Relaxing on a tea bed

What a long, strange trip it’s been!  So much fun and so rewarding!  And not over yet but with some big and much needed changes coming up – all good, I think.

Many of you have been with me from the beginning and so many more have joined me on the Tierra Yucatan adventure over the years. And it has been too long since I last caught everyone up on my life, the progress of the company and our changing, growing, vibrant city.

First, personal changes.  The long enforced break when we had to close the doors for five months during Covid gave me time to reflect on past and future.  I have been a Realtor since I was licensed in Texas in 1979. I moved to Merida and founded in Tierra Yucatan in 2001, when the center of Merida was dilapidated and you could buy a beautiful ruin – even an oceanfront beach house  – for $25,000.  It was exciting and rewarding to introduce everyone to this almost unknown corner of the world, and to watch the old homes be restored to more-than-original beauty. In those days I knew almost everyone!

What we started together has taken off in a big way, and the city has changed in ways I could not have foreseen. I have lived (as many of you know) outside Merida in a little Maya village and still live the quiet life. In December I will be 79, and while still hale and hearty, want to have time to pursue other interests. I’m not exactly retiring but making a change.

Ownership and management of Tierra Yucatan is now in the hands of  my young, energetic and very bright friend, Alejandro (Alex) Carrillo Cruz . Alex is capable of growing the company, catching us up on new technology and giving better service to clients, both buyers and sellers.  The website will be upgraded and improved to work better on phones and tablets. New bilingual agents are being trained and certified to take care of you as we always have – that won’t change.

As so much more of our work is done online, Alex is relocating the office. It will no longer be located in the old Centro Historico.  The new address in August 2025 will be Calle 1H #188 x 14a and 16 in Colonia Mexico Norte. While the office is not accessible from Centro by foot, your Tierra Yucatan agent will be glad to come to meet you wherever you are.  The phone number will remain as always, (+52) 999 923-7615. I will continue as an agent, and you can reach me, again as always, at jen@tierrayucatan.com or by WhatsApp at (+52)999 900-8299.

I look forward to you all staying in touch as the world changes around us!  I thank all of you for your friendship over the years – I am sorry on a personal level not to have been able to express that enough.  The business did “eat” a lot of my life, but it has been a fantastic ride. I pass the reins to Alex in full confidence that you’ll be in excellent hands.  With love and thanks to all,

Jen

Our friend and companero Carlos Hassey Esparza passed away suddenly on Saturday morning.

None of us can believe that he won’t come walking through the door to make us all smile with his ready jokes, good humor, kindness and generosity. Carlos was loved and respected by all who know him, an old school gentleman who is enormously missed. One of the first to join our team at Tierra Yucatan, his passing has left a huge hole in our office. I know all of you who know him or worked with him will feel his loss.

RIP Charly.

Although you didn’t know our baby, if you’d like to participate with us, we ask that when you see the chance to do some small act of kindness for someone else, take that chance. Do a good deed or perform some act of kindness in honor of Roger Lytle today. If you’d like, email rogerwilliamlytle@gmail.com to let his parents, my wonderful son and daughter-in-law Zac and Heather, know what you did. They will read the messages to cheer themselves up when they are blue.

The following is the eulogy written by one of their friends and read at the memorial at Twelve Hills nature trails…a cold late afternoon, but the sun came out for us:

When I first heard that Heather was pregnant, I have to admit, I was a little jealous.

But it wasn’t jealousy in the way that aging single women often are envious of their
pregnant friends. No, I was jealous of that baby. Usually, when I’m trying to explain
how great Zac and Heather are to people who don’t know them, I just tell them that
every December, they have a holiday party wherein they invite all of their friends
to come over and make Christmas cards for political prisoners. They’re the most
loveable pair of do-gooders I’ve ever had the privilege to know. They’re the type of
people who make you feel like a better person just by virtue of knowing them. And
besides that, they are so much fun to be around. They have a way of making you
feel entirely at home in their house and in their presence. So yes, I was envious of
that little baby because being born to two such amazing people is like winning the
lottery. What a great life this kid would have.

