One of the key advantages that Playa  del Carmen Real Estate holds over its larger neighbour, Cancun, and many other favourite beachfront real estate choices, is its unique small city, European-like atmosphere. While the real estate area surrounding and including Playa del Carmen, known as the Riviera Maya, certainly includes many large resort developments with excellent properties, these are balanced by Playa del Carmen’s famous Fifth Avenue, which is defined by small boutique hotels, a broad range of restaurants and shops, all within comfortable walking distance.

Playa  del Carmen Real Estate in the area centered on Fifth Avenue can be compared to the flavour and style of the hotels. Many of these hotels have under 60 rooms. While less internet presence makes gives these small, stylish hotels less attention in booking from abroad, the style and atmosphere they add to this part of Playa del Carmen with their street level restaurants and cafes adds a defining element to every resident’s lifestyle. The condos in small, elegant buildings and homes nearby give real estate owners a similarly stylish lifestyle, but these properties do not lack presence on the internet, and several excellent real estate websites, such as www.mexico-playadelcarmen-realestate.com, provide excellent overviews of possibilities in these areas.

In addition to these hotels, Fifth Avenue, which is a dedicated pedestrian street, has a unique, international atmosphere. The international feeling is reflected in the type of visitors that stay in the small hotels, which in addition to Canadians and Americans, includes a significant number of Italians and Argentinians, as well as many other nationalities. The restaurants and bars range from traditional Mexican, to high quality Argentinian grills, to upscale modern jazz bars, to Jamaican live reggae bars. Real estate owners will likewise feel this atmosphere, with the comfort of neighbours from the U.S. and Canada, together with the interesting experience of neighbours from many other parts of the world.

New property buyers who prefer this kind of atmosphere should consider some of the many condos available within short walking distance to both Fifth Avenue, and the beachfront, famous for its soft, white sand and turquoise blue waters. Of course, those who prefer other styles of real estate, such as the luxury marina development in Puerto Aventuras, or the high quality villas in “El Cielo” will also have only a short drive to arrive to the center of Playa del Carmen.

TOPMexicoRealEstate is currently presenting Cozumel Real Estate as one of Mexico’s safest communities and ideal retirement destinations. Recent national and international acknowledgments have distinguished Cozumel Real Estate as not only a safe community, but one of the safest that exists.  This important factor, along with Cozumel’s small community, beachfront lifestyle and the close proximity to beautiful and protected nature make Cozumel an ideal choice for those looking for a relaxing retirement, or a secure, healthy atmosphere for family living.

Cozumel’s level of safety is obvious in the relaxed, peace-of-mind atmosphere felt on the island, and this aspect of Cozumel has recently been officially recognized on two different occassions.  One was an official recognition on a national level that Cozumel is the safest community in Mexico.  While the island has fewer police than is officially necessary for its population, it has the unique situation of the presence of the Mexican Army, Navy and Federal Police, which work in conjunction with each other, communicating on a regular and established basis to monitor safety on the island, and prevent crime.  The key word in Cozumel security is “prevention,” which can give real estate buyers the confidence that safety is being given attention and priority before it becomes a problem.  While the island’s high level of security gives peace of mind, authorities are also working to keep this status in a proactive way.

Another important recognition for Cozumel is that it was recently named the “Island of Peace.” This designation was given as a part of a recent project called “Child, Sea, Peace and Cozumel.”  The project was undertaken by Manuel Diaz Rubio, a businessman from the nearby state of Yucatan, and the Spanish ship captain, Vital Alsar.  Diaz and Alsar had a ship built in the Mexican State of Veracruz in a combination of ancient styles, including Mayan and Greek, which sailed from Cozumel as its host port carrying its crew, the “International Peace Flag,” and a child from Cozumel from a fishing family of Mayan origins.  Since August the ship has sailed to various coastal cities throughout North America, Europe and Africa.  The ship’s name is Zamna, which is the name of most powerful of the Mayan gods.  At each destination, the child aboard Zamna has delivered a peace flag to local children.  Two key destinations have been New York, where Zamna and its crew arrived on Sept. 11 to participate in the ceremonies remembering the terrorist attacks of 2001, and Santander, Spain, the home town of the ships captain, and its first European destination.  The ship is currently in the Mediterranean.  The project is delivering the message of peace on behalf of Cozumel and its residents, reflecting the peaceful, safe atmosphere of the island.  See TOPMexicoRealEstate’s Real Estate Blog for regular updates on this voyage.

