Caribbean locations with reasonable property taxes and crime rates?

westbranch

News Flash, up here in Canada the Gov. is floating an idea for more taxes. Of course they said there would be no new taxes!....  the situation is:  there are no Capital gains on your Residence right now...  some people, like me, > 65, have a very small business that is seasonal and one of the expenses you can claim is the proportion of your home that you may use eg, as an office or storage area, and you can write off a portion of property taxes, heat lite etc,  The proposal is that that allowance will move your home out of the No Capital  Gains into th capital gains category... OUCH especially with the latest value increases we have seen with the influx of Foreign money from the Asian part of the world...

softdown

solar_dave said:

Here in AZ the property taxes are pretty reasonable, they do tax you on your car registration but it is based on value, old cars are cheap to pay taxes on.  I have a $150K property in Surprise and the taxes are only about $400 twice a year. Sales tax is one of the larger items on the tax list here but out side a metro area I think it is only like 4.5%.  Crime is pretty reasonable in Maricopa county but there are tons of illegals, up side lots of cheap labor if paid for in cash.  Off grid is all over in Northern AZ and I bet the taxes are pretty cheap as well.

On paper, Colorado also has reasonable property taxes for dwellings. So what happens when they decide that your $150K property is worth $500K? I am about to find about.....

I've really, really had it with government agencies. Not unusual for business owners with rental units. They just seem to think that our money grows on trees. They keep one tool in their tool chest.....a hammer.

Estragon

@westbranch

The home office deduction should, I think, make the portion of the house used for business not eligible for the PRE prorata. Eg - gain of $100000 with 5% business use = 5000 gain * 50% inclusion rate = 2500 taxable income. I don't think it would make the entire gain ineligible.

There is now a (new) requirement to declare any sale of principal residence in tax return and to file a form to claim any applicable PRE. AFAIK, there is discussion around raising the inclusion rate for cap gains generally, maybe a cap on the PRE like the farm/small business exemption, and various other eat-the-rich measures.

Dave Angelini

You can take 500K ( Married couple) out tax free every 3 years here on you principal residence. You do have to sell it and buy something you can upgrade value or be in a crazy place like San Francisco. Kind of a gift. When we left the US for 10 years we had to pay on the gain of our home.

Some of my business friends live in Burnaby / Vancouver and it is almost as bad as San Francisco price wise. That kind of shocks me as I never realized that.

As for the Caribbean, the pacific side of central america had much better fishing, much less crime, and the best part, less tourism!

2nd favorite was the Rio Dulce of Guatemala, park the boat in the river and go see the Mayan temples.

softdown

Dave Angelini said:

You can take 500K ( Married couple) out tax free every 3 years here on you principal residence. You do have to sell it and buy something you can upgrade value or be in a crazy place like San Francisco. Kind of a gift. When we left the US for 10 years we had to pay on the gain of our home.

Some of my business friends live in Burnaby / Vancouver and it is almost as bad as San Francisco price wise. That kind of shocks me as I never realized that.

As for the Caribbean, the pacific side of central america had much better fishing, much less crime, and the best part, less tourism!

2nd favorite was the Rio Dulce of Guatemala, park the boat in the river and go see the Mayan temples.

Whatever happened to Acapulco? That was a great name in the travel business for such a long time. One never hears about it anymore...

Great traits about the Pacific side but there are so many many possibilities in the Caribbean! How is the scuba diving/coral reefs on the Pacific side? None at all? Like Cancan?

I wonder how a swap from home to boat would go? I'd also like to buy a barn to store my stuff. The only current objectives are crime free and temps below 100 *if possible*. I just can't see myself living on the water in my 70's....though I'm sure many do. Ten years on the water seems like a good amount.

Photowhit

Dave Angelini said:

They were junk in my opinion and easily replaced with Trace electronics.

I know he sold out, and always suspected that Trace purchased them. They (Xantrex/Schneider) still have a Heart/Freedom, now just Freedom, to this day and still host some documentation for older Heart Interface stuff, here's one from over 25 years ago, perhaps the last year before they sold out;

http://www.xantrex.com/documents/Discontinued-Products/EMS OWNERS MANUAL.pdf

I have a thread on his new idea for a Trasverter, The "brothers Gudgel" thought it would be difficult to implement, but an inverter that would take assorted input voltages would be very interesting particularly for people wanting to grow a system.

notes

We have family in Nevis. Nice small island, not built up yet like the others. They operate a small beach club and hotel. Montserrat and Dominica very nice also. Beautiful sailing south of Nevis.

softdown

notes said:

We have family in Nevis. Nice small island, not built up yet like the others. They operate a small beach club and hotel. Montserrat and Dominica very nice also. Beautiful sailing south of Nevis.

