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Mexico Real Estate News - Winter 2009
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The settlement company® wishes you and yours a Happy Holiday and our very best wishes for health and success in 2010!
by Linda Neil
Morelia, Latin America’s Illuminated City: President Felipe Calderon came to Morelia to help celebrate the 244th Anniversary of the birth of the Mexican patriot Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon. The city of Morelia under Spanish rule had been called Vallolidad and was changed in honor of Morelos.
While in the city, the President inaugurated Phase Two of “Plan Luz del Centro Historico” (The lighting of historical buildings and monuments in the center of the city.) The first buildings were lighted in 2003. In addition to the sixteen monuments already lit, twelve more have been added. More than twenty one buildings are included. Among the buildings illuminated are Morelia’s famous cathedral, the Bellas Artes school, the statue of the Trashcans, the State Museum, the Teatro Ocampo, Monastery San Francisco, statue of Lazero Cardenas, the Legislative Building, City Hall and the home where Morelos was born, now a library and museum.
While in the city, President Calderon cut the ribbons at two newly remodeled plazas.
Morelia, a true example of fifteenth century colonial architecture, now shines at night.
FIVE CRUISE SHIPS IN SAN LUCAS HARBOR: An historic Day in Cabo San Lucas, Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico on September 28, 2009. There were five cruise ships, at one time, in the Cabo San Lucas harbor, for the first time in the history of the port. The five ships were: Norwegian Star, Norwegian Pearl, Norwegian Sun, Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas, and Carnival Cruise Line's Elation.
The city responded by having a huge celebration featuring musical bands, food and entertainment for the passengers of the ships. A good time was had by all and the streets of Los Cabos buzzed with activity and fun.
If you have never taken a cruise (and 85% of Americans haven't!) you should try it! And taking a cruise to Cabo San Lucas is the perfect combination of convenience, culture and fun. For those who like the idea of enjoying the many aspects of Mexico, but still want to have that comfortable travel format, a cruise to Cabo is the perfect combination!
Mexico Recovers: Several weeks ago Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon declared the recession in MexicoMexico’s economic slowdown began. This growth was boosted by an increase in the service sector, 4.1 percent, and the industrial sector, 2.1 percent, according to the new figures released by INEGI, the Mexican Bureau of Statistics. was ending. This was based on third quarter economic growth. The statement below and the chart are courtesy of “NAFTA WORKS”, a newsletter on Business and Trade in Mexico The chart below shows that Mexico's real GDP grew 2.93 percent in the July-September 2009 period compared to the previous quarter, ending a string of three-straight quarters of contraction. This performance shows signs of an economic recovery for first time since
Mexico had been hurt by the economic slowdown in the U.S., the main destination of its exports, around 80 percent. However, the Mexican manufacturing industry got a boost in the third quarter of 2009 as the recovery in the U.S. increased demand for televisions and car parts among other products.
Security in Mexico: A friend of mine owns a boutique hotel in Cabo San Lucas . She has said,” First it was the drug war, then the Global Economy and then A/N1H1. Great damage has been done to Mexico’s tourism industry and our business.”
In the case of the drug war, the media in the U.S. and other parts of the world have blown the situation far out of reality. There is a lady who lives in Manhattan and has a home as well in Puerto Vallarta. She gave allowed to use an article she had written and I did. Basically she reported that when she is in Puerto Vallarta, she can go out to dinner and return to her home quite late. In Manhattan she feels a need to get off the streets by 7 p.m. The subject has been addressed more recently on the Banderas Bay web site by well know Realtor® and author Jim Scherrer (“Dangerous Living in Mexico?”) Glynna Prentice of International Living “Mexico Safety Fact or Fiction?” The two articles are excellent and destroy the myth that Mexico is dangerous for foreigners. Fact is people are being shot daily. BUT, it is patently clear that it is one drug cartel shooting members of the other. Police and military are also losing some personnel. Foreigners are not the intended targets.
Jim Scherrer has given me permission to excerpt from his piece written .Below is part of what he wrote about security…
“Have you heard the horror stories about traveling through Mexico? Worst yet, can you imagine living there? Well, being the adventurous and courageous retirees that we are, in 1997 we bought a beautiful new mountainside villa overlooking Banderas Bay and El Centro, or downtown in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
The villa is actually a compound, surrounded by 10 foot walls with a walk-in gate and doors for car entry. Our initial thought while closing the doors during our first evening in our new villa was to hire a couple sentries to guard the villa at night. One could be positioned in front and the other down below on the backside facing the bay, thus providing the security required in this foreign new land.
Well, we never got around to hiring guards and furthermore, we’ve never heard of anyone being burglarized in the neighborhood for the past twelve years. Municipal Police do cruise through the neighborhood a few times every night and we do have excellent street lighting; however crime in the neighborhood, known as the "Beverly Hills of Vallarta", is virtually non-existent.
