gringohombre Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 Renting here in US dollars is a bad, uninformed choice. When I relocated here 14 years ago (just had my anniversary) I came for 2 weeks to find my "ideal" new home 2 months before the move. Quickly learned from real-estate agents that all the "better" rentals were in US dollars. Thought nothing of it and on the last day stumbled upon the wonderful SAT lakefront home where I still live through a 4 x 6 card on the Superlake bulletin board. Contacted the owners and in one hour had a rental agreement for US$800 a month. The conversion rate on that day was 10 pesos to the dollar. One year later and a little more savvy, when the renewal was due, I demanded it in pesos, and after much grumbling they agreed, although with a 5% yearly "cost of living increase". All these years later even with the 5% (compounded) yearly increase my rent is just slightly above the US$800 where I started. About one year ago the conversion rate hit 25 pesos to the dollar and now has slid to under 20. With the current US administration spending money like drunken sailors (no disrespect to drunken sailors) this slide is bound to continue. Is it time to call my landlord and demand the rent be put back to US dollars??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 If you like to play Russian Roulette go ahead. Imho, it's better to stick with the peso rate. A known entity is better for financial planning and ease of mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gringohombre Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 8 minutes ago, Ferret said: If you like to play Russian Roulette go ahead. Imho, it's better to stick with the peso rate. A known entity is better for financial planning and ease of mind. I should have put a smiley face at the end of my post...If I knew how to do it!!! (smiley face). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 Type a colon : and then a right bracket ) and it turns into a smiley face when you save the post... like this Although I can't honestly believe that you would use a reaction in your post... LOL. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyPanda Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 There are lots of owners who demand a US dollar rental rate. When this happens, all you can do is move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakeside7 Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 At the risk of receiving a storm of disagreements etc....If you pay your rent in pesos be prepared to receive "peso" service when you have a problem. If I purchased a property in $ I would like to receive an income that protects the value of the investment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tennis Bum Posted April 27, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 It would seem the subject of paying with dollars in Mexico is worthy of discussion. I've been on forums where when posts started to veer off topic the moderator put them under a new one. I know I'm a newbie here, so just sayin'. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyPanda Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 14 minutes ago, lakeside7 said: At the risk of receiving a storm of disagreements etc....If you pay your rent in pesos be prepared to receive "peso" service when you have a problem. If I purchased a property in $ I would like to receive an income that protects the value of the investment That is a ridiculous assumption. You must have had a bad experience. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyPanda Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 2 minutes ago, Tennis Bum said: It would seem the subject of paying with dollars in Mexico is worthy of discussion. I've been on forums where when posts started to veer off topic the moderator put them under a new one. I know I'm a newbie here, so just sayin'. You will not find moderation here that in any way equates with the normal online chat world, sorry to say. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gringohombre Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 1 hour ago, Tennis Bum said: It would seem the subject of paying with dollars in Mexico is worthy of discussion. I've been on forums where when posts started to veer off topic the moderator put them under a new one. I know I'm a newbie here, so just sayin'. I do not see this discussion veering off topic to the point of being concerning. I see it as pertaining to the lease agreement and for sure the payment in pesos vs US dollars is part of that as well as the fiador, that frankly I had not heard of nor did it come up in my rental search here. I wish that I had had more information regarding the payment method then. Maybe some newbie can benefit from this discussion when rental shopping. Of course the landlord is free to ask for payment in any currency they choose, but maybe if faced with a good potential renter can be swayed by a firm argument for using the local currency!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakeside7 Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 Until The Pandemic, rentals etc. were in short supply in this area....Now there are "hundreds" of places available in all shapes and sizes and prices, peso and $. Will this supply dry up come this winter who knows. What is becoming more obvious is for various reasons there are going to be a significant number of people not vaccinated, many by choice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHILLIN Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 The whole pysche of the Guadalajara market is different than Lakeside. Besides the obvious of needing a roof over your head, Guadalajarans seem to have a more patriarchal or matriarchal vision of family estates, family compounds, with a heirarchy right up to El Patron. These can be projects which take many generations to accomplish, or be destroyed by one stroke of bad luck. The ones who "invest" in Lakeside treat these properties far less seriously. They hope to see some increase in value, obviously, but many are just hiding away some money, hopefully generating some U.S. dollars for vacation travel, U.S. shopping trips, etc. The problem for this crew, including US and World investors, also hiding some money away, is that the tax collectors are becoming increasingly skilled and canny. There are of course Tapatios who purchase homes Lakeside purely for the enjoyment of their families. Like cabins at the Lake. And what fun they have! I would never complain about noise. I grew up that way and I am perfectly normal tee hee. President Biden has just mandated a massive reorganisation of the IRS to focus on trillions of missing taxes. That will have a big effect Lakeside and also the coastal properties. