On Tuesday, Chicago's Mexican consulate general held a press conference to introduce to local residents two companies targeting local Mexicans.

"This is a new concept in the United States," said Eduardo Uranga, marketing manager for Su Casita, a Mexican company that is offering mortgages for Mexican immigrants. "This is an opportunity for Mexicans living here to use the money that they usually send home to buy something tangible for when they decide to retire."

Uranga, whose company plans to open a Chicago office next month, said many Mexicans who come to the United States for jobs always dream of returning home when they retire. But many send large chunks of their paychecks back to Mexico and may have little to show for it when they are ready to stop working.

Also, sending the money back to Mexico can prove costly. Banking officials estimate immigrants spend millions of dollars to wire an estimated $9 billion a year back to their homeland.

Su Casita works like any other mortgage company. After being approved by the company, applicants can begin searching for a home in Mexico that they want to buy.

Once a house is found, Su Casita sends an appraiser to the location to verify the price before lending money to the applicant. The Mexican immigrant can then pay off the mortgage -- with U.S. dollars -- at the U.S. offices.

Uranga said the possibility of owning a home in Mexico appeals to many immigrants because they can get a bigger bang for their buck, letting them purchase big homes at low prices. Financing is available for 90 percent of the home's selling price.

"With $40,000 or $50,000 you can own a huge house in some parts of Mexico," Uranga said.

And if Mexicans want to build a dream home in their native land, there is another Mexican company, Construmex, that is catering to them here in Chicago.

The Mexican company in February opened an office in Little Village, a Hispanic community on the West Side, where immigrants order and pay for cement, concrete blocks or other building materials. They are delivered to the immigrant's hometown in Mexico by the nearest Cemex distributor, Construmex's parent.

The appeal is that the company lets the Mexican immigrants order the materials in cheaper Mexican prices with U.S. dollars.

"Now, they won't have to worry about whether the materials will be delivered and what the price is going to be or the quality," said Alejandro Soloreo, marketing manager for the Chicago area Cemex office. "They also know that the money they set aside or send home for a new house be used for a new home."

"This is why so many people come here," said Sebastian Orrasco, a Chicago immigrant who has been sending money home for 10 years. "You want to be able to have something to show for all the work you do here."

For more information on Su Casita, call (877) 227-4829 and for Construmex, call (773) 521-8420.