Tourism Up 19%

Great Economic News for Mexico

by Doug Jones 

Since the lifeblood of the real estate industry in Mexico is tourism, an article titled “Is it Safe to Travel to Mexico?  Judging from the Numbers, Many Yes” published in USA Today last week is fantastic news.  

Tourism to Mexico in 2010 is nearly equal to the record number of tourists in record-breaking 2008 and up almost 19% over 2009.  This bodes very well for the real estate industry in Mexico for 2011.  Take a few minutes to read this article and forward it on to potential clients and other agents.  Spread the good word.  It has been my experience that people who have been coming to Mexico for many years are still coming down because they know Mexico is a safe place to visit.  

People who may be considering coming down to Mexico for the first time may be fearful of coming to Mexico because they only know what they are reading about – the drug violence.  Based on this article, I would say that in addition to the long-time Mexico visitors, there must also be a fair number of new visitors coming to Mexico as well.  

The long-time visitors to Mexico are strong candidates for purchasing real estate in Mexico because out of curiosity, most of them have looked at prices of properties during their previous trips and they can see clearly that prices are the lowest right now that they have been for many years. We all know that the market will be coming back, so now is a great time to buy – low prices and the lowest interest rates ever in Mexico.  

People also know that interest rates are going to be going up in the future, so now is the time to take advantage of the lowest interest rates ever in Mexico.  I tell my prospective borrowers that in a year or two, they are going to be VERY happy they decided to buy right now rather than wait.  

On another topic, I also know that agents and developers in Mexico are becoming more aware of the benefits of Social Media through sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and others.  I can tell you that I have engaged the services of my son, Andrew at the beginning of 2010, and this has contributed to our record-breaking year as well.  Other lenders have been busy this year, but most have not had a record-breaking year such as Mortgages In Mexico has.  

Andrew graduated with a degree in Advertising from the University of Oklahoma in 2009 and interned with one of the largest advertising and marketing companies in the US – the Richards Group in Dallas, TX.  He worked on the Home Depot account – their largest account, and Andrew became very aware of the importance that Social Media plays in today’s marketing plan for companies large and small.  

During his last semester of school, he established his own social media company called New Media Fluent – designed to help businesses use Social Media as a profitable endeavor, and his business has exploded this year.  The very nature of social networking is that today’s consumers are talking about and recommending specific companies because of personal recommendations from their social network – rather than finding companies online through traditional search engines.  Let’s face it, websites are our own self-promotion – everyone’s company looks good on their website.  

The way consumers today are sorting through all the internet clutter is by getting personal recommendations through their social network.  Your company likely being talked about, and it may not be in a positive manner.  It is up to you to monitor what is being said and to respond to and shape the information that is being shared in these social networks.  There are two drawbacks to this – the time and knowledge it takes to get this set up in the first place, and then the time to monitor and post Tweets, blogs, etc.  Andrew has developed an e-Book, which for only $15, will save you thousands of dollars and hundreds of man-hours to establishing you and your company on the social networking scene.  

I know many agents and developers use the end of the year to establish their goals for the upcoming year, and it is also a good time to implement new marketing ideas.  This little e-Book called “The Working Man’s Guide to Social Media Success” will get you well on your way to integrating Social Media with your current marketing efforts.  I highly recommend this eBook and can personally vouch for the increased profitability this important form of marketing will add to your bottom line.  You can go to Andrew’s New Media Fluent website to purchase your own eBook and get started immediately.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Doug Jones Loves Mexico, Lends in Mexico, Has a Home in Mexico and will help you get one too.  Doug Jones is a mortgage professional who has been involved in many aspects of the mortgage industry for 30 years. Doug began his mortgage career as a loan processor, become a loan officer and branch manager.  He has started three different mortgage broker companies in three different states and, now, two countries.  He has been the top producer in every office he hwas worked in.  Along with his wife and business partner, Debra Jones, their company, Hark & Associates has trained thousands of loan officers in the last 20 years.

Doug was one of the first to open a mortgage brokering company in the US (1983), which was unknown at a time when only mortgage bankers and savings & loans made mortgage loans. He saw a distinct advantage for the borrower to be able to go to a loan officer that could offer loan programs from many different companies, rather than just one. This is how most people obtain a mortgage loan today.

Just as Doug was a pioneer in the mortgage broker concept, he is once again pioneering a new era by bringing mortgage loans to Mexico. He has long been looking for the right team of professionals to make mortgages available south of the border. After 3 years of perfecting the process of loaning money in Mexico and using the Mexico real estate as the collateral, many more people will be able to purchase their dream home in Mexico. Just as important, the rate and terms of these loans are excellent. All loan processing is done in the United States to insure a smooth transaction. New money is coming into Mexico. Call or email for the latest updates. 

Doug and his wife have recently completed building their own oceanfront home on the North Shore of Puerto Vallarta. It took them 10 years to bring this dream to fruition because of the lack of home financing in Mexico.  Fortunately you don’t have to wait 10 years to purchase or build your own home or condo. You can take advantage of current bargain prices in Mexico and not have to come up with your own cash to own your own home. By purchasing today, you will benefit rather than be penalized by increasing real estate prices if you wait.  Give Doug Jones a call, or email him to find out more at 918-398-9588 (USA) or email him at doug@MortgagesInMexico.com

Resources

• New Media Fluent
• Mortgages In Mexico
• USA Today Article: “Is it Safe to Travel to Mexico?  Judging from the Numbers, Many Yes
• The Working Man’s Guide to Social Media Success“