by David Snyder Puerto Vallarta, Mexico has become a beacon for ecotourism. Surrounded by lush tropical jungles, filled with amazing blue waterfalls, and home to thousands of species of flora and fauna, Puerto Vallarta is naturally suited for tourists looking to experience all that nature has to offer on a vacation. Among the amazing experiences [...]

Quaint towns, neat beaches just a short drive from Puerto Vallarta Published: Tuesday, November 27 A winter vacation in Mexico often revolves around the beaches and nightlife in one of the resort towns like Puerto Vallarta. With plenty of shopping available, large sun-soaked beaches and an abundance of restaurants, it’s easy to relax and forget about [...]

BY MOLLY GLENTZER Houston Chronicle PUNTA MITA, MEXICO – It’s hard to say exactly when Punta Mita charmed me in spite of myself.Maybe when I took that first sunrise walk on an empty, pristine white beach. I picked up a free souvenir: a speckled blue spiny lobster shell. I climbed to the top of a [...]

Monique Polak CanWest News Service Wednesday, November 21, 2007 CREDIT: Michael Shenker/special to the BURNABY NOW Tasty treats: Luis Erasmo Rangel prepares grilled chicken in La Penita. Along the Pacific Coast north of Puerto Vallarta, visitors argue about which beach town is best. Is it one of the more developed towns within shouting distance of [...]

  BANGALORE (Thomson Financial) – Fitch Ratings said the near-term outlook for the commercial real estate (CRE) industrial market in Mexico is positive. Fitch noted that with its close proximity to the US and relatively educated labor force, Mexico is a viable option for many North American manufacturers that seek new locales for their investments. [...]

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico has become one of the most popular tourist resort destinations in the world. Because Vallarta is located along the Mexican Riviera on the Pacific Ocean, a substantial portion of these tourists arrive by boat; the majority in large cruise ships, however many come in their private yachts.   Ten years ago, a [...]

They call it the “margarita syndrome.” It refers to Americans who go to Mexico and buy a house without doing their homework. “People go down there and dream. They leave their brains at the border,” says Tom Kelly, author of books on buying in Mexico. Linda Neil, founder of the Settlement Co., a title and [...]

Ten years ago, Americans who wanted to buy a vacation or retirement home thought of places such as Florida, Arizona or Hawaii. Today, they’re just as likely to consider Mexico or Central America. Last week, in the first part of this two-part series, I cited a number of reasons why more Americans are buying real [...]

During the past 15 years, International Living magazine has calculated its Annual Global Retirement Index; a resource intended to assist retirees and future retirees in evaluating and comparing the world’s most popular retirement destinations. It is based on a number of criteria, giving various weights to each, depending on its importance to retirees. Listed below [...]

By Mike Antonucci, Sue McAllisterand Matt Nauman Mercury News Article Launched: 10/26/2007 01:55:24 AM PDT   Former Yahoo Chief Executive Tim Koogle has a new gig: He and his wife, Pam Scott-Koogle, are the developers behind El Banco, a super-luxurious development on Mexico’s Punta de Mita peninsula, north of Puerta Vallarta. The lovely press kit we [...]

New book describes the new Better Nesting: Besting trend by Boomers shifting the US real estate market toward: Condo Hotel, Fractional and Timeshare. Birmingham, MI (PRWEB) October 23, 2007 — Bob Waun accurately predicted the disastrous subprime and zero down payment mortgage effects in a July 2005 Chicago Tribune article. Now his latest book “Besting: [...]

CHACALA, Mexico — Sure, there’s a great beach here, fresh fish, tall palms and only about 400 locals to share them with. But let’s start with the treachery and deception. “You wouldn’t believe the snakes. Snakes as big as your head,” says Ben Laird, a Wisconsonite who bought a vacation home here last year. “People [...]

Nayarit, Mexico August 15, 2007 — Why would anyone want to live in Mexico? The answer is simple…oceanfront property. “Nayarit, Mexico is becoming one of the hottest living destinations for US and Canada Retirees,” says David Crenshaw, President and Founder or FundVallarta Investments. “One of the biggest draws to Los Veneros is that condo owners [...]

