To live or not to live-RIBEIRAS de PILAR-that is the question?

[Ginger]

I am wondering what is happening with the property values / houses in the lake area and especially Riberas Del Pilar, is it worthwhile making an investment in a house at this time. Are the values still declining or have they started recovering? I've heard of people having septic tank problems in Riberas Del Pilar, is that just in certain areas? Where does the water come from any problems with that? How is the drainage in the rainy season, anything you can tell me about the area would be appreciated. I'm hoping to hear from individuals rather than real estate agents, they can’t help but have ulterior motives.

Personally, I wouldn't live anywhere else lakeside. I have had no problems with drainage in the 4 years I've lived in Riberas & also no septic problems. In my area the water seems to have seriously improved judging by when H2Ole changed my filters. Some parts seem to have water problems & power outages but that (knock on wood) is not something I've experienced at all. Property all over the area is down. People have had trouble selling houses everywhere but on my street 2 houses have sold in the past few months. It's quiet here, no fireworks scaring the dogs, parking is not a problem but only you can tell what you want in a home. It's totally individual.

[Snafu]

Ditto for me Ginger. I lived in Riberas for a long time, then moved to the beach in Nayarit for a few years, then decided Riberas is the place for me and moved right back. Someone else advised that you shouldn't be buying a house for an investment. I second that. I would be finding a place I wanted to live and hunker down. The world may not be the same in the next few years.

[johanson]

The only thing I have heard bad about Ribera de Pilar is that in some areas Telmex internet connectivity is not that good and in others sometimes there are water problems. But I guess you could say that about a lot of neighborhoods.

[pappysmarket]

Riberas del Pilar is more suburban and most houses have more land... and even so, seem to be more reasonably prices. During the rainy season, some of teh roads seem to retain a lot of water, but even that has improved over the years. All my neighbors (a mix of Mexicans and Gringos) all seem to be very nice. The shopping options west of the Libramiento are vastly superior to the options west of Ajijic or in Ajijic, itself. Great bodegas for most needs, with good prices and a 7-11 real close, that is open 24 hours. Of course Super Lake is very close as is Walmart and the shopping center across from it, whith movie theater, bank, currency exchange, casino, sporting apparel, food court (including a Subway sandwich shop.) There are also quite a few nice restaurants and of course taco and torta stand and restaurants lining the careterra.

The Maskara clinic is right here on the west side of Riberas... and is open 24 hours. 1 - 1.5 miles west of Riberas is a Farmacia Guadalajara (which I believe is also open 24 hours.) They have a deli section now and an excellent bakery.

As others mentioned, we are almost as close to Chapala as you can get, without actually being in Chapala and can enjoy all that Chapala has to offer, too. Location and traffic-wise, I think Riberas has all the other areas beat. I also concur with other commenters that Riberas is improving and is the hottest location in the area, which will only spurn more improvements... causing your real estate investment to increase increase in value, rather than the deep reductions in asking prices that I am seeing in other areas.

One of my latest revelations about the area was after a drive I had to make into Ajijc and back, this past Thursday afternoon with all the 4-day weekender traffic for Easter, and how relieved I felt to be back in Riberas!

Today (Saturday) everybody is outside saying "Hola" to everybody else and preparing for large family get-togethers tomorrow. I like it.

Think you mean east, not west.

[Guest bennie2]

i have heard many bad things about riberis for years. i suppose it depends upon the street or section. personally it doesnt appeal to me. its kind of out in no where. mirasol floresta & parts of ajijic central are nicer. as for walking there @ night? i wouldnt suggest that for for anyone, man or women. its isolated.

[lakeside7]

Any location can be heaven or hell dependent on your neighbors. Sure there are others influences. But neighbors with barking dogs are a big no no for me . Lots sizes in Riberas allow you to buy land at a "reasonable" price and you can built your castle with all the bells and whistles or a entry level unit

[gwynne]

I used to ride horseback through Riberas quite a bit and got to know the area. I developed what I call the "Equine guide to drainage problems": Pick a house you like and then look along the roadside and at adjacent vacant lots. If it's the height of the dry season yet there is lots of tall yummy grass for your four-legged friend to munch on, there is water sitting somewhere not far below you.

There are some lovely places in there and nice wide dirt roads beat narrow cobblestones any day.

[Snafu]

as for walking there @ night? i wouldnt suggest that for for anyone, man or women. its isolated.

