All investors, take note:

A huge chunk of North Caye Caulker lands has come up for sale. The property is 53.3 acres in size, and has 2000 ft. of sea frontage. Asking price is $1.2 mil U.S. financed as follows: $.5 Mil down, and the balance financed at 10% over 10 years.

Interested parties please e-mail belizeanthings@yahoo.com

Cheers,
Wendy

sheesh, how can they sell that much land when they haven't finished giving pieces to the locals?

Private land. Not government land. You can't give what you don't own.

LOL
Here we go with the land issue....again!
And who would this property belong to?

And what is your commission on this one Wendy?

So who owns the property?

?? ??

Who own's it? Someone that does not have a computer, maybe?

Wendy and I both represent Southwind Properties on Caye Caulker as agents and we have the listing. The private land owner is a non-belizean and has this land in the family from the 1960's, if you want to buy it you only need to contact Southwind properties in San Pedro or Caye Caulker..southwind@btl.net. For other listings in Belize, see Southwind website.

Commissions are discussed between property owners and listing agents if the previous poster has any clue about real estate and quite frankly nobody else's business.

Have a nice day!

yup, yup, yup, yup

The avg. real estate broker fee here is around 10%. That's not a secret and they all operate pretty much around the same figure. It IS a valid question and one that should be asked right up front when discussing real estate.Times are tuff and slow right now...so you may be able to shave a few percentage points off that, but don't bet on it.

What Tina or Wendy would make as a referring agent FOR southwind is their business.
Southwinds commission however is common knowledge.

You could pretty much live very comfortably for the rest of your life in Belize on that figure. LOL I know I could.
Hell, contact me and I'll sell it to you at 5% fee!! LOL

Of course it should be mentioned that Southwind will most likely get the major part of that fee. Naturally!

You do not have to have a real estate license in Belize to sell real estate. Anyone can hang a sign out and call themselves a real estate agent. Buyer Beware!!

You MUST investigate the property thoroughly and make sure you go to Belmopan and see with your OWN eyes that it has been registered and is FREE & CLEAR. Make sure the taxes have been paid as well.
DO NOT leave this up to anyone else to do...not a lawyer or an agent. Do it yourself!...and get copies of everything.

Real estate here is tricky but if you do your homework you can get some good deals.

My first question concerning this particular parcel would be how much of it is viable land? It will more than likely need to be surveyed again unless it has had one in the past year. Surveys are expensive and I would ask that the owner have this done and documented. Of course there again...the best way is to see to it yourself. That is the only thing I trust here when it comes to property.
The other point that should be mentioned is that there is no infrastructure in this area so you will need to plan for the expense of alternate power and water. In my opinion that's not a bad thing. If you maintain your equipment well...you will have power and water all the time...when others on the grid don't. There again....counting on yourself to be sure things get done. You will find it's the best way here.

Just my humble opinion...




[This message has been edited by Enigma (edited 09-17-2002).]

Dear Enigma:

Thanks for your very valid points regarding buying and selling land in Belize but I regret that the tone of your e-mail makes for an interpretation that somehow the sale of this land is not valid or that the title to the land might be questionable, none of which is true.

You do honest business people a disservice making off-the-cuff comments such as those above insinuating that every business deal perpetrated by a Belizean must be crooked. I, personally, get offended by the underlying message.

Cheers,
Wendy

it seems to me, that enigma has always kinda of jealousy to those people having money. LOL

Some have it, others want it. There will always be the haves and have nots...

such as life...

You know Wendy...I've come to your defense several times on this board when people have out-in-out dissed you because I thought the comments were unfair and inappropriate for a public forum. I don't really know you personally but that really doesn't matter.
Fair is fair, and when I see unfairness I try to put a proper perspective on it and post something positive so that viewers of this board will keep their train of thought in a fair and mature manner.

I made a special point to say that it is nobody's business what commission you or Tina make on this deal. That's personal and should remain so.

I haven't a clue what the hell "ENVY" is talking about. I don't see a shred of anything even remotely resembling jealousy in my post...so I choose to completely disregard his/her comment. Not even important!

The basis for my whole post was to give accurate information on real estate buying in Belize....IN GENERAL. Whether it is this parcel or some piece of land in Cayo, it doesn't matter.

There is no such thing as a "buyer broker" here. In the states you can have a broker that represent you, the buyer...and then there is an agent for the seller. Both make money. You do not have that protection here so it is YOUR responsibility as the buyer to safegaurd your investment. If you don't then you have no one to blame but yourself.

I am not implying that all real estate deals in Belize are crooked or are intentionally a rip off. All I am saying is that because of the nature of the real estate market here and the laws governing the sales of real estate and the way records are kept here....SHIT HAPPENS! Whether it was intentional or just through a lack of proper handling is beside the point.

Nobody is pointing a finger at you so you have no reason to be defensive.

