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

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

The name is seis equinas... six corners. Not six streets.
Try counting the corners.

zenwoodle wrote:The name is seis equinas... six corners. Not six streets.
Try counting the corners.

Even the rounded ones???  

Six corners to plaza is a nice walk but farther away might be too far but I do not know your walking skills.  Many of us walk  five to ten miles a day for our health.  No doubt walking is very healthy other than the falling danger on the rock streets called cobblestones of which there is not a cobble present.  I thought six corners to revolution a nice range of housing all walkable to plaza.  Yes you can live farther west of six corners but distance gets larger to plaza maybe too long for many folks walking. Revolution is kinda the end of Ajijic on the east side as one hits soccer fields auditorium and than La Floresta.  Sorry for any confusion about six corners.

Z

Zedinmexico wrote:Six corners to plaza is a nice walk but farther away might be too far but I do not know your walking skills.  Many of us walk  five to ten miles a day for our health.  No doubt walking is very healthy other than the falling danger on the rock streets called cobblestones of which there is not a cobble present.  I thought six corners to revolution a nice range of housing all walkable to plaza.  Yes you can live farther west of six corners but distance gets larger to plaza maybe too long for many folks walking. Revolution is kinda the end of Ajijic on the east side as one hits soccer fields auditorium and than La Floresta.  Sorry for any confusion about six corners.

Z

your thoughts on la Floresta?

TDs

Upper is better, overall OK. The SE portion of lower La Floresta gets stinky during the rainy season.

La Floresta looks like a neighborhood from NOB. Big lots with front and back yards. Your house there needs to be fully secured since access to it is easier and the neighbors are further away. Some houses have what looks like a prison wall around them. 12 feet high with razor wire and floodlights.

Six corners; not six streets. There is your clue.
On living in Chapala after living in Ajijic: Most of the places people access from Ajijic are on the east side of Ajijic into San Antonio and Riberas del Pilar. We found those locations much easier to get to from Chapala than from our first home in the west side of Ajijic, on Ocampo near Seiz Esquinas and not far from Brigitte‘s location. Traffic is the problem, and lack of parking. Actually, parking in Chapala was easier than in Ajijic, as the streets are wider. Having a home with ample garages solved the problem when having guests, as we could park five or more cars inside our walls. Ajijic stretches E-W, while Chapala is more rectangular and more level, making walkability easier. That said, finding a home to buy or rent may be more difficult in Chapala, in spite of it being larger, as there is little space for the city to expand with the lake on two sides and mountains on the other sides.

Upper La Floresta is much more pleasant looking. I know people who live there and are happy doing so. The lower part seeps up through the ground duriing the rainy season. Wouldn't recommend it.

Just a guess that reason for those high walls and razor wire is that many of those homes are part time residences.

toedippers wrote:

Zedinmexico wrote:Six corners to plaza is a nice walk but farther away might be too far but I do not know your walking skills.  Many of us walk  five to ten miles a day for our health.  No doubt walking is very healthy other than the falling danger on the rock streets called cobblestones of which there is not a cobble present.  I thought six corners to revolution a nice range of housing all walkable to plaza.  Yes you can live farther west of six corners but distance gets larger to plaza maybe too long for many folks walking. Revolution is kinda the end of Ajijic on the east side as one hits soccer fields auditorium and than La Floresta.  Sorry for any confusion about six corners.

Z

your thoughts on la Floresta?

TDs

I agree with what other folks said. Not my cup of tea but very quiet compared to most Village living. I would die of boredom but I like the hubbub of the village. Its all a balance.

Z

Hint... when looking in Floresta... when you come across a large gaping crack in the road leading to a wall crumbling down because the ground dropped out from underneath... ask questions!!

CanuckBob wrote:La Floresta looks like a neighborhood from NOB. Big lots with front and back yards. Your house there needs to be fully secured since access to it is easier and the neighbors are further away. Some houses have what looks like a prison wall around them. 12 feet high with razor wire and floodlights.