Couple finds superlatives in every category over 10 days in fabulous Puerto Vallarta By MARIBETH MELLIN Special to the Star-Telegram Related Content Coastal dream The bells in the Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe rang every quarter hour night and day, obliterating the need for a bedside clock. Into a drawer it went, along with [...]

Competition Among Top Firms Heats Up In Still Solid Sector For High-End Real Estate By BEN CASSELMAN August 3, 2007; Page W8 There’s a new piece of ammunition in one of luxury real estate’s fiercest battles: a $34,000 trailer in Goleta, Calif. The home is for sale through Sotheby’s International Realty, a brokerage better known [...]

Forget the days of package tours and all-inclusives. With the recent opening of some very sophisticated hotels, the Dominican Republic is trying to compete with the Caribbean’s most luxurious destinations. From June 2006 By Alexandra Marshall It’s mid-afternoon in Santo Domingo’s Zona Colonial, an 11-square-block district of peeling, cheerfully painted town houses and whitewashed churches [...]

Not so long ago, Mexico’s Riviera Maya was a sleepy stretch of Caribbean coastline. Now every hotel group wants in on the action. Michael Gross traces the evolution of an “it” destination From January 2006 On October 21, just a few weeks after Tropical Storm Stan walloped the Caribbean coast of Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula, Hurricane [...]

Real estate demands in China and India draw international crowd Monday, July 16, 2007 Inman News The U.S. real estate industry has increasingly global ties, according to a report by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, with residential brokerage companies, developers and others pursuing international expansion in fast-growing markets. “Globalization of the real estate [...]

 by Alan Solomon Nancy asks: We plan to travel to Mexico spring of ’08 with our two teenage and two adult children. We are not sure where to go. Debating between Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Maya. Can you help us decide by explaining what each of these places have to offer? Why are [...]

  Written by Groshan Fabiola    Friday, 15 June 2007   Are you looking for a tranquil way of life, great food, good music, unpolluted beaches, good medical facilities, as well as being in the company of charming and hospitable people? Mexico is the answer for you. Whether you are looking for a vacation home [...]

Foreign investment in Mexico’s hotel real estate has boomed to achieve a 10- time multiple since 2000, as reported in a joint research initiative between Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels and Mexico’s National Trust for Tourism Development (FONATUR). The total amount of foreign investment in Mexico totaled $640 million in 2006, representing an annual compound growth [...]

Sun 27 May 2007 RON STODGHILL IN COSTA ALEGRE, MEXICO   CRUISING along the swerving, mountainous roads of Mexico’s western coast, past trees and vines, blue lagoons and scattered wildflowers, Goffredo Marcaccini stops his Jeep and thrusts his head out of the window. “Ahhh,” he croons, inhaling the morning air. “The smell of the earth. [...]

Introduces Signature Flair to Latin America Market for First Time, Displaying Uniquely Tailored Design Concepts MIAMI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–ICON Vallarta, a new $200 million luxury condominium development by Related International, will showcase the artistry of one of the most renowned interior designer firms in the world, Yoo by Philippe Starck. Combined with the architecture of the award-winning [...]

Luxurious Resorts, Championship Golf, Protected Ecotourism and Miles of Undeveloped Coastline Characterize this New Destination There’s a great new destination in Mexico and now it has a name: Riviera Nayarit. With the launch of this exciting destination, comes an amazing transformation of 100 miles of Pacific coastline that unfolds just minutes north of the Puerto [...]

Linda Landers and her husband, Jim, wanted to see the world but didn’t have time to plan a complicated route hopping from one continent to another. Then Linda learned about a $70,000 per person private jet trip that would allow the Arkansas couple to see nine countries in 23 days.They booked immediately. “It was such [...]

IGNORING U.S. INCOME TAX RULES ON OWNERSHIP OF MEXICAN PROPERTY THROUGH FIDEICOMISOS OR MEXICAN CORPORATIONS CAN COST THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN PENALTIES! (Your clients probably do not know about this rule, but should) There are three serious potential IRS tax problems which may cause you or your American real estate and business investors in Mexico [...]