Nevis is doing very well. Beautiful island............."Queen of the Caribees"

softdown

While it seemed that catamarans were the way to go, additional research places a few clouds on that idea. A single guy would be prudent to make do with the smallest sailing vessel that he can. At almost 6'5" that probably won't be all that small.

So...much...to...learn. For every door that closes, another opens.

Photowhit

Pop had a Morgan 33, it would be small for a live aboard, but can be single handed with a jib system. I had head room and am nearly 6' 3" but just, maybe 6' 4-5". You will find the berths short too! I banged my head a few times in my tiny Alacrity, finally put some closed cell foam around it.

Looking for inexpensive, look for early years of fiberglass boats, Mid 70's to mid 80's (guess it's been a while) they were much heavier built. During one hurricane in Florida, my dad called me, after retuning to his canal home. He told me I had a fender gone and that my boat "had eaten 2" of his dock" I asked him how bad the damage was to the boat, he said it was scrapped a little, just looked like a bad rub.

softdown

Photowhit said:

Pop had a Morgan 33, it would be small for a live aboard, but can be single handed with a jib system. I had head room and am nearly 6' 3" but just, maybe 6' 4-5". You will find the berths short too! I banged my head a few times in my tiny Alacrity, finally put some closed cell foam around it.

Looking for inexpensive, look for early years of fiberglass boats, Mid 70's to mid 80's (guess it's been a while) they were much heavier built. During one hurricane in Florida, my dad called me, after retuning to his canal home. He told me I had a fender gone and that my boat "had eaten 2" of his dock" I asked him how bad the damage was to the boat, he said it was scrapped a little, just looked like a bad rub.

Thanks for the highly practical advice. Big change up from the advice of Angelini, tongue in cheek no doubt, seek 30' of freeboard in a USN or CG ship.

According to the county assessors office, I am apparently endowed with considerable wealth. In spite of that, I am thinking of an older, simpler, sturdier craft in the 37' range. My entire life I have watched people literally bouncing off the walls with jealousy when I had something nicer than theirs. Jealousy is a monster from the depths of hell. A modest craft it shall be in spite of what the county thinks. I wonder if they would buy it for 1/2 what they assessed it at?

Oddly enough, safety will be a big issue this time around. Adventurers are not normally known for prioritizing safety. Falling off a boat under sail could be the last thing a single sailor ever did. Having considered swimming to Cuba, I could stay afloat for quite awhile. If I seen a passing boat I could wave at them in distress. They would wave back and continue on their jolly way. We have such superb distress signalling communication.

Dave Angelini

So is this for real? Armchair sailing is probably the most cruising people ever will do. I did give you some practical advice to just go to one of the jumping off places with a handheld vhf and go for it. Won't cost you much and might save you alot of money.The 30 foot freeboard was to amuse myself as if this is not fun I will move on.

 You can also get a personal EPIRB and get gps help easily for a grand or so. If you are far off the coast they may just give you the choice of rescue or sink your boat. It is really expensive to save people who do stupid things. It is called a manifestly unsafe voyage by the coasties and I have turned a few in. Not fun doing that either. Ah the stories. Never leave the cockpit unless you are clipped on or someone else is on deck. No fun to see hear the surviving crew begging for help that is going to be impossible. Big fish eat at night is another reason to stay attached to the boat.

Acapulco was in the 90's a Mexican tourist town. Very few gringos then. We did anchor off Charles Bronsons house and he waved at us during happy hour. I think Peurto Vallarta replaced it as place North Americans went to as it is closer, more beautiful, and a safer place from being exposed to crime.

softdown

softdown said:

Photowhit said:

Pop had a Morgan 33, it would be small for a live aboard, but can be single handed with a jib system. I had head room and am nearly 6' 3" but just, maybe 6' 4-5". You will find the berths short too! I banged my head a few times in my tiny Alacrity, finally put some closed cell foam around it.

Looking for inexpensive, look for early years of fiberglass boats, Mid 70's to mid 80's (guess it's been a while) they were much heavier built. During one hurricane in Florida, my dad called me, after retuning to his canal home. He told me I had a fender gone and that my boat "had eaten 2" of his dock" I asked him how bad the damage was to the boat, he said it was scrapped a little, just looked like a bad rub.