It should be also noted that out of all of the real estate companies in Belize, probably 3 quarters of them are owned by Non-Belizeans. Your comment about deals by Belizeans being crooked was NOT implied in my post. That is obviously an issue you need to deal with...not me. I personally have had worst dealings with foreigners who seem to have a knack for capitalizing on the shortcomings of the way things are done here.
It is not the Belizeans that you will most likely be taken by.

I hope this clears things up and as I said previously, do your homework and you can probably find a good deal.

Well said, no matter where you buy property in the world...Buyer Beware...do your due diligence. The money you save could mean the difference between a good deal and a rip-off. Hey i have some land for sale in Florida...has just a little water on it though....They sell this stuff to the snow-birds all the time...FWIW

I don't think there was any finger pointing Wendy...and good luck, i hope you can sell the land....Good for you if you do!

Regards

Capt. Bill

That was some very good and useful information Enigma....I didn't see anything negative in it at all.

MR

Dear Enigma:

I appreciate the response and my apologies if no disrespect was meant in your post.

For the record, the land does have a clear registered title, has been surveyed recently, and in fact, is in the process of having a subdivision approval on it. This is one tract of land only which is located on North CC. Some of it is low swampy land, but the majority of it is buildable land. This is virgin land with coconut trees and natural habitation found on coral islands. It has not been cleared. It has about 2000 ft. of seafront (facing the reef). It is located adjacent to (directly south of) the forest reserve on North CC.

Its an excellent investment opportunity for someone who is interested in an eco-resort development of some kind.

The price is fairly cheap for this type of property, but the owner financing is what makes it especially attractive.

BTW, both Tina and I sell properties. We do not only refer clients to Southwind, we are also authorized to list, show and sell properties.

As to "envy"'s post, I wouldn't worry about that too much. If I am correct in my belief, "envy" is the lunatic woman that has been cluttering up this board with all her negative posts. Marty has put a BOLO out for her posts.

Hope this clears things up.

Cheers,
Wendy

I'm sure it's a nice parcel of land. I've seen the north end by plane and although a lot of it is covered with bush, what I could see looked nice. As you said it still needs to be cleared.

If there has been a recent survey done, then that is a plus. Although the price per acre (22,500 approx.) is not bad, buying the whole tract for $1.2 mil may be difficult for anyone except a developer or a very wealthy individual with money to burn.
With the terms of the deal, the payments would work out to around $9,250 US a month for 120 months. Not to mention the total interest paid on the loan would be around $460,000 US. There would be no way I would pay that kind of interest...ever...on anything.

Is the owner willing to divide the parcel up? You may stand a better chance of selling that way. Maybe have one large plot for a developer and then acre parcels for the rest? Just a thought.

Hey..if you girls can sell it...more power to you! LOL Can I have a job as your Limo driver when you do??? LOL

I think breaking the property up would make it easier to sell also. 10% is a bit high in todays marketplace for financing, so if the lots were around 1/2 to 1 acre...10% would not be quite so bad because the amount financed would be lower. The thing is to zone the land...so the owners have to build a certain way...i.e. concrete...or whatever...some sort of standard. Perhaps use solar, wind or other way to generate power. Water is also an issue. Caye Chapel can make more water than they can use, perhaps this could be done on the northside of CC also. FWIW

Capt.

The type of water system you choose will depend on the quality of the land and the location on the 53.5 acres you decide to build on. Reverse Osmosis systems are great here because we never run out of seawater, but they are pricey and must be maintained meticulously. I personally think the initial investment in a good RO system is worth it's weight in gold. You can live without a lot of things but water is not one of them.

You can also do a combination of rain catchment and a well. A well is ok if you can find good water and there is occaisional maintenance that needs to be done with that as well. They do wells differently here than in the states and about once every year or so you will need to dig out the silt that filters in or it will start stinking from decaying plant materials. You will know when it's time because you will smell it when you take a shower. LOL Also using one of those floating pool chlorinators with chlorine tablets works well. This water is not usually drinkable though so you will need to have access to bottled water or even a small under-the-counter R.O. system for your drinking and cooking water.

When we go through a dry spell the well may also get low and start to smell. This is when you utilize your rain catchment storage.
Rainwater is great. If you have a house with a roof large enough to collect huge amounts each time it rains, with sufficient storage capacity, you may be able to use rain water as your primary source and the well as backup.

Keep in mind all three systems require electricity for a pump to run them.

The best way to plan for your infrastructure is to imagine a worst case scenario. Don't forget any details. If you do, you will be reminded of them the first time a hurricane (worst-case-scenario)hits. LOL
Been there...done that!

There is a good website for off-the-grid products and supplies. It used to be called Jade Mountain. It has now merged with a company called Real Goods and can be found at: http://www.realgoods.com/renew/

They have everything you could possibly need to be self sustaining.

