How to select an apartment for rent in San Miguel

SabraIsComing wrote:

Hi.

I tried to find a realtor to help get the process of finding a new home going but it is frustrating.  May as well just jump right in.

Anybody know a good apartment community of expats there in San Miguel?

Did you try a Google Search on "san miguel allende real estate"?

Yes.  Of course.

Sometimes it is best to travel to SMA, check into a hotel and then start looking around for Se Renta signs in the neighborhoods you like, read the local paper for rentals, and visit the real estate agents personally. (many do not respond to emails nor telephone calls.)

That's a bit pricey!

What a way to look, huh?

Well, I would definitely have to be packed up here and ready to go on a moment's notice then.  Just tie up loose ends and vamoose, as they say.

Can you suggest a RE agent who would be willing to at least select a neighborhood and what are the rents in Quaretaro?  Do you know about that area because SMA sounds pretty maxed out to tell you the truth.  The relatives of mine who live there (I don't know them personally but once I'm down there....) he is a retired doctor with no money worries.

Nice, huh?

I need to be able to live on my SS money while enjoying a life I adore.  I practically grew up in Mexico.

Thanks for taking the time to help me.  I am recently widowed and this is difficult.

SKB

SabraIsComing wrote:

That's a bit pricey!

What a way to look, huh?

Well, I would definitely have to be packed up here and ready to go on a moment's notice then.  Just tie up loose ends and vamoose, as they say.

Can you suggest a RE agent who would be willing to at least select a neighborhood and what are the rents in Quaretaro?  Do you know about that area because SMA sounds pretty maxed out to tell you the truth.  The relatives of mine who live there (I don't know them personally but once I'm down there....) he is a retired doctor with no money worries.

Nice, huh?

I need to be able to live on my SS money while enjoying a life I adore.  I practically grew up in Mexico.

Thanks for taking the time to help me.  I am recently widowed and this is difficult.

SKB

http://casas.trovit.com.mx/renta-depart … el-allende

San Rafael is NOT a good neighborhood.

Did you get on the SMA civil list yet? You can find all kinds of rentals there....

What is a Civil List and where do I find it?

Hi SKB:

I'm pretty much in the same situation as you are. I'm recently retired and spent three months in Puebla City last winter and loved the experience. I'd now like to explore San Miguel with the idea of staying long term. When I was looking for accommodation in Puebla, I booked a hotel room and then searched the city. Prior to leaving for Puebla, I had used airbnb to find possible accommodations, so I had a few places already in mind. My experience with the real estate agents in Puebla was that they were interested in sales not rentals. There is also a considerable difference between local and expat rental rates. Maybe we can support one another somehow in this process.

Tricia

I haven't changed my profile since leaving Kuala Lumpur, but now live in Canada.

Tricia

SMA Civil list at yahoo groups. Caveat emptor: Ask lots of questions of people from whom you may rent and there are numerous Colonias that are not very safe anymore.
In any even, you can try the list. San Miguel de Allende Civil List on Yahoo groups. Good luck!

triciad wrote:

Hi SKB:

I'm pretty much in the same situation as you are. I'm recently retired and spent three months in Puebla City last winter and loved the experience. I'd now like to explore San Miguel with the idea of staying long term. When I was looking for accommodation in Puebla, I booked a hotel room and then searched the city. Prior to leaving for Puebla, I had used airbnb to find possible accommodations, so I had a few places already in mind. My experience with the real estate agents in Puebla was that they were interested in sales not rentals. There is also a considerable difference between local and expat rental rates. Maybe we can support one another somehow in this process.

Tricia

Sure.

Let me know what you are doing and when. 

I'm sort of planning/sort of flying by the seat of my pants.

I'll share my email address with you: tricia.devlin@gaiil.com 
This is a work in progress for me as well, but I would like to make a move in 2015. It probably will require a visit to loo around and make personal contacts.

Hi, Tricia

I have been told the same thing: go there and look around personally for a few days and then make your move.

But I am not so sure I feel safe travelling alone in this crazy world anymore.

So yes, I would't mind going down perhaps the same time and looking around, sharing info, meeting for coffee.

How old are you, btw, if I may ask?

I'm "older" but look way younger.  I occasionally even rock the fashionista stuff but basically I want to retire to muumuus and flipflops and Spanish all day hanging out in the sun like a turtle on a rock.   )

You?

What are you looking for down there?  Rob a bank or something? 

SKB

Who put that stupid icon on my post?  I didn't !

SKB: I wld prefer not to discuss my personal stuff in his forum. Perhaps you can switch to my email and that is gmail. I think I misspelled it.

