How many Americans and Canadians and other expats live in Yucatan: Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Merida, etc?
Gary De Spiegelaere - Celestun Properties
There are a large number of foreigners in Quintana Roo (a state in the Yucatan Peninsula that has Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum; generally called the Riviera Maya).
In Merida (a city of over a million inhabitants in the state of Yucatan), there is also a substantial number of expats. The Progreso area, which is east of Merida all the way up to the coast has thousands of expats as well. In Celestún, a village of about 7,500 where I live, about...
There are a large number of foreigners in Quintana Roo (a state in the Yucatan Peninsula that has Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum; generally called the Riviera Maya).
In Merida (a city of over a million inhabitants in the state of Yucatan), there is also a substantial number of expats. The Progreso area, which is east of Merida all the way up to the coast has thousands of expats as well. In Celestún, a village of about 7,500 where I live, about an hour west of Merida, we probably have twelve to fourteen non-Mexican residents who live here year round. In the winter, that number rises to about thirty to thirty-five foreigners. There are very few expats living here in Celestún but there are going to be more because of the condo projects that are planned for this area. We will end up with about one hundred more buildings, which will bring more people, more employment, and more exciting things to do.
Can I receive my Social Security checks or benefits abroad, as an expat, outside the US and if so, how?
Lorraine Samuels
Social Security will mail/fwd/deposit your check here. I have mine going to my credit union account in the US, & I transfer funds to an account here in Panama I can also use my US debit card to withdraw $ from the ATM; however there are fees. I can also deposit checks from my US credit union to my bank here, & there's a fee ($5.35).
Here in Panama they don't accept Medicare, but they do VA at a hospital. We use US currency ($, coins) & also...
Social Security will mail/fwd/deposit your check here. I have mine going to my credit union account in the US, & I transfer funds to an account here in Panama I can also use my US debit card to withdraw $ from the ATM; however there are fees. I can also deposit checks from my US credit union to my bank here, & there's a fee ($5.35).
Here in Panama they don't accept Medicare, but they do VA at a hospital. We use US currency ($, coins) & also Panamanian coins.
To the right is a picture I took from my balcony at the Westin Playa Bonita Hotel in Veracruz, Panama.
What do I need to know when buying a house or other real estate in Nicaragua?
Paul Tiffer - TIFFER & ASOCIATES
In my opinion the first information anybody must know when buying a house or other real estate in Nicaragua is if the property is in order, from a legal perspective.
This question has a similar reply as another in this section which asked if someone buying a house in Nicaragua needed a lawyer. Therefore that will be the first answer for this question. To buy a house in Nicaragua it is imperative to hire a lawyer so as to be assisted by a professional.
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In my opinion the first information anybody must know when buying a house or other real estate in Nicaragua is if the property is in order, from a legal perspective.
This question has a similar reply as another in this section which asked if someone buying a house in Nicaragua needed a lawyer. Therefore that will be the first answer for this question. To buy a house in Nicaragua it is imperative to hire a lawyer so as to be assisted by a professional.
It is important to know that the legal system in Nicaragua is different than in the USA or Canada.
We lawyers in Nicaragua are at the same time Public Notaries with the ability to prepare the Writ in order to transfer the title at the closing.
Nicaraguan law only accepts contracts written in Spanish and with the formalities the law states and prepared by a Public Notary in an special paper called: legal paper. Any agreement in English or any other language in not legal in Nicaragua.
The buyer has the right to hire his own legal advisor / lawyer who must protect the interests of his client.
It is not mandatory to be resident to buy a Real Estate property in Nicaragua.
It is imperative to know that the transfer tax must be paid buy the seller. The transfer tax has different brackets depending the price of the property: to $ 50,000 the tax will be the 1%; from $50,001 to $100,000, the tax is 2%; if the price of the property is from $100,001 to $200,000 the tax is 3%; and if the property is from $200,001 or greater the tax is 4% of the property. The registration cost must be paid for the buyer and is incremented as well with a ceiling of $1,500.
Finally, just in San Juan del Sur and Tola Municipally there is an extraordinary and additional Municipal tax of 1% for the transaction that must be paid by the seller as well.
My experience as an American woman in Portugal 30 years ago was not good; at that time I found it a frustratingly "macho" country. However, this has definitely changed, perhaps as Luis da Silva mentions in an earlier post, this is due to most women now working, better education, and greater exposure to global influences.
(Woman in Lisbon, Portugal, pictured.)
