May 2012 Blog Posts (12)

On Violence in Mexico

A member of Mexico-My Space recently inquired about violence in Mexico and more specifically…

Linda Neil, ABR, PIC, REB in California, has just returned to La Paz from an extensive trip to the North Eastern U.S.A. and several Mexican cities.

In the U.S. she visited, Wilmington, DE, Kennett Square, PA., Boston, MA and Washington, D.C. In the latter city, she represented Mexico at the annual mid-year meetings of the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) Linda is NAR’s Presidential Liaison to Mexico.

Her travels in Mexico took her to Mexico City, Tepotzlan (Cuernavaca)…

I have a business license and I am selling real estate in Mexico. Does that make me a REALTOR®? The answer is no unless you have paid a fee to the National Association of Realtors®. In that event you are known as an International REALTOR® and may LLEGALLY use the word and the trademarks of NAR. As well you are then linked with more than 70 national real estate associations around the world. You will receive other benefits, as well.

 NAR spends millions of dollars annually in…

Hyatt Bets on the Future of Los Cabos: Hyatt hotels have sent a signal of confidence in the future of Los Cabos. The large hotel chain has announced construction of new properties in Mexico. The Park Hyatt with 196 rooms and 36 “residences” will be located in the project, Cabo del Sol on the four lane highway connecting San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas.  The Hyatt Place San Jose will have 157 rooms. A new  Hyatt hotel will be built in the Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo.

Here's a new article about Oaxaca and its economic forecast:

http://www.casamachaya.com/1/category/economy%20of%20oaxaca%20mexico/1.html

Alvin Starkman: Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (http://www.oaxacadream.com)

Your US tax return for 2011 is due on 6/15/12 if you were a resident on Mexico on 4/17/12.  Your TDF 90-22.1 foreign financial account report is due on 6/30/12 and cannot be extended ($10,000 penalty for not filing or late filing).

You can extend your US return until 10/15/12 if you file the required extension…

Living in Los Cabos: The Mexican “Green Card”

I got an email from someone who is moving to Mexico; I’d sent some info about working in Cabo that he misunderstood. So rather than clarify myself to one person I decided to put it on the blog. So here’s what I think I know about it. Bear in mind that the law…

Living in Los Cabos: Safety and Security

I had a little conversation with a visitor to Cabo which prompts me to re-visit the topic of safety. Cabo is safe. Period. You can come here on vacation, retirement or work and enjoy yourself with no worries about your personal safety. That said, right…

Sometimes tourists without any intention of visiting Oaxaca, usually those en route to the coast, get stuck in Oaxaca for a day or so.  Here's a suggested itinerary to make the brief visit enjoyable and jam - packed:

http://alvinstarkman.suite101.com/how-to-spend-24-hours-in-the-city-of-oaxaca-mexico-a407383

Alvin Starkman - Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast (…

If this article helps even one couple to get the most out of a short visit to Oaxaca, then it was worth the effort to write it:

http://alvinstarkman.suite101.com/how-to-see-the-oaxaca-mexico-city--valley-sights-in-five-days-a407059

ALVIN STARKMAN - CASA MACHAYA OAXACA BED & BREAKFAST (http://www.oaxacadream.com)

It may not seem like much, and granola is readily available in Oaxaca and throughout most urban centers throughout Mexico, but at Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast we've now added not only granola, but also sugar-free yogurt to our selection of breakfast foods provided to our guests.  It's often a struggle finding sugar-free yogurt here in Oaxaca (plain, natural, and without even splenda), but it appears that at least for the foreseeable future one of the supermarket chains will be…

Follow this link to my article about this unique "Sociedad de Mezcaleros" which recently converged on Oaxaca to advance their knowledge of all that is mezcal, agave & pulque:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Secret-Society-of-Mezcal-Aficionados-Tours-Oaxaca-Palenques%2c-Mezcalerias-and-Restaurants&id=7032076

Alvin Starkman - Casa…