Tricia

Hello, Honestly, for the best SMA experience you want to live in a mixed neighborhood. This is my fourth winter in Mexico and only my first winter in Ajijic did I live in a place like Ajijic Suites which is geared to snowbirds or longer term guests. All the other winters including this one my rentals were in a mixed Mexican/foreigner neighborhood which will really help your espanol as well. Last year I got my rental in the Los Balcones area off Craigslist. www.airbnb.com has listings for SMA and you can also read La Attencion, the bilingual newspaper online which is rife with real estate ads. Do check out my blog at www.snowbirdsoliloquy.wordpress.com and contact me at canadacalling88@yahoo.ca if you have any more insider questions. Joanna B

Btw, I take strong exception to the posting about the San Rafael colonia being unsafe. I have a beautiful reasonably priced townhouse in a mixed foreigner/Mexican neighborhood and I can walk everywhere or into Centro or take a bus to all parts of the city every 20 minutes. You can get handmade tortillas here for cheap and there is even a Chicago style pizzeria a couple of blocks up Allende Calle!

Thank you....just what I needed.

Looking into Baja as well if you have any contacts.

You sound like a person that I might like to know. I spent a few days in San Miguel 3 yrs ago and have given much thought to going back. I returned to the states to work for 7 weeks and haven't been able to get away since: BUT I  am starting to plan on doing that after December. I'm presently in Chicago, but spend most of my time in Louisville, Ky and Tyler, Tx. Please respond............Tony Ashworth..... dfw7211@att.net

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Hello all you lovely Canadian (and American) citizens living in San Miguel and area. I am a Canadian citizen living in the West Coast. I too have been considering retiring in San Miguel or some other suitable location in Mexico, next year.  However, I have so many questions. For example:
>  Can any Canadian living permanently in San Miguel tell me if it is easy to give up your Canadian residency to live permenantly in Mexico? 
>  What would one have to forego?  (OAS?, CPP?).
>  How do you receive/transfer your pension monies in Mexico? 
>  And would a pension income of CAD$22,000 p.a. be sufficient for a Canadian to live comfortably in San Miguel, in light of how low our Canadian dollar value is? The annual CAD22,000 includes CPP nothing else as I have no savings - no RRSPs, no TFSAs - nothing just the pension.
>  Do you still have to file your annual income tax returns in Canada?
>  And what about paying taxes in Mexico?
>  If, after some years one decides to return home to Canada, is he/she eligible to return to Canada?
> OR, do most Canadians live in San Miguel for 6 months and return home to Canada for the next 6 months of the year?  And would this be a better option? For myself, I'm thinking the cost of flights twice a year would be unaffordable.

Any kind Canadian out there who can help respond to these questions or direct me to where I can get some of these questions answered, please email me at rstnp01atyahoo.com.

Thank you!

Buenas dias,

I am a Canadian Snowbird here in SMA for my second winter. IF I was deciding to be an expat it wouldn't be here. This is my fourth winter in Mexico and SMA has a lot to offe and an amazing amount of things to do (some of which are free or low cost but not all) and a lot of the classes charge USD dollars.. Honestly. Compared to Ajijic SMA is more expensive especially rent. You will have to find a place during the low season starting in May. You do not have to give up your citizenship. To try out being an expat here you simply apply for a ResidenteTemporal VISA at the Mexican embassy in Vancouver or simply come here for six months and try out the lifestyle. How's your Spanish? SMA has a ten percent expat population but to live more inexpensively you will need to speak some Spanish to shop at the markets and stores that do not carry expensive imported goods and also live away from Centro in a mixed Mexican and expat neighborhood. It is also very hilly here and you will be walking on cobblestones a lot so you need to be prepared for this. You can keep your money in a Canadian bank and simply use your ATM bank card. Good idea to have two bank accounts and two cards in case one gets demagnetized and stops working. Some Mexican banks will take our cards but not all. Insofar as transportation goes it takes the better part of a day to get here from the West Coast. It's much easier to fly to Guadalajara and the Lake Chapala area. There are Canadian Clubs in both Ajijic and SMA. You really need to do much more research before becoming an expat. With your income level and no savings you will likely be moving here with two suitcases. International moves with household goods are expensive and the rentals are mostly furnished anyway.