By MOLLY GLENTZERCopyright 2007 Houston Chronicle PUNTA MITA, MEXICO — It’s hard to say exactly when Punta Mita charmed me in spite of myself. Maybe when I took that first sunrise walk on an empty, pristine white beach. I picked up a free souvenir: a speckled blue spiny lobster shell. I climbed to the top [...]

By PEGGY GRODINSKYCopyright 2007 Houston Chronicle The Marieta Islands, a craggy, wild, grassswept national park off Punta Mita on Mexico’s Pacific coast, are home to another of the area’s famous natural residents: the blue-footed booby (Sula neboxuii). The seabirds’ shockingly bright blue feet are thought to attract the opposite sex. “They dive from sometimes rather [...]

Spend day in Sayulita for a different shopping experience By MOLLY GLENTZERCopyright 2007 Houston Chronicle SAYULITA, MEXICO — If you have a shopping jones and don’t want to leave Punta Mita, prepare to spend big bucks. There are upscale shops for clothing, gifts, jewelry and art at the Four Seasons Resort. But for something a [...]

By MOLLY GLENTZERCopyright 2007 Houston Chronicle PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO — Even from the back seat of a van full of sunburned travel writers, Puerto Vallarta entices at night. There’s a carnivallike atmosphere along the famous Malecon promenade near the center of town. Turn inland a few blocks, and the quieter, narrow streets yield boutiques, art [...]

By PEGGY GRODINSKYCopyright 2007 Houston Chronicle PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico — You may not have flippers or a shell, but if you are among the growing number of tourists and expatriates captivated by the beautiful Pacific coastline north of Puerto Vallarta, you do have something in common with sea turtles: a taste for pristine, undeveloped, remote [...]

10:00 PMPDT on Saturday, April 14, 2007By JASON BLEVINSThe Denver Post SAYULITA, MEXICO – Legend holds that those who drink the water in this whimsical fishing-village-turned-surf-hideaway will fall prey to the region’s siren song, assuring not only several return trips but a lifetime spent snaring others under Sayulita’s salty spell. Wedged between dense jungle and [...]

From China to Mexico to Ukraine to Dubai, most fairways still are part of residential projects By: Kevin Brass Published: April 12, 2007 Now that Britain is saturated with fairways, greens and bunkers, David Hemstock, a golf course architect, travels the world looking for work. “In the U.K. we’re golfed up,” said Hemstock, who has [...]

Ex-Chicagoan gives Mexican kids leg up with English fluency at his non-profit school By Marla DickersonTribune Newspapers: Los Angeles TimesPublished April 11, 2007 PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico — A few years after retiring to this Pacific resort city, American David Bender was bored with golf. His new hobby, he decided, would be tackling Mexico’s income inequality. [...]

The real estate market in Mexico is booming — and it’s about to explode. That’s the message three Valley entrepreneurs are sending to potential investors in Arizona, across the nation and around the world. “Buying property in Mexico is a wonderful opportunity,” said Tim Kelley, chief operating officer of the IMI Group, a Phoenix-based investment [...]

Standards Road Traffic:right sideVoltage:127VFrequency:60 HzPlug types:A & B,TV Systems:System: NTSC M DVD-Region: 4 Geography Bordering countries:Belize 250 kmGuatemala 962 kmUS 3,141 kmLocation: Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US Area: total: 1,972,550 sq kmland: 1,923,040 [...]

By Christopher ReynoldsLOS ANGELES TIMES CHACALA, Mexico – Sure, there’s a great beach here, fresh fish, tall palms and only about 400 locals to share them with. But let’s start with the treachery and deception. “You wouldn’t believe the snakes. Snakes as big as your head,” said Ben Laird, a Wisconsonite who bought a vacation [...]

Property values in México, like in the US, tend to increase year-over-year. As the demand for ocean front property in the US has outstripped supply, it has become an unobtainable commodity for the average person to afford. However, in México, there are numerous locations where one can still afford the ocean front home, condo or [...]

Banyan Tree to Joint Venture to Build a World Class Resort in Chamela with Golf Banyan Tree Holdings is investing with a Mexican partner to develop approximately 500 acres in Chamela, approximately 2 hours south of Puerto Vallarta. The integrated resort will offer guests spectacular views of the protected islands around Chamela and will feature [...]

