November Newsletter - The U.S. Presidency and Mexico

Hello [FIRSTNAME]! The first week of November has been a historic period in U.S. politics as the first African-American was elected to the highest office in the land. U.S. President-elect Barack Obama will face many challenges in his tenure as president but how this will affect his relationship with Mexico especially with regards to immigration, the war on drugs and the economy, remains to be seen. Many pundits claim that an Obama presidency will have a pro-Mexico agenda but with so many special interests groups to please that might not be the case when push comes to shove. SolutionsAbroad takes a closer look at the what we hope /expect from the new U.S. president.

In our continuing series on Pueblos Magicos, we travel up north to the state of Coahuila and enjoy the wonders of Parras which is famed for being one of Mexico's most celebrated wine and brandy producers.

SolutionsAbroad also welcomes Linda Neil, who is a California-licensed real estate broker with 30 years of experience in Mexican real estate, and will be providing our site with articles regarding the market.

Parras - Pueblos Magicos

The fertile plains of Parras owes its existence to its fortuitous location within a valley with a large water supply. This has led to it being called an oasis in Coahuila - which is one of the dryest states in Mexico largely made up of arid or semi-arid land. Parras' lush pastures and warm climate has made it one of the nation's most recognized wine and brandy producers and it boasts the oldest winery in the Americas - founded in the 16th Century by Lorenzo Garcia. Infact, Parras's fullname is Parras de la Fuente which translates as "Grapevines of the Fountain." Read more...

Opinion Column

Agustin Barrios Gomez, president of SolutionsAbroad.com, has been commissioned by the newly-relaunched English-language daily The News to produce a weekly opinion column on Mexican current affairs.

The number of challenges that will face the next president of the United States is truly humbling. Not only is the country involved in two wars, but it turns out that the world financial system is weaker than anyone expected. The punters on Intrade.com (a betting site) even say there's a 5% chance of a Depression. How sobering is that? Add to that the level of polarization that is pushing Americans apart, as well as hatred that motivates so many millions of people around the world to do horrible things and you start wondering why anyone would want the job of US president. Read more...

Buying Real Estate in Coastal Areas

Laws regulating ownership of real estate in Mexico are different from those in other parts of the world largely due to Article 27 of the Mexican Constitution of 1917, which prohibits foreigners from owning residential real estate within 30 miles (50 km.) of anycoastline or 60 miles (100 km.) of either border. These areas are known as the “restricted” zones. To allow foreigners to purchase vacation or retirement homes in these zones, and bring in much needed dollars, the Mexican bank trust, or fideicomiso, was established in 1973. The trust places legal title in the name of a Mexican bank under a permit from the Secretary of Foreign Relations, so the bank may administrate the property on behalf of the buyer/beneficiary, who enjoys the same rights of ownership as does a Mexican national. Read more...