Archive for the ‘Belize News’ Category
Ambergris Caye in the New York Times
Sunday, May 25th, 2008The New York Times describes how Ambergris Caye is the top tourism desination in Belize.
“It is even possible to find a good bottle of French wine in San Pedro, the island’s main town.”
What starts as a holiday destination becomes a vacation homes for some.
“For foreign buyers, Belize offers many attractive features. English is the primary language, and the currency is fixed at two Belizean dollars to one United States dollar. It also makes it easy to retire there, simplifying the process for foreign citizens to establish residence and transfer possessions into the country. “
Belize News, belize real estate
Belize property: could now be the perfect time to buy?
Sunday, December 23rd, 2007“Belize: buy before the Europeans!” is the headline on the International Living December 2007 Magazine.
By late 2008 it will be possible to fly direct to Belize City from Europe. This is big news for Belize and its real estate market. The Europeans, armed with their strong currencies, will start to arrive to this English speaking country in numbers. They will no longer have to transit through the US.
They will come for the classic Caribbean experience, the world class diving, the jungles and rainforests, the Mayan ruins, the waterfalls and rivers. And the real estate dollars will follow close behind.
We have seen the effect of new flight routes on real estate markets before. Dubbed the “Ryanair effect” (Ryaniar is a major European low cost airline). Wherever Ryanair has started flying, the Irish and the Brits have followed and real estate markets have flourished.
There are also rumors that direct flights from Canada will also start.
Timing is everything in real estate and right now could be the perfect time to take a closer look at this stunning country - while property prices are still well below regional benchmarks.
belize, Belize country information, belize island, Belize News, belize property, belize real estate, Caribbean property, flights
Belize Real Estate Could Be in Your Retirement Future
Wednesday, November 21st, 2007The U.S. National Association of Realtors® (NAR) is over 1.2 million strong in membership. When an association that size opens a strategic relationship with another organization, it’s worthy of note. NAR did just that when they announced in November 2007 that they were initiating a joint reciprocal relationship with the Belize National Association of Realtors® in recognition of the growth of the Belize real estate industry.
NAR is recognizing the growth of the real estate market in Belize, and there are a number of reasons for it:
English as a native language – Belize has adopted English as their native language. The country is a former British Colony known as British Honduras.
Foreign citizen tax breaks – retirees in Belize can apply for special status that provides tax breaks on retirement income and import of household items and furnishings. This bodes well for investment in Belize real estate.
An expanding economy – the gross domestic product of Belize has grown for the last 30 or so years, with agriculture, services and manufacturing at the core.
As one can readily see, Belize is poised for more growth if the baby boomer generation recognizes the quality of life available for retirees. And it’s not crowded either! Belize has the lowest population density in the Central American Region, and one of the lowest in the world. There’s room for you in Belize.
Belize is a parliamentary democracy and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The government is divided into 6 districts and 31 constituencies. Belize is located between two rivers, and the Belize River flows through the middle of the country. With a Caribbean coastline, the Belize Barrier Reef and the Maya Mountains, there is certainly a diversity of terrain and outdoor recreation. A large area of savannas and wetlands provides a great biodiversity, both marine and terrestrial. With the longest living barrier reef in the western hemisphere, Belize attracts divers from all around the world.
Sugar, bananas and citrus production comprise the largest segment of the agricultural activities. Recent discoveries of petroleum deposits bring exciting new possibilities to the manufacturing and mining segments of the economy. The government is spending millions to better the standard of living of their poorer residents. The Belize real estate market is gaining steam.
An interesting facet of Belize is the cultural and ethnic diversity. There is almost no friction between the harmoniously blended cultures and races. Belize has Mennonites, Chinese, Mayan, Spanish, Lebanese, East Indian and other ethnicities. They all get along, and there is great religious tolerance. There are Christians and Roman Catholics. Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism exist with Jehovah’s Witnesses.
It is readily apparent that the government, culture, economy and geography all combine to make Belize a highly desirable place to live. With the boomer generation searching for interesting retirement locales that are economically advantageous, Belize is positioned for significant growth. Make it your next vacation spot and you just might find the perfect Belize real estate for your retirement!
Contributed by Jim Kimmons, a Taos real estate broker and writer.
belize, Belize News, belize real estate, culture, economy, geography, real estate, recreation, retirement, taxes
Get here cheaper - Frontier airlines considers flights to Belize
Saturday, September 8th, 2007
Frontier Airlines, a major low-fare carrier, is reportedly considering a seasonal service from Denver to Belize City. Frontier Airlines currently flies to San Jose, Costa Rica, and to several cities in Mexico, and is looking to further expand internationally. Frontier operates a hub and spoke route system, with more than 90% of flights originating or arriving at its Denver hub. More competition may also help to drive down prices charged by existing carriers.
belize airline flight frontier, Belize News
How to Live that Island Dream
Friday, June 8th, 2007
We’re pretty passionate about Belize.
We’re fascinated by the real estate opportunities here too.
And we’re starting to get bitten by this blogging bug as well.
So put together Belize, real estate and blogging and, well, let’s just say it’s a good day.
Anyway, that is why we’re very happy with WikiHow’s “How to Buy a Private Island“. They give great advice on a whole range of areas and right at the bottom there’s a link for us.
It’s certainly well worth checking out their words of wisdom. How about this:
“You’re not just buying and island you’re buying its surroundings. There should be a village nearby where you can get supplies and an airport close at hand, for instance. In other words, what makes an island feasible is the infrastructure available to it.”
Wise words. You can check out island in Belize on our website here.
beach, belize, Belize News, belize real estate, investment, islands, lots, On blogging, property, real estate, Uncategorized
Belize Caught on Film
Monday, June 4th, 2007
Flickr is a photo sharing website and it’s popularity is now so wide that you can find pictures of just about everything and everywhere. Luckily for anyone serious about investing in
The picture above is our own. I hope you like it.
belize, Belize News, belize property, belize real estate, belize real estate photos pictures flickr
Donald Trumped by Belize
Monday, June 4th, 2007
Readers of USA Today’s website could be forgiven for indulging in a little day dreaming when they read this feature.
Entitled Most Expensive Beachfront Homes in the USA, the prices of the properties it profiles start at just over $30m - rising to a massive $125m for Donald Trump’s ocean view pad.
Now, we reckon that Donald’s investment was worth every cent to him and we hope he managed to find time in his busy schedule to take a stroll on the beach. But there is a way to enjoy millionaire-style beach living without shelling out Trump change.
The trick is, you have to look a little further afield.
How about this lot on
Or, how about this, 14 acres on
Get in early and if you’re investment proves a good one, maybe you can sell to Mr Trump a little later.
Ambergris Caye News, Belize News, belize real estate
Belize is one of the ‘6 hottest markets for second home buyers in 2007′ - according to CNN
Tuesday, January 30th, 2007In fact, Central American countries made up four of the six countries mentioned. The four are Belize, Honduras, Mexico and Panama. Costa Rica also gets a mention as a destination attracting real estate investors. According to State Department estimates, some 6.6 million Americans live abroad - about 2.2% of the US population. The Brits are still far ahead in relative terms with 10% of the nation’s population living as expatriates. Read the full article.