At Heather’s baby shower, we all wrote little messages to Roger, and I wrote,
“Hi baby, you are so lucky because your parents are awesome!” What I couldn’t
understand until later is how unbelievably lucky Zac and Heather are to have Roger.
And we’re all lucky to have known him.

We’re all here because we love Zac and Heather, and we love Roger.

On the death of her daughter at age 14, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton wrote, “Love enjoys
and triumphs for eternity.”

Roger is gone to heaven in God’s eternal love. And I think that means the love we
feel for him also is eternal. It’s here right now, and it’s with us forever.
And there never was a baby more loved by so many people.

Everyone at Parkland watched Heather grow bigger and bigger and bigger
throughout her pregnancy. When Heather was admitted to the hospital, her friends
watched the heart-rate monitor and cheered her and Roger on. Her friend Elizabeth,
who also is a doctor at Parkland, slept in the call room down the hall from the
delivery room to make sure Heather and Roger had the best care and their preferred
nurses.

He weighed nine-and-a-half pounds when he was born the afternoon of Aug. 25, and
he was so beautiful. Now, I’m not saying that Zac and Heather aren’t good-looking
people. But I had to agree with Heather’s mom when she said the other day that
it’s a marvel such a beautiful baby was born to the two of you. I have to agree with
Heather when she said that Roger is an even better person than she and Zac. Such a
sweet, precious boy.

Zac and Heather are the most laid-back parents I’ve ever known. Some friends and I
once saw Zac at a party down at the Santa Fe Trestle Trail, and when we asked after
Roger, he goes, “Oh, he’s asleep in the van.” They were very European about it all.

And they were very generous in sharing Roger.

When Heather had two months of night rotations, lucky friends and neighbors,
including myself, got to act as what Heather called “surrogate mothers” to Roger.
He was such a good baby and a joy to see, always looking around intensely, taking
in everything around him. There was nothing quite so wonderful in this world as
seeing him smile or hearing him laugh.

There probably are a few of you here today who don’t know the Lytles all that
well but maybe had the pleasure of holding Roger or playing with him at some
neighborhood event where Zac and Heather were volunteering. I know you’re here,
as we all are, because Roger touched your life. And I want to say thank you to Zac
and Heather, on behalf of Oak Cliff, for being servants to our community and for
sharing your beautiful boy with all of us.

Roger attended his first bike race, the Tour of Austin, when he was a week old.
More recently, Zac would show up to the Thursday night bike races at Fair Park
sometimes not knowing before he arrived exactly who would be watching Roger
during Zac’s hour-long race. He didn’t have to worry about it because we practically
fought to serve as Roger’s domestique, there to bring him bottles, protect him, love
and entertain him, even though none of us could figure out how to use those hippie
diapers. Roger was a “junior race promoter,” as Zac put it, doing his duty as head
baby in charge at Spookycross and the Tour of Corsicana.

Roger loved the outdoors. “Any time he was upset,” Heather says, “you could just
take him outside, and he would brighten up.” He loved seeing flowers and would
always grab for them. Heather’s mom gave them an orchid plant, which they set in
their breakfast nook, and Roger could sit in his chair and just stare up at the orchid
blooms for a long time while they were preparing his food.

He loved to watch the hennies in the backyard and to feed the ducks at Kidd Springs
Park. Heather first brought him here to Twelve Hills Nature Center when he was
three days old, and they came here on walks many, many times. They also went on
hikes to Cedar Ridge Nature Preserve and walks at the Dallas Arboretum.

Roger got to have Thanksgiving and Christmas at home with family. He got to see
snow in Dallas. Zac tells the story that during one of the ice storms this past winter,
he bundled Roger up in his little fuzzy bear suit and walked to a friend’s birthday
party with Roger strapped to his chest. Zac says he slipped on the ice and “busted
his ass.” Roger didn’t even wake up.

