Forums > Areas > Jalisco's Lake Chapala Region

kygerc

May 21, 2011, 1:47 PM

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Vacation to Ajijic

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Michelle & I would like to thank each of you for your information concerning B&B's in Ajijic. We have decide that the La Nueva Posada as the best location and deal for our money. We did not mean to spark the fighting on the forum and would love to meet each of you once we actually arrive in June. We will be staying two weeks and hope to locate possible rental or a home to buy before returning to the mountains of Virginia. Again our thanks to all of you. Charlie and Michelle

tashby

May 21, 2011, 9:25 PM

Post #2 of 24 (6495 views)

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Re: [kygerc] Vacation to Ajijic

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La Nueva Posada a great location to use as your scouting point. (And good for you for ignoring the stupid noise in the other thread.)

Good luck to you both!

Dreamer Blue

May 22, 2011, 6:46 AM

Post #3 of 24 (6456 views)

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Re: [tashby] Vacation to Ajijic

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You will love Nuevo Posada. It's a great place - as is Ajijic despite the silly nonsense that happens on these boards! The vast majority of the folks on the lake, both Mexican and Norte, are friendly, helpful and interesting and you can just ignore the rest.
Glad you are going to explore our neck of the woods. Bienvenidos.

Gringal

May 22, 2011, 8:09 AM

Post #4 of 24 (6429 views)

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Re: [Dreamer Blue] Vacation to Ajijic

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If you are reserving a room at Nueva Posada, where we spent several weeks during our house rehab, the top floor on the lake side is the best, IMHO, with lake views and above the lovely patio. Nice balconies for watching the bats dart out from under the tiles doing mosquito patrol.
Have a great time.

stevebrtx

May 22, 2011, 8:25 AM

Post #5 of 24 (6422 views)

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Re: [Gringal] Vacation to Ajijic

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As I recall, room 305 is the top corner so you get a lovely view and nice music from across the street at La Tasca, very pleasant.
http://www.chapalaweather.net

May 22, 2011, 3:34 PM

Post #6 of 24 (6355 views)

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Re: [kygerc] Vacation to Ajijic

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Think you made a great decision, albeit slightly above the budget that you mentioned. Did they tell you about the discount if you pay in USD? We are not fighting. Hotter than hell here right now and we are just a bit crabby. You will love June, if you are coming after the 15th. T

Vichil

May 22, 2011, 3:38 PM

Post #7 of 24 (6351 views)

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Re: [T] Vacation to Ajijic

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The discount if for cash like in many hotels Dollars ,Euros or Pesos it does not make any difference.

May 22, 2011, 3:53 PM

Post #8 of 24 (6343 views)

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Re: [Vichil] Vacation to Ajijic

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I believe La Nueva Posada gives a 10% discount only when paid in US dollars. You may be right, just wanted to alert the poster to this discount, as I think you have to ask for it. T

cookj5

May 23, 2011, 12:52 PM

Post #9 of 24 (6266 views)

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Re: [kygerc] Vacation to Ajijic

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Good choice! My wife and I stayed at Nueva Posada for the first week that we visited Lake Chapala while we were investigating it as a possible place to retire. I love the patio (part of the restaurant), which overlooks the Lake and is built around a huge shade tree that is strung with those tiny Chistmas lights so that you can see your food at night. Food is generally excellent with both Mexican and international dishes. Across the street is La Tasca which is another excellent restaurant and has live entertainment, including by the owner, Roberto, who plays solo acoustic guitar some evenings. You will be only a short walk down the lakeshore to the pier and the Malecon, and only a few blocks to the main plaza. While at Nueva Posada, ask to meet Michael Eager, the owner/manager, and have him tell you the story of La Rusa (the Russian Woman) whose memorabilia adorn the inside dining room. Have fun!