While these two events are simply acknowledgments, they reflect the extent to which people associate Cozumel with safety and peace.  This reputation is, in turn, a reflection of the reality of life in Cozumel.  Safety, a sense of relaxation and peace of mind permeate life on this island, where many homes are integrated into its natural settings, and all properties are within very close proximity of it.  TOPMexicoRealEstate presents these benefits of living in Cozumel as an ideal option for non-Mexican Retirees or families.

TOPMexicoRealEstate NETWORK; Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely.

TOPMexicoRealEstate, a network of  certified professionals that specialize in guiding new buyers through the Mexican purchasing process is currently presenting the Aldea Zama development as one of the top retirement options currently available in Tulum Real Estate.  Aldea Zama offers many benefits for buyers interested in a land purchase where they can build there dream home for retirement, and has already begun delivering lots to excited buyers.

Aldea Zama offers not only a oceanfront community near one of the world’s most beautiful beaches, but the community has been designed in a way to offer the highest level of convenience and lifestyle, ideal for retirees, in addition to other property buyers.  Aldea Zama has been described as a “mixed-use village” with the “pulse of a new generation.”  The community is located next to Tulum’s Mayan pyramid site, and the well known MayaZama resort development, combining the area’s rich history with luxury beachfront living.

With the old town of Tulum just to the north, Aldea Zama is designed with the “village” concept – a residential development with a town center area.  The design of the town center, as well as the area as the whole, will appeal to those who enjoy a high-quality, casual lifestyle, defined by “elegant but hip” style.  The town center will include top-name stores, boutiques and restaurants, and is will offer top international trends.  The visual style in Aldea Zama will be contemporary, using rustic materials such as stone, wood and thatched roofs, with landscaping that likewise combines natural with modern.

While the Aldea Zama community offers many benefits in itself, the new MayaZama development directly to the south will add even more to the community’s lifestyle.  MayaZama will include a Jack Nicklaus golf course and academy, spas, restaurants, small shops with unique items for sale, art galleries, cafes, and many other cultural activities.  The design of MayaZama’s commercial area is a pedestrian walkway, lined with trees and gardens, ending at Tulum’s beautiful, white beaches, overlooking the turquoise blue sea.  This pleasant area provides a beautiful place to enjoy the weekends and evenings out, and a very picturesque walk to the beach.  The proximity of MayaZama and the beachfront, makes all of this within a very short walking distance.  For residents who prefer not to walk, there will also be the option of using golf carts, or, for a more romantic way of spending a relaxing retirement, there are water taxis which use Mayan waterways winding through the village.

Aldea Zama offers real estate options for single family homes, ideal for those who already have ideas in mind for their dream retirement living space.  There are also sites available for condominium   development, as well as commercial opportunities in the village center.

MayaZama is the developer of Aldea Zama, and although the development is in its early stages, properties have already been delivered to customers who completed their purchasing process through TOPMexicoRealEstate, and are now ready to prepare for their retirement.

TOPMexicoRealEstate NETWORK; Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely

Yucatan Real Estate expert, Mitch Keenan, of the TOPMexicoRealEstate Network, has recently joined several of the Network’s other real estate experts in contributing to a new series of articles featured on the network’s website.  Keenan’s contributions can currently be found in “How to Buy Real Estate in Mexico … Safely!” and in the near future will include “TOP 5 Most Common Mistakes made by Non-Mexicans when buying Property in Mexico” and “What to Watch out for in a Promissory Contract.”

While Keenan’s focus in geographical terms is Yucatan Real Estate, especially Merida, Yucatan and nearby areas, his advice for real estate buyers is indispensable for property purchases anywhere in Mexico.  In the article “How to Buy Real Estate in Mexico … Safely!” Keenan summarizes the ideas of the other panel members when he points out that if a buyer does not choose qualified people to carry out their transactions, they are exposing themselves to many risks in a business culture very different from what they are used to.

“The largest risk,” says Keenan, “is to NOT use reputable professionals.”

Keenan also contributed some valuable tips on how a buyer can make sure they are dealing with a true professional, the agent being the most important.  His advice is as follows:

- ask for LOTS of references

- check the references

- find out how many years they have been in the business

- talk to community members – What kind of reputation does he have in the community

- check for certificates from Mexico, as well as licenses from the U.S., Canada, Europe or Mexico

- ask if the agent has taken classes and kept up with the field – check certificates

- find an agent that you feel comfortable with – avoid a situation where you do not feel comfortable

Other professionals important to making a transaction go smoothly who Keenan mentions are the Notary Public, the Title Company and the Bank.  Keenan explains that certain property types – undeveloped land or beachfront in an undeveloped area – present higher risks to the buyer than others. Using a reliable title company will help a buyer avoid these risks.  The bank can also play a part to help the buyer in this area.

