Mexico Real Estate More Attractive as Costs Rise in Canada

April 23, 2010 - PRLog -- Mexico Real Estate continues to grow as a leading option for Canadians; as the Canadian dollar shows promise for long-term parity with the U.S. dollar, the cost of buying properties, day to day products and services will be higher relative to other countries, with a large number of benefits growing for Canadians choosing to live in Mexico, for retirement or other purposes.

A recent statement from a leading tour operator suggested that Canada is falling on the world-wide tourism ladder, sliding to 14th in the world for number of visitors, with 15% few visitors than in 2002. The majority of visitors (about 75%, or 12 million out of 16 million per year in 2009) come from the U.S.

Canada has not lost reputation, but rather the fall is due to higher prices in the country; a report from the World Economic Forum placed Canada at number 106 in terms of affordability for visitors. The report ranked 133 countries. In the past, Canada's low-valued currency (almost down to $.60 U.S. in the 90's) provided U.S. tourists with a strong motivation to choose the country over other options.

However, this rise in the Canadian dollar has a real advantage for Canadians looking from the other side of the issue; while Canada is relatively more expensive for foreigners, other countries are relatively less expensive for them.

Especially Mexico, which is already a more affordable country for Canadian property buyers, provides compelling benefits for Canadians looking for investment or considering living abroad, whether for retirement or for other purposes. In addition to accessible prices, Mexico provides an excellent level of tourism, logistic and communication infrastructure – it is currently #1 in the world for new highway projects – pointing to solid real estate investment possibilities, and a high standard of life, at a lower price. Some Canadians have already begun taking advantage of this new situation.

"To date, all of our buyers actively pursuing a real estate purchase in Playa del Carmen for 2010 are Canadians," says Thomas Lloyd, founder and president of TOPMexicoRealEstate.com, a network of Mexico's leading real estate professionals.

Since properties in Mexico's leading real estate locations are priced in U.S. dollars, the strength of Canadian currency against the U.S. currency means that the same properties are currently available for a lower price than before. For example, a property priced at $200,000 U.S. a year ago would have cost a Canadian buyer $250,000 CDN. With the dollar at parity, that same property can now be bought for $200,000 CDN, savings of $50,000. The cost of living in Mexico has shown similar changes; while products are sold in pesos, the difference between the Canadian dollar and the peso has also changed advantageously for Canadians. In 2006, the dollar was worth about 8 pesos; in early 2010, the dollar passed 12 pesos.

Many Canadians have also taken advantage of this situation to go on vacations that are more affordable right now. For these vacations, investigating the possibility of buying real estate in Mexico has also become easier. TOPMexicoRealEstate.com's new Mobile Phone Real Estate website makes searching for properties "on the run" incredibly easy from an iPhone. The site opens to a search page, where real estate buyers can search by city, property type, location and price. Each listing includes a photo gallery, a description, details, an interactive Google map with the location specified, Google Streetview (for a virtual tour of the neighborhood, in cities where the feature is available) and, in some cases a video.

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

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Mexico Real Estate NETWORK; "Mexico's Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely!" Region: Playa del Carmen Real Estate by Thomas Lloyd graduated from Purdue University Krannert School of Management with a degree in Management/Financial Option Investments. (512) 879-6546.