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To live or not to live-RIBEIRAS de PILAR-that is the question?


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Hola amigos,

I've lived near seis esquinas((very safe these days as apposed to 2-3yrs ago)) for the past 3 years, in a very Mexican street/Mexican house((partner is Mexican)). We fancy a change of scenery and really like some houses in Ribeiras de Pilar-some agent friends have said it's quite isolated and not that safe for ladies to walk on their own, especially at night.

Any Ribeiras residents feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks for reading.

Saludos y k tenga una semana santa.

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Each to his or her own. I'm a single woman and I love living in Riberas. I've also lived in the village. I don't walk on my own at night anymore, anywhere though I used to. I think it's as safe here as anywhere else. I've never felt afraid. Good neighbours who watch out for each other. It doesn't feel isolated, just more 'suburban.'.

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Cheers

@World's best climate @HookeEmHorns ''yeah kinda true and know what you mean-although here in seis esquinas we know nearly everyone and always lots of people/families with their kinds in the village in the evenings, so quite safe for the Mrs to walk."

@Intrepid-many thanks for your reply. Currently in very Mexican style terrace house, in busy street-so was thinking houses where you are more detached/spaced out?

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I'm in lower Riberas & delighted that I am. I never did walk at night & don't really walk anyway but I have great neighbors, love my house & find my location convenient for where I like to go. I can walk to a few restaurants & small shops so I'm not totally car bound if I do decide to stroll around. It's a street by street thing as to how quiet it is, what the neighbors are like, etc. but I've had no serious power outages & only 1 that lasted about 8 hours. A few brief ones over the almost 3 years I've been here is all.

My Telmex speed is reliable & I get what I pay for & usually a little more. Some areas have funky water but I've got a purification system so that's no problem for me. All in all, Riberas works for me but YMMV. I personally wouldn't care to live elsewhere so it's nice we all have choices.

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Hi 007tennis,

Yes, I know seis esquinas and more than other parts of the village there are always families, kids, dogs, activity etc. It's very different here in that respect. You don't see people on the streets in the evenings, you're either in or out somewhere with friends. In the mornings there's people out walking dogs or for a stroll. I think there's more need for a car here though not everyone has one. Some houses are more spaced out, some are attached or semi-detached. I'd say there's more a sense of space, fields not yet built upon. The roads are rough but I don't mind that. If you enjoy having people around day and night, you might not like it here but if you're looking for a change of scenery it might fit the bill.

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I live in Riberas... I am a Real Estate Broker... and I feel perfectly safe and would (and do) recommend this area to my clients. Riberas is a large area and varies street by street. Especially in soil quality and street run-off. Phone lines can be hard to get the first time around but once you have one you are good. Yes, there are break-ins, but those also occur in the Village, in La Floresta, Mirasol, and just about everywhere else. Remember, there are more properties in Riberas than just about anywhere else, so more stuff happens but not necesarrily per household.

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@Chris Gruenwald @Bourbonman

Many thanks both for your input-thinking it does come down to liking/preference for either street,eat,gossip,families, activity v quiet, more private, relaxed, solo, peaceful, surburban.

@Chris - presume you suggest to check out desired houses in the day/evening/week-ends etc for noise/neighbours to get a better feel of how it may be living there.

Cheers all

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I live in Riberas... I am a Real Estate Broker... and I feel perfectly safe and would (and do) recommend this area to my clients. Riberas is a large area and varies street by street. Especially in soil quality and street run-off. Phone lines can be hard to get the first time around but once you have one you are good. Yes, there are break-ins, but those also occur in the Village, in La Floresta, Mirasol, and just about everywhere else. Remember, there are more properties in Riberas than just about anywhere else, so more stuff happens but not necesarrily per household.

Plus most of the streets have recently been installed with "high intensity" street lighting

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Riberas has improved tremendously in the five years we've lived there. We have a number of good friends who live there and they are quite happy with the place. The bang for your RE buck is higher there than in most places and the location near all the shops of Chapala is a good one.

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Our real estate agent told us Riberas is the "hot place" right now. Lots of buying and selling going on. There have been some improvements made in the infrastructure, like road grading and new street lights. There's a lot of construction and remodeling going on too. Although we are leaving Mexico and selling our house, I'd stay right in Riberas if we were staying. It is quieter and where we live there is still a lot of nature to enjoy. It's been fun to see the changes in Riberas in the last ten years.

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Our real estate agent told us Riberas is the "hot place" right now. Lots of buying and selling going on. There have been some improvements made in the infrastructure, like road grading and new street lights. There's a lot of construction and remodeling going on too. Although we are leaving Mexico and selling our house, I'd stay right in Riberas if we were staying. It is quieter and where we live there is still a lot of nature to enjoy. It's been fun to see the changes in Riberas in the last ten years.

