Things are picking up. We can feel our departure coming soon and we're both feeling more energetic. I can't wait to be back on the road and moving again. We are also starting to look forward to our return to the US. People we love and haven't seen for 5 months and stuff we want to get fixed on the rig, all these things are making us happy to be heading north. The same thing happens in reverse by the fall, we miss people and things from Mexico and can't wait to head south. I really love that we can have it all like this. Whenever I start seriously thinking about coming off the road and getting a house and settling down, I start thinking about being stuck in one place and it looks a lot less attractive. I got some email from readers wanting to see more pictures of our town here, Akumal. I rarely take pictures here anymore as it feels like I've posted so many that it's old news. Apparently not. So, tonight we went to meet friends for cocktails at the local beach bar and I took the camera. Above is the entrance to our closest watering hole, La Buena Vida. The first floor is a bar with sand on the floor and swings for seats as well as tables out on the beach, the second floor is a pretty nice restaurant.
It's down the beach from our place on Half Moon Bay so I took a picture looking back across the bay with our condo (the yellow arrow) and the spot we have the RV parked (the red arrow). Bob and Claudia are 2 of our favorite people here and we hadn't gotten a chance to sit and talk with them this trip. We see Bob pretty often but hadn't seen Claudia at all. We had a lot of fun and promised that we would get together when we first come down in the fall so we can make plans to see them more often.
Mimi, Claudia and Bob later in the evening. When we got back a gay couple from Wisconsin that we'd met while walking the dogs were on the beach and invited us to join them for another cocktail. They are nice women and we sat down there and chatted for a couple more hours so now it is late. We have a big day tomorrow, it's the only day we can get back in the condo to hang the pictures we had framed and Mimi is having a root canal in the morning. Should be fun.
posted by Jonna at 9:28 PM
3 Comments:
Hi. I am a one-week guest on MexConnected.com and cannot post there, so I am writing here.
I'm curious to know whether you ever got something that feels like a definitive answer on the captial gains tax issue. My partner and I are just about to buy a house in Merida, and this is one of my concerns.
By the way, we're gay guys from Santa Fe and we whole-heartedly agree with your assessment: there seems to be the beginning of a "gay wave" in Merida. We hope this is a good thing.
Hi,
You didn't leave an email address so I will have to answer you here.
I do know that these are some of the requirements to avoid capital gains when selling in MX. You have to have an FM3 or better and it has to be your only residence in Mexico. I did not find out if they have removed the requirement for a certain number of years with the FM3. I am guessing that this could be something that varies from Notario to Notario or at least from area to area. Ask the Notario handling your purchase as he will be current on the rules followed over there.
I think a 'gay wave' into Merida is a great thing! It makes sense as it has the gorgeous old houses with 'good bones' and the laid back attitude towards the sins of your neighbors. Let's hope that it becomes a gay mecca in all the good ways and not any of the bad ones.
I am going to get my FM3 when I return in Nov and start thinking about selling my condo here in Akumal. I'm still up in the air about where to buy after that, it will be in Mexico but don't know where.
Good luck with your house, I know you will have a great time with it.
Thanks for your response. My e-mail is StevenSugarman@hotmail.com
Re taxes: the information that you provided was really helpful. My partner and I are buying two adjacent houses. We might combine them into one, might not, might sell one of them, or might sell both of them. We are up in the air. The real estate agent we are working with says she spoke with the notario, and that he recommends that we buy both houses together - with both of our names on both deeds. I'm concerned however that doing it this way will cause future complications with obtaining an FM-3 and associated complications if we ever decide to sell one or both of the houses. My gut feeling is that we should each be taking title to one of the houses as individuals and have the FM-3 state our individual addresses. I'm having a difficult time getting the real estate agent to wrap her mind around this idea, though. From your post, it sounds like the "one person - one house" route is the way to go.
I'm with you on the gay mecca issue. Merida is incredible right now - open, friendly, and seemingly tolerant. Let's hope that, with a little mutual respect, it stays that way.
Thanks again for the info, and sorry for cluttering up your blog with these posts.
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