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So what has happened to all those other baby boomers born in 1946/48 and are now 65+ years old...will we ever get to see them in the droves predicted and gobble all this wonderful real estate .

I doubt it, at least anytime soon.

At the height of the housing boom around 2007, a lot of people were re-fiing their NOB house and taking the cash and buying here. When the bubble burst, they ended up with a house here and an under water house in the US. Their hope of selling the house NOB, paying off the debt and retiring south was gone. They were stuck with a house here that they couldn't sell and one NOB in the same position plus having to work more years to try to save their investments. Plus the market took a 50% dive and cut their retirement accounts by 30-40%.

I came here in the spring of 08. I ate breakfast at Salvadors every morning at 7:30 and left at 8:30. By 8:30, the place was full and often had people standing in line for a table.

I still eat at Salvadors most mornings and leave around 9:00. Most days, it is 1/3 full when I leave.

In the past year, 3 of my buddies have died, 2 leaving widows. Both houses are empty and have been for months. I have only seen one new face join my crowd but I'm missing at least 6 that have died or gone NOB.

The housing bubble bursting hurt a lot, the slow recovery in the US has hurt, the new immigration rules have hurt and the drug violence of a couple years ago scared off some people. Plus, the cost of living here has increased some.

I think the gringo population is down at least 20% from 2008 and I don't see the amount of Snowbirds in the winter either.

I survey apartment rents for a company in the US. You can rent homes and apartments in AZ, FL, and NV for the same or less than here and it is a lot closer. A lot of Snowbirds snapped up cheap housing in the bust.

It will take a change in the US to get the flow back. High inflation, civil unrest etc. Until that happens, the answer to your question is "No, they aren't going to flood in down here".

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I think Jim30655's analysis is right as far as it goes, but it misses one key point. I think the coming tidal wave of boomers from the US was largely a myth because (speaking as a US citizen) most folks in the US have the barest clue that anything exists outside its borders. It's all sort of unknown and alien and threatening.

The US population, which used to be one of the most adventurous and willing to move beyond known frontiers, has become inward-looking, frightened, and generally ignorant about the outside world. If you asked any 100 people on the street in the US to name a major city in Mexico, they could probably name Mexico City, Cancun, Puerta Vallarta, and Tiajuana. I say probably. The last three aren't even among the biggest cities. Of course the same would be true if you asked them about Canada. I doubt more than a small handful would even be able to name the capital of Canada.

I believe that most people inside the US borders (other than immigrants who would, by definition, know a lot about their home countries) believe in their hearts that nothing really exists beyond the US borders but squalor and violence. Some of this is due to the mindless drivel from a US media that is overwhelmingly aimed at entertaining rather than informing. I am afraid, though, that good deal of it is simply wilful ignorance on the part of the general public. If you are going to wait for the boomer avalanche, you'd better pack a lunch.

The above thoughts are, of course, simply my own opinions, informed by years of close observation.

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Be patient they will be coming, many are working longer,

the ones that will come will be the ones that have good insurance policy that covered them worldwide insurance policy or can buy one

be about 70 years old.

When they retire for a few years start traveling more and realize life would be a higher quality in a foreign country.

it took me and my wife two years of living in phoenix Arizona and talking to other retirees what options are out there.

to discover and meet snowbirds who have discovered the good life living in a foreign country 6 months of the year

In about a year from now in the USA housing prices will be at a point, where less retires our under water and can sell their home.

for example if just 500 retires sold and bought a house lakeside in a year, we would have a real estate boom. Just 500

lakeside will get its chance again to be promoted again as the number one spot in the world for US and Canadian expats.

I personally know of several expats who have moved back up north because a spouse died pushed by their kids,

wish they would have stayed lakeside. The they miss their friends they had here, the good weather and had forgotten how expensive it is up north.

The baby boomers who are waiting for social security after age 67 to retire and not as rich as the babyboomers who retired at age 55 12 years ago with a good pension. health insurance and sold their house near high of the market. The next group wave of expats will be because they have too live somewhere, where the costs our lower, they have no choice. They may be at first renters and the buy a house when they get any inheritance.

