Will Moreno
6/21/2011

There is a small Central American Nation that has a lot in common with the Caribbean, and is certainly a new hot spot. It has certainly been making headlines around the world in travel articles. So many people from all over the world primarily Canada, United States, Europe and the UK are choosing to purchase a retirement home, second home or invest in property in this small nation.

One of the reasons so many choose this country is because it's the only English speaking Central American country, which makes communicating with the locals easy and also facilitates your move. If you are wondering which country we are talking about you have to wait no longer. This country with so much beauty packed within its borders is most certainly, Belize.

The world's economy has certainly affected Belize, and since the start of the economic downturn, Belize has seen  as much as 30-35% depreciation in real estate values in some areas. This makes Belize the real hot spot of Central America and the Caribbean when it comes to purchasing real estate. It has become a real buyer's market with prices certainly being negotiable. We have seen rare discounts by as much as 50% on some land and homes. Comparing Belize's prices to that of the United States or Europe, Belize prices are still relatively low. Therefore, Belize is an excellent location for investment.

The Government of Belize as Well as the Belize Tourism Board has been promoting Belize, not only as a vacation destination, but offering Belize as Retirement Destination for expats to purchase a primary residence, second home or vacation home. For those that will be retiring in Belize, they can certainly take advantage of the Qualified Retirement Program (QRP Program) which offers tax benefits to retirees.

If you are considering making the move to Belize or investing in real estate in this small Central American and Caribbean nation be sure to do all the necessary research or talk to a Belize Relocation Consultant about areas that would be most desirable to you.

HOW DO WE SPEND OUR TIME IN PÁTZCUARO?

A New Boomer Member recently sent me a message saying that she and her husband were looking for a retirement place in Latin America and asked if I could share our daily experience living in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico.  She asked, “Is the assimilation difficult? How important is the language? How are the locals treating you? What is the price of the real estate? How much on average does it take to live there a month? Sorry for this many questions, we cannot find any sources yet to have a good objective overview of living in Mexico.” I answered her with an email, but it seems to me that many people, who have not yet made the move to overseas living, probably have the same or similar questions.  So, I would like to share the comments I sent in my email to the New Member.

On July 1, 1867, Canada became a self-governing dominion of Great Britain and a federation of four provinces: Nova Scotia; New Brunswick; Ontario; and Quebec. The anniversary of this date was called Dominion Day until 1982.  Since 1983, July 1 has been officially known as Canada Day.

Canada Day is celebrated in grand style in Ottawa, the nation's capital. Every year, tens of thousands of people flock to Parliament Hill to take part in the noon show with the Prime Minister, the Governor General and the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. This year, Canada celebrates the 142nd anniversary of Confederation, and will also celebrate Canada's hosting of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. KEEP READING and watch the VIDEOS.

New rules requiring passports or new high-tech documents to cross the United States' northern and southern borders are taking effect Monday, June 1, 2009, as some complain the tightening of security and others applaud it as long overdue.

By: Jim Scherrer

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Twelve years of fun, joy, excitement, amazingly consistent weather, meeting really interesting friendly people (foreigners and locals), traveling to nearby fascinating towns and cities. That is a synopsis of our time in the Lakeside area since 1996.

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.

There are so many exciting places to visit in the world. Many are better to visit than to live but that depends on your critera for a retirement or 2nd home location.

Even though we have thousands of Americans, Canadians and other foreigners living in the Ajijic / Chapala area in harmony with the friendly Mexicans, these are names that bring wonderment to many north of the US -Mexican border.