Santa Elena Post Office, Cayo, Belize

Santa Elena Post Office, Cayo, Belize

Chilling..

I'm in a small village this weekend called Yo Creek. It is a few miles out of Orange Walk Town.

Very peaceful and quiet.

Tiffany

What Moves You?

Happy Holidays!! And some info on Belize Real Estate

First of all, Happy Holidays from us here at RE/MAX Belize Property Center - Cayo Specialists!

I haven't updated my blog since September, and I'll tell you why. Well John has been out of office on sick leave recovering from a major surgery. He is progressing well now and should be back to work early next year.

In the meanwhile, here's what I've been up to:

 # 2151 – 10 ACRE RIVERSIDE PARCELS OF LAND – Belmopan, Cayo, Belize- Lots 3 and 5
added to the SOLD list!!!

# 2291 – 23 ACRES OF RIVERSIDE LAND – Cayo, Belize - SOLD!!

160 ACRES ORANGE FARM - ONTARIO - SOLD!!

ONE ACRE WESTERN HIGHWAY - ONTARIO - SOLD!!

NEW (HOT) DEALS:

# 2248 – (TWO) 3 BEDROOM HOUSE FOR SALE OR RENT – BELMOPAN, CAYO DISTRICT

# 2251 – 504 ACRES OF FARMLAND – CAYO, BELIZE - REALLY HOT! SELLER FINANCING MAY BE AVAILABLE!

To see our 250+ LISTINGS click HERE.

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John Acott - Cayo Specialist (my boss) planted a CHINESE PLUM fruit tree at the beginning of the year in his garden, take a look at its turn out in less than one year!! - CHINESE PLUM 

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WHERE WILL YOU BE WHEN THE WORLD ENDS OF 21/12/12??? 

I don't know about you, but I'll be in Cayo, Belize in Jeans and Tees sipping on a nice cold coffee Belikin Beer. NO WINTER JACKETS ALLOWED.

Care to join me? :)  

_________________________________________________________________________________

I am opening up my blog to comments so you can to share your opinions/questions/ etc. with me.

CHEERS from Sunny Belize!

CHEAP FLIGHTS TO BELIZE! BELIZE REAL ESTATE

Like the idea of cheap flights? Come find your Belize real estate property with the help of Delta Airlines. Delta has cheap flights to Belize via Atlanta.

Check out it out here: Flights between U.S./Canada & Latin America.

Let Us Help You Find Your Dream Real Estate Properties in Belize, River front properties, Large Acreage, Cayo Real Estate, Land for sale, Turn-key Commercial Real Estate, Real Estate Houses for sale, Beachfront properties in Belize, Beachfront homes, Beachfront condos, Beachfront lots, Mountain view homes, Belize Real Estate, Buying Property in Belize, Selling your property in Belize with Remax, Beachfront homes for sale in Belize, Vacation houses for sale in Belize, Vacation homes in Belize, remax belize, remax real estate belize, buy property with remax

Belize Real Estate | Buying and Selling Real Estate Properties in Belize | John Acott – RE/MAX Belize Property Center

Relocation Specialist - Belize, Central America: Belize Useful Links - Retire in Belize

Relocation Specialist - Belize, Central America: Belize Useful Links - Retire in Belize

Belize Useful Links - Retire in Belize

 Ready to Retire in Belize? Here are a few helpful links to get you started:

 Re/max - Buying Property with John Acott

 Re/max Belize Property Center

Association of Real Estate Brokers of Belize

http://www.arebb.com

 

Belize Retirement Information

http://belizeretirement.org/

Belize Companies & Corporate Affairs Registry

www.belizecompaniesregistry.gov.bz

 

Belize Customs & Excise Department

www.customs.gov.bz

Belize Local Airlines

http://www.tropicair.com/  or http://www.mayaislandair.com/

 

Attorneys and Lawyers of Belize

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/belize/231771/PDFs/list-of-attorn40kb.pdf

 

Local Rotary Club

http://www.rotarysanignacio.org/

 

Getting Insurance in Belize

http://belizeretirement.org/insurance.shtml

 

Private Medical Care in Belize

http://belizeretirement.org/medical.shtml

 

Government of Belize: 

www.belize.gov.bz

If you have any questions feel free to EMAIL ME. 

Belizean Fruit - Craboo (NANCE)

Craboo (also known as NANCE) is just about in season. They bear in various colours including: green, orange, red and yellow. This is a small fruit and is usually sold for $1 BZ or US$0.50 for a bag of about 30. Often eaten "as is", or it can also be eaten with condense milk, in ice-cream, and shakes.




Visit us at Belize Real Estate  for more information on beautiful Belize...

Belize Real Estate - Useful Links

I will be compiling a list of useful links and publishing it in the next few days...