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People younger than 60 are a little bit different than us. Many of them are home schooling children while working over the internet. They are very polite but don't need LCS for the Library or DVD room. They have other solutions. Many of the below 60, generation is not as gregarious as we are. Many have been beaten down by the economy. They might have not made good money on selling houses up north like most of us did. They are extremely comfortable with technology which we are not as a group. We use it they embrace it! I am not sure Boomers are ever going to come here in large numbers again. It was much easier for above 60 folks to make money than todays job market in the US. If I worked today my salary would be 40% less. Squeeze Squeeze Squeeze that is the modern job world. My former company fires 10% of the workforce a year to keep people worried. I think Lakeside will become less of an expat place and more of Affluent Mexican place to visit or live. Also we have to admit that Mexico is not the bargain it was just ten years ago. Inflation is squeezing everyone. Look at LP gas, Gasoline, Fertilizer all going up at a very fast rate. My Electric bill is the largest I have ever had in my life! 850P for 300KWh per month. These are my opinions and I am sure others will disagree. I still think it is a great place to live but expat bargain? Not so sure.

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The U.S. is a big country with any kind of climate & cost of living. There is nothing wrong with wanting to stay in your country of birth & it doesn't make them insular or ignorant any more than the Brits who stay in England or the French who stay in France or the Canadians who stay in Canada. That may not be good for those looking to sell a house here but that's the way it goes.

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I just read an artlicle listing the top 5 places to retire in Mexico, and the Ajijic/Lake Chapala area was not one of them.

Yes, they seem to have picked out the most expensive places in Mexico to live. Clearly the author hasn't been to either San Miguel or PV and priced things first hand.

We're dirt cheap compared to both. At this point in time, the cost of living here is probably more driven by proximity to relatively expensive GDL than anything. I don't think there are enough of us expats left to drive anything.

BTW there are no similar climates to here anywhere in the U.S. but fantastically expensive southern California along the coast. And even that requires heating and cooling in many places.

Certainly, if you want to live in podunk Texas and roast in the summer and freeze in the winter you can find cheap places to live in the U.S. There's nothing cheap on either coast, however. And most of those states have onerous income taxes.

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Many of my contemporaries (mid 50's) are retiring early with adequate means. I know several couples who were very interested in retiring in Mx until the immigration changes and income requirement boost. You can argue all the reasons why Mx did it and it is their prerogative. End result is friends are looking at Panama, snowbirding in southern US states where living is cheap, or moving to milder climates in Canada. Yes there are areas of Canada with mild winters.

I am seriously looking at other countries as well solely due to a month of banging my head against a wall with the Mx consulate in YVR.

Hard to tell friends how great it is to retire here when you jump through more hoops every day.

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I just read an artlicle listing the top 5 places to retire in Mexico, and the Ajijic/Lake Chapala area was not one of them.

The repeated posts about robberies and murders and violence and near constant complaining about how bad things are in the lakeside Chapala, Ajijic area are working their magic to tell the Boomers with money to stay away, making Chapala a less attractive area than places that welcome and encourage newcomers. Some communities look outward and upward, while others choose to become ingrown.

I think there are some misconceptions out there about Boomers. The Baby Boom only starts to grow in 1947-1948, and takes off in 1949 as a broad peak until 1960 There are 2.5 million baby boomers a year just now becoming eligible for retirement with full SSI benefits => 1947 + 67 = 2014 which means we really shouldn't have expected many Boomers before this year.

The Baby Boom really took off between 1949 -1959, which means those people on average will be eligible for full retirement around in 2020-2024 - with the real retirement wave continuing out to 2030 - with about 4 million a year eligible for retirement in peak years.

Baby Boomers come in at least 2 flavors according to 2010-2012 US Census data for 55-64 year old people.

  • The top 40% of them have decent retirement savings and own their homes - with over $400,000 in net median household assets.
  • The lower 40% are near-broke or have only debt, and are only 2 paychecks away from poverty.

The top 40% of , soon to be retiring Boomer households do have the cash and freedom to travel and buy or rent vacation homes, and they are definitely a million or so potential snowbirds a year, with $$, who currently live in Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Iowa, the Dakotas, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New York.