Roger was a traveler. He traveled in utero to Colombia and Nova Scotia. After he was
born, he traveled to San Antonio many times. Recently, he went to England, where
Zac and Heather both have family. He got to meet three of his great grandparents.
While they were in England, Heather, Zac and Roger spent a magical day at Kingley
Vale National Nature Reserve in West Sussex. It was one of the happiest days of
their lives, and it was particularly special for Zac, because Roger’s namesake, Zac’s
late grandfather, Roger, used to bring Zac to Kingley Vale as a child. Now Zac and
Heather plan to return to Kingley Vale to spread Roger’s ashes.

In England, they took Roger on hikes in the countryside and to the sea. There are
pictures of Roger on a pebbly beach, crying with his feet in the cold, wet sand. Later,
at a sandy beach in England, he had fun knocking down sand castles.

Roger really started to eat a lot of solid food in England. He tasted lamb stew that his
great grandmother made, as well as curry, fish and chips and English breakfast. He
loved English food so much that he gained more weight during that one-week trip
than he had in the previous two months.

Even though he was only 8 months old, Roger experienced many forms of
transportation. He never even cried during the nine-and-a-half hour flight to
England. He’s taken the London Underground, a gondola down the Thames, trains, a
ferry, busses and bikes.

Roger liked to be read to, and his favorite book was “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”
He loved music and he enjoyed sing-a-longs in Zac and Heather’s living room. By
the way, he also swam in a dumpster pool BEFORE it was cool for babies to swim in
dumpsters.

He loved to watch older children run and play. He loved seeing baby Catalina and
was among her first visitors. He got to meet and hold hands with baby August down
in Austin. He loved playing with baby Will. And when baby Hannah was born at
Parkland, she was in good hands with Roger sitting in the red chair to watch her
monitors. Right now, Heather’s best friend, Roger’s godmother Vanessa, is possibly
in labor with her baby, Jeremiah.

Roger was absolutely doted upon by all of his grandparents and his aunt and uncle.
The Lytles had been planning to take a trip in May to Iceland and then a trip to visit
family in Minnesota in August. And they were busy planning their move to Malawi in
October.

Now that Roger is gone, everything has changed. Nothing will ever be the same
without him here. And we are so sad. We miss him so much. Our hearts are broken.
But Roger was here. He was here, and he made the world better.

In true Lytle fashion, Zac and Heather asked that this be a day of kindness in
memory of Roger. I think we can do better than that. Baby Roger makes me want
to be a better person in general. He was so easy to love, and he brought so much
joy to everyone he met. So I say, let’s all try to be like that too. Spread joy. Love one
another. Remember that you’re here to do good in the world and to love. Roger left
us tragically too soon, but in his short life, he accomplished that.

Rather than hold escrow in the USA ourselves, for your security we are now using Stewart Title Latin America to do this for us. This provides both seller and buyer with an added layer of protection for your funds. Stewart can also offer title insurance and full closing services should you wish. Otherwise they will act simply as an escrow agent, disbursing the deposits according to instructions at the closing by wire transfer. Here at Tierra Yucatan, we are all happy about the new arrangement. So far, Tierra Yucatan is the only real estate agency in Merida that is protecting your transaction in this way!

As the year of 2013 comes to a close, we find ourselves thankful for the business we conducted this year, the many wonderful people we met in the process and for all the new and interesting residents, both part and full time, that have been added to the population of Merida through our agency. We look forward to a great 2014!

Over the past few years, there have been a number of changes to the US tax code. Some of these changes affect American citizens who hold property in a foreign country, who belong to a foreign corporation or who are beneficiaries or trustees of a foreign-owned trust. My good friend Robert Schilling, a CPA in New York, has an investigation underway. More details will follow as I receive them.

Robert says that the following seems likely, although the IRS needs to provide additional rulings:

• Persons with their residential property (no cash) in a fideicomiso should probably file Forms 3520 and 3520A.
• Persons with a Mexican bank account need to file other forms (unknown at this time), in addition to the 3520 and 3520A.
• Persons with a foreign corporation need to consult a CPA who is well versed in tax law as it applies to foreign-owned property.

