What's the price of a home, condo or apartment in Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico?
Thomas Hellyer - Chapala Home Sales
In the Ajijic and Chapala area, we have real estate available that you can move in with just a toothbrush starting at US $80,000 up to $1,000,000 and over. For a budget of $100,000 you could buy a condo of around 1,000 square feet built in the last 10 to 20 years. It would be small and without a yard but something that would need a little fixing or it would be a newer house that is not in the center of Ajijic Village. There are some new homes that cost around $100,000 that are in gated...In the Ajijic and Chapala area, we have real estate available that you can move in with just a toothbrush starting at US $80,000 up to $1,000,000 and over. For a budget of $100,000 you could buy a condo of around 1,000 square feet built in the last 10 to 20 years. It would be small and without a yard but something that would need a little fixing or it would be a newer house that is not in the center of Ajijic Village. There are some new homes that cost around $100,000 that are in gated communities. They would be smaller, at around 900 square feet, but they would be very livable.A typical home here in Chapala and Ajijic is valued around $180,000 to $220,000. That price point will give you a 1,500 square foot, modern property, with modern wiring and plumbing, nice kitchens, and two bedrooms and two bathrooms, and maybe a den. It will be located in a gated community. Also for the same price range, you could get a bigger but an older home in the village that needs some remodeling or modernizing. It may need the kitchen to be brought up to date, some wiring work, superficial painting, and work on the windows, etc. It is not very expensive to do that kind of remodeling here in Chapala and Ajijic and of course you could also find some diamonds in the rough, perhaps.
If you move up to the $400,000 to $500,000 price range, you can pretty much get anything you want. You could expect a very luxurious place with a view, a pool, solar-powered electricity and water supply, air-conditioning, and anything else that you would expect in any high-priced home back home in the US.
(Home available for $199, 000., Ajijic, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted February 5, 2016
Steve Cross - Luxury Homes Ajijic
Whilst we do indeed have condos here in Ajijic that suit the lifestyle for the visiting snowbirds, where they can leave for the summer and the condo is more or less taken care of for them, still, freestanding homes tend to be the popular choice, whether within gated communities on the outskirts of the village or right in the village itself. One example of a luxury condo building would be in El Dorado, which has a beautiful pool, gym and great common areas...
Whilst we do indeed have condos here in Ajijic that suit the lifestyle for the visiting snowbirds, where they can leave for the summer and the condo is more or less taken care of for them, still, freestanding homes tend to be the popular choice, whether within gated communities on the outskirts of the village or right in the village itself. One example of a luxury condo building would be in El Dorado, which has a beautiful pool, gym and great common areas almost all with incredible views and a two bedroom high end finished condo there of approximately 1,800 sq. ft. would be from the $280,000 US price range.
In the gated communities outside of the village prices range from about $110,000 US and rising slightly to around $150,000 US will get you a lovely modern style home of about 1,300 sg. ft., with common pool area etc. Many of these have low monthly fees for what you get in return.
Homes in the village at that price tend to be older with no garden or yard space. Rising in price to the $300,000 US range opens up a new market in the village where you would have the option of walking to just about everything you need.
Again going higher in price to over $500,000 US you are entering the high end luxury market which stretches to well over the million dollar price range.
Keep in mind the low running costs also as in winter we often use little to zero heating, whilst in summer it's also rare to use air conditioning as we have a wonderful all year round climate.
Also yearly property taxes are ridiculously low and in the village we have garbage collection on an everyday basis.
(Pictured: Condo in El Dorado, Ajijic, view from kitchen.)
Posted May 17, 2016
Mark O'Neill
Depending on your personal desires, you can get a small condominium or even a small home in Ajijic starting as low as around US $50,000. This would not be a huge space perhaps at that price point be it a condo or a home. It would have one or two bedrooms, a small lawn or yards (shared ones for condominiums). You can get something nicer starting around $100,000 for a two or three-bedroom home with a bit of a yard. You also have to decide if you want to be...
Depending on your personal desires, you can get a small condominium or even a small home in Ajijic starting as low as around US $50,000. This would not be a huge space perhaps at that price point be it a condo or a home. It would have one or two bedrooms, a small lawn or yards (shared ones for condominiums). You can get something nicer starting around $100,000 for a two or three-bedroom home with a bit of a yard. You also have to decide if you want to be close to the lakeside or the village area. There are wonderful mountains within a quarter mile of the lake that afford you a view of the beautiful Lake Chapala.
My personal purchase was a rather large space. It is a 5,200 square feet with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. We have a huge mirador, a 1,350 foot rooftop patio with a full bar and a barbecue. It has a swimming pool, a hot tub, and a 850 foot entertainment section for parties. Next to it is an 850 square foot apartment, which is a separate building from the main house. We have the avocado orchard and a lime orchard next door that I purchased as well, all for $330,000. The size of the lot is just a hair over half an acre. It’s not huge, but it is certainly very spacious and it has beautiful trees, with birds of paradise and bougainvillea all over the place. We have hibiscus trees and a wonderful environment. Our real estate property tax is only $420 per year.
(Mark O'Neal's pool and steps uo to the mirador, Ajijic, Mexico, pcitured.)
