.....and Canadians settle in one of five locations: San Miguel de Allende, Mazatlan, Oaxaca, Guadalajara, or Lake Chapala.  If you've ever considered retirement in Mexico please read this report first. It has the information that would otherwise take you months of frustration to acquire.

But why Mexico, you might ask? The reason so many Americans and Canadians choose Mexico is because they can drive to Mexico in a car. A bigger reason is that Mexico.....

.....is a bargain compared to the USA and Canada. But there are also a large number of Europeans in Mexico. Mexico is rich with history, steeped in culture, having perhaps a more pronounced culture than any other nation in Latin America with the exception of Brazil and Argentina. Mexico has great food, great architecture and many areas with an excellent climate. Mexico is also modern, with better highways than many parts of Latin America and an infrastructure that allows foreigners to connect via telephone and internet to the rest of the world. This level of infrastructure isn't available in Nicaragua, nor in Guatemala, and this is a very important determining factor for the retiree who doesn't want to be inconvenienced by inconveniences.

Foreigners staying in Mexico for an extended period of time (usually greater than a few months) will probably find the rental of a property - or perhaps a purchase - better value than staying at a hotel for the whole time. Others may just want a home in the sun 'down Mexico way' as a place to stay on holiday, and rent out when they're not there...

Whether it's cheaper to rent or buy during a stay in Mexico depends on where you are staying, and what your requirements are. From a fiscal viewpoint, big city hotels can be as expensive as New York, London or Paris: hotels in small cities and towns can be incredibly good value for money - especially in Mexico's Colonial Cities.

As for a property investment - Mexico has a lot to offer. Property prices in Mexico have risen substantially in recent years - especially near the coast - but value can be sought with time and patience. Property in Mexico can also surrender an annual rent, depending on where the property is situated. Cost of ongoing ownership is also relatively low in Mexico (maintenance, taxes, etc).

Renting Real Estate in Mexico:

Some rental properties require a 6-month minimum term - others will let you stay on a month-by-month (or even a weekly) basis. Local estate agents can help you find the short-term accommodation you need, but there are other ways to find property as well - read the Renting Guide for more details.

Buying and Selling Real Estate in Mexico:

Buying property in Mexico is a major commitment: in terms of time, effort and money - just as it is in any other country around the world. Contrary to what you may think: buying property in Mexico can be safe and sound, but you must seek professional advice, exercise caution, and do your homework.

Real Estate Developments in Mexico:

One of the easiest ways to invest in Mexican real estate is through a Real Estate Development Project. Real Estate Developments are managed by companies who buy large parcels of land, obtain all of the necessary permits, connect up principal utilities such as water, electric and telephone and sell either plots of land and/or houses, condos, etc. The companies have English-speaking staff, and usually offer Title Insurance as well.

You will find that life is so much more enjoyable because you finally have time to pursue your hobbies and develop your talents. People who move to Mexico finally have time to prepare the recipes they’ve been saving from gourmet magazines, put the box of photographs into albums, or garden to their hearts´ content in this land where flowers grow all year long. Others develop new interests and discover latent talents when they take a ceramics or watercolor class. There are also innumerable opportunities for volunteer work.

For people who love to socialize, there’s probably no better place in the world to make friends. People who don’t work have more time to party! But, even more than that, expatriates, because of their adventurous natures, seem more gregarious than their American/Canadian counterparts. Then, too, expatriates find themselves thrown into a world where they must cooperate and share information in order to survive.

We’re not implying that Mexico is Shangri-La, but we think it’s closer to paradise than any place you can find in the United States or Canada. Here in this land of majestic mountains and rolling countryside, you will find a gentle people willing to welcome you into their hearts. You will have more time to explore other interests and develop your talents because you have more freedom, better health, less stress, and someone else to take care of mundane chores. The low cost of living allows you to splurge on luxuries that would be prohibitive anywhere else and to take advantage of world-class resorts that are only a few hours´ drive away.   

Even the recent turmoil in Mexico — including drug-related violence, political unrest in the south and a bitterly disputed presidential election — has done little to curb the enthusiasm of developers and buyers for Mexican property.

"From an economic standpoint it is quite stable," said the coordinator of the Mexico and Latin America real estate group for Baker & McKenzie, a Chicago-based international law firm. "You don't have the ups and down that you used to have with currency devaluations."

Several factors have made developers and buyers more comfortable with doing business in Mexico, including the wide availability of title insurance, the accessibility of financing and new transparency in the development process.

Foreigners, mainly North Americans, are buying 10,000 homes a year in Mexico and that number is expected to double in the next five years, according to government statistics.

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