In 2014 we decided to make a visit to Belize. Leading up to that, we had been considering buying a property in a location where we could imagine ourselves eventually retiring.
Regardless of this interesting side adventure, the overall the location in Corozal just didn’t speak to us. So, when we finally ditched our rental car and made our way via puddle jumper to the island of Ambergris Caye, we had high hopes—but remained pretty skeptical—that it would somehow contain all the elements of a perfect retirement and investment location.
After a quick 20-minute plane ride (10 flights per day leave from Corozal as well as Belize City), we arrived on the island of Ambergris Caye, also known as “Isla Bonita” (yes, the same one from the Madonna song).
The location of this Ambergris Caye Beachfront Real estate was called, get this, “Secret Beach”! I mean, who wouldn’t want to live in a place called Secret Beach?!
It was difficult to tell exactly what we were looking at, since the land was filled with trees, and the beachfront property wasn’t much of a “beach.” It was kind of a rock slab, with little actual sand.
Basically in the middle of nowhere, with potentially no electricity, on a piece of land that we couldn’t actually see through all the trees? We couldn’t even be certain where our property ended and the next plot began!
Why Did We Lean Toward Ambergris Caye Belize Real Estate for Our Investment?
1) Variety
It had everything a person needed for a peaceful (or adventurous) retirement or vacation… including golf carts, snorkeling, diving, and yoga retreats.
Why Did We Lean Toward Ambergris Caye Belize Real Estate for Our Investment?
2) Perfect Size
The town wasn’t crowded, but there was enough bustle to make you feel like there was some action going on. It was quiet but you could find parties and live music if you wanted.
So we threw most of our fears aside and said…SUUURRREE. Why not? The process to purchase the piece of land was actually simple, and I’m still not sure if thats a good or bad thing. It took us all of about fifteen minutes to fill out the paperwork with electronic signatures on our iPad.
We sold the property for 170K and netted a respectable 45K (41.62%) profit after all fees and closing costs. And since it was all done in a tax-deferred account, we didn’t have to pay any taxes!