Retiring to Ajijic - could use some (lots of) advice....

One very important one!
Don't believe everything you read and hear..
Pay close attention to Bob.. He's spot on. So is Sainte and RV Gringo.

Another thing be careful posting about your political leanings..  
These forums on Mexico have some real jerks on them.. choose your friends and confidants wisely. .

I  sure hope you've got patience cause your going to need it..
Also Spencer  is the legal expert!! Use him!!
Even if your crap is welded down, be prepared..
If someone wants it bad enough they'll take it..

Learn some Spanish. .life is a lot easier if ya do..

Other than that you'll probably love it.. or... maybe not..
Mexico is a state of mind...

Regards
espiritu.

I agree with everything said about the Buy vs Rent thing...

I halfta say, with the Dollar approaching 18/1 now is an extremely good time to shop for Real Estate....

Maybe consider a crash course on Lakeside Properties...

Security here... no different than any other place... Best Security is Common Sense.

I worry more... most... about Week-end Warrior Drunk Drivers.

hockables wrote: I agree with everything said about the Buy vs Rent thing...

I halfta say, with the Dollar approaching 18/1 now is an extremely good time to shop for Real Estate....

Maybe consider a crash course on Lakeside Properties...

Security here... no different than any other place... Best Security is Common Sense.

I worry more... most... about Week-end Warrior Drunk Drivers.

All true, except I'd resist the temptation of supposing this is the bottom of the market.  Got a ways to go before that huge inventory is gone.

Re security:  Some newcomers get put off by the high walls, barred doors and windows, etc.  Best to just get used to it since we don't have the kind of regular police patrols (with relatively law abiding police) that one had NOB.  You're pretty much on your own here, so the "do-it-yourself" security doesn't mean you're living in a worse crime area that you used to be in.  Just give the iron workers a good looking bar design and plant some bougainvilla next to the wall.

One could check with some realtors but I think the bottom of the market occurred a year or two ago, maybe even three. Most owners aren't in a hurry to sell so they're not going to slash prices. Those that are do which may work for or against them.

David wrote:One could check with some realtors but I think the bottom of the market occurred a year or two ago, maybe even three.  Most owners aren't in a hurry to sell so they're not going to slash prices.  Those that are do which may work for or against them.

Meanwhile, I wish I had a crystal ball so I could make a little money on the real estate market.  I know at least two people who are very eager to sell, would listen to any reasonable offer and are in a hurry.  Very nice homes in a desirable area.  Lookers, but no buyers so far.  Based on what I'm reading in the financial pages from NOB, I think we can expect a recession in the not too distant future.  We know what effect that has on the real estate market in Lakeside.  Not good.
Just one pessimist's view, of course.

There will always be a large inventory here of homes owned by Americans and Canadians for sale as the average length of ownership time here is about one half or less, of what it is in the US and Canada for those people. As the flow of new immigrants from those countries moves up and down, the demand does not always match the supply.
Then you have the new developments, the perennially overpriced, no hurry to sell offerings, and the unsalable "ugly wall flower homes" factored into the inventory which can distort the apparent market based on inventory analysis.
I think real estate is fairly normal, some Mexicans are buying medium to high end, homes are selling, there just isn't any "buyer's panic" of bidding over asking prices.

SunshineyDay wrote:Immigration changes are a big issue to consider.

I'm not understanding this comment - could you explain further?

thanks

toedippers

There have been very few in the 10 years I've lived her and IMHO they were all for the better.

New Question (for those who've not already lost patience):

It's hard to tell from google maps - where roughly the boundaries of Ajijic are - if we wanted to live a pedestrian village life (...that would be the on-foot usage of the word - just to be clear)
 
I tried to draw maybe a 10 minute walk circle from the plaza - but not sure with hills and such if its too small or large a target area (or even if the main plaza should the center point). Or even if there's any area to avoid...