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyjillin Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 My take is that the OP only wants to rent in Guadalajara and centro burbs and has zero interest in any Chapala info.-SNORK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainbird Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 9 hours ago, gringohombre said: Renting here in US dollars is a bad, uninformed choice. When I relocated here 14 years ago (just had my anniversary) I came for 2 weeks to find my "ideal" new home 2 months before the move. Quickly learned from real-estate agents that all the "better" rentals were in US dollars. Thought nothing of it and on the last day stumbled upon the wonderful SAT lakefront home where I still live through a 4 x 6 card on the Superlake bulletin board. Contacted the owners and in one hour had a rental agreement for US$800 a month. The conversion rate on that day was 10 pesos to the dollar. One year later and a little more savvy, when the renewal was due, I demanded it in pesos, and after much grumbling they agreed, although with a 5% yearly "cost of living increase". All these years later even with the 5% (compounded) yearly increase my rent is just slightly above the US$800 where I started. About one year ago the conversion rate hit 25 pesos to the dollar and now has slid to under 20. With the current US administration spending money like drunken sailors (no disrespect to drunken sailors) this slide is bound to continue. Is it time to call my landlord and demand the rent be put back to US dollars??? I have a similar situation. We have been in the same house for 11 years and always paid in pesos. With conversion as it is, in US dollars we are paying 200 less today than 11 years ago. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gringohombre Posted April 27, 2021 Report Share Posted April 27, 2021 4 hours ago, CHILLIN said: The whole pysche of the Guadalajara market is different than Lakeside. Besides the obvious of needing a roof over your head, Guadalajarans seem to have a more patriarchal or matriarchal vision of family estates, family compounds, with a heirarchy right up to El Patron. These can be projects which take many generations to accomplish, or be destroyed by one stroke of bad luck. The ones who "invest" in Lakeside treat these properties far less seriously. They hope to see some increase in value, obviously, but many are just hiding away some money, hopefully generating some U.S. dollars for vacation travel, U.S. shopping trips, etc. The problem for this crew, including US and World investors, also hiding some money away, is that the tax collectors are becoming increasingly skilled and canny. There are of course Tapatios who purchase homes Lakeside purely for the enjoyment of their families. Like cabins at the Lake. And what fun they have! I would never complain about noise. I grew up that way and I am perfectly normal tee hee. President Biden has just mandated a massive reorganisation of the IRS to focus on trillions of missing taxes. That will have a big effect Lakeside and also the coastal properties. I thought he (Biden) was only going after the dirty rich and nasty corporations who are not paying their "fair share"!!! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xena Posted April 28, 2021 Report Share Posted April 28, 2021 On 4/27/2021 at 7:35 AM, Ferret said: Type a colon : and then a right bracket ) and it turns into a smiley face when you save the post... like this Although I can't honestly believe that you would use a reaction in your post... LOL. On my device in the bar across the top of the box I am typing in (where you choose typeface changes and other formatting) there is a smiley face. Click on that and you have a bunch of emojis to choose from. 🤗 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tennis Bum Posted May 3, 2021 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 Update to my original post: I have put a security deposit down on a two bedroom apartment in Tlaquepaque Center after waiting 4 months for it to become available. That and the first month´s rent is all that the owner required, after using a law firm to conduct a credit investigation and background check for which I paid 850 pesos. The contract is lengthy and was prepared by the same law firm. The first few pages set out the terms of the Instituto de Justicia Alternativa's involvement should arbitration be needed to settle a dispute. I will have to pay 3,000 pesos to the firm when we sign the contract in their office, and this fee includes their service for filing it with the IJA. