If you are new to the area there are some things to look out for which are familiar to those who have been here for some time.
Water source
- Check what the source of water is
– municipal
– well and remaining capacity
– trucked in
and if the house has a cisterno or aljibe = a storage tank just in case supply is interrupted which may never happen but just in case. In some complexes pools are only allowed to be filled with trucked-in water.
– if you are looking to buy a lot, check if there is a confirmed secure water source at all and confirm that all is approved by the local authorities
Sewerage
- Sewerage. Enquire whether this is through SIMAPA (govt system) or a septic tank system and what the size of the pipes is. Many older pipes are too small to accommodate toilet paper.
Water table
- Some areas close to the lake have a high water table resulting in standing water in the roads during the rainy season and more salitri = rising damp in the homes. Popular areas like lower La Floresta and lower Riberas del Pilar have a high water table.
Neighborhoods and pricing
Like everywhere else some neighborhoods are priced higher than others and usually homes in complexes are higher priced than similar free standing homes in the same area and lake view comes at a price.
- Higher priced areas
The higher priced areas are Ajijic and the homes in most of the complexes along the Libramiento in San Antonio Tlayacapan but there are many exceptions like the homes in the complex Raquet Club which is in San Juan Cosalá west of Ajijic.
- Lesser priced areas
The highest number of sales are usually in Chapala and Riberas del Pilar which is another area in San Antonio Tlayacapan and the most popular price range is between USD 200K-300K. Chapala is the name of both a suburb and the larger municipality – confusing.Slightly further away areas like Jocotepec and Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos are more and more popular because of pricing of similar homes as are complexes like Vista del Lago and Chapala Haciendas but as more people buy there this price advantage will be increasingly less.
Median age of Buyers and Sellers
Because of the large number of expats, the median age range of both buyers and sellers is in or around the sixties and most buyers are from the US and in smaller numbers from Mexico and Canada. And yes, we are located in Mexico 😊
Low real estate turnover time of year
In Canada and most states in the US less homes are sold during the winter. In the Lake Chapala area the low season is usually mid April till end July which is the warmest time of year. Many temporary resident/snowbirds will have gone back to the US and Canada while this is also the time that a lesser number of residents of the warmest states in the US like Texas and Arizona come south to visit us.
If you prefer less competition for homes, come and look for your new home in the low season.