Between all the bad posts and complaints about a low quality of life and complaining about lots of minor problems by a few Americans and Canadians in the Lake Chapala area, Chapala land owners hoping for increasing property values may have had the complainers let the air out everyone else's tires, by emphasizing the negatives, as other destinations in Mexico have steadily growing populations of foreigners. Is the glass half full, or half empty.

We humans are programmed to avoid bad painful experiences. It takes about 7 really good things to reduce the worries and fears from reading about or experiencing just one bad thing.

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If we look at the emotional component, many Americans and Canadians are just now starting to feel OK about their personal $$ situation, after being battered by the Bush-Fiscal Crisis and the wars dragging-out.

Since ordinary Canadian's and American's home values have only been picking up nicely for the last year - inspiring a little confidence - and with unemployment finally back down to pre-Bush-Fiscal Crisis levels, many people can only just now start to think about enjoying vacations or retiring comfortably.

The Fiscal Crisis caused deep rounds of home foreclosures (that created derelict properties) were finally being worked off in 2013, which is finally allowing home-values to rise consistently. That personal wealth effect plays a big role in discretionary spending.

There were just too many shocks and too much bad news to shake off between 2007 - 2013.

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In the past 10 years I have seen a (disturbing?) trend where retirees move to where their grown children have relocated, especially if there are grandkids. I don't know if it's because they want to be nearby to enjoy the grandkids, or just want to be closer to their grown kids so if/when these seniors need assistance, someone will be there for them.

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In the past 10 years I have seen a (disturbing?) trend where retirees move to where their grown children have relocated, especially if there are grandkids. I don't know if it's because they want to be nearby to enjoy the grandkids, or just want to be closer to their grown kids so if/when these seniors need assistance, someone will be there for them.

I lived in a 55 and older large condo complex centerally located in San Diego for many years while coming south more than 1/2 of the time and in our gazzebo the chatters confirm what you say. As soon as they retired, sold or moved from their rented apartments elsewhere and moved there so they could be close to their children and grandchildren. Most rented and had no extra money to have a second residence elsewhere. Some had residences elsewhere but paid off with nice pensions and would come to escape the cold in winter and leave their condo empty in the summer. So on a budget that restricts your movements I feel some retirees are in fact staying put or moving close to their children.

In this light I feel the ones that come to retire in Mexico are more adventurous and probably travelled to Mexico before retiring.

As far as some looking for a better more economical lifestyle I still feel Mexico has a lot to offer.

I got bored seeing the same old things for 35 years when not going to work weekly and would need several trips a year to break up that level of boredom and that costs more to do that have a second residence here and rent out the condo there. Besides I got married to my wife who lives here, very convenient for us both. She had enough visits to San Diego and that área over the years to satisfy her curiosity about it.

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I am a boomer and have been considering moving to the Lake Chapala area for several years now. I love the weather and the outdoor markets. Fresh food always available, but I don't see that the rent is any cheaper than in the U.S. At least not on the Realtor sites I have seen and that is a large chunk of money out of my monthly income. Am I looking in all the wrong places or can I plan on paying $500 U.S. for a studio apartment? Maybe this is affecting some Boomers decisions to move.

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Thinking about the Chapala area got me to thinking about how things have worked across Mexico. It's fun to drive around the countryside of Mexico - and see just how dramatically different one little town is versus its neighboring towns. Some places clearly have community-pride. They do what it takes to make things good and keep them good, especially when the troubles come. Others descend into bitching, complaining, and malaise, even though they have the same cards to play as their neighbors.

Dedicated passionate efforts can change things for everyone, for the better, as long as the grumps do not obstruct and block positive efforts, and as long as the sour-people don't undermine or poison things.

If we want soon-to-retire Boomers to come here, then make choices & changes that make that happen.

Our choices and our efforts make all the difference in the world.

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I am a boomer and have been considering moving to the Lake Chapala area for several years now. I love the weather and the outdoor markets. Fresh food always available, but I don't see that the rent is any cheaper than in the U.S. At least not on the Realtor sites I have seen and that is a large chunk of money out of my monthly income. Am I looking in all the wrong places or can I plan on paying $500 U.S. for a studio apartment? Maybe this is affecting some Boomers decisions to move.