Fear seems to be what Americans are all about. Instilled by the US Government and News Media's constant terrorist threats and bad mouthing of Mexico, while they supply the Cartels with the weapons for all the drug related shoot-em-ups,

Living in gated communities like Mirasol means you gave up rights to do what you want with your own property in exchange for a perceived security, Yet Mirasol is a place where houses are constantly robbed.

I have never felt fear, anywhere I've lived in Mexico. I have to walk Riberas every evening, 365 days a year. I won't say why so as not to give away who I am, but I've never felt fear here. Personally, I'd sooner walk Riberas a night with $100 bills hanging out of my pockets than spend a day in places like Chicago. So you keep your perceived security, it doesn't exist, not to mention all the restrictions you place on yourself out of fear. I'll take freedom over security any day. Riberas is a great place to live.

[gringal]

Only one comment on fearlessness: There are different cautionary standards for men and women, alas. You're a guy.

[Shelley Ronnfeldt]

Riberas isolated? Really? I lived there for two years and found it very central and very handy. I walked there all the time and never was frightened. I don't really walk anywhere at night, mostly because I'm a jammies at 7pm kind of girl. It amazes me how some people think Ajijic is the center of the universe and everything else is really alien and "out there". Personally, I don't care for Ajijic as a place to live, but have no issues with the fact other people do. For me, it's too loud, the traffic too tiresome, the streets hard to park on, and just a little gringo-fied for my tastes. I liked Riberas much better. I've now moved further east and am in an entirely Mexican neighborhood in Chapala and feel very safe. As to the pertinent questions from the poster, we did occasionally run out of water at the tag end of the dry season in Riberas, but one learns to keep an eye on their ajibe. We never had sewer or septic problems. One thing I can say for sure is the further away from Ajijic you get, the cheaper things get.

[bdmowers]

Rented in Riberas for 2 years. It's the country. Lot more empty lots, more "nature". I enjoyed most the quiet country lanes and long path along the lake for walking and birds and animals. A lot more dogs, some not so nice. Sound moves weirdly in Riberas - some streets are quiet and some not, so you gotta spend some time where you're thinking of living. There's no plaza, no center of town, so you can't go sit in a cafe and watch the world go by, you have to go to "town" (Chapala or Ajijic or maybe San Antonio) for that. We found ourselves going to Ajijic a lot, so now we live there.

[adafromhavana]

I've lived in lower Riberas for almost 5 years. I'm very happy. I've lived in Los Arroyos Norte and Upper Chula Vista before. I feel as safe in Riberas. I also like no association fees or problems with the association.

[RVGRINGO]

We fell in love with a house in Riberas, back in 2001, but after touring Riberas we rejected the idea of living there. A few of our friends did move there, but all have had intruders and other thefts, some more than once. So, as newbies, we bought a house in Ajijic, where we lived until 2004, when, like Datura, we discovered the benefits of Chapala and found our present home in centro, where we have a lot more peace & quiet and a lot more space. In those days, Ajijic goods were often 30-40% more expensive than elsewhere.

[Ginger]

Odd, because all the people I know in Riberas have had no intruders, not that it hasn't happened but I do know people in other areas of lakeside that's happened to. The last was a friend who was mugged up the hill from Gossip's around 10:00 at night going into her house.

[Mainecoons]

I live in supposedly what is a "premium" Ajijic neighborhood and there have been all sorts of break ins around here. I seriously doubt that Riberas is any different than any other place in the area for this problem, frankly. What makes the difference is how well the property is secured no matter where you are.

Riberas is a lot closer to the cops in Chapala than Ajijic is. FWIW.

Our friends just bought a wonderful, 3400 sq. ft. near new 4BR, 4.5BA home on large lot with big pool and stunning rooftop mirador views, in Riberas, for well under $300K. Try that in Ajijic.

I stand by my observation that Riberas has improved faster and more than any local area here. I wouldn't hesitate to live there today but if I did, the house would have the same heavy duty security our Ajijic house has. I'd probably buy a lot there and build.

[gringal]

Mainecoons is absolutely right: It's all about your individual security, no matter where you live. Think like a thief and look your place over.

Living in an upscale neighborhood actually increases the likelihood that a thief will pay your place a visit. The famous bank robber said he robbed banks because "that's where the money is."