If we used the lake on the south, Alvoro Obregon to the west, Vencinos Alerta/Venustiano Carranza to the north and Revolution to the east - is that too small a circle to look for a place?  too large?  about right??  

anyone out there already living a pedestrian life?    ;-)

toedippers

Move to the Country... Buy a Pony

I live in Ajijic but I do not walk everywhere, actually I do not walk to many places.I walk for my pleasure but I drive to go shopping because I shop at Walmart and SuperLake which are in San Antonio not Ajijic. I walk to the fish market and a grocery store near my house in Ajijic but the shops where I like to buy are all over the place so you may want to know where you will go the most often to decide where you will live if walking to shops is important to you.

I walk a lot. It takes about 20 minutes to walk from six corners in western Ajijic to Revolution where the weekly market is.  Question in Ajijic is hill or no hill.  Great views up on the hill but walking up the hill is a drag for some folks.  Nearer the plaza is nearer the noise.  Find a balance between close and noise and farther away and some sort of quiet most of the time.  No place here I would call quiet in the north of the border sense unless you are in gated areas and such.  Yes exceptions exist.  Another thing to decide is whether you want to cross the highway. Don't laugh in high season I can wait ten minutes to cross!!  I miss being real close to the plaza and I don't like crossing the highway but the views are spectacular and the quiet is nice but sometimes it does feel dead up here. Find a balance for you.

Z

I guess part of the question would be how do you see yourselves spending your time. If you plan to frequent LCS, the plaza & the malecon then staying within the boundaries you stated makes sense. If you will have access to a vehicle for shopping excursions, that would help. And heed what Zed says about walking up the hills above the caraterra. They can be challenging after dark.

Yes going to the market is one thing coming back loaded with grocery is another, hills or no hills .
I walk a lot but not on shopping excursions. The street are paved with rocks and they can be a pain to walk on if you are loaded but then you can always take a bus .

toedippers wrote:
How's the lake?  has the water level got to where it should for this time of year?  have things been getting better as far as lake management, pollution, are the plants that have in the past covered large swaths of the lake in check?  ...and the wife wants to know if the lake ever smells and impacts those living close to the water?

thanks

toedippers

   

At this time of the year when the river is flowing, great quantities of lirio (water plants) wash into the lake. This year is the most I have ever seen. When it washes up on the shores it starts to rot and smells like rotten cabbage. In the past the municipality has killed the floating lirio and raked up the rotten masses on the shores. So far I haven't seen any clean-up here in Ajijic however they may be waiting for the rainy season to end, or maybe not.

I imagine those living on the waterfront can smell it when the wind is blowing their way.

I got a kick out of your use “Neighborhood Watch“ sign as a street name. I think Google has made that error thousands of times.
From Ajijic‘s plaza, a ten minute walk would be about three blocks E-W and perhaps half that N-S. However, I predict that you will buy a small car in short order, or become bored stiff. By the way, Ajijic is not the center of the universe, but is overly populated by expats with a tendency to be ....... well, cliquish. If you want an easier pedestrian life, Chapala would be a better choice; flatter and with everything necessary within about 3 blocks, including bus stops for E-W travel and the bus station for travel to Guadalajara and beyond. We chose Chapala after trying Ajijic for a few years, staying in Chapala for another decade.

We would never live in Chapala so to each its own. The parking is awful and there is nothing there that you cannot find in the other villages except for city all .
You can get a direct bus to Guadalajara In Jocotepec, San Juan, and Ajijic, it by passes Chapala via the Libramiento.
I speak fluent Spanish and I learned it in Ajijic. I have Mexican friends and they live in Ajijic. Wether you want to be with Mexicans or not is all up to you wether you live in Chapala or another village. . If you hang out around reataurants were foreigners go you will be with foreigners only but that is a choice in Ajijic just as much as in Chapala or any other place.
There is no doubt Ajijic is not the center of the world but people end up thre and in San Antonio because it is where things you need are.