If you want a nice, well equipped studio or 1 bdrm apartment in Centro Ajijic, it will be around $500.

If you are willing to live in one of the other Lakeside villages, it may be much, much less.

There are so many reasons why people choose to move to a foreign country when they reach retirement age that the cost of housing is not at the top of the list. As posters have cited, there are places in the U.S. where the cost of housing is just as low if not lower. What people pay higher prices for is location, always, no matter what country they choose.

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My wife and I have been considering moving to Lakeside for a couple of years. We bought our house in Decatur, Ga. when prices were very high and we've been underwater for a few years. But, things have rebounded and a recent appraisal has us back where we will make some money when we sell. It is presently on the market and should sell quickly. Also have a cabin in SC that I am hoping to rent out, or sell. But, when the main house sells we are coming down. We visited for 10 days last October and knew it was what we wanted to do. Already have some friends there.

Once we have a contract on our house, or close I'm driving down to rent a place for 6-12 months while we look for a more permanent rental. I'll fly back home and we will load up three cat, two dogs in a big RV and head down. Might put a camera in the RV and do a reality show on the way down.... call it" are we there yet". I'll wear a wifebeater T shirt and it should be a hit with the Duck Dynasty crowd.

I just turned 66 and wife is 57. I'm retired and she will shortly before we leave.

I would like to line up several potential rental opportunities prior to my coming down so if anyone knows a good agent or agency to recommend please do.

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Yes you can get a nice one bedroom Casita (cottage) for $500 in Ajijic. I rent mine without garage for $400. With 3 car garage price is $500. Lots of choice in Casita/one bedroom/ studio apt in this price range. Casita is rented long term just using this as an example. I am 7 minute walk from Plaza. We allow cats FYI. Price is for 3 year lease so long term. Short term prices would be 600 with garage 500 without. Parking on street is safe in many place.

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I would like to line up several potential rental opportunities prior to my coming down so if anyone knows a good agent or agency to recommend please do.

Four years ago we did pretty much as you're going to do. We were amazed how hard it was to find a place that would allow our 2 elderly cats. Give yourself plenty of time.

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A comment I often hear from those living in the U.S. - "I am already living in Mexico!". The population of Hispanics in the U.S. has more than doubled over the past ten years. A few months ago, they became the majority in California.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/01/24/in-2014-latinos-will-surpass-whites-as-largest-racialethnic-group-in-california/

The same thing in Vancouver, where the Asian population (taking in India and S.E. Asian countries) is very close to 50%. It is not a problem for me, in fact I miss the vast, ethnic diversity and cultures of Canada.

So this is the only migration boom I am seeing

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Three cats, two dogs? Give yourself plenty of time. lol. :unsure:

There are at least 5 rental agencies in the area, so you should be able to see lots of properties. Business is slow this time of year, but when the snowbirds from Canada come (around late fall), the good rentals become scarce.

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My wife and I have been considering moving to Lakeside for a couple of years. We bought our house in Decatur, Ga. when prices were very high and we've been underwater for a few years. But, things have rebounded and a recent appraisal has us back where we will make some money when we sell. It is presently on the market and should sell quickly. Also have a cabin in SC that I am hoping to rent out, or sell. But, when the main house sells we are coming down. We visited for 10 days last October and knew it was what we wanted to do. Already have some friends there.

Once we have a contract on our house, or close I'm driving down to rent a place for 6-12 months while we look for a more permanent rental. I'll fly back home and we will load up three cat, two dogs in a big RV and head down. Might put a camera in the RV and do a reality show on the way down.... call it" are we there yet". I'll wear a wifebeater T shirt and it should be a hit with the Duck Dynasty crowd.

I just turned 66 and wife is 57. I'm retired and she will shortly before we leave.

I would like to line up several potential rental opportunities prior to my coming down so if anyone knows a good agent or agency to recommend please do.

You might think about living in the RV out at Roca Azul for a while. Very inexpensive and spacious, lots of room for dogs to exercise.

That is a lot of pets. You may have trouble getting someone to rent to you so the advice to plan on a lot of time is a good one.

Now is the time to be looking for rentals here.

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