Thanks for the highly practical advice. Big change up from the advice of Angelini, tongue in cheek no doubt, seek 30' of freeboard in a USN or CG ship.

According to the country assessors office, I am apparently endowed with considerable wealth. In spite of that, I am thinking of an older, simpler, sturdier craft in the 37' range. My entire life I have watched people literally bouncing off the walls with jealousy when I had something nicer than theirs. Jealousy is a monster from the depths of hell. A modest craft it shall be in spite of what the county thinks. I wonder if they would buy it for 1/2 what they assessed it at?

Oddly enough, safety will be a big issue this time around. Adventurers are not normally known for prioritizing safety. Falling off a boat under sail could be the last thing a single sailor ever did. Having considered swimming to Cuba, I could stay afloat for quite awhile. If I seen a passing boat I could wave at them in distress. They would wave back and continue on their jolly way. We have such superb distress signalling communication.

Dave Angelini said:

So is this for real? Armchair sailing is probably the most cruising people ever will do. I did give you some practical advice to just go to one of the jumping off places with a handheld vhf and go for it. Won't cost you much and might save you alot of money.The 30 foot freeboard was to amuse myself as if this is not fun I will move on.

 You can also get a personal EPIRB and get gps help easily for a grand or so. If you are far off the coast they may just give you the choice of rescue or sink your boat. It is really expensive to save people who do stupid things. It is called a manifestly unsafe voyage by the coasties and I have turned a few in. Not fun doing that either. Ah the stories. Never leave the cockpit unless you are clipped on or someone else is on deck. No fun to see hear the surviving crew begging for help that is going to be impossible. Big fish eat at night is another reason to stay attached to the boat.

Acapulco was in the 90's a Mexican tourist town. Very few gringos then. We did anchor off Charles Bronsons house and he waved at us during happy hour. I think Peurto Vallarta replaced it as place North Americans went to as it is closer, more beautiful, and a safer place from being exposed to crime.

After seeing you post about safety seemingly 9 out of 10 times, I'm pretty sure that I could never meet your criteria for adequate levels of safety. I am, more or less, an adventurer who tries to leave nothing to chance. Thus earning the derision of other adventurers who generally feel that "That probably won't be needed." You talk of an adventurous past while filling the board with an interesting combination of experiences, knowledge, and lectures about safety.

My suspicion is that neither will be able to resist checking in on the knowledge and ambitions of the other. Right now this project has a bon voyage date of 2019. Living on a sailing vessel is a project that I take with the upmost sincerity. There are over 1000, likely over 10,000, steps to take. Todays step was procuring a very large and comprehensive first aid kit. 911 doesn't get answered in the middle of the ocean. I have EMT training...there is that.

A personal EPIRB is not an option. I would not be without such a device. Thanks for telling me of the existence. Sailors may not relish the call for help but all proper sailors are duty bound to help sailors in distress.....due to unforeseeable circumstance. Those who go out of their way to invite trouble do not cause sleepless nights for all. If they are determined to meet their creator sooner rather than later, there exists an argument that it is their right.

Sailing is not a statistically significantly dangerous endeavor. Of course it should be treated with the utmost respect. I shudder in fear over the fact that I must descend the stairway to the root cellar tomorrow. Hopefully, we shall soon all have our own personal Thought Cop to advise us of what horrors await at the bottom of the staircase. At that time, we shall have arrived at the pinnacle of human existence. A world free of risk.

Dave Angelini

It is the risk, cost, and safety of others that try to help people that I am concerned with, not you personally.
As long as your eyes are wide open, go for it!
It was the best 10 years of my life and probably the part I like best was the people we met and continue to be friends with.

Since you sound like this is not a pipedream, I would look at the online or subscribe to Latitude 38. A world of experience from some of the best sailors in the world. They mix up the racing, liveabord, cruising, and cruising charter parts of the business. I ran my marine electronics business out of that group and still get offers. Unless the water is warm I always say no!
Good Luck!

softdown

I look at cold water and just think "Why get in that?"

Thanks for the Latitude 38 tip, looking at boats there. Good thing I have a few years to work with. Know of a brand that is unusually sturdy and practical and possibly suitable for going 'round the world? I don't care too much about sexy lines or high speeds. Nature has taught me to respect her unpredictability. Nature does not care if we live or die. Sometimes it may seem as though nature has chosen a few to ... not live.