Please let me know if there is any specific department or sector you would like information on.

Tiffany Swift

"Making Your Relocation to Belize An Adventurous and Easy One.."

Last Post - How was it?

Did you all like my last post, yes the one about "Belize is Different" ? John Acott made it as simple as possible but was still a bit lenghty, i know. Belize has so much to offer and is so different, we didn't want to forget anything!

I would love to hear feedback and know what you guys would like to know about Belize and buying property here. Even if you are not thinking about buying just yet, feel free to send me an email about anything you want to know about Belize - I am here to help you.  tiffany@belizepropertycenter.com. 

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Signing off....

Tiffany Swift

Belize properties

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BELIZE - BEFORE YOU ARRIVE

Copyright John Acott 

BELIZE IS DIFFERENT

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BELIZE

-  BEFORE YOU ARRIVE

I guess by now I should know better than to be surprised at some of my clients’ reactions when they first come to Belize. One woman flew all of the way from England with her young son, stayed the night in a cheap and nasty hotel near the airport, then flew home the following morning. She had decided that she didn’t like Belize.

Another woman arrived in Cayo almost in tears after driving from Belize City. She had no idea that people could live in little wooden shacks and that some children walk around without shoes.

I guess, in a way, arriving in Belize could be a bit of a culture shock if you have no idea what to expect and hence the purpose of this letter, to give you some idea of what Belize is really like, before you actually arrive.

Belize is probably very different to what you are used to. It is a very small country (320,000 people), and it is a poor country. Poor is a relative word because Belizeans have a higher standard of living than people in other Central American countries. Of course, Belizeans are generally poorer than people living in developed countries in North America and Europe.  Being such, Belize cannot afford a lot of the things that the inhabitants of other countries take for granted. What is more important; large, smooth highways, or schools and hospitals?

Speaking of roads, you will definitely find ours different to yours. We don’t have any super highways. Saying that, our roads are not that bad, apart from a pot-hole here and there. Most of the main roads, including the ones in towns are paved but you will definitely come across some unpaved road. Drive slowly and don’t drive near to the edge.

We don’t have many police patrol cars or any radar speed traps so we mainly use speed bumps to slow traffic down, normally near schools. Watch out for these if you are driving because they are not all sign-posted or painted. Likewise, there are few directional signs in towns so you just have to follow the direction everybody else is going. Don’t worry, the police are not going to fine you if you make a mistake. Please note that if you are driving into Belize from Mexico or Guatemala, 3^rd party insurance is mandatory here and you can buy it by the day or week at the borders. You will be in trouble if you drive without insurance.

Also, if you are importing a vehicle into Belize, we have a new law governing the degree of window tint. Dark tinted vehicles windows are not permitted any more. Low sports cars are also not very practical in Belize.

Something else on bringing cars into Belize. Import duty on cars can be expensive. An old, 4 cylinder, pickup will not cost you much, but a new, 8 cylinder SUV is going to cost a lot. Gasoline and diesel here are expensive so think twice about bringing a gas-guzzler.

In many ways, you will find Belize as your own country was 30 or 40 years ago (if you are that old to remember). Children mainly walk to school, sometimes long distances; you will see the occasional horse walking through town; women openly breastfeed their babies; and, as you drive by the rivers, you will often see women and girls standing up to their waists in water doing their laundry.

Life is a lot slower in Belize and you will not see many people rushing around in a hurry to get somewhere. You will see them standing around chatting to their friends though and they will all have time to say hello to you, even if it means stopping their car in the middle of the road for a quick chat.

Not everybody has a car and buses are cheap and frequent, although often full to bursting. Although not the fastest way of getting around, buses are a good, inexpensive way of seeing the country. Nobody is going to bother you on the bus.

I want to put this paragraph somewhere and I guess this place is as good as anywhere. If you intend seeing different areas of Belize, it makes no sense to book one hotel for two weeks; especially in Belize City. In fact, there is not much to see in the City so I would suggest trying to get to your destination the same day that you arrive, if possible. I always think it makes sense to book a hotel in San Ignacio or Santa Elena for a few days to give you a chance to look around and do some tourist stuff and then decide where you are going to go next. You can always find room in a hotel somewhere.

Ladies, there is no need to bring your ball gowns to Belize and, gentlemen, likewise, leave your dinner jackets at home. Belize is a very casual country and most people just wear shorts or jeans, and casual shirts or t-shirts. Suits and ties are rarely worn, if ever, and you really don’t need to fill your suitcase with a whole load of heavy clothes that you will not wear. I have worn a light sweater once in 25 years.

