Testimonials

We Understand That Buying Or Selling Your Property Can Be Daunting, So We’re Here To Guide You From Start To Finish. Our Goal Is To Make Your Experience As Smooth And Stress-Free As Possible.

If you are in the market for a real estate agent, you need look no further than Ajijic Paradise and Marianela There are not enough accolades to describe this gem of an agent. She is professional, compassionate, attentive and makes you and your needs her top priority. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Marianela to help you achieve your goal.

– Linda Clark

We can’t recommend Marianela highly enough. We came to Mexico to finally live out our dream here in Ajijic, in our own home. We were intimidated by the home buying process being in a new country and only vaguely familiar with the culture and language. Looking at houses was easy but when it came to going through the logistics of the purchase we were lost. Marianela was assigned to us and guided us through the entire process. She was responsive to all our needs and questions, answered every phone call on the first ring, worked beyond business hours to make sure we didn’t miss any important deadlines,helped us negotiate the transfer of funds from the US and translated all conversations and documents at the closing so we were confident in the contents of both. Her insight regarding our anxieties as we undertook the enormous step, plus her comprehensive knowledge of real estate laws provided us with security and confidence in buying our new home and was a significant contributor to how positively we felt about our decision to move to this lovely part of the world. We even returned to Marianela with other questions we had regarding setting up our new life here and, as expected, she gave us great information and resources. We are so excited to hear that she is opening up her own business!

– Miranda Gordon

Mariann and her team did an excellent job in helping us purchase a house in Ajijic. They provided outstanding service and communication throughout the process and continued to help after we closed. Also, Mariann found a creative solution to an issue that might have otherwise caused the seller to postpone the closing for a few months. We will definitely use Ajijic Paradises for any transactions we have in the future.

–Bill and Barry

Marianela (Mariann) was very helpful to my wife and I in the process of closing on a home we sold in Vista Alegre some months ago. She speaks English very well and knew what needed to be done. She ended up driving us to Guadalajara three times in order to complete one requirement of that closing. She knows the Chapala – Ajijic area well and understands the housing market. She is personable and we enjoyed our time with her. We are happy to give her a whole-hearted recommendation for using her to find or sell a home in this area.

–Ron and Sherrie Schroder

Marianela was the closing agent on the recent purchase of my home. I could not have been more pleased with her knowledge and professionalism. There can be many tricky details in real estate transactions in Mexico, some not even known to some Realtors. Marianela’s legal background really puts her in a different class than closers without this training. Even after closing Marianela continued to answer any questions I had regarding tax numbers, utility account transfers and the like. Marianela is dedicated to creating satisfied customers and is a delight to work with.

–Joan Machlis-Crasemann

I was full of excitement and anticipation on the way to visit the house Mariann was proposing. We parked in front, I had the feeling that this was the one for me. My thoughts were racing as we walked up the stairs to the first level with its perfectly open layout. The rooms flowed organically together, giving a feeling of open space and a size larger than it actually was.

I love the way the kitchen is strategically placed in the middle of the house, on the one side an open space will serve as a really great dining area and on the other side the lounge area with its wall of windows gives a great view across the road into a forest of trees in the adjacent house.

My feelings were right on the button. This house IS for me.

I was incredibly impressed by the service and attention to all the questions I had that Mariann and her team were ready and able to answer. This is my first to visitor to Mexico.

I would have been lost without Mariann and her energetic and knowledgeable team.

– Gray Veredon

Due to the many challenges of language and laws, buying or selling a home in Mexico can be daunting, frustrating, and potentially expensive for Ex-Pats if not done properly. Marianella made it simple. She speaks fluent English. She communicated exactly what documentation she needed from me to sell my home and helped me obtain it if I needed assistance. I needed to return to the states before the closing would be completed, so I made her my Power of Attorney and she handled everything. She worked diligently with the buyers and the Mexican government to make sure all details of the sale were attended to, including CFE and the solar panels, a short-term rental agreement with the new buyers, and attending the closing and making sure all paperwork was correct and complete. I simply packed my bags and moved back to the states and everything was handled flawlessly. Thank you Marianella. Your professionalism, knowledge, and dedication made this experience stress free and effortless. I was truly blessed to find you!

– Karen Beeson

When we came to visit friends in Lake Chapala we were already living in Mexico (San Miguel de Allende) and came to visit friends and check out the area as a potential landing place in Mexico. We had looked at things online and wanted to see what reality was like. After spending a few days in the area we fell in love with it and decided we wanted to move here. 

We asked our friends if they knew someone who could help us without a lot of pressure and Mariann and her team at Ajijic Paradise Realty came highly recommended – with nothing but praise. We contacted her, explained that we really wanted to get a better feel of the various neighborhoods and would be considering a move in about six months that would most likely end up with us renting for the first year. She made us feel very at ease and said this was very typical for many of her clients. We went over our wish list and homes we had found interesting online and she offered to show us the area and various neighborhoods/homes. 

The things that were on our checklist were very typical – one level if possible, view of the lake, swimming pool and if possible to have it a walkable distance so we didn’t have to use a car all the time. The first two homes she showed us were in Ajijic centro and really surprised us as they had shown up in our online search but didn’t make it to our list. Over the course of a few days Mariann took us all around the Ajijic/West Ajijic/San Antonio areas and we found ourselves pretty amazed at how different all the homes and areas were. With so much variety it makes it challenging to say the least…and we realized that homes we hadn’t considered online were the ones we responded to the most. 

Viewing the different areas in person really helped us get a sense of things. We quickly decided that something in Ajijic Village or La Floresta would be the best fit. We asked to go back and tour the 2nd home in Ajijic Centro and after having seen all the other properties we were even more impressed with it. In talking with local friends we realized that it really was uncommon to find something like this in the heart of the village. And it came fully furnished!! So we slept on it for a few days and decided to make an offer. Mariann is very professional and we felt very comfortable in her representation of our interests. The process itself was simple and straightforward and we had no hiccups. It helps that she is a lawyer and fluent in both English and Spanish!!

Fast forward a year and we have been in our home for nearly a year and love our new life in Ajijic! And we count Mariann as a new friend!

–David and Beth Garfinkel