Have you seen the youtube of the guy in the yacht race around the world....his boat literally snapped in the Roaring 40s down by the Antarctic. He survived under his boat for about a week. The Australian Navy rescued him. One...tough...dude. I can't seem to find it now.

Simplicity, sturdiness, practicality, reliability, cargo capacity. Yes.....built in "birth control."

westbranch

You don't have to be in the ''40's''...  we were watching the 89-90 Whitbread boats coming into Auckland Harbour from the East.  The lead boat Steinlager suddenly dropped their Main and spinnaker and hauled up the Jib...''WTF the following boat is going to pass them and beat them to the finish''...  then suddenly the over-taking boat had its mast snapped in 2 and all hell broke loose aboard... luckily they were so close to Auckland and the tenders waiting for them...

mcgivor

Remember one thing, a boat is a hole in the water, there is no amount of money that can fill that hole, within reason, your mileage may vary. 

softdown

mcgivor said:

Remember one thing, a boat is a hole in the water, there is no amount of money that can fill that hole, within reason, your mileage may vary. 

True.....and so is a house. With outrageous property taxes, living on the water is actually cheaper....so long as you don't need marina services. The wind is your fuel. I know a little about solar energy. Plus a 24 year old water business....not a terrible background really.

Interesting that this all got started because of a crime by the county assessors office. Though I have long had a strong interest in living on the water. Found my old account, from 2011, on sailnet.com.

Here is a quote from a user who looked into Coast Guard data: "There are 823 fatal accidents per 100,000 people in the U.S. According to NOAA there are 1,669,000 sailboats in the U.S. And yet there are only 17 or so alcohol related fatalities on sailboats.

And yet no doubt someone, probably many people, will come along and insist the government should send cops to randomly board sailboats and do breathalyzer tests - is it in the public's interest?

Cows kill 22 people a year. The public would be better served by police cow patrols. And the cows should have guns too."

Kind of saucy....just the way I like it.

Dave Angelini

mcgivor said:

Remember one thing, a boat is a hole in the water, there is no amount of money that can fill that hole, within reason, your mileage may vary. 

Comparing burning $100 bills and owning a boat, at least you get the heat from the fire burning of the bills.

There are lot's of great boats but having the luck in finding one in good condition at price is hard to do. Using the same method as getting on a good boat for free in central america (and other places during the migration), you have to get out of Canada and the US.
Go to Mazatlan, PV, both sides of the canal zone, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, etc.

I use to outfit cruising boats in Sausalito during hurricane season, more than several times I saw the boat 6 months later in PV for cheap after the Divorce or shake-up. Now with the terrorism and even the during the last gulf war we had American boats flying Canadian flags because it made them feel safer on the oceans.

If you get real lazy and still want to do this, just buy a NorSea 27 on a trailer and take it down to Baja. I think after all the sailing I have done,  it still sounds good to me

softdown

PV = Puerto Vallarta?   Yes.....definitely better buys away from the US coast land and during the summer.

I have pretty mean carpentry skills. After all, the county seems to think I built myself a mansion. I can also rebuild engines. In spite of the ability to fix things, I don't want to get a "fixer-upper". Been down that road a few times. Lots of older boats with low usage or well maintained. Like my outboard....at 18' it is too big to pull around as a dinghy. I quit using that pride and joy after it was robbed and vandalized. My 16' Zodiac dinghy.....was stolen. Imagine that.

Owning four homes and a shack, I shudder to think of the times I have been robbed. One took everything....even the water main that hooked me up to city water. Criminals are the reason that I cringe when hearing "no guns". I have come to view humans as criminals unless there is reason to believe otherwise.

With a 488 in my Dodge 2500, I could pull a large trailer! Also have a 14' box truck with a 454.

Marc Kurth

About 12 years ago my brother found himself in his late 40's, single with grown kids. He pulled up his roots and bought a one-man day charter business in Mexico which included a 42' catamaran. He loved the kicked back lifestyle and super low cost living on the Sea of Cortez. It was easy to make some money with a Mexican registered captain/partner and enjoy the days on the water. High winds gave him lots of time off, but he could still make $50K to $60K per year, so recouping the original investment only took a few years.

