With its close proximity to the US, lower land and construction costs, and low cost of ownership, Mexico is an attractive location for buyers looking for great values in international real estate. Still, there are significant differences in how real estate is purchase in Mexico than it is in the US and foreign real estate investors would be wise to have these three “must haves” in place to ensure a successful transaction:

Hire a reputable Notary Public (Notario Público)
Unlike their counterparts in the US, the notary public in Mexico must …

You’ll never find a better time to take advantage of a seriously depressed and overbuilt real estate market in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

At first blush David Hornick appears to be the most unlikely candidate to be spear-heading a housing development in the state of Oaxaca, one of the southernmost and poorest states in Mexico; his Spanish is sparse to be generous, until earlier this year he had never ventured to this part of the country, he’s never designed or built a home, and he’s lived virtually all his life in Schenectady, New York, leading a more or less typical, middle-class existence.
But Hornick had a vision, born of other life experiences which made …

How the wise real estate investor can win during a budget cut.

Regardless of where in Mexico you had invested your money ten years ago, whether it was in Mexican silver, stocks, or real estate, you’ve now got at least three times as much as you would have had if you had invested in the S&P 500 SPY’s!

During our search for a second home upon the soil of my wife’s native land, a realization struck us, as we visited a lovely home in Conchas Chinas (Puerta Vallarta). The property was a dream on the hill, overlooking the ocean. We paused however, when we learned the neighbor to the left was from Phoenix and to the right, from San Francisco. Combined with the tourist crush at the PV Airport, being bordered on both fronts by N. Americans inspired our quest to search “OTZ”. I created the acronym OTZ, …

There is not a better place on the planet for recuperating after surgery than in Vallarta during the beautiful winter months of November through May. Upon returning home, your friends will be duly impressed when they see you proudly “strut your stuff”, as you inform them that you rediscovered the Fountain of Youth while vacationing in Paradise!

The prudent buyer will always locate and use an Exclusive Buyer’s Agent when searching for his/her retirement residence in Mexico; where caveat emptor, or buyer beware, is the rule to follow.

Those of us that have been fortunate enough to be invested in Mexico during the past decade have fared very well. Even though we’ve felt the impact of the financial downturn during the past couple of years, our Mexican stocks and Mexican properties have more than doubled in value while those in the US have lagged well behind.

As they say, all good things must come to an end; we all will pass on and when we do, the kids will probably be near retirement age. Hopefully, this will be a sad occasion for them however inheriting a beautiful condo in Puerto Vallarta will surely ease the pain!