My experience as an American woman in Portugal 30 years ago was not good; at that time I found it a frustratingly "macho" country. However, this has definitely changed, perhaps as Luis da Silva mentions in an earlier post, this is due to most women now working, better education, and greater exposure to global influences.
JB Seligman - BUENA VISTA REALTY located in BOCAS DEL TORO, PANAMA
I LIVED IN THE TOWN OF "OLD BANK", BASTIMENTOS FOR 5 YEARS. IT IS TRULY ONE OF THE LAST TRUE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS THAT REMAINS TRUE TO IT'S ROOTS. MOST LOCALS CAME OVER FROM THE WEST INDIES AND JAMAICA TO WORK THE BANANA INDUSTRY IN THE EARLY DAYS. ENGLISH IS THE FIRST LANGUAGE AND THEIR OWN LOCAL DIALECT IS CALLED "GURI GURI" IT'S ENGLISH AND SPANISH ON A COLLISION COURSE...MUSIC IS KING IN OLD BANK AND THERE IS ALWAYS SOME BOB...
I LIVED IN THE TOWN OF "OLD BANK", BASTIMENTOS FOR 5 YEARS. IT IS TRULY ONE OF THE LAST TRUE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS THAT REMAINS TRUE TO IT'S ROOTS. MOST LOCALS CAME OVER FROM THE WEST INDIES AND JAMAICA TO WORK THE BANANA INDUSTRY IN THE EARLY DAYS. ENGLISH IS THE FIRST LANGUAGE AND THEIR OWN LOCAL DIALECT IS CALLED "GURI GURI" IT'S ENGLISH AND SPANISH ON A COLLISION COURSE...MUSIC IS KING IN OLD BANK AND THERE IS ALWAYS SOME BOB MARLEY FLOATING AROUND . IN THE MIDDLE PART OF THE ISLAND IS "RED FROG" BEACH WITH VILLAS AND OTHER FORMS OF LIVING QUARTERS...THERE ARE QUITE A FEW HOMES SCATTERED ON THE SIDE FACING ISLA SOLARTE. ON THE SOUTH END ARE BEAUTIFUL WHITE SANDY BEACHES AND THERE ARE A FEW HOMES THERE...IN OTHER WORDS, BASTIMENTOS HAS A LOT OF DIFFERENT LIVING OPTIONS.
How much does it cost to go to the movies in Belize?
Christian Burn
You will not find any movie theaters in Ambergris Caye, the island where I live in Belize. We do not need movie theaters on this island because we have such good TV. The whole country of Belize has all the brand new movies not only showing on television but you can get them on DVDs and watch them at home for US $2.50. Because of that, there is no need for a movie theater in Ambergris Caye. In addition, people nowadays like to stream their movies to their home. If you have a 60-inch...
You will not find any movie theaters in Ambergris Caye, the island where I live in Belize. We do not need movie theaters on this island because we have such good TV. The whole country of Belize has all the brand new movies not only showing on television but you can get them on DVDs and watch them at home for US $2.50. Because of that, there is no need for a movie theater in Ambergris Caye. In addition, people nowadays like to stream their movies to their home. If you have a 60-inch television at home and you can either stream movies or buy DVDs, why would you ever want go to a movie theater?
The sun comes up in the east (even though it still seems like the south to me after all this time). The same bright sunshine that warms America warms my day here in Boquete. Night time brings bright stars and often a huge moon. No matter what phase it is in, it shines beautifully in the dark velvet skies. The same moon shines on my family and friends in America, too.
Our adventure here in Panama has been a good one. This month we get our Panamanian ID...
In January 2013, Archaeologists working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, discovered a cluster of 12 unusual stones in the back of a small, prehistoric rock-shelter near the town of Boquete. The cache represents the earliest material evidence of shamanistic practice in lower Central America. Ruth Dickau, Leverhulme Post-doctoral Fellow at the University of Exeter in England, unearthed the cache of stones in the Casita de Piedra rock-shelter in 2007. A...
Okay, I was hoping it would not rain, but it is the rainy season. However, I was really hoping it would not rain! There was a beautiful table, with a gorgeous floral centerpiece, on the entry patio of the store my friend owns. This was her grand re-opening Sip & Shop Event on Volcancito Road.
There were balloons on the gate, chilled beer, and beverages, white and red wines. A table with awesome meat trays, wraps, stuffed pastries, vegetable trays, cheese and...