Eventually, he kept eyeing more opportunities around him....... gradually he added more boats for booze cruises, fishing, snorkeling - plus kayak and jets ski rentals. Then it made more money, but also became "work."  Land of low cost living for sure, once he learned whom to payoff and how much.

softdown

Marc Kurth said:

About 12 years ago my brother found himself in his late 40's, single with grown kids. He pulled up his roots and bought a one-man day charter business in Mexico which included a 42' catamaran. He loved the kicked back lifestyle and super low cost living on the Sea of Cortez. It was easy to make some money with a Mexican registered captain/partner and enjoy the days on the water. High winds gave him lots of time off, but he could still make $50K to $60K per year, so recouping the original investment only took a few years.

Eventually, he kept eyeing more opportunities around him....... gradually he added more boats for booze cruises, fishing, snorkeling - plus kayak and jets ski rentals. Then it made more money, but also became "work."  Land of low cost living for sure, once he learned whom to payoff and how much.

That is how things roll in Mexico.....and probably most of the less developed world. I don't know if I could enter a situation that required payoffs.

Sounds like a successful business....with the commensurate price to be paid.

Another problem, for me anyway, is that the islands *apparently* do not allow spear guns, 12 gauge flare guns, or pepper spray. Sounds to me like a criminal paradise when people can not defend themselves.

Marc Kurth

Folks have different mindsets in different areas. I left California in 2008 and moved to Texas - I really love it here. My brother loves Mexico, but I wouldn't live there.

It's a wonderful thing that we can make the choice of where to live and what to do with our lives.

softdown

California is one of the most liberal, Texas is one of the most conservative. There is something about living in Texas that is hard to describe. I've done it a few times. Many great things to offer though I seem to recall summer heat as being significant. Midland was my domicile.

Texas should buy Colorado and make it a state park.

Both amazing states that generate jealousy. If I could have the geography of California with the political leanings of Texas...that would be alright.

I enjoy Mexico too. Been there many times. Went to the Sea of Cortez to check out a 50' trawler once. It needed nothing....but work. Parts had even been cannibalized. They couldn't have hardly given it to me. It often costs more to fix broken stuff than it does to buy good stuff.

Dave Angelini

Not all of California is liberal!  Many counties do not vote that way. There is a move to go left and right split of the state. The Left would be the coasts and the Right would be the water in the Sierra that they flush in the ocean and the AG business which is mostly on the right side.
Build some dams and sell water, agriculture and common sense

softdown

I suspect that it is a bit late to split the state. They should have done it back in ~1847. Too much money and power in one state. The San Andreas fault may someday accomplish the split however. To date, the fault has been a disappointment to many.
Idahoans in the 90's: Californians ruined our state
Arizona in the early 2000's: Californians are ruining our state
Coloradoans in the 2000's: Californians ruined our state
Texans as of late: Californians are ruining our state

Having had a bit of fun there....a lot more people would choose Cali living if housing didn't costs so much. Cali has *everything*. Then created a mega-disaster with it....

Marc Kurth

You missed Salt Lake City in the 80's and Seattle in the 90's.

Locusts always decimate their fields and move to the next. It is their nature.

Dave Angelini

The secret of inexpensive and easily sustainable living most anywhere in the western US is to be far from the big cities and towns,
have a source of water, woodland, and a clear view of the sun. That is what my grandfather did working in the goldmines out here.
He did not have solar but could grow anything.

softdown

Dave Angelini said:

The secret of inexpensive and easily sustainable living most anywhere in the western US is to be far from the big cities and towns,
have a source of water, woodland, and a clear view of the sun. That is what my grandfather did working in the goldmines out here.
He did not have solar but could grow anything.

Yes.....I thought so too. 16 miles of, often teeth jarring, dirt road to a town with 10,000. Then......property tax of over $2400. I'm not even mad. Just moving. Why live in a criminal county?

They sent out a young "couple" in a Jeep. She noted how many vehicles I have. When I said they have 600,000 combined miles on them and need work she said "Oh yea? As if she did not believe me. She seemed to gasp a bit at the 1000 gallon propane tank. I thought it was because of the black solar shower hanging on it.

She was literally shaking as she took a picture of the south side....the best looking side. I seriously wonder if they put her on commission.

No indoor water or water heater.....just a 180 gallon tank. It does have electricity via solar. I built it as a storage unit but stuff kept walking off so I had to keep an eye on things. Then the Denver home started getting hit.

Dave Angelini

That sounds difficult to sell with a road like that! Most normal Offgrid homes are not easy because of lack of financing. Most are large seconds carried by the owner and cash for the first. Often the structure and equipment is not close to the value of the sale. It has always been this way and as long as you love the place it really does not matter. I still can't picture anything else but I do feel your pain.
There will be someone if you are priced right.