Zedinmexico wrote:I walk a lot. It takes about 20 minutes to walk from six corners in western Ajijic to Revolution where the weekly market is.  Question in Ajijic is hill or no hill.  Great views up on the hill but walking up the hill is a drag for some folks.  Nearer the plaza is nearer the noise.  Find a balance between close and noise and farther away and some sort of quiet most of the time.  No place here I would call quiet in the north of the border sense unless you are in gated areas and such.  Yes exceptions exist.  Another thing to decide is whether you want to cross the highway. Don't laugh in high season I can wait ten minutes to cross!!  I miss being real close to the plaza and I don't like crossing the highway but the views are spectacular and the quiet is nice but sometimes it does feel dead up here. Find a balance for you.

Z

Apologies - I don't know where 6 corners is?  

toedippers

I agree. I don't think Ajijic is the "center of the world" but I do prefer living here. Lots of nice mixed neighborhoods at every price range, easy access to things both east and west (OK, it's the center for access), and way more restaurant choices than any place between Joco and Chapala. Never the less, one size doesn't fit all and there are many choices so it's easy to find one that fits each new arrival.

[Z[/quote]

Apologies - I don't know where 6 corners is?  

toedippers[/quote]

I picked it on purpose so you could find it on a map. Its in West Ajijic where 6 streets meet.

Z

Zedinmexico wrote:[Z

Apologies - I don't know where 6 corners is?  

toedippers[/quote]

I picked it on purpose so you could find it on a map.  Its in West Ajijic where 6 streets meet.

Z[/quote]


I'd like to buy a vowel.....

can't see it.... can I get the name of one of the streets??

thanks

toedippers

Brigitte and Rvgringo show you two complete different opinions. No one is wrong.  For some reason many folks think we are cliquish in Ajijic. I don't see it but obviously many folks think we are cliquish here or we would not hear it over and over.  

Z

toedippers wrote:

Zedinmexico wrote:[Z

Apologies - I don't know where 6 corners is?  

toedippers

I picked it on purpose so you could find it on a map.  Its in West Ajijic where 6 streets meet.

Z[/quote]


I'd like to buy a vowel.....

can't see it.... can I get the name of one of the streets??

thanks

toedippers[/quote]

Hildago, Ocampo

Ajijic is not that big guy laugh out loud.

Z

6 streets which one? I can only come up with 5. It is in the Barrio de la Guadalupe  off Ocampo where Hidalgo ends and that other street that goes from the lake to the Carretera. Sorry do not know the name of the street that goes from the lake to the carretera - It is only 3 blocks from where we live and only lived her for 15 years..
Seis Esquinas is a colorful area that was also known as "la colmena " the beehive..a place with an infamous gang.

By the way I cannot find 9 streets in the 9 esquinas in Guadalajara either..must be counting in French..

brigitte wrote:6 streets which one? I can only come up with 5. It is in the Barrio de la Guadalupe  off Ocampo where Hidalgo ends and that other street that goes from the lake to the Carretera. Sorry do not know the name of the street that goes from the lake to the carretera - It is only 3 blocks from where we live and only lived her for 15 years..
Seis Esquinas is a colorful area that was also known as "la colmena " the beehive..a place with an infamous gang.

By the way I cannot find 9 streets in the 9 esquinas in Guadalajara either..must be counting in French..

I only counted 5 as well - must be that exchange rate messing things up again....


toedippers

toedippers wrote:

brigitte wrote:6 streets which one? I can only come up with 5. It is in the Barrio de la Guadalupe  off Ocampo where Hidalgo ends and that other street that goes from the lake to the Carretera. Sorry do not know the name of the street that goes from the lake to the carretera - It is only 3 blocks from where we live and only lived her for 15 years..
Seis Esquinas is a colorful area that was also known as "la colmena " the beehive..a place with an infamous gang.

By the way I cannot find 9 streets in the 9 esquinas in Guadalajara either..must be counting in French..

I only counted 5 as well - must be that exchange rate messing things up again....


toedippers

New theory - re-read earlier messages warning us that if we build our own home in Ajijic we should be careful of the contractor we select - some tend to cut corners..... perhaps thats whats happened here....

td