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IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Stories from people who made the move and sold homes with Retire In Lake Chapala Team
A few of our clients we've helped with relocation or real estate sales.
For several years I have been visiting the Lake Chapala area to spend time with friends who have a home there. Each visit convinced me more of the richness of the experience available at Lakeside. When I had the good fortune to meet Michaela, I wasn't sure of the kind of life I could have, since my needs were different than those of my resident friends. Within a few days, she was able to find me a home so perfect, so right for me, that it suddenly made all my other living and retirement decisions clear as well. The professionalism of her real estate service was absolutely perfect, but she was also able to help me negotiate many of the smaller challenges of creating a home in a completely new environment. Aside from her professional skills, she is endlessly cheerful and positive.
DON
Happy Birds of Paradise Owner
I want to wholeheartedly recommend Ricardo's Lake Chapala Retirement Seminar. My wife, Tracie, and I took the 4 day seminar. We saw all of the fantastic markets, malecons, spoke to a VISA expert, a car expert, a Doctor and we visited several subdivisions for rentals. Ricardo also tailored the seminar to our needs. For example, we viewed the Pilates studio my wife wants to join. Ricardo recommended the hotel for us. We visited several of the different grocery stores. Ricardo even set us up for dinners with several expats who had already taken his seminar so we'll already know people when we get there. We accomplished more in 4 days than Tracie and I could have accomplished on our own in 2 months. He saved us from days of frustration by showing us and explaining to us everything we needed to know to move there. His seminar will be the best money you ever spent before moving down there.
RICK & TRACY MOON
North Carolina
"Dear Michaela, thanks for all the time, effort, and energy that you have put into helping us identify the perfect home for us in Ajijic. We appreciate all the gracious welcoming and hosting you did. We'll tell everyone we meet that we have the best agent."
DOREEN AND JOHN
Happy Birds of Paradise Owner
I again repeat our complete satisfaction with your work and the extra help of course. I think you went over and above for me and I so appreciate it. You have made a big difference in my life. I know it sounds weird, 'a real estate agent makes life difference,' but it's true! You are so genuine and soothing, and an honest, kind soul.
PAM
Michaela is a winning and knowledgeable realtor, deeply invested in the welfare of her clients. As US citizens, buying a home abroad is a complicated process, but Michaela guided us expertly through every step, from property negotiations to the banking system. She has a wonderful eye for both the fine details and the big picture. Highly recommended, and a very lovely and charming person!
RACHEL, JOE & CAROLINE
Tennessee, USA
"Thank you very much to you and Ricardo for your help. You are really a great agent with a great personality. We have worked with a lot of different agents in the USA and Mexico and you are one of the best, and our favorite."
SAM RECINOS
Eugene, Oregon / Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Best sales agent ever! I was given the chore of selling my mom's home Lakeside and I put my confidence and trust in Michaela. She was honest and upfront about time frames and price, sold the home in a special location at a wonderful price, and was helpful above and beyond in every way during a difficult time for me. Thanks for being who you are, Michaela!
PAMELA FULLER
Lake Chapala, Mexico
Dear Trudie, Eva and Michaela, the three of you did an outstanding job of prepping, advertising, and promoting my VSA home. You also did a thorough job of navigating the legal bureaucracy and dealing with the various obstacles that arose once a buyer was found. I truly appreciate your efforts, your professionalism, your creativity and your persistence. In short, you are a highly competent team!
KEN LEONE
Very informative and helpful. Listens and questions to make sure that she gets you appropriate viewings. They offer a great service showing and acquainting you with the Lakeside area.
JIM BURTON
Goodyear, AZ
Thank you so much for all your professional guidance and amazing help in selling my father's house, you were so wonderful! All the best and continued success in paradise!
TOBY
Toronto, Canada
You are one of the most special people I've met here, and I can count them on one hand. You've done so much for us!
CLAUDIA & STEVE
California
Rhonda and I have moved more than seven times and worked with some outstanding real estate agents. None of them were as good as you.