We do not have Wal-Mart in Belize. Or any of the other mega stores. With a total population of 325,000, it wouldn’t make sense. Saying that, you can normally find everything you will need to live here. If you can’t, there is a large city called Chetumal just over our northern border in Mexico, and they do have Wal-Mart and Sam’s club, etc. Or you can take a weekend trip to Cancun or Guatemala City (US$25 by bus), and go shopping there. Of course, the internet is available everywhere and you can order goods on-line.

One of the good things about Belize is that we don’t have all of the annoying laws and permits and licenses and authorities and regulations, etc. that you have in your country. And, we are in no hurry to get them.

You may have seen the beautiful Belizean beaches on your travel agent’s wall, or on Belize travel shows. Well, here is a disappointment as we don’t have miles and miles of white sandy beaches. The reason for this is because we have a magnificent barrier reef (the second largest in the world) along our coastline, and, while being a snorkeler’s and diver’s paradise, this reef prevents the pounding wave action that produces beaches. We do have some beaches, naturally, but if you don’t want to snorkel on the gorgeous reef and check out the spectacular fish life, but are looking to spend all day traipsing along beautiful beaches, you should do what I do and drive up to Cancun or Playa del Carmen in Mexico for a weekend. They really are very close and are good, party cities.

If you want to live on a beach in Belize, you can really narrow your search to Placencia or Hopkins on the mainland, or Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker off-shore (caye means “island”). These are popular with North Americans but be prepared to pay a lot higher prices for property and in the cost of living. Other towns on the coast but without beaches are Corozal to the north, Dangriga and Punta Gorda to the south. These places tend to be a little boring and not too many ex-pats choose to live there. All of the coastal towns are on flat land. 

When you drive west from Belize City on the Western Highway, you will find the land very flat and boring with just savannah-type vegetation until you reach Belmopan, the capital of Belize (and the smallest capital in the world)! You are now in the Cayo District of Belize, very popular with people re-locating to Belize, and continuing westward, the terrain and vegetation rapidly change to hills and rivers, forests and jungle. Passing through the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena, the Western Highway continues until it reaches Benque Viejo del Carmen and the border with Guatemala. Melchor de Mencos is the border town in Guatemala and every day you will find many Belizeans shopping in the colourful markets there. Just as a matter of interest, several buses full of Guatemalan children cross the border daily to take the kids to Belizean schools, where they can get a better education, in English.

You may hear that Guatemala has a claim to some of the land in Belize. This is actually true but nobody, including Guatemalans, take it very seriously – and it is never going to happen.

You should be aware that it is better to travel to Belize with US dollars as there is a fee at the banks for changing Canadian dollars, and it can be difficult changing Euros or Pounds Sterling. US dollars are accepted countrywide at BZ$2 for US$1.

A question I often get is about the cost of living in Belize. Well, you can live very cheaply here, especially away from the tourist resorts of Ambergris Caye and Placencia, and most do, but it all depends on your lifestyle. Electricity and phone calls are more expensive but things like car insurance, medical bills, car mechanics, are very much cheaper. Annual property taxes are a fraction of what you are used to paying. And, surprise, surprise, we don’t have any heating bills.

Medical treatment is pretty good here, and much, much cheaper than in North America. Occasionally, the doctor may send you to Merida, Mexico, or to Guatemala City, if it’s really serious, but it is generally very good here in Belize.

Wherever you go in Belize, especially if you look like a tourist, you may be approached by a Belizean guy who is going to hustle you under the pretence of helping you. He will be very friendly, polite and helpful but just bear in mind that, somewhere along the line, he is hoping to get something out of this. If you don’t want his assistance, just be polite and firm and tell him that you don’t need his help.

Likewise, you will find Belizeans very friendly and helpful but if you are looking for a car mechanic or somebody to build your house, etc., don’t necessarily believe everything they say. Every Belizean is a mechanic and a builder, or their brother is. Much better to ask another ex-pat living here for a recommendation.

Also, when you buy a house in Belize there is a good chance that it will be empty, including appliances. Make sure that you establish what, if anything is staying in the house. Many sellers will negotiate a reasonable price for their furniture and appliances, if you are interested.

Belize doesn’t really have many homeless or hungry people and, unlike some countries, we have few beggars on our streets. Personally, I will give a little money to a poor woman with children, or to a man who is handicapped. I never give to a healthy man who could earn his own money if he wasn’t so lazy, and I never, ever give to children. This only encourages the parents to keep sending them out begging, whereas they should be in school, or enjoying their childhood.

Bugs? I don’t know what to say about these as I live in Cayo and we have few mosquitoes and no sandflies and they are not a problem here. Some places in Belize are worse than others and they can be very annoying. I think everybody eventually gets used to them, though. I don’t know if those anti-bug sprays work but some people swear that Avon Skin-So-Soft is the best thing.

Here is a little tip. If you are eating a cashew, take your shirt off or lean well forward. Cashew is one of those fruits that leave a stain that you just can’t get out - and I have just ruined a brand new shirt.