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xena Posted May 3, 2021 Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 On 4/27/2021 at 1:07 PM, CHILLIN said: The whole pysche of the Guadalajara market is different than Lakeside. Besides the obvious of needing a roof over your head, Guadalajarans seem to have a more patriarchal or matriarchal vision of family estates, family compounds, with a heirarchy right up to El Patron. These can be projects which take many generations to accomplish, or be destroyed by one stroke of bad luck. The ones who "invest" in Lakeside treat these properties far less seriously. They hope to see some increase in value, obviously, but many are just hiding away some money, hopefully generating some U.S. dollars for vacation travel, U.S. shopping trips, etc. The problem for this crew, including US and World investors, also hiding some money away, is that the tax collectors are becoming increasingly skilled and canny. There are of course Tapatios who purchase homes Lakeside purely for the enjoyment of their families. Like cabins at the Lake. And what fun they have! I would never complain about noise. I grew up that way and I am perfectly normal tee hee. President Biden has just mandated a massive reorganisation of the IRS to focus on trillions of missing taxes. That will have a big effect Lakeside and also the coastal properties. Be careful of generalizations. I rent in Chapala a casita, one of two on a huge property with a large house. It has all been owned by the same family for generations. I pay rent in pesos and the landlord maintains and repairs everything upon request. He wants good tenants who will care for the property his family feels a generational responsibility for. I know several people in Ajijic who rent casitas on even larger properties with more casitas. They were all once weekend/vacation properties for large families and now rent some or all of the casitas. It is not just in Guadalajara. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHILLIN Posted May 3, 2021 Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 Congrats. The big city way of doing things. Here, you will be likely asked if you need room to tie up your horse or burro! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHILLIN Posted May 3, 2021 Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 29 minutes ago, Xena said: Be careful of generalizations. I rent in Chapala a casita, one of two on a huge property with a large house. It has all been owned by the same family for generations. I pay rent in pesos and the landlord maintains and repairs everything upon request. He wants good tenants who will care for the property his family feels a generational responsibility for. I know several people in Ajijic who rent casitas on even larger properties with more casitas. They were all once weekend/vacation properties for large families and now rent some or all of the casitas. It is not just in Guadalajara. The trend up here seems to be mini compounds. 7 or 8 nice houses, common pool, big fence with doorman. Makes sense for Tapatios who want more choice of who their neighbors will be, who their kids and teens are hanging around with and a common language and interests. That is always the way gated communities were supposed to work. Keep out the riff raff, which back then was based on skin color more than anything else. I wonder if it is sometimes reverse today? People avoiding certain communities because there are too many white foreigners? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mostlylost Posted May 3, 2021 Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 2 minutes ago, CHILLIN said: The trend up here seems to be mini compounds. 7 or 8 nice houses, common pool, big fence with doorman. Makes sense for Tapatios who want more choice of who their neighbors will be, who their kids and teens are hanging around with and a common language and interests. That is always the way gated communities were supposed to work. Keep out the riff raff, which back then was based on skin color more than anything else. I wonder if it is sometimes reverse today? People avoiding certain communities because there are too many white foreigners? too many white foreigners? As opposed to white Mexicans? In my family all are "white" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xena Posted May 3, 2021 Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 36 minutes ago, CHILLIN said: The trend up here seems to be mini compounds. 7 or 8 nice houses, common pool, big fence with doorman. Makes sense for Tapatios who want more choice of who their neighbors will be, who their kids and teens are hanging around with and a common language and interests. That is always the way gated communities were supposed to work. Keep out the riff raff, which back then was based on skin color more than anything else. I wonder if it is sometimes reverse today? People avoiding certain communities because there are too many white foreigners? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xena Posted May 3, 2021 Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 I am not speaking of “trends.” And, the compounds I speak of are a mix of foreigners and Nationals. They are not “gated communities”either. You made a sweeping generalization about rentals here and you were wrong — no matter how you try to change the subject or how many words you use. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHILLIN Posted May 3, 2021 Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 1 hour ago, Xena said: I am not speaking of “trends.” And, the compounds I speak of are a mix of foreigners and Nationals. They are not “gated communities”either. You made a sweeping generalization about rentals here and you were wrong — no matter how you try to change the subject or how many words you use. Pretty smug until you realise you are a mature, well balanced woman, fully bi lingual EMT, and were employed by a well known local Doctor. Of course they are going to rent their choice casita. Next guy who comes along, who just fell off the turnip truck, will get no such opportunity. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakeside7 Posted May 3, 2021 Report Share Posted May 3, 2021 I have to chuckle when everyone is dancing around not using the "racist " word. I am beginning to understand how Harry and Megan and the rest of the "royalty " were feeling prior to Archie being born. For those of you "foreigners " Who think they fully understand the M X cultural but do not think there is preference for looking g Spanish and not Indian ,having green and not Brown eyes, then you really need to really mix and met and socialize a bit more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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