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Everything posted by Tennis Bum
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Can someone tell me why the spread is so great between what Google says is the exchange rate, and what the various banks give me when I use my US debit card to withdraw money? For example today the "official" rate should convert 8000 pesos to $403, but Scotia Bank charged me $453 to withdraw that amount. The other banks are no better.
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Requirements for renting without a fiador
Tennis Bum replied to Tennis Bum's topic in Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara
It looks like it's necessary to create a post in order to turn off the Follow topic option? Here's hoping it works. -
Requirements for renting without a fiador
Tennis Bum replied to Tennis Bum's topic in Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara
Update to my original post: I have put a security deposit down on a two bedroom apartment in Tlaquepaque Center after waiting 4 months for it to become available. That and the first month´s rent is all that the owner required, after using a law firm to conduct a credit investigation and background check for which I paid 850 pesos. The contract is lengthy and was prepared by the same law firm. The first few pages set out the terms of the Instituto de Justicia Alternativa's involvement should arbitration be needed to settle a dispute. I will have to pay 3,000 pesos to the firm when we sign the contract in their office, and this fee includes their service for filing it with the IJA. -
Requirements for renting without a fiador
Tennis Bum replied to Tennis Bum's topic in Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara
It would seem the subject of paying with dollars in Mexico is worthy of discussion. I've been on forums where when posts started to veer off topic the moderator put them under a new one. I know I'm a newbie here, so just sayin'. -
Requirements for renting without a fiador
Tennis Bum replied to Tennis Bum's topic in Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara
Nope, I did not know about that place. Then again I only just found out about a club with 3 practically brand new clay courts, that is just a few clicks from where I live. My coach told me about it last week. I think he had been holding out because he didn't want to lose my business. -
Requirements for renting without a fiador
Tennis Bum replied to Tennis Bum's topic in Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara
It's not about what I think, it's about what the owners of the properties I'm looking at are insisting on, as explained in my original post. -
Requirements for renting without a fiador
Tennis Bum replied to Tennis Bum's topic in Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara
I believe that's achieved with the sentencia ejecutoriada obtained at the Institute de Justicia Alternative, and at no or minimal cost. -
Requirements for renting without a fiador
Tennis Bum replied to Tennis Bum's topic in Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara
Thanks, the lake sounds great and I look forward to my first visit to Aiijic. But unlike many here I'm not retired, and much of my potential business is in GDL, and so are most of the nice professional Tapatia ladies I've been meeting on Tinder. Also, I'm an avid tennis player and like to drill several times a week with a good coach and look forward to playing in some local tournaments. Tlaquepaque, where I've been living well for a year, is about as far away from GDL as I want to be. -
Do you know of someone who can build a steam room?
Tennis Bum replied to Jack1974's topic in Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara
I very recently visited for the first time, a small tennis and swim club in GDL that was built from scratch last year by a local family. They included a large steam room as part of the facilities. This is not a posh facility and I am fairly certain they spent their money very carefully in constructing it. Not making any promises, but I will likely be joining the club for at least a month, and if you like I can try to get the contact info for whoever built the steam room. -
Requirements for renting without a fiador
Tennis Bum replied to Tennis Bum's topic in Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara
Not sure what you mean by "he produced a fiador." Normally the renter is required to produce the fiador. I've been told that an "arrangement" can be made with a property owning third party and that strictly speaking there is nothing illegal about finding a guarantor in that way, but that sounds dodgy to me and I was advised against it by legal counsel. Is that what you mean by "he produced a fiador"? Been here a year now and I've never paid for anything in US dollars, or been asked to. -
Requirements for renting without a fiador
Tennis Bum replied to Tennis Bum's topic in Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara
This reminds me of one of Steve Martin's early routines, in which he explained how to get a million dollars and not pay any taxes on it. "First" he said with a huge silly grin, "get a million dollars!" I wouldn't say almost anyone will do. To qualify as a guarantor (fiador) for someone renting in Jalisco you have to own property in the state and as guarantor you are putting it up as collateral in the event the renter skips out. That's something I would only ask my own family members (none of whom live in Mexico let alone Jalisco) to do. Interestingly those moving to GDL from another state in Mexico face the same challenge. Alternatively if I could just put down one month's security to rent one of the places I've liked, that would be dandy. I'm looking in some of GDL's better neighborhoods, and I haven't met a realtor or a landlord yet who in the absence of a guarantor would accept less than 3 months in advance as security. And although I'm okay with that, have excellent credit and proof of both savings and income, a recent investigación put me in the "risky" category. The lawyer at the firm that conducted it on behalf of the landlord explained the 30 points deducted from my score were all because I lacked a fiador. I've been told by various local acquaintances that the Tapatios are considered by other Mexicans to be amongst the most cautious and conservative people in the country. But maybe things are different at "the lake." -
Requirements for renting without a fiador
Tennis Bum replied to Tennis Bum's topic in Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara
As an addendum to what I wrote above, the local law firm who investigated me on behalf of the owners of an apartment I was thinking of renting, have told me that residency is not a requirement for obtaining a sentencia ejecutoriada. In any case, I'd be interested in hearing about the experience of others who have rented in the GDL municipality. -
For the past year I've been renting in Tlaquepaque from landlords who let me move in with nothing but the first month's rent. Now I'm apartment hunting in Guadalajara, and getting an education. I'm willing to sign a one year lease and can meet all the standard requirements except for one: I do not have a local fiador (guarantor). Where owners are willing to make an exception to this it seems the sentencia ejecutoriada obtained at the Instituto Justicia Alternativa becomes part of the expanded requisitos. Apparently this guarantees that any dispute about the rental will be handled through arbitration by this court. In the absence of the fiador, owners are also asking for a sum paid in advance equal to several month's rent (returned upon departure.) I understand the logic behind all this, my question is: Has anyone here who has obtained a one year lease without a fiador done so by signing the sentencia ejecutoriada at the IJA, and if so was a residency visa part of the requirements?
