In 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.

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Four links to general information on Belize ranging from country profiles to economic data:

• Belize information from the CIA world factbook
• Reveal Real Estate Belize real estate information
• American Chamber of Commerce speech on Belize at the US Embassy in Belize
• Belize country profile from the British Foreign and Commonweath Office

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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 islands in Belize on our website here.

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It was set up to serve photographers not real estate investors but there can be few better ways to look around a country before you even get there.

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

Belize, there’s a pool of photos from across the country, totalling over 1,800 in all. You can see them here.

The picture above is our own. I hope you like it.

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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 Ambergris Bay, Belize for only $100,000. Would you like to wake up to this view below?

Or, how about this, 14 acres on Turneffe Islands for $349,000?

Get in early and if you’re investment proves a good one, maybe you can sell to Mr Trump a little later.

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According to Amberlamb “These seven reasons are unarguable and in our opinion they are the only reasons you need to consider!

1) Stability

The economy in Belize is stable, the Belizean currency is linked to the American dollar, the political climate is stable, Belize is a democracy, the legal system is based on the British legal framework and what’s more, Belize is still an independent member of the British Commonwealth.

What all this adds up to is the fact that the nation need not be considered an emerging or even cutting edge market – rather it is a stable, democratic country which has a balanced economy and is a nation in which one can have faith.

2) Tax Friendly

The offshore financial services industry in Belize is relatively highly regarded and well regulated; it is also quite advanced and supported by the government.  In addition to this fact, the taxation framework in Belize is conducive to encouraging international business and investment into the nation because there are no capital gains or inheritance taxes.

3) Popularity

The fact that a number of American celebrities have homes in Belize and that the nation was chosen for the filming of Temptation Island has increased awareness of the appeal of the nation in America and beyond.

Naturally this means that increasing numbers of people are looking at holidaying in Belize or buying a holiday or retirement home there – thus opening up a property investor’s target client base.

4) Massive Tourism Interest

Belize has the strongest tourism industry in the region and since 1998 Belize has seen tourism numbers rise every single year.  The nation is acutely aware of its reliance on the tourism industry and therefore does and will continue to do everything it can to facilitate business growth.  Clearly this factor also increases an investor’s potential client base and it also means that for the long term property in Belize is of interest to investors.

5) Location & Language

Belize is highly accessible from North America and now from Western Europe as well.  The language mainly spoken in Belize and always used in business is English which makes it a country easily identifiable with for British, American and Canadian buyers.

6) Natural Beauty

Belize has the second largest and most fascinating and beautiful barrier reef in the world. The diving in Belize is considered among the best in the world, ecologically speaking the nation has a diverse abundance of rare and striking flora and fauna, and in spite of its beauty and the fact that it is underdeveloped compared to many other destinations in the Caribbean its real estate is incredibly competitively priced.

7) Real Estate Availability

Property in Belize specifically for investment purposes is sufficiently in abundance to offer an investor choice – you can choose from properties in the most popular Cayes that rent year round and for top dollar for example if you’re looking for an income from your investment; alternatively there are developments where you can buy in off plan or in bulk and benefit from capital growth upon resale.

In conclusion, Belize has a fascinating real estate market, it is a stunning nation full of potential and as a result it is certainly one worthy of at least closer inspection if not an investment commitment to the residential property market. Read the original article here.

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Coldwell Banker System Expands its Global Reach to Belize

PARSIPPANY, N.J., (February 15, 2007) “Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation has announced the signing of a sub franchise agreement through its Coldwell Banker Latin America master, coinciding with the opening of the first Coldwell Banker® office in Belize.  With this opening, Belize becomes the 32nd country or territory outside of the United States to have a Coldwell Banker presence.

Belize markets itself as being both in Central America and the Caribbean, and has the best of both. With a stable political democracy, currency pegged to the US dollar, miles and miles of sandy beaches and the largest barrier reef in the Western hemisphere, Belize promises to be one of the strongest emerging markets in which to invest.

“Franchise growth outside of North America remains one of our key initiatives, said Jim Gillespie, president and chief executive officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation.  Central America is fast emerging as a hot spot for property investment, and was recently highlighted by CNN as ‘One of the 6 hottest foreign second home markets for 2007.’ We are proud to introduce our brand to this robust market, and wish our colleagues at Coldwell Banker Belize Real Estate great success in their operations.

We are excited to bring a real estate service to Belize anchored in the traditions of one of the world’s most premier brands, said Kirk Hankla of Coldwell Banker Belize.  We are committed to working with the finest developers and our goal is to provide a premium estate experience for our customers, backed by the Coldwell Banker name.

The team behind Coldwell Banker Belize has a combined real estate experience of over 50 years, both domestic and international, and includes a previous Chairman’s Circle company designation.

