Miguel Rueda Roman was born in Mexico, fought in Vietnam as a US Marine, attended Arizona State University, and now works as a realtor in Lake Chapala. Today we welcome Miguel Rueda Roman, an expert on the Lake Chapala real estate market. Hola! First off can you describe the Lake Chapala area for those who may be unfamiliar with it and explain what makes it an appealing place to live? The natural beauty is everywhere, and the weather is spring-like and exceptionally gentle. You can enjoy a village pace of life with modern conveniences and the availability of information technology. Housing and living costs are affordable! You can escape high domestic prices in the current U.S. real estate market. There is a large active English speaking community which numbers in the thousands. Health services and related amenities are readily available. Guadalajara is internationally known for its medical schools and practices. Travel to other areas is easy with accessibility to the international airport at Guadalajara just minutes away. Travel to the Pacific coastal area is only four hours by auto. Your home will be a great destination for family and friends. Lake Chapala is beautiful, unique and friendly to both residents and visitors! How many American expatriots currently live at Lake Chapala? The number of expatriates living in and around Lake Chapala is truly unknown. The best guess estimates are around 15,000.00. This includes Canadians, Europeans and Americans (mostly Americans). There are about 56,000 foreigners live in the State of Jalisco and even more in Mexico City. Can you describe the quality of infrastructure of the area? Most homes are built of concrete, brick and iron. This includes the roof. This keeps the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. There is high speed internet in most subdivisions and telephone. We use Vonage ( aVOIP phone system) and a web cam so we can see the grand kids progress. For transportation most people have a car, but the bus services is great. It runs before 5 am and ends about 2 am. You can catch a bus about every 15 to 20 minutes. The Guadalajara International Airport is about a ½ hour away. There is satellite or cable service for your TV. I like sports so I have Fox sports and ESPN. What are the requirements to purchase property around Lake Chapala? A Bank Trust (Fidiecomiso) is not necessary in the interior of Mexico. The laws where changed in the mid 90’s to afford foreigners the availability to buy deeded property. By applying to the Secretary of Exterior Relations of Mexico (an SRE) you are able to have the same rights as a Mexican citizen to win property. What indicators suggest future appreciation or depreciation of property at Lake Chapala? Property values here at lake side have not declined and are steadily rising. Mostly because of baby boomers from the USA, we expect about 15 million to move to Mexico within the next 10 years. Not all to Lake Chapala. What is the average price for a 3 bedroom 2 bath on the lake? Homes here are as varied as the people coming down. Older Mexican homes are around $100,000.00 to $150,000.00 for a 3 bedroom 2 bath house. Brand new homes designed with American amenities start at about $170,000.00 and up. Of course location makes a big difference, the closer to Ajijic the more expensive the house. What entertainment and activities does Lake Chapala have to offer? There is music every night somewhere in Ajijic, Mexico, and people are having a lot of fun. From swing to American country, from rock n’ roll to big band tunes or traditional Mexican music, the variety is never ending. You can enjoy a lovely dinner with some easy listening style music or have dinner and dancing at a lively club. Perhaps you would like to hear a Mexican ballad or listen to a Flamingo guitarist. Maybe you would like to dance to some classic 50’s and 60’s music. There is something here for everyone. No matter where you go you will have a great evening. You can find out more about Lake Chapala at www.romanmexrealtor.com and contact Miguel at miguel@romanmexrealtor.com. Image source

Older Mexican homes are around $100,000.00 to $150,000.00 for a 3 bedroom 2 bath house. Brand new homes designed with American amenities start at about $170,000.00 and up.