About the Author: Tom Kelly
As author, nationally syndicated newspaper columnist and talk-show host, Tom Kelly has carved a niche as one of the foremost journalists and thought leaders specializing in baby boomers, seniors or anyone who is considering a second home. A former real estate editor of The Seattle Times, Tom's column is now carried in more than 40 newspapers including The Washington Post, Houston Chronicle, Miami Herald, Louisville Courier-Journal and Portland Oregonian and syndicated to thousands of websites via Inman.com. Tom's radio program, Real Estate Today, featuring home and loan experts with listener call-ins, is now in its 18th year originating from the CBS affiliate in Seattle. His ground-breaking book How a Second Home Can Be Your Best Investment (McGraw-Hill) is one of his five real estate books. His first novel Ice Cold Crossover will be released in October, 2011. He and his wife, Jodi have four grown children and live on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle.
News reports -- including a segment on 60 Minutes -- have depicted the entire country of Mexico as being an absolute mess, awash in blood and guns on every street corner. Ironically, people living there have a dramatically different perspective, especially in the "fly-in" destinations that continue to hold their value.
Despite what you may have heard, read and seen, the country is not under siege. The laid-back lure of Mexico's beaches, forests, deserts, people, and culture has been capturing visitors and second-home buyers for decades and has become an international draw no longer driven solely by Americans and Canadians. Not only is land plentiful, exotic, captivating, and beautiful but also it is typically more affordable than most of the property found in America's getaway areas.
Much has been written about the kidnappings, roadside hijackings, crooked cops and ever the infamous bandidos in some of the regions of Mexico. Most of the violence south of the border, however, is directly related to the drug cartels and the authorities who are trying to eradicate them. There is absolutely no pattern of any innocent U.S. citizens being randomly murdered in drug violence.
In this book, we will meet other second-home buyers, investors and retirees who share positive views about living and investing south of the border. We will show you their answers to our questions about crime and occupancy in key areas of the country. We'll also explain why Mexico will become a needed alternative especially for 59,250,000 baby boomers that have not saved enough to fund their retirement years.
