Moving to Mérida (and the scams to watch out for).
Mérida is a popular place for people moving to Mexico. But do you know that 50% of expats return to their country within the first 5 years of living in Mexico? That includes those who move to Mérida. Another issue is foreigners getting scammed, often by other foreigners.
Amy is a relocation expert and tells us all about the above. She covers the various issues, some being unrealistic expectations, that often result in expats giving up on Mexico. She also details the various scams that foreigners have to watch out for and gives you advice so you don’t become a victim.
Lots of great information on both Mérida and Mexico in this interview.
Name: Amy Jones
Country of Origin: USA
Number of years in Mexico: 7 years
Website: LifeinMerida
Hi Amy! Can you please tell us about yourself? How did you end up deciding that you wanted to leave the US and live in Mexico?
Hi Frank – first, thanks so much for the opportunity to share my story! I really enjoy connecting with others who have moved to other countries. It’s a unique commonality that we share!
I grew up in a small town, population of 6,700. My parents started traveling with my brother and I when we were in elementary school. Our first trip was to Germany when I was 9 and my brother was 6. Over the next 9 years, we visited many destinations in Europe and in the southern part of the U.S. You can say it was the start of my travel bug and wanderlust. Fast forward to a college spring break trip to Puerta Vallarta and my life would forever change.
On the bus ride from the airport to our resort, I noticed the extreme poverty in the areas we drove through. Interestingly, amid all this poverty, locals were smiling, seemed extremely happy, and oblivious to their surroundings. It caught my attention, and I filed it into my memory bank. I recognize when my intuition is tapping my shoulder. This was one of those times.
On subsequent visits to Mexico, I became fascinated with the culture. I wanted to learn and understand more about how locals could be so happy with nothing. They worked hard, lived for today, and tomorrow was, well, tomorrow.
Why Mérida? I read in one of your posts that you hate heat and that you hate mosquitos, both things that Mérida is known for. So why did you end up choosing Mérida?
In 2006-2007, I worked in the Riviera Maya at Bahia Principe selling golf course lots. Locals spoke about Mérida like it was a magical place everyone MUST visit. Their faces lit up like it was Christmas; get an aura about them. It was so powerful that it stuck with me, and I knew it would be at the top of my list when I got ready to make my permanent move. Living in Riviera Maya, I felt like I finally found my spot. My spot was Mexico.
Yes, you are right. Actually, I hate heat, sweating, and mosquitos. This is why I decided to visit Mérida in September on a research trip. I figured this would be the month when all three would be the worst. If I liked it during this season, I would like it even more during the cooler season. It was a true test of the location and my seriousness about moving to Mexico.
On my research trip, I fell head over heels in love with Mérida. One day, I was in Santa Lucia Park. I walked over to the two large trees in the middle of the park, closed my eyes, and my feet felt like they were growing roots. My intuition said, “Move, move as soon as possible. You don’t need to look anywhere else. This is your new home.” My intuition became louder and stronger for the duration of my trip until it started screaming at me, “Do it now!”
Fortunately, I was already in the process of organizing my move. I paid attention and rewarded myself with a move to Mérida on Christmas Day that year.
You mentioned somewhere that Mérida was on your shortlist of 5 cities to live in Mexico. Can I ask what the others were – and what it was about Mérida that stood out to you?
You are correct. Mérida was on the shortlist along with:
- Lake Chapala / Ajijic
- San Miguel de Allende
- San Cristobal de las Casas
- San Luis Potosi
I never visited the other locations after my research trip to Mérida. I have a pretty good way of organizing and gathering information. Before my trip, I wanted to find a city in Texas with a comparable population and layout. I intended to have a familiar frame of reference once I arrived to get my bearings. The closest was Fort Worth, 30 miles west of Dallas, where I moved from. I love Fort Worth, the city’s history, and the genuine people.
After my trip, I realized there were many more similarities than expected:
- Population and layout
- Yucatecans and Texans are proud of their states
- Respectful culture, including the elderly
- Mix of old money and new money
- Original, old families with a history in the community
I love and appreciate the authenticity of Mérida. It’s a culture of contrasts and is what you make of it. When you appreciate what Mérida has to offer, it gives so much back.
You help people move to Mérida. Can you tell us about that? What do people need help with? How do you help them?
I do help people move to Mérida. For more context, I included my experience. I was in real estate for close to 15 years in Texas. After my divorce in 2010, I needed a fresh start and began a staging, organizing, and moving company. Building on the relationships I developed with other agents, they referred me when their sellers needed help. Surprisingly, 20% of the clients needed help moving internationally.