May 23, 2011, 2:14 PM

Post #10 of 24 (6250 views)

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Re: [cookj5] Vacation to Ajijic

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The "shade tree" that you mention is at least a 150 year old rubber tree. Not trying to pick at you, but I am from Michigan and we had rubber plants in pots. Never saw a rubber tree until I got here. Same with Poinsettias (how close did I get to spelling that correctly?). In Michigan, they came in little pots. Down here they are 15 to 20 feet high. La Nueva Posada is the best choice they could have made, I agree. T.

Pita

May 23, 2011, 11:38 PM

Post #11 of 24 (6205 views)

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Re: [cookj5] Vacation to Ajijic

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Smart choice. Now - make a super smart choice and rent before you buy. For AT LEAST 12 months, preferably more.

cookj5

May 26, 2011, 3:12 PM

Post #12 of 24 (6067 views)

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Re: [Pita] Vacation to Ajijic

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In Reply To

Smart choice. Now - make a super smart choice and rent before you buy. For AT LEAST 12 months, preferably more.

I couldn't agree more! Too many people buy on impulse when they see the "great" deals down here. Then they find out that something is wrong with the property, but they aren't protected by disclosure laws. Or, they discover that a machine shop has set up next door, but there are no zoning laws. Or they decide they want to move to another neighborhood, or back to the home country, but they find out it can take several years to sell. To quote Dorothy of Wizard of Oz fame: "I guess we're not in Kansas any more, Toto". This is a great place to live, just wait 1-2 years to buy until you really understand what the housing market is all about. You may decide, like we did, that the rental market is so good that there is no good reason to buy.

don pedro

May 26, 2011, 3:32 PM

Post #13 of 24 (6066 views)

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Re: [cookj5] Vacation to Ajijic

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looky here, we were here 1 week when we decided on this house that we've been in 5 years.
BUT and this is a big but-i researched all kindsa things for about 5 years before we moved and the plan was to rent first. we had already done the prelim visit and i had been coming to mexico since '78 and my wife since the mid '80's.
thing is we didn't become house rich and cash poor and stuck to the same budget we set in 2000 when our dollar sucked so we actually came under budget when we bought.
see link below where i mention what we paid.
http://chapalamexicoinfo.createforumhosting.com
naivete is a chronIc disease and by its very nature;the afflicted never know they have it.-SNORK!

johninajijic

May 27, 2011, 7:51 AM

Post #14 of 24 (6003 views)

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Re: [Pita] Vacation to Ajijic

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Rent for 3 months to see if you like the area. Renting any longer than that is a total waste of money. If you can't decide after 3 months that you like it here, then you won't like it no matter how long you rent.

There are many of us who came here for a 2 week vacation and decided to buy after a week and a half of looking at properties, like we did.

chinagringo

May 27, 2011, 8:10 AM

Post #15 of 24 (5997 views)

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Re: [Pita] Vacation to Ajijic

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This is certainly the prevailing wisdom as expressed by the vast majority of experienced people who have moved to Mexico! Given the World economic situation and the glut of homes on the market in the greater Lake Chapala area, one's crystal ball might have a great deal of difficulty determining what is a good or great buy these days. Jim Cook makes a great point about the cost of renting as opposed to tying up one's cash.
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

CanuckBob

May 27, 2011, 11:26 AM

Post #16 of 24 (5960 views)

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Re: [chinagringo] Vacation to Ajijic

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I have to agree. Our original intention was to purchase but that thought has changed given the current market conditions. We have rented several houses all over the lakeside area from SJC to Chapala. You can easily find a 3 bd, 3 bth lakefront or lake-view house, fully furnished, all utilities, with a maid & gardener for $1200 - $1400 USD per month. These same houses would probably sell for 300K - 400K and you would have to pay for everything on top of that so why would we want to buy that? The same money invested properly will pay the rent and then some. You will not be tied into anything, will not have any maintenance headaches, will not have to pay a bunch of bills, will not lose a boat load of money if/when the market goes down even further and can move around whenever you want.

Now if housing prices come down dramatically (because I think the Lake is way overpriced considering what you can buy elsewhere) and/or the rents increase we may change our minds and lock into something.