Every week I get asked why we build our homes on stilts. Well, it is nothing to do with snakes or floods. Traditionally, all homes were made from wood and built on stilts to catch the cool breeze and to allow the air to flow around and under the house, to keep it cooler. While many home are now constructed with concrete, the tradition still carries on and many concrete home are still built on stilts.

Of course we have snakes in Belize – some poisonous – but you won’t see them, or get attacked by them. I have been walking through long grass and jungle for years without ever seeing one. You do see them occasionally crossing the road. I have never heard of anyone dying from a snake bite.

The same with crocodiles. Yes, we have them in our rivers and if you are in a boat passing though the jungle, you may well see one. Once again, I personally have never heard of anyone being attacked by one and you don’t see them around habited areas.

Yes, we have crime in Belize and Belize City is sometimes in the headlines for a gang murder, or something similar. It’s rather strange but I have many friends who live in the city but they never feel intimidated by the crime there. I personally would not want to live there, although I often have business there and feel perfectly safe walking around the streets. It is much quieter in the districts and, in the 25 years that I have been living in Cayo, I have never been robbed, attacked, burgled, threatened, or anything. No, I don’t carry a gun and I have never felt the need to.

When I first came to Belize, the majority of Belizeans used to be ‘Creole’, which is an African/European mix, but in recent years, the ‘Latinos’ have overtaken them and are now 50% of the population. This is partly due to the thousands of refugees that came here during the civil unrest problems in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Salvador, etc., many years ago. We still get a steady influx of immigrants from the surrounding Spanish speaking countries who come here to make a better life for their families. In the last couple of years, I also have had families from places like Costa Rica, Panama, etc., who have decided to move to Belize because of the increase in crime in their own countries. Anyway, getting back to the people of Belize, because of the complete hodge-podge of people and races living here, there are all shades of skin colours and there is no racial discrimination at all.

The official language of Belize is English, and just about everybody speaks it, although for many families, especially near the borders, Spanish is their first language. I personally feel embarrassed because I have been living here for 25 years, but never did get around to learning Spanish. You really don’t need to although you will hear it widely spoken. Perhaps I’ll get around to learning it this year. There are plenty of cheap “Spanish schools” in Guatemala where you live with a Guatemalan family and learn Spanish one-on-one for half of the day, and then become a tourist and relax for the rest of the day.

If you like to travel, Belize is an ideal place to live. Apart from the easy access to North America and the Caribbean islands, it is an easy drive to exotic locations in Mexico and Central America.

Belize is great. Life is slower and it is much easier and cheaper living in a warm country. Can you imagine getting out of bed on a January morning and putting just a pair of shorts on? Then wandering out to your garden to pick a pink grapefruit for your breakfast. I do have a fairly large garden and I have: avocado, pink grapefruit, mango, abiu, chinese plum, tangerine, grapes, cherry, sour sop, sweet sop, loquot, lychee, fig and cherry guava. Trees and plants grow easily and quickly in the good Cayo soil.

If you have any questions on Belize, please just drop me a line – john@belizepropertycenter.com – and I will try to answer them.

John Acott

Belize Real Estate Listings

We have been busy uploading listings to our new website. We have over 300 listings total and have since added close to 230 to our website. You can now browse through our listings to find real estate listings in Belize.. SEARCH PROPERTIES 


Contact us if you have any questions on any property or on Belize in general - We are here to help you.

New Website?

Yes, we have been working on a brand new website for our Belize properties. 

As many of you may know, creating a new website takes a lot of work.. and i mean, a LOT OF WORK. We have over 300 Belize property listings and since February, I have managed to get 100 so far listed on the website on the very same day we hit a 100 page views! Ya, ya i know.. 100 page views may be nothing to some people but to me, it shows that my hard work is paying off . :) 

100 listings, 100 page views, and my second blog post. Phew!! This calls for lunch at one of my favourite spots in Cayo, Belize - Meluchi's. Check out their facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/meluchistaverna - and while you're there, be sure to check out our Belize real estate page as well - https://www.facebook.com/johnacott.remaxpropertycenter

Signing off now...

Tiffany

Tiffany Swift - Who Am I?

My name is Tiffany Swift and I am a 20-year old Belizean woman living in Santa Elena Town, Cayo. 

I have been working with John Acott for the past 3 years in Real Estate with Re/max Property Center. I have an Associates Degree in International Business from Sacred Heart College in the Cayo District. 

I have lived in Santa Elena my entire life and see no reasons to ever leave. I enjoy meeting people and learning about them and where they come from. 

My personal cell phone number is:  001 (from N. America) – (501) – 632 – 3789 or you can email me at:   tiffany@belizepropertycenter.com. I am here to help to make your relocation to Belize an adventurous and easy one.