South of the Border Dream Homes

Second home mania has spread beyond U.S. borders "The market has just become prolific in Mexico, with about 1.5 million Americans now owning property there," Mitch Creekmore, vice president of the Stewart Title Guaranty de Mexico office in Houston and an expert in the region, tells bankrate.com. "Values in some markets have tripled in five years." Financing, however, still comes at a premium he says.