retire in mexico/chapala

[mexliving]

i have never been to lake chapala area but have seen that many live there and seem very happy with the area. i checked out Riberas Del Pilar on the internet and it looks really nice. there is a rental property on vrbo. and if you simply type on google- chapala.__m. you will find the realstate company to help you find a nice place to purchase.

[RVGRINGO]

There are many agencies in Chapala and Ajijic offering real estate for sale or rent. Riberas del Pilar is only one area, between Chapala and Ajijic. Google will find them all for you.

[texasjack]

Originally Posted by mexliving

i have never been to lake chapala area but have seen that many live there and seem very happy with the area. i checked out Riberas Del Pilar on the internet and it looks really nice. there is a rental property on vrbo. and if you simply type on google- chapala.__m. you will find the realstate company to help you find a nice place to purchase.

I live in Riberas and love it! In between Chapala and Aijjic. Can walk to either. Close to Wal Mart, not that that is a big plus. Very quiet. I live on the mountain side. I think there are some flooding problems on the lake side so be careful. There is rental property here.

good luck!

[BajaGringo]

RV - what is the approximate range of rental rates for a small 2-3 BR home in the Chapala area right now? Does it vary a lot by neighborhood? Do you have a lot of long term renters there or do most expats eventually buy something if they stay long enough?

[RVGRINGO]

2-3 BR homes will range from $800 USD, and upward to thousands, for nice, well furnished homes. Small vs. location can make a lot of difference. Close to the center of Ajijic will be most expensive for smaller places; high on the mountainsides with views cost more for larger places.
Small 1 BR apartments will run $350-500 USD with some few efficiency/rooms for less. Ajijic is the most expensive, artsy-crafty, area. Chapala and Jocotopec are less expensive but require more 'footwork' to find places for sale, more in the Mexican manner, than Ajijic with its larger number of listing agencies.
I don't have a good feel for the renter vs. owner ratio, so can only say that almost all of our friends are long term residents and own their homes. Most bought when we moved here and only a tiny handful rented first. Of course, most of us arrived at a good time around the turn of the century and the first few years. Then, prices rose considerably until the present economic crisis slowed sales. That said, the prices have only moderated slightly because the cost of ownership is so low that few have any real incentive to sell unless they are forced to Medicare north of the border or are terminal.......or heirs of the recently departed who can't move down to Mexico.

[El Toro Furioso]

I almost never beg to differ with RVGringo, but he is quoting rental prices when renting through a realtor. For almost four years we have had a two-bedroom two-bath house just above Ramon Corona ("Main Street" aka Camino de Real in La Floresta) in San Antonio Tlayacapan. Nice front and back yards with grass and mature lime, orange, mandarin orange and fig trees. Automatic garage door. We currently pay under $310 USD per month. We recently bought a home on the beach but have kept the rental lakeside. We'll spend some of the rainy season there. The trick is that we rented for the first month that we were lakeside and spent almost the full time searching for a rental by owner. Our Mexican casero (landlord) lives next door and immediately takes care of anything that might go wrong.

[RVGRINGO]

An excellent point. You have done what so many don't bother to do; legwork to find a good rental that is not advertised by an agency. These are to be found by pounding the pavement looking for signs and making daily trips to the various local bulletin boards. There are bargains to be found, especially for those willing to commit to a longer term lease or even an annual payment instead of monthly; whatever is comfortable for you and your landlord.