Thinking of Retirement in Mexico?

  There are over 1,000,000 US retired citizens living in Mexico,most live in
areas where other expats thrive.
Lake Chapala is one famous area expats seem to shrive at,lots to do and many
English speaking people live there.It's somewhere around 50% Canadian,and
US retirees living in that area.Crime does exist be aware of who is around you.
Most cities on the pacific coast have a good population of expats living there,although the humidity can be a bit much to deal with.People tend to do things in the morning and the evening during the summer months.
What you need to do is vacation in the area you want to live in,check out all the wed sites in that area,the yahoo groups,and the blogs,there are many.
Areas that are really popular may have an under current of crime,such as
San Miguel De Allende.A truly beautiful city where you can walk everywhere if you wanted to,I lived in that area for about three years,good restaurants,cultural events,places to dance.However,there is a lot of crime
there,robbery of homes happens fairly often,murder,rape,and other crimes of violence happen,and don't get reported.I have to say that I was never robbed
or no criminal act was done to me while living in San Miguel De Allende.Some people I know were robbed,but it wasn't a daily event.Criminals watch a house and learn when you leave and for how long,then they act on that information.
A woman was robbed at my front gate one night as she waited for the double steel door to be opened.It was a couple young men who saw that she was drunk,
and took her purse after knocking her to the ground.
Even with the crime rate there,many people move there because of it's fame.It started as an artist community after WW II when vets moved there to take various art classes.I never had any problems,I am alert to people around me and did not stay out till the morning hours drinking.Those who do,get robbed,or worse.You just have to go with other people when you go out for the night.Check their yahoo group.
Is there crime in your town in the states or Canada?Sure there is.Common sense
goes a long way.If someone you don't know asks you to go out drinking with them,you say no thank you,just like in the states.
There are some basic rules no matter where you live.
Never flash money.
Never drive road trips at night.
Never allow people in your home you do not know,they will case your house.
Never leave your house unlocked,even if you are there.
Never insult a local,revenge is alive and well in Mexico.
It may seem too dangerous to try,but,I have lived in numerous cities and towns there and never has a problem,not even close.
If it was so dangerous here,there wouldn't be so many retires living here.
It cost somewhere between 1/4 to 1/2 to live in some areas as it does in the
states.Other areas cost a lot more.
Another thing to think about in your research is water problems.Do searches on
the quality of water,and the supply available in the area you are interested in.
Learn some basic Spanish,it goes a long way showing you are interested
enough to give it a go.
Manzanillo is my favorite city,it's a working city,huge deep water port,high
wages for locals,and the police are well paid.The humidity is a killer in the summer.It took me three months to adjust,but there are about tem miles of beaches that are empty most of the time,a fairly small expat population during
the summer.
Puerto Vallarta,Mazatlan,and the many small towns between have a good expat
population,mostly Canadian with US retires thrown in the bunch.
I didn't leave anything behind on the gulf side,but some folks like the humidity.
Baja is different from the mainland,cars from the states don't have to be imported,like on the mainland,and dollars are used as much as pesos.You
won't see that anywhere else in Mexico.
Rent,don't buy,it looks good and feels that way to,but,if you live within 30 miles
of the ocean,you can not get the deed to land.You have to go through a bank
with keeps the deed,and you have to renew the agreement every 20,30,or 40
years.If you have it in your heart that you have to own land start looking
past that line for real estate.I know lots od people who have bought land within
the 30 mile zone,and are very happy with their arrangement.You can not own
Ejido land,don't even try,you'll loose everything.The family who lives on the land
must have it in a family members name to get it out of Ejido status.It's not worth
it to even try.As you know,we,the retired folks from the states are all millionaires according to many nationals,so there is a gringo price,and a local price.Get to
know a local where you feel that you can completely trust them,and have them
get their name on the deed as part owner,that takes some net working with
other expats to know who you can trust.
Don't get me wrong,I love Mexico,it's culture,it's people,it's weather and it's food.I've been here for almost 8 years,and still love it.
If you are serious about retiring to Mexico,take a vacation here,then if you still
think that is what you want to do get your visa in order.Go to a consulate in
the states,start the paper work after getting your tourist visa,for a permanent
visa,it's the easiest way to get it.If you go the other way like I did,it takes
years.First you get a tourist visa,then a temporal resident visa,then four years
later,you can apply for a permanent visa.It's wise to hire someone to do the
leg work for you,local expats will tell who to use.Make a color copy of each side of your drivers license,and have both halfs sealed in the plastic sleeves they have,in fact,make several copies.If a corrupt police officer demands your drivers license,give them the copy you carry.If they want you to pay a bribe to get it back,let them keep it,go home and put another copy in your purse,or wallet.Never surrender your original drivers license,you may have to pay a fair amount of money to get it back.Remember,Mexican police do not get paid that well compared to their US counter parts.