Guatemala is a wonderful country to make your home base. There’s a wealth of wonderful experiences for you and your family in and nearby this Central American paradise.
Misconceptions about Guatemala are a plenty, as they’re global news exposure over the last few decades hasn’t exactly highlighted the positive aspects of this wonderful place. It’s true that crushing poverty exists, that many Guatemalans want to leave to the US where the economic mobility is more attractive, and that ordinary citizens in high crime areas become victimized by criminals. However, it is also true that the hospitible environment has attracted forigners to visit and stay and they bring with them economic opportunities that have been rasing the living standards of the locals whom share their places and provide services to this large market of visitors and expatriots.
Just like in any major city in the United States, there are some places that you should not go in Guatemala, or at least not for no reason. These are places that you would not go anyway. They won’t even bear mention, because there would be no reason for you to go to these places.
Building a life in Guatemala is not nearly as risky as your friends back home might think. There’s a few guidelines that are best to keep in mind as you plan your Guatemalan Retirement Strategy to live here in Guatemala:
1. Live where other expats live.
Don’t let cheap land seduce you. As a foreigner, unless you’re very charismatic and your Spanish is good, you will be on the outside of many community discussions and your neighbors might not look after interests if they feel no commonalities exist between you and them.
Live within an expat comunity and you’ll have services that appeal to expats.
My neighbors are from California and Michigan, with Irish, Canadian, and a bunch of well-to-do Guatemalans filling out the rest of the neighborhood. They are good neighbors and having good neighbors is priceless.
3. Keep your eyes on the road.
While you’re unlikely to witness any crime in popular tourist areas, you might see some knarly car wrecks. The reality of living down here is much like anywhere else, but more so. The most dangerous thing you will do here is drive.
Hiring an Uber or a professional drive is probably your best bet, but if you prefer to drive yourself, just pay attention. Viligence is a necessity as some drivers here are particularly discourteous so it’s better to be prepaired for dangerous drivers. It’s not Mad Max, but it’s not a good place to text and drive.
4. Hire a Lawer or reputable realtor for Real-Estate transactions.
While forigners can own property outright, unlike in Mexico, shady local business practices make hiring a lawer or realtor well worth the money. Scams exist and it would be a shame to learn that you’ve paid a large sum of money to someone who doesn’t own the land they are selling. A reputable real-estate agent can do title searches, identify back taxes or fees, and file your sale properly to avoid some of the many problems forigners encounter when buying real-estate solo.
5. Visit before you buy.
Land and home prices are attractive here and it’s tempting to deals over the phone, which can be arranged. Unless your deal is strictly an investment, you’ll want to visit the country to see which areas you fancy the most. The Antigua area has the best weather and tourist infrastructure: restraunts, bars, Spanish schools, activities; and is the perfect hub to visit the other great spots in the country. If you like brisk weather, Xela has a great expat community with many of the same benifits of the Antigua area. If white sand beaches with harbors freckled with beautiful yachts is more appealing, try the East coast area Puerto Isabal. Cool weather and beautiful lake views are everywhere in the towns around Lake Attitlan.
There are several great places where wonderful expat communities exist, with the tourist infrastructure to keep you from getting homesick. I reccomend settling in one of these places as pioneering a new area comes with challenges, bordom and lonliness are among the worst.
Everyone has a deserted island fantasy, but the truth is that most people would find that life unpleasent and uncomfortable after the first week or so. It’s more realistic to consider that for your retirement to be any fun, you’re going to want to meet friends and enjoy fun food and activities. Expat communities are packed with interesting people from all over the world that have interesting lives and stories to share with each other. They’ve all found something wonderful here and most wouldn’t trade it for anything.
You should come down and see if you could also enjoy the care free and adventerous life of an expat in Guatemala. The community down here welcomes you with open arms and an attitude of “the more the merrier”. Book a trip to come down and say Hi.
Visit tecotours.fun to book custom adventure today!
Retire in Guatemala 