“When a fideicomiso is issued by the bank to hold title,” explains Keenan, “it does provide another layer of protection to the buyer.”

In Keenan’s advice, the highlighted issue is choosing experienced, reliable professionals, especially the agent or broker.  A reliable agent will help give the buyer the information needed to choose the other professionals correctly as well.  The article includes further discussion and details from other panel members.

This article, along with 2 others which focus on key advice for non-Mexican buyers of Mexico real estate have been given special attention through a flip page on TOPMexicoRealEstate.com’s main page, linking to each article to ensure that new buyers are made aware of these issues.  In the near future further articles with input from Keenan and others will appear in this section.

TOPMexicoRealEstate NETWORK; Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely

The attractiveness of Cancun Real Estate and tourism have recently prompted the airport’s operator, ASUR, to open a second runway, considerably expanding the airports capacity.  As a part of this move, there are plans to convert the airport into an international hub for flights not only arriving from North America, but for travelers connecting to Central and South American and Caribbean destinations.  While this in turn will mean that real estate owners in Cancun will have even more, cheaper options for visiting back home, it will also mean new growth and opportunities in the market.

For anyone considering buying real estate in another country, being able to visit back home easily is always an important consideration, and Cancun Real Estate can boast to offer the most in this aspect.  The Cancun International Airport  currently offers very regular flights to most major North American cities, in the U.S. and Canada, not to mention many other destinations throughout the world.    Traveling to Toronto, for example, is only a short 4 and half hour flight, and many American cities are even closer.  This second runway will increase this already excellent level of convenience.

Cancun International Airport celebrated the grand opening of the runway on October 20.  The airport is now is unique in Mexico because of the fact that the runways run parallel and can be operated simultaneously, increasing capacity considerably.  The project also included a new control tower, 96 meters tall, making it one of the 20 highest in the world.  The project’s total investment was about 80 million dollars.

This infrastructure improvement has allowed Cancun to set its eyes on converting itself into an international hub, centralizing traffic between the United States, Latin America, South America and the other parts of the world.  As mentioned above, this status for Cancun would offer more flights, and probably better prices for Cancun Real Estate owners to visit back home, not to mention many other destinations.

The expansion of this airport are also an indicator of the ongoing investment in infrastructure improvement supported by the various levels of government.  As a key tourist and real estate destination, not only in North America, but on a world-wide level, Cancun has earned a strong reputation of offering a solid base for government, corporate and individual investment.

At the grand opening of the new runway, Mexico’s President, Felipe Calderon, mentioned that as a hub Cancun would not only grow even more as a tourist center, but also as an international business and real estate center.  Such a move would help put Mexico at the forefront of business in the globalizing market.  As a center for international business, Cancun Real Estate would consequently take on new growth, new opportunities, and perhaps become a more competitive market.

As new growth and opportunities become available, it is necessary for buyers to be sure that they are getting the right information for their investments, and that they are making safe purchases.  Cindy Ader, Cancun Real Estate expert in the TOPMexicoRealEstate Network, offers years of experience in the Cancun market, and specializes in providing accurate information and guiding non-Mexican buyers in making safe purchases and finding the best opportunities available.

With the announcement that the American economy grew in the 3^rd quarter of 2009, probably marking the end of the global recession in the U.S., American buyers may want to consider the many advantages of buying Playa del Carmen Real Estate.  Despite the economic upturn in the U.S., Playa del Carmen Real Estate is still for sale at excellent price reductions.  The economic recovery in the U.S. is expected to be slow, with improvement coming little by little; although this gives the impression of “lots of time,” it may be better to start looking now, before the price reductions also begin to disappear.

At the end of the last week of October, the official announcement came from the Commerce Department that the U.S. economy had grown 3.5% during the last quarter of 2009.  This compares to the contraction of 0.7% during the second quarter and the contraction of 6.4% during the first.  This is best performance the economy has seen in 2 years.  It also marks the end of 4 consecutive quarters of contraction, which is the worst performance the U.S. economy has had in 70 years.  In all likelihood, this means that the recession is over in the U.S.