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Nicely done!
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New member living in Tlaquepaque
Tennis Bum replied to Tennis Bum's topic in Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara
Thank you! -
Sorry if I misled anyone with the topic, I'm not selling, I'm buying! But now that I've got your attention, I have to decide this weekend if I will stay in the furnished flat where I've been for a year, or move to a completely unfurnished one in a much quieter building in one of the nicest little streets in Tlaquepaque center. Furnishing the place might be fun, but what's holding me back a little is the thought of having to sell everything if I decide to move in a year or two. Is there much of a market for house sales (I mean the contents), with stuff so cheap and abundant in Tonala?
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New member living in Tlaquepaque
Tennis Bum replied to Tennis Bum's topic in Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara
Thanks, working on getting a balcony as I write this. I don't have one now but I may be moving next week... -
New member living in Tlaquepaque
Tennis Bum replied to Tennis Bum's topic in Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara
San Antonio? I'm assuming you don't mean the one in Texas. But apparently there's a Super Lake in Guadalajara. Is that the one you mean? -
New member living in Tlaquepaque
Tennis Bum replied to Tennis Bum's topic in Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara
Sadly the lemongrass leaves aren't much good for making curry pastes, soups and salads, for those you need the bulbs. Have you seen the entire stalks with their outer leaves and bulbs intact for sale in Chaipas or just the leaves? Dried, the latter are available here too, but I haven't found any of these fresh herbs at the mercado de abastos. And if not there, I'm not sure where in Guadalajara to look. If I saw lemongrass growing in someone's backyard you bet I would ask them if they could spare a few stalks for replanting. I believe there are commercial growers of galangal in California but you're not supposed to bring it across the border. -
New member living in Tlaquepaque
Tennis Bum replied to Tennis Bum's topic in Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara
I'm living in an apartment, but maybe if I move to a house one day that has a place for a garden, I'll take another stab it. On the other hand if you can tell me where your neighbor got the kaffir lime tree I could probably manage to cultivate one of those! -
New member living in Tlaquepaque
Tennis Bum replied to Tennis Bum's topic in Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara
Thanks! Not sure I consider myself a New Yorker any more, having spent the second half of my life outside the US, but I still managed to find my way to a friend's place on Central Park West on a recent trip. I wanted to bring back some cheesy souvenirs, but sadly pretty much all those Eighth Avenue shops have closed. -
New member living in Tlaquepaque
Tennis Bum replied to Tennis Bum's topic in Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara
Kaffir lime leaves, (the bulbs of) the lemongrass plant, and galangal root are all essential for Thai cooking. None of these are grown commercially here. It would take several years for a kaffir lime tree grown from seeds to reach a height that would allow you to harvest the leaves. To grow the other two items you need the bulbs and roots to get started, neither of which can be legally imported. (I know cause I wrote to the phytosanitary department of the government.) Apparently there is a Thai restaurant in CDMX that has their own Thai herb garden. Maybe some day I'll visit them and learn how they got it started. -
Greetings, Originally from the New York metro area, I moved to Tlaquepaque in March 2020. Prior to coming to Mexico I spent 20 years in Southeast Asia (mostly Thailand but also Cambodia and Myanmar), and I before that I lived for 5 years in the South of France. I'm a media (especially video) producer, and my work can be seen at www.martinamada.com. Now that I'm vaccinated I look forward to getting out and about more, and to my first visit to Aiijic. The closest I've been was Jamay, where at a lakeside restaurant I had a catfish in a red mole that I will never forget. I play a lot of tennis and ride my bike daily. I speak Spanish, French and Thai for whatever that's worth. Enjoying life here with the only thing lacking - the fresh herbs etc. needed to make Thai food. I look forward to being a part of this community, and to continuing my education about life in this part of Mexico. Martin