We decided to take a guided tour of the area with a local real estate company. Kevin was our guide and he was great. He’s from Canada and has lived here for 17 years. He gave us a four-hour tour and needless to say, we learned a lot….and there’s a lot to learn.

There are small towns all along the edge of Lake Chapala, which is 50 miles long. Some are great, some aren’t….and the trick is to know which is which….and only a local guide would know. As in the states, real estate is governed by the old adage “location, location, location”. Some towns are too crowded, some are too far away from everything, some have a mix of Mexicans and ex-pats, some are only Mexican and no English is spoken, some have lots of amenities, some have none, some have great restaurants, others have none, etc.

We were able to tour a couple homes for rent and drive through several of the most popular “subdivisions”. To say the homes are lovely is an understatement. The furniture is mostly custom-built., because it’s so inexpensive here. Amazing wood tables and chairs, crafted from local hardwoods (coco bolo is an example), beautiful hand-blown glass art and chandeliers, oil paintings from local artists, brick “boveda” ceilings (super cool and the technique is centuries old), lovely gardens, etc. The rental market here is red hot, as people are moving here from all over the world. If we decide to return for a long-term rental, we’ll have to be ready to put down a deposit at a moments notice. Kevin, our guide, showed us a home he rented just last week for a client who was moving from San Francisco. He rented it sight unseen! And that is the norm here, not the exception.

The good news is that prices are still very reasonable, by US standards…both to rent or buy. Many of the homes come complete with a gardener, a housekeeper, sometimes a chef (sign me up for that) and these wonderful people have usually been with the owners for many, many years. For example, Kevin’s housekeeper has been with him for 15 years. That would be amazing in the states, yet it’s the norm here.

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading!

Que tenga un bien dia!

Wayne, Claudia & Tuck