I could not find a single information source or a professional to assist me during my research. My entrepreneurial spirit kicked in when I realized this could be a helpful service to offer to others like me. Beginning with the research phase through their move, Life in Mérida™ provides solutions, resources, and referrals for anything and everything someone needs for their move.
This is an example of the process:
- Zoom Video Consultation to learn more about where the client is in their process.
- City Orientation Tour to understand how the city is laid out and the difference between Centro and the North. We provide historical details of the city and discuss what it’s like to live here.
- Real Estate Showings for budgeting purposes and visualizing day-to-day life.
- Introductions to residency, insurance, banking, medical, and other relevant professionals.
We also provide many helpful guides, including The Move to Mérida Guide, which provides step-by-step instructions and advice for planning, organizing, and logistics before, during, and after their move.
Editor’s Note: you’ll find all the above on Amy’s website, Life in Mérida.
What kind of people move to Mérida? Is there a typical demographic? What are they looking for when coming to Mérida?
A variety of people move to Mérida for a variety of reasons. Interestingly, we have more Mexican Nationals moving here vs. foreigners, which is a surprise.
Demographics:
- The age range for singles and couples is from the late 40s to the mid-70s. We are starting to see more families with young children.
- Travel often, and most have been to Mexico before.
- Only a handful have been to Mérida; for many, it is their first time.
- We do have some clients who have young families but are surprised to find that moving here is not as easy or, in their words, “as cheap as they expected.”
- About ½ are adventurers who want to explore and take advantage of all the country offers.
- The other ½ are retired or close to retiring and want a slower pace.
- Some buy while some rent – the main difference is some don’t know if Mérida will work out and want to do a test run before committing to a large financial investment.
There seems to be a lot of disinformation and even scams when it comes to Mérida. You’ve mentioned some on your blog. Can you talk about that?
Wow! I could write an entire book on this subject and share some traumatic and tragic stories. You’re right – I mention this quite a bit, as it is a real problem. People arrive and want to bond with familiarity. What is most familiar is the language. They need help and advice and it’s apparent they are new so they become targets for scammers. It happened to me too!
It’s human nature to automatically trust English-speakers. However, this is the worst thing to do. You still have to take time to get to know someone, ask for references, and vet thoroughly. The best way to avoid this is to seek professional help PRIOR to arriving or spending time after arriving conducting due diligence. Keep in mind, there are just as many scams run by foreigners as Mexican Nationals. It happens in other countries too, not just Mexico.
Foreigners also have the misconception that they always get gringo priced. This does happen but not always. It’s just as common for locals to get scammed or gringo priced as well. I’ll add some additional comments about gringo pricing at the end. Let’s get back to scams . . .
Here are the most common scams:
- Hiring people to work on your house, paying them a deposit and they never show up.
- Workers robbing construction materials from worksites.
- Developers/developments, especially in the beginning stages of construction (just drive around the city to see the various abandoned developments). We just avoid these and advise our clients of the precarious nature of getting involved. Sometimes the issues are not found until years later when owners are not given title because the developer never legally owned the land. Sadly, that’s happening right now on the coast.
- Real estate is probably the Number 1 scam going because it’s not regulated here. Anyone can be an agent. Additionally, there’s no MLS system and exclusive listings are not common. There are different rules for foreigners to purchase houses and MANY agents ONLY care about the commission. They will say or do anything to make the commission and disappear into the night post-sale. Because they have not taken the necessary steps to educate themselves about the real estate process, conditions, and laws, they are not able to give professional advice or reputable resources.
I offer the following advice in regards to real estate:
- Ask for the agent’s credentials. Have they gone through AMPI training and received a certificate of completion? It’s well within a client’s rights to ask to see the certificate.
- Ask for client testimonials of others they’ve worked with.
- Ask them to describe the entire real estate process from how showings work to closing. Are they familiar with every step of the process such as inspections, fideicomiso, deposits, property tax, capital gains, penalties, and other professionals involved? If they cannot explain every single part of the process it’s a red flag.
- Are they involved in real estate full-time or part-time? Part-time agents are not fully committed to the process and may not have the time it takes to perform 100% of the duties on the client’s behalf.
- Are they an agent on their own or are they with a real estate company? If they work on their own, they do not have the support of a broker or mentor to advise them on critical components of the transaction. For me, this is another red flag.
- Are they selling their own listing ie: representing the seller? Is the listing published anywhere online? If not, this is an example of potential gringo pricing.
- Do NOT EVER give a deposit to an agent or the seller directly. It MUST go to the Notario to be held in escrow. There are only a few exceptions to this rule.
