WHY BUY PROPERTY IN THE YUCATAN?

Doug and I left the US a little over six years ago, off on the great adventure! We lived in Playa Del Carmen for 3 1/2 years and it was wonderful! The ocean is gorgeous, 5th Avenue was always exciting and fun with lots of shopping, restaurants and bars. However it grew faster than we did, we loved it when it was smaller and had a more close knit community, but being of the baby boomer generation we were looking for something slower, with a strong expat community, great medical care and a more laid back atmosphere. So.....we thought we would try out Cozumel. When we moved there I remember saying, "I'm living the American dream, everybody wants to live on an island." Sounds good doesn't it? Well believe me after awhile I had island fever, I wanted to be able to get in my car and drive, and not just in a circle, so back to Playa. But when we moved back we remembered why we had left, there were condos springing up on every corner, the rent was twice what it was when we left and driving into town and parking was a thing of the past. The cost of living was comparable to what we had left behind in the states, Playa had gotten too big, too fast. So while sitting around having a few cocktails we decided to try another country, how about Belize? It was still close to Mexico which we loved, they spoke English, and it's beautiful. We took a couple trips across the border and discovered Ambergris Caye, another island. Our first few months there were idyllic, no cars, only golf carts on the island. No problem with communication, wide beaches with swaying palm trees and magnificent rum. However we were still in the "honeymoon" stage. Soon we realized that when it rains, and it rains alot, golf carts get stuck, they throw mud all over you, every article of clothing I had was mud stained. The crime was much worse than Mexico, people were getting stabbed, robbed and raped on a regular basis. By the time we left I wouldn't even walk around after dark by myself.

Thats when we grew older and wiser, we had bought a house in Chelem years ago. Why keep paying rent and moving around? Lets put down roots, fix up our home and live a peaceful safe life. I want to give you a list of all the reasons why this is now my permanent home. I wish that I had someone that would have done this for me originally, I could have saved alot of time and money......So here goes:

It is safe here! The state of Yucatan has one of the lowest crime rates per capita in Mexico. Violent crime a rarity almost nonexistant. A sense of tranquility and safety pervades the community. I haven't seen or don't know anyone that owns a gun, except the police. Neighbors watch out for each other here, just as we used to do back home when I was growing up. There are nights that we forget and leave the keys in the car and the back door unlocked. We have never had a problem, nor have any of my friends.

The people- The Yucatean people embrace foreigners, they aren't like many of the locals in tourist areas that have learned to prey on Americans and Canadians. They are fascinated by us and want to learn our culture and want us to experience theirs.The Yucatan is that it is primarily a family and community oriented society and there is very little juvenile crime and delinquency. For example: on weekends, instead of the youth driving around, drinking and looking for trouble; they go to the town square with their parents and family. In Merida, you can see teenagers escorting their Grandparents and even dancing with them in the Zocolo.

There is a huge expat community here in Chelem and Chuburna, we have all moved here because it is a warm and welcoming place to call home.

Health Care- Merida is only 30 - 35 minutes from the beach,

DOES MERIDA HAVE GOOD MEDICAL AND DENTAL FACILITIES?

YES! Merida has numerous hospitals that are staffed by well trained physicians, most of whom were trained in the United States. The hospitals in MeridaMexico. Wonderful, inexpensive dental work is also available in Merida. Many Americans and Canadians have been taking advantage of this for years. Also within the past five years, a growing number of Americans and Canadians have been coming to Merida for plastic surgery. We would be more than happy to refer you to competent doctors, dentists and plastic surgeons in Merida. Also Progreso, just 10 minutes from us has a hospital, Centro Americana, as well as many doctors and dentists.

Culture - If you need to get away from the beach, go to Merida! It boasts of many malls and stores that you are familiar with, Sams Club, Home Depot, Costco, Bennigans, TGIFridays etc.

Merida today has about 950,000 residents and is a very cosmopolitan city with Mayan and Spanish descendants and is an extremely cultural city with many museums, libraries, theaters, numerous universities, etc. The economy that was once based on the henequen industry is now based on tourism, agriculture and fishing plus Merida´s export business is increasing every day. Some of the items exported are honey, sisal rope, petroleum products, hammocks, fine jewelry, concentrated orange juice, fish etc.

Residents call Merida "the Paris of the West" because of it´s tree lined boulevards, colonial mansions and estates of the henequen barons of the 1800¨s. There are many things to see in and around Merida. It is an easy drive from Merida to beaches, Mayan ruins, haciendas, etc. One of the nicest things about Merida is its people. The Yucatecan people are hospitable, honest, easygoing, hard working and make wonderful neighbors.

About 2 hours from the beach is one of the new 7 wonders of the world, Chichen Itza, there are many Mayan Ruins even closer.

Properties - buying a home here along the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico is much less expensive than buying back home. There is an increasing demand for beach living, baby boomers are moving to the area, whether to the beaches or to Merida "the Paris of the west." Americans are being priced out of US markets and are losing money on their homes, here the property value has gone up approximately 30% in the past year, but are still priced within reason. There is tremendous untapped potential in Mexico. Prices are very low compared to inflated US home prices. Even the heavily developed markets have areas with opportunity for strong appreciation. It is easy to buy here, we work with English speaking attorneys and walk you through every step of the process. We have a US phone line installed in our home, you can call us directly with any questions or concerns. If you are seriously interested in making a move give us a call, 302-200-0461. Check out our website: www.mayanliving.com . Take advantage of your opportunity to live in paradise before the prices get any higher.

Warm breezes and cold beers coming at ya!