About Coldwell Banker®
Since 1906, the Coldwell Banker® organization has been a premier provider of full-service real estate. In 2006, Franchise Times magazine’s prestigious Top 200 issue ranked the Coldwell Banker system number one in real estate for the seventh straight year and number eight among all franchisors.  The Coldwell Banker System has more than 4,000 residential and commercial real estate offices and 127,700 Sales Associates in 31 countries and territories.  The Coldwell Banker System is a leader in the industry in residential and commercial real estate, and in niche markets such as resort, new home and luxury properties through its Coldwell Banker Previews International® division. It is a pioneer in consumer services with its Coldwell Banker Concierge® Service Program and award-winning Web site. Coldwell Banker Mortgage is one of the largest telephone/web based lenders in the country. Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation is a subsidiary of Realogy Corporation (NYSE: H), the world’s largest real estate franchisor. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation.  Each office is independently owned and operated except for offices owned and operated by NRT Incorporated.

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If you wanted a rough-and-ready way to calculate investor interest in real estate in different countries, type a commonly used search term into a tracking service. Then repeat, using the same search term, for comparison countries. What you are looking for is not the absolute number of searches (something, incidentally, that can be hard to find) but the relative results between counties. Have a look at the graph below for countries in Central America for searches made in December 2006.

Costa Rica tops the bill. This is not altogether surprising. Costa Rica is the most established market in the region, has the largest number of US citizens as residents, and has been a popular real estate destination for many years. Panama and Belize rack up the second and third spots for Internet searches followed by Nicaragua in fourth position.

It is impossible to know exactly how this translates into investor confidence or relative real estate sales volumes for the different countries. Data on sales volumes and prices is not maintained centrally so we cannot make definite correlations. However, one thing is certain, investor interest in information on real estate (at least over the Internet) is highest for the more mature real estate destinations.

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Belize is managing to combine the opportunity for investors to participate in both a rapidly growing tourism market and an emerging second home retirement destination. Although more affordable than other Caribbean destinations, this is not at the expense of local amenities and services – something that sets it apart from more speculative offerings elsewhere.  Certain regions could be described as a ‘mezzo market – a term coined by International Living to describe markets that are not quite emerging; not quite developed. The risk/reward profile is perhaps more comfortable than purely speculative real estate markets elsewhere in Central America.

As you might expect, continued growth in tourism, environmental preservation and infrastructure improvement are important factors in the future success of the real estate market in Belize. Indications are good. The country has a progressive Tourism ministry that has been successful in putting Belize firmly on the map as a tourism destination. As the 2005 Moon Handbook puts it, ˜Belize is the only country within the Caribbean to experience consistent increases with respect to overall tourist arrivals since 1998.” Places like Ambergris Caye are key magnets for tourism and this reach is expanding into the luxury end of tourism, a trend helped by a number of celebrity real estate purchases in the country. We will shortly be reviewing tourism data for 2006 which will help put the trends into context.

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The road conditions on Ambergris Caye are improving starting with two major sections in downtown San Pedro.

Original Story:

http://www.sanpedrosun.net/07-051.html

San Pedro Town, a beautiful piece of paradise situated in the Caribbean is blooming with beauty and charm. Nevertheless, the rainy season leaves the streets filled with potholes and mud, while during the dry season the air is thick with dust. However, those issues will be a problem of the past.

On January 29th, 2007, the San Pedro Town Council called an urgent town meeting. The purpose: to discuss the street rehabilitation projects and the details pertaining to their visit with Prime Minister Said Musa and Financial Secretary Carla Barnett, which took place on January 25th, 2007 at the Prime Minister’s office. Although attendance was minimal, the head table had good news for the community; both the Southern Road and Barrier Reef Drive will soon be restored and both will be cobble stoned.

Sitting at the head table were Mayor of San Pedro Town Elsa Paz, Belize Rural South Area Representative Honorable Manuel Heredia Jr., and councilors.

Barrier Reef Drive

The Barrier Reef Drive Rehabilitation Project is scheduled to commence this weekend, perhaps as soon as Thursday, commented San Pedro Mayor Elsa Paz to a group of concerned citizens. The project, which will carry a $1.7 million price tag, will be carried out by Medina’s Construction Company Limited, the same company that was hired for the Coconut Drive Rehabilitation Project and the building of the San Pedro Bridge.

The Barrier Reef Rehabilitation Project will include cobble stoning of all of Front Street, as well as the side streets that have yet to be cobble stoned. It will include drainage and a pedestrian walk, same as the one found on Pescador Drive. The monies collected from Property, Trade and Liquor taxes will be used to fund this projec.

However, the money collected from these taxes will not be enough. We are selling some acres of land that belong to the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) in order to help us fund both these projects, commented Honorable Heredia, Jr. The properties that Honorable Heredia spoke of are 500 acres of land between Journey’s End Resort and Buena Vista in North Ambergris Caye. However, some of this land was sold in 2005 when the Pescador Drive Project needed extra funding. Read the rest of this entry »

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