There is a great deal of confusion, and I think the majority of people do not file, simply because it is so difficult to get information. Bob recommends filing in order to avoid any potential penalty for not doing so.

If you want to do some investigating of your own, here are links to information and instructions about those forms on the IRS website:

• IRS Form 3520
• IRS Form 3520A

More information will be posted as we receive it.

There’s nothing new about the wide array of rare and unique properties and the properties of exceptional value… all of which can still be found on our website.  The front page now highlights some of the incredible luxury properties in our collection. Of course, it is still easy to browse our entire inventory by clicking the links on the left. Either click on “All Properties” to see every last one of them, or click on the various categories to see just Beach Homes, for instance. Or just Haciendas & Ranches.

Maybe you are looking for an inexpensive retirement home or winter getaway… try looking at “Newer Neighborhoods” for more modern homes at very reasonable prices.  Or if you want to start or take over a business here in Merida, check out our “Commercial Properties” category, with listings on everything from warehouses to coffee shops to bed & breakfasts.

Are you looking for a Vacation Rental? We have listings of both long-term and short-term rentals, in Merida, in the surrounding Yucatan Peninsula and even a few in the state of Chiapas. Vacation rentals are a great alternative to hotels and a wonderful way to “try before you buy” and buy your own home in Merida.

For a more specific search, go to “Property Search” on the right hand side of the page. Click on “Property Search” and there you’ll have a very detailed way of searching for the home or land that you want to buy. You can specify everything from number of bedrooms to type of water system, allowing you to just look at the listings that really interest you.

Just below that, there’s a link called Contact Us. Each Tierra Yucatan real estate agent is listed here, along with their photo, some background on them, and their contact information. Contact our office on Calle 66 in the Centro (address and phone at the bottom of every page), or just email or phone one of our agents directly.

For information about buying real estate in Mexico or detailed information about Merida and the Yucatan, explore the other links on the right. We give you a brief synopsis of the buying and selling processes here in Mexico, as well as some helpful links to other Yucatan websites and a list of some of our preferred hotels and other accommodations in the area. If that doesn’t answer your questions, perhaps our FAQ page with a list of the frequently asked questions will help.

Further down on the right, there’s a link to our Facebook page. We encourage you to check it out and sign up to “like” it and “follow” it… as we get new noteworthy listings, we’ll be sending some of the information to our Facebook friends. Be sure to become a Facebook friend so you can find out about properties as they come on the market!

Did we mention that on the first page of the website, you can not only check the Merida weather, but you can read rotating testimonials from an ever-growing list of happy customers.

Below that, you can read excerpts from the last three posts on this blog, too, for new and timely information not only on new properties, but also on general real-estate related news and events here in the Yucatan.

Did we mention videos? Tierra Yucatan has our own YouTube channel, and we have some of our YucatanLiving.com Houses of Merida videos there, as well as a growing number of videos made of the houses we represent that are for sale and rent.

There’s more that has been upgraded on the new Tierra Yucatan website! When you click on “More…” to see a property, the property page that you come to has a wealth of information about that particular offering. Not only is there a detailed description, but now there are “Print” and “Share” buttons so you can print out the properties you like (and want to see on your trip to Merida) or click on the “Share” button and send an email to a friend with the property information and link included. The “Share” button also allows you to bookmark the page if you want, or share it on Facebook, Digg, put it on your Amazon Wish List and a million (it seems!) other places. Try it out!

Our photo gallery on each property page now allows for larger photos of various dimensions, so now we can show you photos of just how high that ceiling really is! And each property’s Google Map shows you where in Merida the property is for your reference.

Oh, and don’t forget… you can see the entire website in Spanish too! Just click under the phone number at the top of each page.

Last but not least is this blog… a place for us to notify you of new listings and talk about what’s new and happening now in the real estate world of Merida and the Yucatan. Each blog post allows for comments, and we welcome your participation and interest.

We worked hard to improve our website without losing the benefit of easy navigation and a clean look. We hope you enjoy it and we look forward to hearing from you