DAVID & RHONDA MARIER
My husband and I had a wonderful day with Michaela during our trip to Ajijic to see if we'd like to retire there. Michaela showed us several lovely houses and gave us tours of some gated communities. She answered all our questions and was a delightful person to get to know. We now plan to move to Ajijic when we retire. I highly recommend using Michaela as your real estate agent.
ANNETTE WILLIAMS THOMPSON
California
I hope you know what a special, delightful, warm person you are! If we had no other experiences here, meeting you would have been worth the visit! You are a delightful person, and a very professional real estate agent. We all feel we can recommend you to others without reservation. When we decide to buy, YOU will be our choice for real estate agent!
GAIL HUBBARD
California
"Michaela and Ricardo are both very gifted professionals with different skill sets. Ricardo was understanding and always willing to get us into any house we were interested in, he even helped us move into our vacation home after we closed. Michaela is very knowledgeable of the laws and rules with her experience. She protected our interest at closing and has a wonderful contact list to help you find the services you will need. As a couple, they really helped my wife and I work through the buying process."
RUSSELL & KIMBALL
Oklahoma, USA
"Having been a professional real estate investor for the past 20+ years, I have worked with numerous real estate agents and their agencies. My recent experience closing a home purchase with the assistance of your team members Michaela, Ricardo and Marie Lopez has been the best experience to date in my life. All of them provided outstanding professional service that exceeded my expectations! I want to give extra special recognition to Michaela, because I spent the most amount of time with her. Michaela is probably the most honest, knowledgeable, ethical and hardworking real estate agent I have ever worked with!"
RICK P.
Purchased May 2021
Michaela, right after you came by with your gifts, my neighbors Sheridan and Gary stopped over to introduce themselves. I was so proud to toast our meeting with the very cool 'welcome home' shot glasses and the smoothest tequila I have ever sampled! Once again, you and Ricardo have made my transition to Ajijic so warm and inviting, and I hope our friendship will last forever. You guys are the best!
BOB & ROCKY
Oklahoma, USA
"Today, we will begin to live our dream. I am at a loss for the words to describe what your tireless efforts mean to Charlotte and me. You chased our dream with us, visiting many properties at our request. You, Nelda, and the staff at Lake Chapala Real Estate maintained an open channel of communication. When we arrived from Texas and first set foot on the property I had paid for but only seen in photographs, there were NO surprises. Four days later we met with the Notario and proceeded with a very comfortable closing. Ajijic is now our new home. I cannot imagine any of this happening without the professionalism you brought into this series of events."
RON & CHARLOTTE HUCKABAY
Texas
Michaela and Ricardo are both very gifted professionals with different skill sets. Ricardo was understanding and always willing to get us into any house we were interested in, he even helped us move into our vacation home after we closed. Michaela is very knowledgeable of the laws and rules with her experience. She protected our interest at closing and has a wonderful contact list to help you find the services you will need. As a couple, they really helped my wife and I work through the buying process.
JOHN & HANNAH BECKER
Wisconsin
Michaela and Ricardo were the perfect real estate agents for our very first sale, and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. As first-time sellers doing it all from out of town - we needed a lot of hand-holding, and they truly went the extra mile arranging logistics and being hands-on when we couldn’t be there in person.
We had so many questions throughout the process and Michaela always had clear, confident answers. She is extremely knowledgeable, and we felt respected and cared for at every step. She explained everything with patience and kindness.
Her response time was consistently amazing. Any time we reached out, she was attentive and quick to get back to us, which made us feel supported and reassured. Her team, Ricardo and Erick, were also fantastic. Everything was organized and thorough from start to finish, which led to a smooth closing with no surprises.
Most importantly, we completely trusted Michaela’s and Ricardo''s advice, and that trust led to an excellent outcome for us. They guided our decisions in a way that clearly reflected experience and integrity, and the final result exceeded our expectations.
We highly recommend Michaela, Ricardo and the team at Chapala Realtors. They not only delivered a great sale, but also calmed our nerves throughout the entire journey. For anyone looking to buy or sell in Mexico, Retire In Lake Chapala and Chapala Realtors are exactly the kind of agents you want on your side.
ALAINA
Vancouver, B.C
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