at UNAM that even the most rot gut of Tequilas can produce synthetic diamonds...how 'bout that!

Read the BBC article here.

Health Care Overseas -- Upward Trend

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:32:32 PDT

Would you go overseas for cheaper (dare I say better??) healthcare? Check out this Motley Fool article discussing this growing trend. http://www.fool.com/personal-finance/retirement/2008/08/12/medical-vacations-the-retiree-health-care-solution.aspx

For those of us in Mexico, I found this quote interesting:

"For years, people in the American Southwest have capitalized on the high-quality dental work available south of the border for a fraction of U.S. prices. Now more people are traveling to Guadalajara in Mexico for body augmentation and other surgeries, too. Many of the doctors there are U.S.-trained, and the equipment is top of the line. (We know, because we've used it.)"

There are a number of healthcare professionals in my wife's extended family that cater to foreigners in Guadalajara. What do you think, would you elect to have a medical procedure done in a different country? What would be your criteria for deciding?

The real key will be when or if Americans are allowed to use their Medicare benefits outside of the US...

Masa -- this Saturday, October 4th, be there!

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:12:08 PDT

This Saturday evening, while it will be cold, windy and rainy outside, please join me on a short, relaxing getaway at Masa Restaurant in Tacoma that will take you away for a brief time to the fun and sun. We'll be having some of Masa's delicious appetizers, and there will be Mexican beer and drinks too!

My friends Jimmi and Robert from Boca de Iguanas will be there too. Boca is a beautiful development on Mexico's Pacific coast, a short drive north of Manzanillo.

This is nota sales pitch, rather an introduction. These are not time shares. This is a relaxed, casual event. While Jimmi and Robert are passionate about Boca, they will not engage in any pressure sales, they believe it sells itself. 14 units have sold already (of 35), all on word of mouth. I think you'll be interested and will want to learn more, that's what this is all about. If you've contemplated owning your own dream residence in Mexico, please come.

So please join us on Saturday at 6:30 at Masa (driving instructions). RSVP with me, Thomas at 253-777-0206. Love to see you there!

Regards,

Thomas Hellyer

More about Boca:

Boca de Iguanas represents a fusion of Mexican architecture, incorporating classic colonial hacienda elements in the Spanish mission-inspired Pueblo, contemporary modern design in Entre Palmeras, and eclectic "jungle-chic" rustic areas dedicated to Mother Nature.

Boca offers full and fractional ownership tailored to your needs.

Fractional:
Fractional shares starting at the low $120,000 USD for ocean view condos and $195,000 USD for Casa Mango, a luxury residence with more then 5,000 sq/ft of living area.

Full Ownership:

The condos ranges from $265,000 USD up to $450,000 USD average size 1600 to 2000 sq/ft. There are also two suites available starting at $185,000 USD

The full and fractional ownership is available through FIDECOMISIO (Brank Trust) and Title Insurance by Stewart US.

The HOA monthly fees are $350,00 USD for the condos and $400,00 USD for the residences. The monhly HOA fee covers:

Property taxes
Fidecomiso annual fee
Water
Landscaping
Trash collection
24 Security
Beach Club
Exterior Insurance
Exterior paint
Management
Public areas
Pool (5 pools when project completed)

The resort will only have 35 condos and 17 custom luxury residences.

Additional Highlights:

Boca has its own full-time biologist on staff, 100 species of birds have been identified on site
Mango Grove conservation
Turtle sanctuary, over 1800 endangered sea turtles were hatched at Boca last year
Solar energy at every residence
Designed to promote natural airflow, lessening need to use air conditioner
Outdoor / indoor dining and living spaces

Self financed, project carries no debt
Purchase financing available
Title insurance provided by Stuart Title
Minimum construction impact
Infrastructure already in place (pools, restaurants, etc)
Fair prices, with many price ranges

Breathtaking ocean front
One of the least developed areas around
Less than one hour from international airport, 4-5 hour flight from Seattle
Walking trails
Only essential trees have been removed

Some "Boca" key words:

Fun
Unique
Community
Fresh
Bright
Relaxing
Warm
Proud
Integrity
Progressive
Refreshing
Explore
Adventure

--
Thomas M Hellyer

Choice Real Estate Group
3906 S. 74th St, Suite 201
Tacoma, WA 98409
(253) 232.2448 Cell
(253) 777-0206 Permanent
iRetireInMexico.com

Exciting Event in Tacoma

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:43:06 PDT

It will be rainy and windy this Saturday evening. Instead of staying home and worrying about your 401k, come share a relaxing time with Jimmi and Rob, representatives of the greenest and classiest resort in Mexico, Boca de Iguana. Call me at 253-777-0206 for more details. (snacks, Coronas, and Margaritas included!!)