We have heard different interpretations of the Mexican capital gainstax and what we must do to avoid it, what is yours? We have FM3s (working, not just retiring) and have had them and lived here for 11years not owning any other house. Our rental business is a soleproprietorship that pays all pertinent local, state and [...]

April 2, 2007 By Kent Paterson Elizabeth Rogers and Alex Kelly embarked on the trip of their lives. Selling their Chicago condominium, the couple flew to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, this past winter for a needed break from the old work routine. Based in beautiful but expensive Banderas Bay, the young travelers visited beaches, endured roving [...]

By Tom CarterTHE WASHINGTON TIMESApril 1, 2007 The Mexican Constitution forbids foreign nationals from owning land within 31 miles of the coast. However, in 1994, the government amended the constitution and created legal mechanisms allowing foreigners to safely invest in beach property. “There are big incentives for foreigners to invest in residential property,” said Alvaro [...]

Nancy Lanthier, Vancouver SunPublished: Saturday, March 31, 2007 Two local lectures in April will shed light on travel opportunities — one to explore the little-known Southeast Asian country Myanmar (formerly Burma), the other to experience a spiritual ceremony in Mexico. CanWest contributor Andrew Renton describes Myanmar in a press release as “a magical yet contentious [...]

Wire servicesEl UniversalMartes 27 de marzo de 2007 Experts say that the process of buying property in Mexico has changed substantially in recent years. For instance, title insurance and the wide availability of mortgages have added a new level of security, and has led to an increase in the number of foreign buyers. Still, buying [...]

You can skip if you don’t want to do business in Mexico. THE RULES -AVOID LAWYERS -DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK -UTILIZE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES FOR FOREIGN INVESTMENT Lawyers in Mexico, as in the United States, should be avoided; however, at times they can be a very “necessary evil” – as the saying goes. My work as [...]

Mar de Jade offers foreign visitors a unique space to rejuvenate and relax — and to perform service Nick Gallo, For Vancouver Sun;West News ServicePublished: Saturday, January 28, 2006Article tools Fluent in English and Spanish, she’s besieged with entreaties in both languages. A California guest wants to discuss a videotaping project. A Mexican mask maker [...]

Sunday, March 26, 2006My wife and I had a wonderful vacation on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. The resort of Mar de Jade is on Playa Chacala, about 1 1/2 hours north of Puerto Vallarta, on the edge of a jungle that has overgrown the volcanic landscape. We read about it in Moon Handbooks’ Pacific [...]

By: Nicolás Treido The south coast of Nayarit is covered with points, bays and inlets with some outstanding rugged slopes. The sierra is close to the shoreline and it sometimes seems to be tossed in the waves. Chacala is one of the most beautiful beaches along this coast and unlike many of the others, it [...]

By Mary Garrigan, Journal staff A new mega-processing passport center capable of producing 10 million of the travel documents annually opens in Arkansas in April, but it comes two months too late to save the Mexican vacation plans of one Hill City family. Jeff Parker of Rapid City talks with Carole Coon about the waiting [...]

One couple, two conflicting approaches to travel: Can this Mexican vacation be saved? By M.L. LykeSpecial to The Washington PostSunday, March 25, 2007; Page P01 I never thought of myself as a travel wuss, but there I was, busted, browsing for rentals at an Internet cafe in the little Mexican tourist town of Rincon de [...]

Riviera Nayarit Poised to Become a Premier Vacation Destination PHILADELPHIA, March 22 /PRNewswire/ — Apple Vacations, the nation’s leading tour operator to Mexico, was honored this week for its contributions to tourism development in Mexico, specifically in the State of Nayarit, located just north of Puerto Vallarta on the central West Coast of Mexico. The [...]

GETTING THERE To go to Chacala from Puerto Vallarta, a taxi is easiest and costs $80-90, one-way. (It’s a 90-minute drive.) Or for a fraction of that you can take a bus from the airport up Highway 200 to the neighboring town of Las Varas, then catch a collectivo vehicle to Chacala. Or you can [...]

