How's the kayaking, rafting, and canoeing in and around Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico?
Thomas Hellyer - Chapala Home Sales
There is quite a bit of kayaking in and around Chapala and Ajijic. There is a kayaking club that meets at least once a week for kayaking and they do it together. They go to different places on the lake. Lake Chapala is a massive body of water so there are lots of places to go kayaking. They get together on the side, where they meet up on an ongoing basis. Then they decide on who is going to help carry the kayaks, who has a car and who doesn’t, what restaurant they are going to after...
There is quite a bit of kayaking in and around Chapala and Ajijic. There is a kayaking club that meets at least once a week for kayaking and they do it together. They go to different places on the lake. Lake Chapala is a massive body of water so there are lots of places to go kayaking. They get together on the side, where they meet up on an ongoing basis. Then they decide on who is going to help carry the kayaks, who has a car and who doesn’t, what restaurant they are going to after they kayak so they could eat, etc. There is an active community that uses the water of Lake Chapala that way.
There are some people who go boating here but there’s not that many. For Mexicans, power boating is very expensive. It’s expensive to keep the boat, pay for the truck, gas, etc. When you bring your boat to Lake Chapala, you have to be very careful on the shore because of the shallowness of the water. In general, boating is not very popular but it is possible as there are places where you could store your boat and place where you could launch. There is deep enough water and it is a big lake with lots of places to go and things to see but there isn’t much infrastructure around, so for example, you can’t fuel your boat anywhere on the lake. You have to either take the fuel to the boats or trailer out to do the fueling on shore. There aren’t many docks to tie up on especially as the lake goes up and down through the seasons. There aren’t any lakeside attractions to boat to. For water recreation, it is amazing for people like me, from the Pacific Northwest, where we have a strong boating culture, to see how little recreational use there is on Lake Chapala.
I have friends who have boats who have them stored at restaurants on the shore that have a launch pad. If any of them wants to use it, the restaurant launches it for them, they take the boat out, have a nice afternoon, and come back in.
What's the price of a home, condo or apartment in Granada, Nicaragua?
Carlos Roman Gutierrez Solis - Casa Granada Properties
When everything stopped in 2008, the economy was no good. We had a lack of inventory to support the demands of a specific kind of price. One of the reasons why we love the idea of doing what we do with the new projects is because we can offer a property located next to the city, but it is only five minutes away. However, even at this close proximity to the city, it is away from the noise. One other thing that we are looking to offer is the price of under US $100,000 for a brand new home....
When everything stopped in 2008, the economy was no good. We had a lack of inventory to support the demands of a specific kind of price. One of the reasons why we love the idea of doing what we do with the new projects is because we can offer a property located next to the city, but it is only five minutes away. However, even at this close proximity to the city, it is away from the noise. One other thing that we are looking to offer is the price of under US $100,000 for a brand new home. We are projecting houses at $85,000 for a three-bedroom house. A house like that will be about 1,300 square feet.
Right now the prices are changing for the better, so they are becoming lower. A brand new, finished condominium could be around $160,000. That would be fully furnished and with two bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. You can also buy a house, which is about three or four blocks away from the plaza for $175,000 that has two bedrooms and a pool. You can also find a decent brand new studio type apartment with 1 bedroom for $65,000 that would be in a condo with access to a pool and security. You can also buy a fixer upper, big colonial home for $190,000 to $250,000, which would be a big house and about 5,000 square feet.
If you continue going farther away from the center – about eight to ten blocks away, there are not a lot of offers, but there are some fixer uppers for $40,000 to $80,000, depending on the size of the lot. Then there is another group of homes that are of better quality. Their sizes range from 3,000 to 4,000 square feet and have three to four bedrooms, located about five blocks away from the city center. Prices in that area range from $275,000 to $320,000.
Taking the plaza as your landmark, you can go in both directions and depending on how far away from the plaza you go, will see the noise level change. You will live in a more decent neighborhood with less noise and be more private, if you go east and south of the plaza. If you go to the north and west of the plaza, you will find that the neighborhoods there are noisier and the houses are not that big.
It is important how you buy. The elevation of your house is very important because the way the breeze is coming in from the lake makes your house cooler or not. There is more ventilation and it is much cooler depending on how your house faces the lake. It is very important that your house faces the lake or the volcano because your house will catch the breeze if your house has a nice garden or outdoor space, so you can catch that airflow and keep your house cooler during the dry season.
We have a project that is going to build houses about 1.5 miles southwest of the center of Granada. The elevation of the land is pretty good in terms of how much air you can get from the lake. When you live in the center of Granada, it is 46 to 50 feet above sea level. When you go to my project, 1.5 miles southwest of the center, you’ll find yourself at 93 to 96 feet above sea level. The houses that we are going to build there are a mix of styles. We will have colonial style houses with modern, contemporary interior design. So in these you will live in it comfortably and it will be something that you are used to, but at the same time the exterior of the house will be in harmony with the styles in the rest of the town. The main idea is to have three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.