The other thing to think about is who has your keys. Just because your maid is honest and a sweetheart doesn't mean her teenager and his friends all are.

Riberas is well located and I've seen many nice homes there while driving through. The only problems I've heard about concern water drainage. Home inspection should reveal any of those, especially in the rainy season.

[Xena]

I have noticed an excellent security check occurs if you lock yourself out of your house. You desperately search for a way in. I used to just close my front door which has to be opened with a key from the outside--until the day the door swung closed behind me. I discovered that I could use a stick from a flower pot to push the latch back and pull on the door. I was in in about a minute. I use the dead bolt now.

[Tom Leonard]

I agree that Riberas has improved a lot in recent years, they have Telmex and Telecable and the water supply is better as well. Personally I like the part of Riberas that is closer to Mirasol.

[sirgadabout]

Thank you All, each has been helpful in your own way. I have been living in Mexico for 16 years, most of that time in Guadalajara. Seems in all those years the property values in GDL have continuously gone up. I’m very happy and comfortable where I live and have been thinking of buying for a long time but the high cost of homes here has foiled those considerations. It looks like I can get more house for my dollar in Riberas Del Pilar and I’m wondering why. Also questioning if I’ll be as happy there, I’ve always felt perfectly safe here, all I need is so convenient and nobody seems to mind my poor Spanish.

By the way I have an e-business and definitely need the fastest most dependable internet service possible

[Mainecoons]

Everything is very convenient here as well. From Riberas you're just a hop from either the excellent Chapala Mercado next to the plaza, the value priced Chapala tianquis or, in the other direction, WalMart.

Most of us have weak Spanish and it is not a problem here. In fact, most of the business people speak English which is a deterrent to getting better at Spanish. I try to speak only Spanish with them to force myself to get better at it.

Riberas was a lot more "rustic" only just 6 years ago. The bargains there are drying up pretty fast. It is much more in tune with pricing in Chapala than Ajijic/La Floresta/San Antonio and that is why it still costs less for comparable properties. Since you are comfortable living in an urban setting like GDL, I wouldn't rule out Chapala though you do have to be careful about weekend noise there as it is so popular with the Tapatio crowd these days. A lot of nice streets with good value for your money there and as RV will tell you, living in Chapala enables you to walk to all sorts of shopping and entertainment.

I notice that more and more folks from GDL seem to be moving here. Got a new neighbor from there just a few weeks ago.

[Travis]

It looks like I can get more house for my dollar in Riberas Del Pilar and I’m wondering why. Also questioning if I’ll be as happy there, I’ve always felt perfectly safe here, all I need is so convenient and nobody seems to mind my poor Spanish.

I like to be able to walk to a lot of different things and if I lived in Riberas I think I would become a slave to the car. So for me it's not an attractive option. If not for that, I would be perfectly happy living there. In fact, I recently spent a bit of time getting to know it better and I was surprised at how nice it felt.

[maryannborman]

Lived here 5 years, the people for the most part are friendly and quiet. We live on a higher street so havenno water problems with muddy streets. The house water is another issue. We have installed a revese osmosis system and a ziolite filter so thats no longer an issue. Used to have computer issues, but that has improved the past few months. Electicity is high for many. but we just installed a solor systen so our bills went from $400 US a month to $4.50 US

PM me if you want more info about which blocks have water and electricity issues.(I have done a lot of research on these two issues>)

[Snafu]

we just installed a solor systen so our bills went from $400 US a month to $4.50 US

I've been off grid (battery system, no sell back to CFE) a long time but before that I thought electricity here was quite reasonable. Are you saying your electric bill was 5,000 pesos a month. The billing period is every 2 months but even for 2 months that seems really high.

[sirgadabout]

Thank you all so much for all your comments; I have some questions those of you who own your house in Riberas del Pilar.

1. Is it absolutely necessary to install a water filter system and how much does it cost to install and maintain? I’m of course talking about the water for bathing and washing dishes etc., I buy Ciel for drinking.

2. How many in your family, what size is your septic tank and how often do you have to have a truck come and empty the septic tank?

[Ginger]

Can't answer about the cost of installing a water filter system as they were building the house when I bought it & it was included. My water is drinkable. I'm by myself & have lived here 4 years & have never had to have the septic system. I'll send you a private message. Look up at the top of the page where there's a faint envelope. It will turn red when I send the message.