It pays to be Jay Z. Oh, in so many ways, it pays.Not only is the man loaded on his own, but his girlfriend is rich, too, and she recently used her hard-earned dough to treat him to a vacation. Vacation from what? The hard work of getting richer, we guess. Beyonce whisked Jay off [...]

Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times CHACALA, MEXICO – Sure, there’s a great beach here, fresh fish, tall palms and only about 400 locals to share them with. But let’s start with the treachery and deception. “You wouldn’t believe the snakes,” says Ben Laird, a Wisconsonite who bought a vacation home here last year. “Snakes as [...]

– Christopher ReynoldsPosted March 18 2007 To many in town, Jose Enrique del Valle is best known as the coordinator of Techos de Mexico. Started in 1996, inspired by the work of Habitat for Humanity and largely bankrolled by donations from the north, it’s a construction-loan program to connect villagers with tourists and their dollars. [...]

By Jane Engle, Los Angeles Times Staff WriterMarch 16, 2007 Related Stories MARGARITA in hand, you are lounging on a stretch of sand near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Not a care in the world. Except this: That’s your dream, but the reality is that you don’t have a current passport, and you’re due to fly to [...]

By Jane Engle, Los Angeles Times Staff WriterMarch 16, 2007 Related Stories Demand surge delays U.S. passport applications How to apply for a U.S. passport MARGARITA in hand, you are lounging on a stretch of sand near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Not a care in the world. Except this: That’s your dream, but the reality is [...]

While it still can be an adventure, experts say that the process of buying property in Mexico has changed dramatically in recent years. By Kevin Brass Published: March 15, 2007 Sarah Booth acknowledges that she was scared the first time she bought property in Mexico. She had heard the stories of frauds and shady transactions, [...]

Looking for a sandy escape but loath to share your stretch of beach with beer-guzzling college students? We don’t blame you. Over 100,000 students travel to resort areas throughout Mexico each year on spring break, according to the U.S. Department of State. Other favorites include Nassau, Bahamas; Panama City, Fla.; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. [...]

Stockerblog submits: In my opinion, the real estate market has a long way to go before bottoming out. Why? Because owning real estate is not like owning stocks. There is no liquidity. In addition, the real estate bubble took several years of froth before it peaked. I remember back in 2002, there was a lot [...]

NewswireToday – /newswire/ – Leander, TX, United States, 03/15/2007 – fundVallarta announces a full online resource for discovering real estate investment opportunities in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. With conditions similar to the property boom in California, Puerto Vallarta is poised to become an international performer. Historic property investments may point to a significant current investment opportunity [...]

Global Commercial Real Estate Investment Rose 38% in 2006 to $682 Billion;U.S. Total Transaction Volume Rose 32% to $271 Billion in 2006Jones Lang LaSalle Issues ‘Global Real Estate Capital’ ReportCHICAGO, March 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Jones Lang LaSalle’s latestglobal real estate capital report, released today, records global realestate investment of US$682 billion in 2006, a surge [...]

By: Elliot Rowe, Contributor Hidden in one of the coves on Mexico’s western coast is the little oceanfront village of Sayulita. This beautiful gem, just a half an hour drive north of Puerto Vallarta, is a fishing village and also an isolated vacation spot that’s home to the occasional surfer. Most businesses, art galleries and [...]

Discovering nature and community in a small seaside Mexican village This article appeared in the Chicago Tribune in 1998 and the Philadelphia Inquirer, San Jose Mercury News, Denver’s Rocky Mountain News and the Seattle Times, all in 1997.Filed Feb. 1, 1997By J.D. Lasica CHACALA, Mexico — There is the kind of Mexico vacation where you [...]

By Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles TimesFebruary 24, 2007 By many measures, this modern history of Chacala began 27 years ago, when Laura, Om and José Enrique del Valle arrived in this village 60 miles north of Puerto Vallarta in pursuit of an implausible dream: On a patch of land at the southern end of the [...]