Recently, we’ve even had issues with people arguing with us. They’ve never been here but insist they have correct information from YouTube or Facebook groups. They are so positive that the YouTuber they’ve been following is the “real deal” that they are blind to the truth. After further research, it turns out the YouTuber was passing through and doesn’t even live here!
My best advice: don’t automatically trust anyone, even if they are fluent in English INCLUDING native English speakers. VET every single person you run across, give them time, and be patient making the relationship with them. Do your best not to become a victim of fraud or a statistic!
I want to quickly give a bit of commentary about gringo pricing. As you know, I’m married to a local and I asked him about this. He said, “Mi amor, I’m very sorry but your race (gringos) have done this to themselves. Think about it this way. You go into a shop and see something you like. You ask or see the price and say, ‘Wow! This is cheap!’ That’s the worst thing you can do. The shop owner has learned what cheap means so now he’s going to raise the price because he sees that he’s not charging enough.”
On the other side of the coin is the common misconception that Mexico is cheap. When gringos find out it’s not as cheap as they expected, then they think they are getting gringo priced on everything. This is simply not true. A recent example is one of our clients went to the fruteria and bought 3 apples, 2 pears, and some grapes. The cost was $110 mx. He thought the cost was outrageous and claimed he got gringo priced. What he didn’t realize was the price of grapes were high because they were out of season and the type of pears he bought were expensive. In his mind, Mexico is supposed to be cheap. But the reality is that we have inflation like every other country. There are products that are seasonal and when bought out of season, they are more expensive. It’s not gringo pricing, it’s reality.
I know a few people who’ve moved to Mexico (including to Mérida) that just couldn’t adjust. They eventually ended up moving back home. What would you say are the biggest issues/adjustments for people looking to move to Mérida/Mexico?
General statistics are about 50% of expats return to their home country within the first five years including those who move to Mérida. I would say these are the biggest issues/adjustments to be aware of and what most have challenges with.
Cultural Differences are huge! Mexico is a third-world country, but people expect first-world services and systems. They expect everything to run the same or be as efficient as in their home country. When it isn’t, they complain and compare their home country to here. Bringing unreasonable expectations results in being unable to adapt.
Language is a huge factor, especially when people expect locals to speak English and then get frustrated when they don’t. Visiting a beach resort on the coast is a far cry from living in a city where only 5% of locals are English speakers.
The climate plays a huge role, and people miscalculate the heat. Some compare to Houston, Miami, or other areas but don’t consider the sun’s intensity. It’s hard to describe until you’re here and experience it for yourself. They don’t listen to advice about managing it and cannot adjust.
Cost of Living is a huge factor if people only move because they hear that Mexico is cheap. A fluctuating exchange rate or unrealistic housing costs can wreak havoc on a budget.
Different customs. Different laws. Different culture. As you can see, the most significant challenges are when people bring unrealistic expectations. When their expectations aren’t met, they end up disappointed and disillusioned.
Obviously, you love Mexico. Can you tell us what makes this country so special for you?
Interestingly, I never felt at home in the U.S. I spent most of my time feeling out of place and weird, like an alien. Never fitting in, I always felt like something was missing.
However, the minute my feet touch the ground in Mexico, I feel energy run through my body: relaxed, at ease, and at home. One of the many reasons I love the country is the culture. People work incredibly hard and live for today. No matter what they have or don’t have, they are happy. Instead of crying about their circumstances, they will make a meme and laugh about it. They are incredibly independent and proud. This is what I want in my life too – slow living, high quality of life, happiness, and humor. I appreciate every part of the culture: the creativity, the resourcefulness, and the willingness to keep going, no matter what. It’s a lesson for all of us.
I know you have family in the US. How do you feel when you go back to the United States? Ever any regrets? Is Mexico your “forever” home?
I do have family in the U.S.: my two sons and my dad and his wife who split time between Texas and Costa Rica. How I feel when I return to the U.S. is a little hard to describe, but I’ll try. I’m surprised about one thing or another on my annual trips. Everything moves too fast. People are impatient when standing in lines. The pressure of being rushed through a meal at a restaurant. The immense number of choices, especially in the grocery store. I spend most of my time confused and anxious. One time, in the airport, I almost missed my flight because I was so distracted by all the changes. It felt like I was in a futuristic dream or nightmare, depending upon the interpretation. It makes me even more grateful for the decision I made to move. I don’t have any regrets at all – right time, right place, right circumstances. Yes, Mérida is my forever home. I’ve planted roots, and they are growing deeply, just like my first intuitive vision!
Thank you for doing this interview Amy!
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