As the effects of the economic turn around are felt by more Americans, more Americans will again have the economic means and confidence to begin looking for good investments, a second home or an ideal place to spend their retirement.  Playa del Carmen Real Estate offers excellent options for all three of these, especially in the current market situation, which includes numerous, substantial price reductions on excellent properties.  In terms of investment, Playa del Carmen showed very favorable and constant returns on properties, usually between 15 and 20% before the recession.  The area, with its very well developed infrastructure, which has continued to receive large investment from the Mexican government during the recession, and its strong and resilient tourist economy shows a much better likelihood than most real estate destinations to continue on this upward trend with the end of the recession.  In terms of a second home or retirement living, Playa del Carmen offers very high quality properties, and all the conveniences necessary for a comfortable lifestyle, at a considerably lower cost than comparable options back home, not to mention the world-famous beaches, and the year round warm climate.  Again, all of this is currently available with substantial price reductions.

As for the end of the recession, the recovery is expected to be slow.  Some buyers may feel that this gives them plenty of time.  In one sense this is true, but this time should be spent searching, planning and preparing a real estate purchase. While price reductions are still available now, as the economy recovers, albeit slowly, these price reductions will begin to disappear little by little, and real estate prices will be on their way back up.  It is never a good idea to rush a property purchase, and starting the property search when the last deals are disappearing may put make a buyer the unnecessary and unhealthy need to jump into a decision.  For this reason, now, as signs of recovery are starting clearly showing, it is the best time to begin a property search, giving the buyer enough time to search carefully and investigate all options, and still enough time to choose from great price reductions.

A final point to consider for buyers is that the need for accurate information and clear advice in the buying process.  The most important part of having the right amount of time for the search and buying process is finding a knowledgeable and reliable real estate professional to guide a buyer through the process.  This professional will ensure that procedures are carried out correctly, such as the agents in the TOPMexicoRealEstate NETWORK, “Your Expert Property-Finders.“  For American buyers, who are ready to move on their new economic confidence, now is the time to contact a Playa del Carmen real estate agent and begin their search for the perfect investment or second home.

TOPMexicoRealEstate NETWORK; Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely

Jaime Niembro of Lake Chapala Real Estate has recently joined TOPMexicoRealEstate.com.  This website and Network of Mexico real estate experts offers numerous advantages for those searching for a property in the Chapala and Ajijic area, including information, tips and advice about buying Lake Chapala Real Estate safely, and a blog with entries on Chapala and Ajijic and other real estate areas.  TOPMexicoRealEstate.com has also recently completed a section focusing specifically on Lake Chapala, which provides overview of the key aspects of Lake Chapala real estate, and an interactive map to locate properties, among other features.

TOPMexicoRealEstate is a website and a network of real estate experts, “certified professionals that specialize in guiding new buyers through the Mexican purchasing process,” each representing a different key real estate region in Mexico, or different aspect of the real estate purchasing process.  Niembro’s joining the Network adds the benefit of his knowledge and experience in the Lake Chapala Real Estate market for all buyers who visit the web; it also provides the benefit of tips and advice from 18 of Mexico’s TOP real estate experts for buyers searching the Lake Chapala area.

The web page, www.topmexicorealestate.com, has two main areas of focus for Lake Chapala real estate buyers.  One is the blog.  The blog is updated on a daily basis with information about real estate, infrastructure improvements, the Mexico real estate purchasing processes, life in Mexico, and local events.  The blog includes entries about the Lake Chapala area, as well as other key real estate destinations for non-Mexicans.  The blog also includes the option of seeing entries by topic and property type, by author/area, and it includes a series on pre-construction condo purchase, a video series on “fixer-uppers” and a “How to buy real estate in Mexico” section, which covers topics such as taxes, bank trusts and closing costs. This information is of key importance for anyone considering a Mexico real estate purchase, whether in Lake Chapala, or elsewhere.

Specific to Lake Chapala, the website’s newly completed “Lake Chapala” section offers many benefits to property searchers.  There is an overview of Lake Chapala as a place to live, as well as the real estate in the area.  There is also a separate page dedicated to each property type, such as homes, land, condos, and retirement.  The main Lake Chapala page includes an interactive map which indicates locations of a selection of properties available; each flag links to the property listing with pictures, prices and details.  The properties are also listed in a “listings” section, and sorted into their property types.  The page includes sorting options to search properties by type, prices, location, etc.  The properties listed are only an overview, and upon contacting Jaime Niembro, each buyer will be given a full real estate search to find the ideal property for their needs.

Jaime Niembro and TOPMexicoRealEstate have joined forces to offer a more thorough service to Lake Chapala Real Estate buyers, and the website will contribute extensively to convenience and information for the buyers.

TOPMexicoRealEstate NETWORK; Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely