Jump to content
Chapala.com Webboard

Visiting


rnew

Recommended Posts

I almost forgot to mention. You can completely reinvent yourself here. From a former used junk dealer to an outlaw (1%er) biker, to a one star General, to several former "spooks" in the C.I.A. (sorry - can't talk about it), to wanted criminals on the run. We have had them all. Me, I prefer to tell the truth, when asked what I did in Canada - I tell them I was a professional race car driver and part time male model.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, rnew said:

My wife and I will be visiting in Feb. for about 4-6 days with an eye toward the possibility of moving long term. What kind of things should we make sure to do during this visit? Should we get an AirBnB or a B&B or...? Should we stay in Ajijic or Lake Chapala or ....? How can we avoid common mistakes?  How many folks decide to move, then a year or two later realize they made a mistake? Any other questions we should be asking :-)?

Lot of good questions.  I'd opt for a B&B for a short visit.  There are a number of reasons people don't stay.  Often, it is about missing family members back home.  Medical issues also cause people to return NOB.  The center of the expat community here is Ajijic and the Lake Chapala Society there is a good resource for getting a feel for the area.  Several of the Realtors do no obligation home tours, I'd definitely try and do one of those to get a feel for the real estate in the area.

It is usually suggested that you test the waters by renting before or even if you buy.  More than a few folks here just continue to rent indefinitely.  

Most everyone we know, including us, works at learning Spanish, with varying degrees of success.  It definitely is not as easy as it would have been at younger ages and poor hearing often compounds the problem.  The Mexican people here by and large appreciate the economic and charitable contributions of the expat community and they are almost all very friendly and helpful to us.  We feel the people here are one of the big benefits of living here.

The climate is just amazing to almost anyone other than those from south of Los Angeles.  It is very even year round and most of the substantial rain that falls for 5 months of the year falls at night.  The location near to an airport with excellent service both in country and to the U.S. and Canada is a real bonus.

I'd start with Ajijic and then on subsequent visits try the other locations.  There really is a life style and setting here, suburban to urban and all points in between.

The people in this group are among the most helpful and friendly you will find anywhere.  Welcome!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lots of ex-pats in the suburban "gated communities" too. Usually nice homes, and they socialize together - cards, games, etc. Most are very quiet, secure and peaceful. You should see that side of life here on your visit. Very good deals on rentals because the property owners really want someone to look after the place, rather than a big profit maker. Many people had to change their retirement plans, and are working longer than they intended.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No - the financial meltdown of 2007 wiped out  a lot of retirement accounts. It is really quite astonishing how inexpensive it can be to live down here. It seems to me that there is a lot of money to be made, or taxes to reap by making people work longer,  in making people thinking they need much more money than they really need to happily retire.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...