IF I was choosing between the two places where I have the most experience being a short term residence I would go with Ajijic. And I would look into the only Abbeyfield House in Latin America which is beautiful and right on the lake. The rent includes some meals. I've toured it myself. You will also find more expats living in the Lake Chapala area than here at your income level. There are a lot of affluent expats and Mexicans here hence the higher prices. In either location be prepared to live in a call society. Only high end stores and restaurants take credit cards. No Interac. In conclusion, my advice  Liquidate anything that doesn't fit in two suitcases and come for a six month visit to start in either the Lake Chapala area or here to try out the lifestyle. If you like it apply for a resident Temporal. If your Spanish is at least basic beginner you have more options like places  like Oaxaca or other places with fewer expats but are cheaper. That's where I'm heading next winter. Also research Panama, Ecuador and Nicaragua where our CAD goes much farther than Mexico especially in places with more gringos.Check ó my blog snowbirdsoliloquy.wordpress.com for a feel for what it's like living in Mexico as a local NOTa tourist or vacationer. Buenas suertes!

Its been my experience so far that anywhere with a high expat population has higher rents.

I knew of a couple who were paying 1,000 USD a month for a 2 bedroom furnished apartment in the city of Oaxaca. Ridiculous. I was paying 5000 pesos a month for a small studio in Oaxaca which didn't have a garden. Here in Queretaro I'm paying 3,000 a month for a furnished room with private bath in a very nice house in a great neighborhood. Its definitely much nicer than what I had in Oaxaca.

Queretaro is only a 40 minute bus ride from SMA.

The rents in SMA are directly proportional to amenities and proximity to Centro. They range from really cheap to astronomical. I live in La Canada (Los Frailes) and the houses to purchase or rent are very reasonable. Get near the center of town and the same property would double or more.
So my bus ride is 15 minutes instead of a short walk, at $5p per that would be about 3 million bus rides.
Most of SMA is mixed neighborhoods, but allot of Canadians seem to live in Guadeloupe and I know they have a very active Canada Club there.
Cannot speak to residency rules, as I am from the US.

Hola señor. I'm coming down in Octobre. Best to find rentals in local paper or bulletin boards in La Canada area? La Economista periodicity list lest expensive cities to livi in and Guanajuato and  Quetaro made the list. Have you been to either ?   Gracias.  Phil in ontario

Both Guanajuato and  Quetaro are fine cities, but I have never looked at the cost of living in either. Questions about San Miguel I can answer or get answered for you.
Real-estate agents here can show you rentals and homes for purchase.

Gracias señor poor informacion!

Correction por! Not poor!

Hi, I and my daughter are planing to move to San Miguel this month and we are currently in Vancouver, Canada. We both are Canadian but my daughter is both Canadian and USA citizen. Can I call you for an advice? We don't know anyone there and we have never been there.  Thanks.
Kimberly

Hola  I am Canadian ,have been to Mexico 4 times, once to San Miguel . It is more expensive due to all gringos there. Guanajuato is very historical nice city  just a short bus trip  away form S.M.   It  also has one of lowest costs of living in Mexico!  Habla espanol un pocito??   very helpful for getting around  .  Otherwise check airbnb for place to stay and get local knowledge for rentals etc.  Buena Suerte

We live in SMA. My husband is Canadian. We have a 10 year-old daughter.

Friend moved here this week from Edmonton and finding reasonably priced rentals was a challenge but we found one this afternoon. Price is very dependent on distance from centro.

Happy to help.

Sonia

I am thinking of coming to SMA to live and wondered if it was possible to find a room in a nice house rather than taking a whole flat. How much would this cost? And if i did take a flat, how much is a cook to come in the day time?

Hi,
I'll  Be moving to San Miguel de Allende in August, 2017. You sound like someone I'd love to meet. If you're still involved in expat.com, please let me know!
Thanks.
Ann

Hi dear, guess we are in the same boat. Ive just arrived and widowed one month now.
Yes, its not easy and the realtors only seem to be interested in sales and not rentals.
It’s also high season too.
I’m looking around on my own while i live in an airbnb.

Wishing you best of luck.

I will be in Queretaro July 16-23 to consider moving there from Oregon. If you are living there now, could we meet for coffee?

Hello Bonnie.

I just joined expat.com Today. I noticed you’re from Oregon! So am I. I live in Eugene and I am planning on moving to San Miguel in about a year. How very exciting! I love the place. I’ve only visited once but it was enough to convince me that travel and leisure magazine had it right in naming it the best city in the world 2 years in a row.
I just wanted to touch base and say hi from Eugene. Best of luck in whatever you do. Buena suerte y bien viajes!

Hi there, fellow Oregonian!
Do you ever get to Portland? We should meet for coffee.

I just got back from 3 weeks in Mexico City, Queretaro, and Puebla. Looked at rentals in Queretaro, which are less than San Miquel. I will probably move either there or SMA in September or October.