How much is it to build a house in Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico?
Mark Eager - Eager & Asociados
The cost to build a house in the Chapala and Ajijic area ranges from 8,000 pesos – 12,000 pesos per square meter (US $39 - US $59 per square foot) without the lot, depending on the quality of construction you want.
You can build a comfortable, well-built house on a flat lot for 8,000 – 8,500 pesos per square meter ($39 to $42 per square foot) using granite and aluminum. Entry-level homes with granite and half-decent furnishings cost over...
The cost to build a house in the Chapala and Ajijic area ranges from 8,000 pesos – 12,000 pesos per square meter (US $39 - US $59 per square foot) without the lot, depending on the quality of construction you want.
You can build a comfortable, well-built house on a flat lot for 8,000 – 8,500 pesos per square meter ($39 to $42 per square foot) using granite and aluminum. Entry-level homes with granite and half-decent furnishings cost over 8,000 pesos per square meter ($39 per square foot). For 10,000 pesos - 12,000 pesos per square meter ($49 to $59 per square foot, you’ll get a home with better foundation.
Depending on the size of your house, there’s a big difference in preparation and finishing. For example, floor tile can cost anywhere between 126 pesos - 560 pesos a square meter ($.62 to$2.75 per square foot). Another example would be aluminum windows- you can choose between basic and better quality aluminum.
(Thatch palapa roof over the veranda in a resort- like home, near Ajijic, Mexico, pictured.)
Do I need a second passport if I retire, work, or live abroad?
RICH Novak - RE/MAX Beaches & City! INC.
With regard to Panama - here's how things are working as of December 28, 2012. You do NOT repeat NOT need a second passport to retire or work in Panama.
Panama is a great place for you to retire. Many experts say that Panama's Pensionado (Retirement) Program is the very best. I am a Panama Pensionado. You need a Panama lawyer to help you with becoming a Pensionado. The Panama law firm that I recommend is Panama Relocation Attorneys is Panama City.
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With regard to Panama - here's how things are working as of December 28, 2012. You do NOT repeat NOT need a second passport to retire or work in Panama.
Panama is a great place for you to retire. Many experts say that Panama's Pensionado (Retirement) Program is the very best. I am a Panama Pensionado. You need a Panama lawyer to help you with becoming a Pensionado. The Panama law firm that I recommend is Panama Relocation Attorneys is Panama City.
At this time, a Pensionado can NOT legally work (have income), but a Pensionado can - however - own a Panama Corporation & the Panama Corp can have income. Be very careful here because certain types of business can only be owned by Panamanian citizens. You need to be represented by a competent Panama lawyer.
Being able to legally work in Panama is much more complicated. Panama protects its citizens and makes it very difficult for foreigners to obtain a Panama work permit. However, recently President Martinelli issued Executive Order 343 & this Executive Order may make it easier for foreigners to obtain work permits... but because all this info is so brand new - the mechanics of this Program are still being sorted out by Panama's Immigration Department.
The economy & tourism industry are absolutely booming here in Panama & recently I read that 10,000 additional workers are needed because of all the new Panama hotels that are currently under construction.
Maybe I should also mention that when a citizen of North America comes to Panama as a tourist, this person may remain in Panama for up to 180 days... before the 180 days are over a tourist then needs to leave Panama for 72 hours, but after the 72 hours the tourist can return to Panama for another 180 days. And you can do this over & over & over again & again I personally know of people who have in effect been Perpetual Tourists (PTs) in this manner. In fact my wife & I were PTs before we became Panama Pensionados. A tourist and/or PT can NOT legally work (have income) here in Panama, but even a foreign tourist can own a Panama Corporation & the Panama Corp may have income.
My birthday is on the 4th of April, and normally on the week of my birthday my present is to go fishing for a week. Last year, I caught a 200-kilo (441 pounds) tuna. In Portuguese we call the fish I caught the atum rabillo but in English I think it’s bluefin tuna. So an amateur like me caught a fish like that, which gives you an idea of how rich our waters are.
If you go fishing in the main cities—Lisbon or...
There is excellent fishing in Portugal.
My birthday is on the 4th of April, and normally on the week of my birthday my present is to go fishing for a week. Last year, I caught a 200-kilo (441 pounds) tuna. In Portuguese we call the fish I caught the atum rabillo but in English I think it’s bluefin tuna. So an amateur like me caught a fish like that, which gives you an idea of how rich our waters are.