WORLD BRIEFINGS By Tom Carter THE WASHINGTON TIMES March 13, 2007 CHACALA, Mexico Nine years ago, Aurora Hernandez Blancarte’s family lived in a dirt-floor shack, six miles from a paved road, and although her husband is a fisherman, the family sometimes went hungry. “During the rainy season, when the fishing is no good, we didn’t [...]

By AMY GUNDERSONPublished: March 7, 2007 For all the appeal that a gated community holds for a second-home owner — recreational amenities, a sense of security — a planned development can sometimes put a home buyer in the architectural equivalent of a straitjacket. Building or remodeling a home in such a community can mean going [...]

Mexico has published guidelines for the construction of La Yesca, which will be the nation’s largest hydroelectrical plant that could create 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, the Mexican government announced Tuesday. The Federal Electricity Commission said the reservoir would have a 220-meter boundary wall, the tallest in the world of its type. It will dam [...]

Mexico´s state-owned electricity company began accepting bids for a hydroelectric power plant that may cost US$850 million as the country seeks to diversify its electricity supply away from natural gas generation Wire servicesEl Universal Jueves 01 de marzo de 2007 Bloomberg News Mexico´s state-owned electricity company began accepting bids for a hydroelectric power plant that [...]

Katie Levine ’07 shares some last-minute tips for spring break 2007Katie Levine ’07 After three years of jealously watching people come back tan and happy after spring break week, I am finally taking my own spring break vacation to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, this year. Many other Providence College students have similar trips in mind. There [...]

Published Wed, 28 Feb 2007 12:00:00 GMT Currency, loan enforcement complicate situation Tom KellyWhile U.S. mortgage lenders are heading south of the border to finance real estate in Mexico and Central America, the push to penetrate the Canadian mortgage market is considerably cooler — even with the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver just around the [...]

By GEORGE DECKER, Special to the Daily TranscriptTuesday, February 27, 2007 On Feb. 17, the Procopio International Tax Institute presented the information-packed, full-day conference, “Investing in Mexican Real Estate 2007 Outlook: Residential Properties & Development.” The conference at the University of San Diego’s Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice attracted individuals from throughout [...]

Published Fri, 2 Mar 2007 12:00:00 GMTRealty Tax Tips-Part 8: Mortgage costs top listRobert J. Bruss Read Have you ever forgotten to claim a real estate tax deduction? I did. Years ago, after I filed my income tax returns I remembered a mortgage interest deduction of about $4,500, which I totally overlooked. To claim my [...]

Looking for an alternative destination for spring break? After surviving winter wouldn’t it be nice to take a little vacation – relax and eat well (and by well I mean healthy) and do some Pilates? Well, Ellie Herman Studios has just the retreat for you. Seven days, taking 2 Pilates mat classes a day along [...]

Tuesday, February 27, 2007 No one expects to live forever. Yet some naively think that moving to Mexico will kill their obligation to pay income taxes. In fact, U.S. citizens have to pay annual income taxes on all income earned from any source anywhere in the world, no matter where they live. While Americans moving [...]

By O’SULLIVAN INTERNACIONAL INC.Tuesday, February 27, 2007 Ever wonder if retiring in Mexico is an option? Who would you ask to get basic questions answered: Can Americans own land? (Yes). Who can explain the process clearly? (Specialists). Are American property owners’ and buyers’ rights protected under Mexican law? Investing in a foreign country has complexity [...]

By MARTIN ELDER, Special to the Daily TranscriptTuesday, February 27, 2007 The demand for Mexican real estate continues to grow at the high end, leading to wider availability of mortgages and positioning Mexico as one of the fastest rising real estate destinations in Latin America. This claim was made in a recent report by leading [...]

By Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles TimesFebruary 24, 2007 Sure, there’s a great beach here, fresh fish, tall palms and only about 400 locals to share them with. But let’s start with the treachery and deception.”You wouldn’t believe the snakes. Snakes as big as your head,” says Ben Laird, a Wisconsonite who bought a vacation home [...]

Agents broaden their skills and knowledge of global methods to attract clients Poetry may be lost in translation, as Robert Frost declared, but in the world of international real estate, other things can be endangered too. A lack of familiarity with title or contract procedures — by the agent or by the buyer — can [...]