Bob
Inside Lakeside
http://www.insidelakeside.com

(This post was edited by CanuckBob on May 27, 2011, 11:34 AM)

Gringal

May 27, 2011, 3:07 PM

Post #17 of 24 (5929 views)

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Re: [CanuckBob] Vacation to Ajijic

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"Now if housing prices come down dramatically (because I think the Lake is way overpriced considering what you can buy elsewhere)"

The only downside is that elsewhere is..........elsewhere. No matter where you go, the value is in the location. IMHO, Lakeside is golden in that respect.

Some time ago, a poster was pointing out the advantages, especially financial, of buying into a seniors' mobile home park in McAllen, Texas. One of the responders pointed out that the only thing wrong with that was that when you opened your door, you were in McAllen, Texas. (Don't get me wrong. Some fine people are from Texas. But.....)

You are wise to rent instead of buying right now. However, you never know when the prices reach bottom until they turn around. Timing is all.

DavidHF

May 27, 2011, 4:15 PM

Post #18 of 24 (5915 views)

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Re: [Gringal] Vacation to Ajijic

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IMHO, it's a good idea to rent for a while. It's also a good idea, when you find a house that you can see yourself being happy in thru your golden years, to buy it. Only speculators can win trying to time the housing market. Or not, if living in someone else's home is your idea of a good time. It's not mine. There's no rush to buy now, but by the time you notice the rush it will be too late.

CanuckBob

May 28, 2011, 7:25 AM

Post #19 of 24 (5838 views)

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Re: [DavidHF] Vacation to Ajijic

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All good advice. To be more clear when I say "way overpriced" I mean in relation to what you can rent them for...........

Bob
Inside Lakeside
http://www.insidelakeside.com

DavidHF

May 28, 2011, 7:30 AM

Post #20 of 24 (5832 views)

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Re: [CanuckBob] Vacation to Ajijic

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A friend is seeking a summer rental with option to buy. Interestingly, very few rentals are for sale.

CanuckBob

May 28, 2011, 7:59 AM

Post #21 of 24 (5828 views)

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Re: [DavidHF] Vacation to Ajijic

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That is interesting. Leasing with an option to purchase after 1 - 3 years (at an agreed price) would be something of interest to us. Say 50% or so of the lease payment gets applied to the purchase price if we decided to buy it......

Bob
Inside Lakeside
http://www.insidelakeside.com

DavidHF

May 28, 2011, 9:34 AM

Post #22 of 24 (5810 views)

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Re: [CanuckBob] Vacation to Ajijic

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I have no idea if sellers are open to such a plan. But, if the house is sitting empty, why not?

NEOhio1

Jun 1, 2011, 7:28 AM

Post #23 of 24 (5640 views)

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Re: [DavidHF] Vacation to Ajijic

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We are ending a longterm very advantageous lease on an excellent house which we rented figuring it would be a good base of operation for the first year or so as we looked for a house to buy. It was so good a deal we just stayed here renting and forgot about buying. The owner wanted too much for this one over the years....its almost 7years later and the owner is older and wanted out of Mexico and we choose not to buy it because I decided last fall I was bored here and ready to move on to a different living experience - more in the village or with a view. This house was offered to us at half of the price he wanted in 2005-6. Of course we discussed it but our thoughts have moved on to something else.

It was priced right because it sold in 6 days. He sold for $20K more than he paid in 2004, and with seller expenses he is well below his purchase price, but he has had the income for 6 years.

As we look for new housing, both purchasing and renting, we are finding that prices are lower and rents are stated but highly negotiable. Also some of the houses for sale are for rent if you ask the owner. Neither of us believe its time for that 'forever' house in the 'forever' location.

mkdutch

Jun 3, 2011, 9:12 AM

Post #24 of 24 (5490 views)

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Re: [kygerc] Vacation to Ajijic

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Kygerc, sent you a private reply - it can be accessed by clicking on the Messages icon, above.