Twelve years ago, we would be pulled over by the local police every two or three months for any of a myriad of concocted reasons. It was the typical corrupt Mexican police shake-down where after you handed him $200 pesos or $20 USD, you were no longer guilty of breaking any laws or committing any crimes. You instantly became his amigo!
That corruption is seldom seen anymore in Vallarta and we haven’t been pulled over by the police for a number of years. In fact, they seemed to have gone 180 degrees the opposite direction being very friendly to all Americans and Canadians.”
A Glimpse of Michoacan “A Glimpse of Michoacan” was an added attraction to the Thirty Seventh Annual Conference of the Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals. (AMPI)
The event was a real estate tour of the area surrounding Morelia, the capital of Michoacan. It brought together a group of Realtors®, mainly from the Texas Association of Realtors (TAR), but also from Manzanillo, Colima, Chapala/Ajijic, Jalisco and Morelia and Uruapan, both in Michoacan. John Gormley led the Texas contingent. He is Director of Communications for TAR. The tour was organized by Mexatua Realty of Morelia along with The Settlement Company® and Linda Neil Properties.
Early Sunday morning, October 11th, members of the tour assembled at Morelia’s, Hotel Fiesta Inn. Next stop was a continental breakfast at a carefully restored colonial home in downtown Morelia. Many positive comments were made about the architect and the crafts people who did the work.
Next would be a brief tour of the “ Centro Historico” of this sixteenth century jewel followed by a trip along the ancient aqueduct built by the Spanish, ending up at a lookout high above the city in the area above what the Santa Mariabarrio.
Leaving Morelia, the bus headed down a highway lined by tall pine trees and at one point, Lake Patzcuaro was seen. A coffee break was held at a chalet in the village of Zirahuen. The building is on acreage and overlooks the lake which is the deepest in Mexico. It is fed by spring water without any rivers leading into it.
Patzcuaro is a picturesque village which has become home to many artists and writers from outside of Mexico. It is also renowned for its special type of ice cream and shops selling the various crafts from the surrounding villages. We had lunch, typical Mexican fare at a restored home with a large back yard and a casita. The owner has purchased several homes for restoration and is building new ones. After lunch we viewed audio visual presentations about several others nearby developments.
Then we were off to a very special place, Tzintzuntzan. This was the Capital of the Imperial Purepecha Empire, during the pre-Hispanic era. The ruins of its ceremonial site is important to Mexican archeology. The former convent Santa Ana de Tzintzuntzan is the first convent built by the Franciscans in Michoacan, during the sixteenth century. Noches de Muertos (Day of the Dead) on November 1st is a mixture of Purepecha and Christian traditions. The local cemetery is one of the favourite places for tourists to watch the ritual.
Los Cabos Course Makes Top 50: Golfweeks Best Mexico and Caribbean Courses for 2010 lists the Tom Fazio designed course at Querencia in Los Cabos as Number Three. Number One is the Jack Nicklaus course at Capa Cana in the Dominican Republic. Number 50 on the list is the Mike Young course at Hacienda Pinilla Golf and Country Club in Costa Rico.
Still with Golf I have just received a report from Jim Donahoe at Costa Baja Resort in La Paz. “We are in the process of grassing six holes. Much rough grinding is finished.” He goes on to say that landscaping, including the swimming pool and all around the casitas will be finished in 2010 at Las Colinas and Vista Mar. He adds, “We expect delivery of sold units in June..
Meanwhile golfers are enjoying the first golf coursed opened in La Paz at Paraiso del Mar. I toured the project earlier this quarter. An enjoyable experience is to take their ferry from La Paz and experience breakfast or lunch at the club house restaurant. It has excellent views of La Paz, across the Bay
Author Linda Neil is a partner in Linda Neil Properties and founder of The Settlement Company, the first escrow company in Mexico, which is dedicated to processing the trusts and title transfers of Mexican real estate for foreign buyers and sellers for properties located ANYWHERE in Mexico. Ms. Neil is also licensed as a Real Estate Broker in California, is an Accredited Buyer Representative through NAR, and has over thirty five years of hands on experience in all aspects of Mexican real estate. She holds membership in AMPI, NAR and FIABCI and PROFECO Certificate 00063/96
About the Author:
Author Linda Neil is a partner in Linda Neil Properties and founder of The Settlement Company, the first escrow company in Mexico, which is dedicated to processing the trusts and title transfers of Mexican real estate for foreign buyers and sellers for properties located ANYWHERE in Mexico. Ms. Neil is also licensed as a Real Estate Broker in California, is an Accredited Buyer Representative through NAR, and has over thirty five years of hands on experience in all aspects of Mexican real estate. She holds membership in AMPI, NAR and FIABCI and PROFECO Certificate 00063/96