That may be true because the houses are much, much cheaper there due to street construction (dirt roads), water and septic problems (poor soil) and houses that are not kept up. You cannot compare Riberas to anywhere in Ajijic. Most people buy in Riberas because they are looking for cheaper housing or cannot afford Ajijic.

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That may be true because the houses are much, much cheaper there due to street construction (dirt roads), water and septic problems (poor soil) and houses that are not kept up. You cannot compare Riberas to anywhere in Ajijic. Most people buy in Riberas because they are looking for cheaper housing or cannot afford Ajijic.

I could have afforded Ajijic but after much house hunting the property I liked best was in Riberas. Since then, no water and septic problems and I rather like the dirt roads. There are both well and poorly maintained houses everywhere.

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We moved from our house in the village to Riberas 5 years ago. Riberas does have a couple of dirt roads - but so does Ajijic. We have a friend who built a large estate above Ajijic and the last block or so to his gate is a dirt road. We have enjoyed every minute in our Riberas home. We even added a large garden and lap pool. No problems with our water, septic, etc. If you are going to judge areas because they have a dirt road - you had better take a look a the problems they're having in Racquet Club and Chula Vista. Compare, compare, compare! We can live any place we chose - we chose this area for it's safety, tranquility and variety.

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We lived in Riberas for two years and liked it very much. We did not have the infrastructure problems that ajijicis4me mntions. We lived in Ajijic for awhile and liked it also, but liked Riberas better. Now we're in Chapala, and may like that the best of all. Left Ajijic because we couldn't afford it? Not even close. I go to Ajijic when I need to or want to, but doubt I'll ever choose to live there again. I felt perfectly safe in Riberas. I always have been and always will be careful walking alone at night, no matter where I am.

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Ditto to that! We bought in Ajijic in 2001 and sold in 2004, moving to Chapala. We also prefer Chapala, by far. It is more active, has the downtown shopping, malecon, Parque Cristiania, etc. It is also quieter and free of smoke when they burn the milpas above Ajijic. Fortunately, we have multiple garages, so parking for us, or our guests, is not a problem; even on weekends like this. We can walk to the mercado publico in five minutes, which is a fantastic benefit.

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Riberas del Pilar is more suburban and most houses have more land... and even so, seem to be more reasonably prices. During the rainy season, some of teh roads seem to retain a lot of water, but even that has improved over the years. All my neighbors (a mix of Mexicans and Gringos) all seem to be very nice. The shopping options west of the Libramiento are vastly superior to the options west of Ajijic or in Ajijic, itself. Great bodegas for most needs, with good prices and a 7-11 real close, that is open 24 hours. Of course Super Lake is very close as is Walmart and the shopping center across from it, whith movie theater, bank, currency exchange, casino, sporting apparel, food court (including a Subway sandwich shop.) There are also quite a few nice restaurants and of course taco and torta stand and restaurants lining the careterra.

The Maskara clinic is right here on the west side of Riberas... and is open 24 hours. 1 - 1.5 miles west of Riberas is a Farmacia Guadalajara (which I believe is also open 24 hours.) They have a deli section now and an excellent bakery.

As others mentioned, we are almost as close to Chapala as you can get, without actually being in Chapala and can enjoy all that Chapala has to offer, too. Location and traffic-wise, I think Riberas has all the other areas beat. I also concur with other commenters that Riberas is improving and is the hottest location in the area, which will only spurn more improvements... causing your real estate investment to increase increase in value, rather than the deep reductions in asking prices that I am seeing in other areas.

One of my latest revelations about the area was after a drive I had to make into Ajijc and back, this past Thursday afternoon with all the 4-day weekender traffic for Easter, and how relieved I felt to be back in Riberas!

Today (Saturday) everybody is outside saying "Hola" to everybody else and preparing for large family get-togethers tomorrow. I like it.

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I've lived in Riberas for 8 years and love it. I have never felt unsafe, but use common sense. Know most of my great neighbors both gringo and Mexican. Everyone is friendly and I find the location perfect; equi-distant between Ajijic and Chapala, everything I need within walking distance. But it's the quiet that sold me. I think the area and homes are undervalued currently.

Sure there are problems but that's universal.

Hope you're happy no matter where you "land."

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  • 1 year later...

I am wondering what is happening with the property values / houses in the lake area and especially Riberas Del Pilar, is it worthwhile making an investment in a house at this time. Are the values still declining or have they started recovering? I've heard of people having septic tank problems in Riberas Del Pilar, is that just in certain areas? Where does the water come from any problems with that? How is the drainage in the rainy season, anything you can tell me about the area would be appreciated. I'm hoping to hear from individuals rather than real estate agents, they can’t help but have ulterior motives.

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