Best Places In The World To Retire

In Chapala and in Ajijic, the neighbors you’ll have will depend on the area and the street where you choose to live. You can find neighborhoods with only foreigners, or nice Mexicans mixing with foreigners, or only Mexicans. It’s a mixture of communities. Foreign communities are not limited to Americans and Canadians- there’s also a British community, a French community, and a German community. Chapala and Ajijic are very rich in different cultures.

 

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In Chapala and in Ajijic, the neighbors you’ll have will depend on the area and the street where you choose to live. You can find neighborhoods with only foreigners, or nice Mexicans mixing with foreigners, or only Mexicans. It’s a mixture of communities. Foreign communities are not limited to Americans and Canadians- there’s also a British community, a French community, and a German community. Chapala and Ajijic are very rich in different cultures.

 

Chula Vista is more like a foreigners’ place. My neighbors are nice people who have been living there for many years. Most of them are homeowners, and they’re people who like to do something for the community. My neighbors are my best friends. In the street where I live, there are only four houses, and my neighbors are all Mexicans. Chula Vista’s population consists of 70% foreigners, and 30% upper and middle class Mexicans.

 

Rich Mexicans live in La Salvias, which is located in upper Ajijic, or in different kinds of fraccionamientos (housing developments). The very rich people do not live in Chapala, or if they do, they live in specific houses that don’t grant anyone access to. I know there are houses that are worth US $1 million or more, but the average people are just nice people- high class, but not super rich.  

 

(Lake Chapala, Mexico, pictured.)

I think the most important things to be concerned about regarding retiring abroad is your honesty in answering the question:  Can I handle change.  When you decide to retire abroad there will be many changes in your life. 

 

You may not see your family and old friends as much; you will need to get used to a different pace of life; it will take time to figure things out, meet new friends, locate stuff you need, get things done (and this can have a tendency...

I think the most important things to be concerned about regarding retiring abroad is your honesty in answering the question:  Can I handle change.  When you decide to retire abroad there will be many changes in your life. 

 

You may not see your family and old friends as much; you will need to get used to a different pace of life; it will take time to figure things out, meet new friends, locate stuff you need, get things done (and this can have a tendency to drive you nuts).

 

A new friend who just moved to Panama in my community is frustrated because it is much harder to get things done in Panama than back home in Canada.  The language is different, the "manana lifestyle" is all present and basically things just move much slower here than in North America ..... but for me this is great.  I needed to learn how to slow down, smell the roses and relax.  Now after living in Panama for roughly seven years I have made great progress.
 

When I first got here in Belize, a lot of people would say, "Good night," when I wasn't going to bed. So I wondered if everyone thought I was ready for sleep.  Then I learned that to them, "Good night" means what a North American means when he or she says "Good evening," so it was a salutation.

 

You learn these things when you come here in Belize. One of the more important components of etiquette is that families matter....

When I first got here in Belize, a lot of people would say, "Good night," when I wasn't going to bed. So I wondered if everyone thought I was ready for sleep.  Then I learned that to them, "Good night" means what a North American means when he or she says "Good evening," so it was a salutation.

 

You learn these things when you come here in Belize. One of the more important components of etiquette is that families matter. Someone is your friend in Belize and he will tell you that he can't make it to your meeting because he needs to help his grandmother who doesn't feel good. This person's grandmother just became the priority. You may have had plans previously, but that family member is going to be the new first priority.

 

In Belize, there is a saying, which is "Right now." So if I call and say, "Hey, are you on your way to bring me that tire for my car?" and they say, "Right now." "Right now" doesn't mean "currently" or "at this moment." "Right now" translates to "I am on my way eventually within the next 5 to 15 minutes or even up to 24 hours." It is not as a North American would define "right now." A lot of people translate that as the Mexican "manana," but it is not. They are acknowledging that they heard you, they got it, it is on their list to do, and they are going to get to it. "Right now" means some time in the future.

 

So if you do not have patience when you move to Belize, you will learn it. It was amazing to me when I first moved to Belize when I went to pay my cell phone bill, and when I got there, there was a line of about ten people. So I thought, "Wow, I won't get out of here for a really long time.  This is a really long line."  But what could I do? I had to wait in line. I had no choice. I had to pay the bill and put more credit on my phone. Anyhow, something shifted inside of me that day because I was talking to the lady in front of me and two gentlemen came in behind me and I was talking to them. We talked about where they came from and where they lived. I knew the sister of a person that was in the line, too.  When it came to the time when it was my turn to pay my cell phone bill and buy cards for my cell phone credit, I realized that I just enjoyed waiting in line. It wasn't a bad thing. It just matters to just be fully present.

 

Another example.  I went to the bank one day from my office, which is located downtown, really close walking distance to the bank. It is probably a three-minute walk. I walked out and said, "Hey, I'll just go to the bank and I'll be back in a few minutes." One of the guys in the office laughed, and said, "Yeah, right!" to which I responded, "I am.  I'll be right back."

 

So I walked towards the bank and on the way there, I met a friend, then I met the chief prosecutor, a guy I coached on the soccer team, and the family who we helped turn on their water for them.  Then I got to the bank. After that, I left the bank and I decided to go to the butcher shop, where I had a conversation with the butcher who is South African. Then I turned around to leave and took what I bought from the butcher all the way to the office.

 

I got there, and they said, "You left here about 45 minutes ago!" I tried to explain, but they all laughed because they had made a bet that I sure as heck wouldn't be back in any less than 10 minutes. Instead, it took me 45 minutes, but that is one of the joys of Belize. You don't want to be in a hurry to do things.

 

Wherever you come from, people are so busy and rushing around that they miss the birds singing in the trees. They miss that interaction with people in person, where you sit down and talk with other people. That is what it is like to live in Belize, it is very intimate and authentic.

Of course this is a personal opinion, I believe that a good Real Estate agent whom you trust is very advisable.  So much so that he or she should become your friend and represent you with everything you need to undertake for this purchase....making sure that the land/house is free and clear with title and mortgages etc.  The normal due diligence anybody would go through anywhere else in the world.  We as Real Estate Agents all work together, so it behooves you to find a...

Of course this is a personal opinion, I believe that a good Real Estate agent whom you trust is very advisable.  So much so that he or she should become your friend and represent you with everything you need to undertake for this purchase....making sure that the land/house is free and clear with title and mortgages etc.  The normal due diligence anybody would go through anywhere else in the world.  We as Real Estate Agents all work together, so it behooves you to find a trusted one and stick it out to the end.  

 

It's really a pretty efficient system here too, if all possible "title" problems are out of the way. 

 

It's always easier to buy with cash as bank loans take time and lots of paperwork. 

 

And I would invest in a lawyer to represent you, not hard to find in Panama.