When we put them back in the market, we are expecting three prices: $65,000, $75,000, and $85,000. That is our target. People will be able to have a pool, a garage, and if you want to build a 2-story home, you can do so since the land is not affected by the zoning regulations set by the city because of its location outside of the city. Right now we are still in the design process so we are with the architects and the engineers to estimate all the numbers and to come up with the exact selling price so that we don’t have to go higher than the target. The $85,000 house is expected to be around 130 meters, which is 1,400 square feet, and the lot will be about 300 meters or 3,120 square feet.
What’s the crime rate against Americans, British, and other expats in Portugal?
Marcia Schwuchow
I have been living in the Lisbon area countryside since 1983, the first ten years as a single woman living alone, and up to now have never felt unsafe. What exists in this area is mostly petty crimes of opportunity, eg. bags or cameras left in a parked car, or houses obviously unoccupied.
(House outside of Lisbon, Portugal, pictured.)
I have been living in the Lisbon area countryside since 1983, the first ten years as a single woman living alone, and up to now have never felt unsafe. What exists in this area is mostly petty crimes of opportunity, eg. bags or cameras left in a parked car, or houses obviously unoccupied.
Are there English-speaking doctors in Placencia, Belize?
Erin Ivy - Captain Jak's
The first language of Belize is English, so there are English-speaking doctors in Placencia, as there are throughout the country of Belize. Relative to the accent our English-speaking doctors have here, Americans, Canadians, and British will not find it difficult to understand the people here. Even the medical staff and the nurses here in Placencia speak English, and they do so in a way that you can understand, and they can understand you.
The first language of Belize is English, so there are English-speaking doctors in Placencia, as there are throughout the country of Belize. Relative to the accent our English-speaking doctors have here, Americans, Canadians, and British will not find it difficult to understand the people here. Even the medical staff and the nurses here in Placencia speak English, and they do so in a way that you can understand, and they can understand you.
What are the least-expensive countries in which to obtain dual citizenship?
Jay Butler - Asset Protection Services of America
There are only six (6) countries in the world which currently offer "economic citizenship" programs, which are:
The Commonwealth of Dominica ($100,000+)
The Dominican Republic ($200,000+)
St Kitts and Nevis ($250,000+)
New Zealand ($1,300,000+)
Ireland ($1,500,000+)
Austria ($3,000,000+)
Numerous countries offer citizenship by "naturalization" including, but not limited to, Costa Rica,...
There are only six (6) countries in the world which currently offer "economic citizenship" programs, which are:
The Commonwealth of Dominica ($100,000+)
The Dominican Republic ($200,000+)
St Kitts and Nevis ($250,000+)
New Zealand ($1,300,000+)
Ireland ($1,500,000+)
Austria ($3,000,000+)
Numerous countries offer citizenship by "naturalization" including, but not limited to, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Panama and Paraguay.
So, to best answer the question "What are the least expensive countries in which to obtain dual citizenship?" the answer would rely heavily on whether you have the financial means to afford an 'economic citizenship' program or the time to wait for a 'naturalization' program to come to fruition. Generally speaking, economic citizenship programs make second passports available within 3 to 12 months while naturalization programs can take 5 to 7 years.
If the case is the former, then the Commonwealth of Dominica offers visa-free access to 76 countries with a charitable contribution starting at $100,000 for individuals and $175,000 for married couples.
The Dominican Republic offers visa-free access to 40 countries with a $200,000 business investment which "furthers the overall economic value of the Dominican Republic".
And St Kitts and Nevis offers access to over 125 countries through either a charitable contribution to the SIDF (Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation) which runs $250,000 for an individual and begins at $300,000 for married couples, or through the purchase of real property (the minimum investment is $400,000) with government fees running $50,000 for the head of household, $25,000 for the spouse, and an additional $25,000 or $50,000 per child depending on their age.
If the case is the latter, then prices and residency or visitation requirements can vary dramatically. Although your options are more abundant for 'naturalization' programs so too is the demand for you to thoroughly do your research before making a decision. Unfortunately the length of this article will not permit for a comprehensive answer to the least expensive countries in which to obtain dual citizenship by way of naturalization. I would suggest speaking at length to someone qualified to get more details if interested.
Regardless of which jurisdiction best meets your needs, you must be pointed to the specific underlying legal foundation upon which the dual citizenship program is being made available to the public. Meaning, if you are not provided with a section from the constitution, a constitutional amendment or piece of current legislation validating the program then you are likely to become involved in a scam.
Be leery of anyone who tries to sell you a second passport based on adoption, the death of a citizen, or 'special activities' such as an involvement in the film industry, etc. The use of a fraudulent passport is a serious international crime and punishable with long prison sentences in most every participating country.
Lastly, whomever you choose to provide your dual citizenship services, the actual work should be performed by legal counsel on-the-ground in the country wherein you are seeking your second citizenship. Under no circumstances whatsoever should you consider attempting to procure a second passport without competent and reliable legal counsel.
Reprinted with permission from Bob Adams of Retirement Wave.
Additional Note to readers: you may wonder why, whenever I mention the word "billion" as a statistic, that I immediately follow that with the same number, expressed differently. For example, I may write "$2 billion ($2,000 million)". The simple fact is that there are two different definitions of "billion", each used by many nations. By presenting "billions" in this manner, I am simply clarifying exactly what I...
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