Should be an indicator for buyers!    We finally sold our home in the Haciendas........never had a break in....or attempts to break in.   Unfortunately, lost our ass.   Sadly most of the issues for buyers was created by idiot gringos that think they know everything, and trash areas!    Not everyone wants to live in the "GOLDEN ZONE", as described by one poster!     No we don't have razor wire, just a walled property.

what the hell is the golden zone

We don't know anything about you Toddipper so understand our answers are the best we can do not knowing you. It is very different living in La Floresta or Close to plaza in village or father away from plaza in village or gated community or house on hill or rural land etc etc etc.   Lots of flavors of living here.  I don't know what the golden zone is either.

Z

Jerry00 wrote:
what the hell is the golden zone

Ask our fearless leader, CBOB.......he has rentals there.

Jerry00 wrote:
what the hell is the golden zone

The Golden Zone is an area of pant leg where a local booster is pizzin on it, while claiming "this area is know for its refreshing rains"!

We've been driving around Ajijic... with google maps (we don't actually get to drive around the town for 3 more weeks) and I see empty lots in several areas in the village.
I know google maps is not current, but I can't imagine all those lots are now homes... still, when I look to the MLS listing - there aren't that many for sale. In your experience, does this mean these lots are not for sale, or is it just a matter of finding the owners and seeing if they have an interest in selling... or is it likely some of this land is not properly 'titled' and securing free and clear ownership is unlikely?

toedippers

toedippers wrote:We've been driving around Ajijic... with google maps (we don't actually get to drive around the town for 3 more weeks) and I see empty lots in several areas in the village.
I know google maps is not current, but I can't imagine all those lots are now homes... still, when I look to the MLS listing - there aren't that many for sale.  In your experience, does this mean these lots are not for sale, or is it just a matter of finding the owners and seeing if they have an interest in selling... or is it likely some of this land is not properly 'titled' and securing free and clear ownership is unlikely?

toedippers

I have been told that many lots in the village have been passed down through inheritance and that it is not uncommon for disagreements on what to do with the land have resulted in nothing being done and the lot just sits there. Whether true or not, that is what I've been told. Others will chime in with what they have heard.

There's plenty of land and I'm sure plenty of lots and having been in your shoes several years ago trying to learn everything you can over the internet can only give you part of the picture. Once you are here and able to drive around and ask people in the various areas will fill in the holes that you just can't get over the internet.

You've been asking good questions and getting lots of feedback, so that should help. I'm sure many other readers who are also doing their research on the area are also benefiting.

Whatever you find make sure you can get a deed. I know several families who bought in town and still do not have the escritura years later. It is ejido land and the owner who sold has not paid to get the papers done 6 years after everyone has built a house..

AWE, so much for the "Golden Zone"

juanrey wrote: I have been told that many lots in the village have been passed down through inheritance and that it is not uncommon for disagreements on what to do with the land have resulted in nothing being done and the lot just sits there.  Whether true or not, that is what I've been told.  Others will chime in with what they have heard.

This is true. The lot next to us has been "for sale" for over 12 years because the family members can never agree on the price! It comes on the market every year or so for about 6 months. Many offers, including 4 for neighbors, have ultimately refused in the 10 years I've lived here!

Situations like this is why a good Notorio is recommended for any RE purchase. Purchasing with anything less is a risky venture.

Beautifully put. Thank you.

Sorry, I was responding to Lady Otter Latte's posting of Sep 29, 2015.

What's a Fracc and why should I be worried?


I read comments that mention Fracc's... and usually not in a good way - are these like condo associations or HOA's or something else? and are there some I should be particularly impressed with/worried about?


thanks

toedippers

ps: only 11 days until we arrive in ajijic - getting excited about the trip and the likelihood we'll probably ignore all the good advice and buy the first overpriced ejido
-land-built Fracc on a noisy bus route - we come across ;-)