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Yucatan Real Estate

Many people travel to the Yucatan, become enchanted, and decide to buy a vacation home, a retirement home or a new home for relocation. Not only is this area full of wonder, surprises, activities, culture and history, it is also a land of reasonably priced real estate, experienced artisans and inexpensive building materials. As more and more gringos and other expatriates move to Merida, buying and renovating homes threatens to become the most popular expatriate pasttime!

If you are interested in buying on the Yucatan Peninsula, there is much to choose from. Perhaps you would like a reasonably priced beach home somewhere along the Gulf Coast or a more expensive one on the Caribbean. Maybe you would like an historic colonial home in Merida or a hacienda in the surrounding jungle? Or you might be looking for a modern home in a golf course community like La Ceiba, just a few minutes north of Merida on the road to Progreso. You also might just want to buy land now and plan to build on it later. Prices have been rising steadily over the last few years so if you are thinking of buying here, sooner is probably better than later.

Finding, buying, building, restoring and living in a home in the Yucatan is easier than you might think. To find a new home, there are bilingual (English and Spanish) real estate agents who are familiar with American real estate practices. These agents have a wide range of offerings and will assist the buyer choosing the right home as well as in negotiating the twists and turns of Mexican real estate documents. They can assist you in locating any lawyers, accountants and banks you might need for completing the process. Any of the websites at the end of this article can give you more information about how to buy property in Mexico, which is not as difficult as you might think.

When looking for a home, the first question is WHERE to buy. The second question is usually HOW MUCH do I want to renovate? Throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, but especially in Merida, there are magnificent old houses and haciendas in various states of disrepair, priced reasonably and begging to be restored. These buildings often have "good bones" (good basic structure) and additional architectural treasures such as beamed ceilings and tiled floors. Many of them have been neglected for years and can be restored to previously unimagined magnificence with very little money.

There are also houses already restored that will cost a little bit more, but will save you the time and costs of renovating. These houses are naturally more expensive, but buying a renovated house saves you the time and costs, both financial and psychological, of doing the renovation yourself. Many of the renovations have created some truly spectacular homes, with the traditional tile floors and high ceilings of the Merida colonial home, at prices that are extremely reasonable compared to what similar homes would cost in the States or in most places in Europe.

Real estate agents and current residents are probably the best source to recommend good local contractors. These contractors are dependable and bring along excellent painters, masons, and other artisans who are often hard to find in North America. Local limestone, locally made "pasta" tile and locally harvested wood is also available here. All this combines to make it easy to create a lovely home limited much less by your pocketbook and much more by your imagination!

The Yucatan Peninsula has an amazing diversity of real estate offerings at very reasonable prices.

http://www.yucatantoday.com/destinations/eng-realestate.htm

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