Posted July 2, 2016
Rosa Elia Cepeda - Charter Club Tours
We live in La Floresta, which is an upscale suburban area close to Ajijic, with nice wide streets, and lots of fruit trees. La Floresta has more foreigners moving in so the population there is half Mexican and half foreigners. It used to be a vacation place for the wealthy Mexicans who come from places like Guadalajara. La Floresta was originally built by Mexicans and then there was a boom in Ajijic where foreigners started visiting Ajijic. Then time came when there were more...We live in La Floresta, which is an upscale suburban area close to Ajijic, with nice wide streets, and lots of fruit trees. La Floresta has more foreigners moving in so the population there is half Mexican and half foreigners. It used to be a vacation place for the wealthy Mexicans who come from places like Guadalajara. La Floresta was originally built by Mexicans and then there was a boom in Ajijic where foreigners started visiting Ajijic. Then time came when there were more foreigners owning properties in Ajijic such as the case in La Floresta. Now, there is another boom of Mexicans coming in so the population of La Floresta is now half and half. There are two houses for sale in La Floresta at the moment. They were built by the same architect. One is selling for US $240,000 and the other one, which is being sold by the owner, is being sold at $220,000. These houses both have two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a dining room, a living area, a small office, a kitchen, and a very nice patio. The house is more or less 240 square meters (2,600 square feet).
There is a wide range of prices for houses here in La Floresta; anywhere between US $200,000 to $1 million but you could definitely get a nice house for $200,000. Overall, you could get a very nice house in a nice place like La Floresta for about $1,000 per meter, including land. It would cost more if you go to the Racquet Club and will be much less if you buy in places like Jocotepec, at the far west end of Lake Chapala in an area which is mostly Mexican. If you go to gated communities like Los Arroyos or La Reserva, which are chic, high end communities, it would cost around $1,500 per square meter ($140 per square foot) and you have to pay maintenance so it’s like paying rent on your own house.
If you go to Chapala or Jocotepec, the price of a house varies on the location and whether you have a view. If you live in the town where the locals live, it would be cheaper compared to living in places where expats are buying or in gated communities.
(House in La Floresta, Lake Chapala, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted August 11, 2016
Marvin Golden
A typical house in Chapala might have five rooms and a little kitchen at the back, and two bathrooms. Those kinds of houses are made for a big Mexican family. They have a maid that does the cooking so they do not care about the view. They say, “Those crazy Americans who want a big house with a bathroom for every bedroom, a great view, and big kitchen better than the restaurants, then they eat out all the time!” We also have...
A typical house in Chapala might have five rooms and a little kitchen at the back, and two bathrooms. Those kinds of houses are made for a big Mexican family. They have a maid that does the cooking so they do not care about the view. They say, “Those crazy Americans who want a big house with a bathroom for every bedroom, a great view, and big kitchen better than the restaurants, then they eat out all the time!” We also have “casitas,” which means “little house.” You can have an eight-bedroom mansion and with it have a casita that is bigger than a three-bedroom house. It’s still called a casita. Sometimes a casita is just one little room that you can use for storage or an art studio. If it has a bathroom then you can have it as a guest bedroom. In Chapala, you can have a typical house of five-bedrooms, a couple of bathrooms, and a long, narrow backyard. When you get into Riberas, you’ll find that the houses are more Canadian or American style where they want a nice front yard but they sit in the backyard. There are walls around them, too. A decent house in Riberas costs US $100,000 to US $150,000.
When you get into Ajijic, you will find tiny houses and tiny lots. You can get a three-story house with two rooms on each floor and a view from the top. They are more expensive because they are in the village. Everybody wants to live in the village where they can walk everywhere. The villages along Lake Chapala are Ajijic, San Antonio, Chapala, Jaltepec, San Juan Cosala, and Jocotepec. Chapala and Jocotepec are the largest two of the villages, with each having around 20,000 to 25,000 people. Ajijic has around 15,000 people. I call them like a string of pearls along the lake. I always say, “Which village do you want to walk to?” Get a little car and drive to whatever village you want or walk around and get your groceries and come home because you can’t live in all the villages.
When you get west you can find bigger parcels of land but we do have a problem because people say they want 4 or 5 acres because they have horses. There are not 4- or 5-acre lots typically because the mountains are around the lake. You get some expanses of land but if you want to have acreage you have to go over the mountains and then they will get bigger pieces of land. Otherwise, if you stay on this side of the mountains, you will pay a fortune for 1 or 2 acres and it’s just not worth it.
(Home with a pool and casita, Lake Chapala, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted October 22, 2016
Francisco Araiza - interlago realestate
We have two-bedroom houses on a 200-square meter lot (2,150 square feet) with about 160 square meters (1,720 square feet) of construction in a place where you have a clubhouse, pool, and a gym. These houses cost around US $180,000. That price can go up to $220,000 to $315,000 depending on whether the house has a view and additional amenities. For $315,000 you can have a house with a nice view of the lake on the mountainside with three bedrooms and probably...
We have two-bedroom houses on a 200-square meter lot (2,150 square feet) with about 160 square meters (1,720 square feet) of construction in a place where you have a clubhouse, pool, and a gym. These houses cost around US $180,000. That price can go up to $220,000 to $315,000 depending on whether the house has a view and additional amenities. For $315,000 you can have a house with a nice view of the lake on the mountainside with three bedrooms and probably a Jacuzzi in the garden area and everything is new. That would be a 250-square meter lot (2,700 square feet) and the construction would be around 230 square meters (2,500 square feet) located in a nice and gate-guarded neighborhood.
The same house but located in a not gate-guarded neighborhood would cost around $240,000. There are also house that costs a million dollars.
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(Home with amenities and a view of the lake, Ajijic, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted November 13, 2016