If you go fishing in the main cities—Lisbon or Porto—you will see a lot of recreational fishing. There are a lot of little boats, which tend to scare the bigger fish but you always catch fish in Portugal.
Portugal is really well known for two things: soccer and fish. The fish we get is very, very good fish and very fresh fish. All the restaurants provide very, very fresh fish. Portugal is a really beautiful place to go fishing; very beautiful.
There are a lot of volcanoes in Nicaragua. There are one or two active volcanoes but they are not very dangerous. They have been active for more than 30 years and nothing happened so far, so we don’t worry about it. Nicaragua is known for its volcanoes and people from all over the world come to Nicaragua to see them because they are beautiful.
You can see a volcano very close because we have a lot of...
There are a lot of volcanoes in Nicaragua. There are one or two active volcanoes but they are not very dangerous. They have been active for more than 30 years and nothing happened so far, so we don’t worry about it. Nicaragua is known for its volcanoes and people from all over the world come to Nicaragua to see them because they are beautiful.
You can see a volcano very close because we have a lot of access to the volcanoes here. You can go to the top and see lava.
Is there good fishing in and around Coronado, Panama?
Abdu Aguilar
There are a lot of fishermen in the Coronado area but these fish are consumed locally; they are not doing commercial fishing. People who live in the beach areas go to the beach and go fishing so they could have something to eat and sell to their neighbors. What I heard from people in Coronado is that because of the climate change, they could fish as much as they used to because the fish are now farther out into the ocean.
Coronado is not known for sport fishing. People who go...
There are a lot of fishermen in the Coronado area but these fish are consumed locally; they are not doing commercial fishing. People who live in the beach areas go to the beach and go fishing so they could have something to eat and sell to their neighbors. What I heard from people in Coronado is that because of the climate change, they could fish as much as they used to because the fish are now farther out into the ocean.
Coronado is not known for sport fishing. People who go sport fishing, usually go to the Darien Province or to Pedasi, which is 4.5 hours away by car from Panama City and about 3.5 hours away from Coronado. Pedasi is a bit far from Panama City as it is located in the Azuero Peninsula. They have lots of fishing and sport fishing in Pedasi.
How much does it cost to have a cell phone in Belize?
Christian Burn
To buy cell phone in Belize is expensive, but to maintain a cell phone is not. Relatively speaking most people pay as they go. They buy an unlocked phone, put a local SIM card in it and they charge the SIM card with credit. This is what the majority of people in Belize do.
Very few people will get landlines anymore and very few people will have self-service with their package. It is not like you could go to a Verizon store and get a free Galaxy...
To buy cell phone in Belize is expensive, but to maintain a cell phone is not. Relatively speaking most people pay as they go. They buy an unlocked phone, put a local SIM card in it and they charge the SIM card with credit. This is what the majority of people in Belize do.
Very few people will get landlines anymore and very few people will have self-service with their package. It is not like you could go to a Verizon store and get a free Galaxy S5 for $200 when you sign up for 3 years. Here in Belize, you buy a phone and then you get your service.
I came to San Miguel in 2011 to do a presentation to a group of dentists who belong to the local dental association and fell in love with the people (the indigenous Mexicans), so I returned to the USA and decided to retire and come back to live in San Miguel.
My initial plans were to retire to San Tropez in the South of France, but fate has a way of planning dreams and for some reason not revealed clearly to me, I decided to move to San Miguel de...
We have been in Nicaragua since 2006 and it has been 11+ years of frustration and work. It has never been boring. The past year has felt different. There was a feeling of increased tension happening that we were beginning to notice. We at first thought it was resistance to the increasing modernization. But it now appears that it was civil and political tension.
The past 35 days have been taxing to put it mildly. We thought we had a bug out plan but the continued protest marches...
I have lived in Panama for nearly seven years with my wife Any. We have a beautiful home on the Caribbean side (known as the Gold Coast), near the town of Portobello, Colon.
I spent three years researching Panama before my first visit and I brought six people to Panama on my first visit. I thought the people who came here with me were interested in moving to Panama, but they were much more interested in golfing than discovering the country.