Property sales up
Home sales in Guadalajara have risen by 4.4 percent this year, according to the Mexican Association of Real Estate Professionals (AMPI). This growth is due to an increased demand for apartments valued between 500,000 pesos to two million pesos, says Alma Rosa Rosas Lizarraga, a delegate of AMPI’s Guadalajara chapter. Most activity has been taking place in Guadalajara’s Chapalita and Ciudad del Sol neighborhoods.
Bank robberies down
The number of bank robberies in Jalisco this year has reached 38, following the recent hold-up in a Banamex branch in Guadalajara’s Independencia neighborhood. With two-thirds of the year gone, the number of bank robberies in Jalisco looks set to be much lower than 2011’s record of 112. Of these, 70 percent took place in the Guadalajara metropolitan area.
Tony Bennett visits
Legendary 17-time Grammy winner Tony Bennett, 86, made a special trip to Jalisco recently to visit the 400-acre ranch of famed ranchero singer Vicente Fernandez, located outside Guadalajara on the highway to Chapala. During the visit the pair recorded an English/Spanish duet of the song “Return to Me” (Regresa a Mi), originally recorded by Dean Martin. The song will feature on Bennett’s new album, “Viva Duets,” to be released worldwide on October 23. The album includes performances in English, Spanish and Portuguese with artists representing eight countries and three continents. Among the artists recording with Bennett were Thalia, Marc Anthony, Juan Luis Guerra, Gloria Estefan, Vicentico, Miguel Bose, Franco DeVita and Chayanne.