Best Places In The World To Retire

The internet here in San Felipe Baja is about 5 mgs over telephone lines. Most of the time it is good enough.

 

Sometimes when the town is full of visitors there is a problem in getting on-line or staying connected. When the visitors leave, everything goes back to normal. Once we had someone steal a big length of our telephone cable about 50' of it. The telephone company replaced in 48 hrs. That's lightening speed around here :-)

 

The internet here in San Felipe Baja is about 5 mgs over telephone lines. Most of the time it is good enough.

 

Sometimes when the town is full of visitors there is a problem in getting on-line or staying connected. When the visitors leave, everything goes back to normal. Once we had someone steal a big length of our telephone cable about 50' of it. The telephone company replaced in 48 hrs. That's lightening speed around here :-)

 

It is not mandatory to hire an attorney to buy a house in Portugal.  However, and especially if you are a foreigner, it is strongly advisable to hire a lawyer to represent you and make sure that you signed the right contract, that you are buying the right property, and that the property does not have any liens, encumbrances or charges registered on it.
 
The role of the lawyer in the process of acquiring a property is to do a due diligence on the legal documentation of the...

It is not mandatory to hire an attorney to buy a house in Portugal.  However, and especially if you are a foreigner, it is strongly advisable to hire a lawyer to represent you and make sure that you signed the right contract, that you are buying the right property, and that the property does not have any liens, encumbrances or charges registered on it.
 
The role of the lawyer in the process of acquiring a property is to do a due diligence on the legal documentation of the property, assist in the negotiation of the promissory contract of purchase and sale (typically in Portugal the buyer and seller sign a promissory agreement first and complete on the acquisition within 30 to 60 days) and at the end organize and represent you in the signature of the public deed of purchase and sale that is usually done before a notary and with the registration of the acquisition at the land registry office.
 
Please note that all documentation together with the public deed of purchase and sale will have to be done in Portuguese.  Therefore, if you do not speak Portuguese it will be complicated to assure that all your rights are being taken care of.
 
Finally please also note that Portuguese lawyers registered at the bar association in Portugal will have professional liability insurance which assures the payment of compensation to clients that are wrongly advised.

 

(Tiled house  in Alcochete, Portugal, pictured.)

Driving in Nicaragua is exciting to say the least. Defensive driving is a must and paying attention to the slow moving vehicles is key. One way street signs are tiny and it’s easy to find out you are heading the wrong way up a one-way, especially when the police man is there to remind you. Passing laws and lane changes are monitored closely and random pull offs by the police are common.

Driving in Nicaragua is exciting to say the least. Defensive driving is a must and paying attention to the slow moving vehicles is key. One way street signs are tiny and it’s easy to find out you are heading the wrong way up a one-way, especially when the police man is there to remind you. Passing laws and lane changes are monitored closely and random pull offs by the police are common.

El Valle is cooler than the coastal regions. Spanish is the spoken language and there are a few locals who may speak some English. There are quite a few ex.pats living there who tend to stick together. Anyone moving to Panama should make the effort and learn the country`s language.

El Valle is cooler than the coastal regions. Spanish is the spoken language and there are a few locals who may speak some English. There are quite a few ex.pats living there who tend to stick together. Anyone moving to Panama should make the effort and learn the country`s language.

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.