I have a schematic drawing for a household rain catchment system. If anyone would like it just email me at enigma@belizemail.net

Cheers! (as Wendy says )

Your right on the mark enigma. RO is the way to go, but requires work to keep it functioning to specifications. There is a membrane that needs to be backflushed every so often or the unit will blow up...i.e. stop working. Rain water would be fine for the toilets and showers...and the ro for drinking.

guess we got off the subject just a little tho...

Good luck Wendy....

Hi Wendy! Is this land south of the Caye Caulker Forest Reserve?
It is nice to see so many eco conscious people reading this, I hope the developer who buys the land shares the quality.
Allie

[This message has been edited by Ragga Gal (edited 09-19-2002).]

If you put one or two plastic barrels up under your eave as high as possible by the drain pipe, you will have clean rainwater to drink. It flows to our sink with no pump. We have never run out. Best drink on earth and it falls free from the sky.

Yep...Keycocker....skyjuice!
I've drank lots of rain water before, and still will in a pinch.

I got to thinking one day about rainwater and the thought crossed my mind about what actually goes into the rain barrel.
The normal stuff like dust and salt residue from the roof is ok...it all disolves or settles to the bottom...no big deal.
But then I got to thinking about birds flying over and crapping on the roof, LOL.
For some reason, I just have an aversion to drinking anything that has crap in it.

If I had never thought of it, it wouldn't bother me, but I did and now I have a hard time drinking it without thinking of bird caca. LOL The mind can be cruel sometimes eh?

The very first time I came to Belize I stayed in a house called Casa Bonita on Ambergris Caye. Nice place, great floor plan.
They had a rain barrel and the maid would fill up a gallon pitcher every morning and put it in the fridge for us. They just used a tap on the barrel itself.
The showers, toilets and kitchen sink were on a well.
I drank that rainwater for a whole week thinking it was the neatest thing in the world to be able to drink nice clean water from heaven. LOL

Oh well, such is life!
Now I just spend my pennies on bottled water.

Actually you need a that trace of nitrogen from doodoo to keep the tank healthy.It is fairly complex. The nitrogen is absorbed by the algae.They keep the tank water full of oxygen. Oxygen breathing bacteria are the good ones that eat the bad germs.
There was never enough caca in my water to show in the many tests I have had run on my rainwater
It is perhaps worth noting that humans drank nothing but rain for a half million years both direct and from streams, up until our grand parents time.
Bottled water came to CC about 10 years ago. Many folks made jokes at the idea of tourists buying water when it was plenty and free for sky juice.
Now many locals buy it though most say rainwater tastes better. Rain is nice in the shower too.

I grew up on rain water....had a big vat in the yard...bathe, drink, cook, wash and am still alive and well lol.

MR

I feel much better now keycocker after that bio lesson. I'm sure you are absolutely right, it's just a mental thing you know. LOL

I love rain water in the bath. It does wonderful things for your hair!

yada yada yada

B anal you have great communication skills. you really make your log in name proud.

how about trying to rally the government into buying back the land and selling it back to the people who rightfully should possess these lands even if it has to be through payments.i'm sure that they would get back their money in less than forthy years, lets face it whoever buys this property most likely will retail it at a price locals cannot afford or put a big resort with a sign that says "private beach and dock, guests only".i would be pleased to know that these "local girls" even considered the idea of regaing these properties for their offsprings rather than trying to gain a comission.just a thought, keep smiling my peoples, holla back!

LOL
You ever tried to rally this government to do anything???

Good luck!

Actually this was a 200+ acre land which the gov acquired from his family for the public good. Part is lots for the people and part is the Forest Reserve for the people. The fifty acres is the private part that is left.
This is part of the natural process where some land belonging to foreigners is now Belizian owned and some Belizians sell land to foreigners. This going on between Belizians and Americans in the USA as well as England, Canada etc.
The important thing about local sovereignity is that smart honest Belizians step up and take a leadership role. Thanks to Betito for recognizing this and others like him. They are our hope.

Hi All,

I was just thinking about that land. At about 22,500 USD per acre, it looks like it is too expensive for that amount of land. In a large parcel like that i would think the price would be more around 12-15k per acre. What makes it costly is the ocean frontage...but even with that figured in....the price still looks high to me.

It will take a very large sum of money to get the land ready to build. There are no utilities...so a generator is needed. Some of the land will most likly need fill....the list can go on and on. And you will need a boat just to get supplies from across the split. Looks like the price of the land is the lowest cost...the rest will need a lot more money for infrastruture.

But if you had that kind of money....what a great place to build.

FWIW

Interesting discussion. I'm also hoping that whoever buys it, whole or divided, keeps some of the "green" ideas in mind.

I heard an interesting news report today re: the state of our oceans. Not too good, the scientists say (again). Seems the world loses 40,000 miles of coastal land each year. sure, that's a lot, but for some reason, I thought it would be more. what no one calculated for the report was the year we'd run out at the current rate.

Just out of curiosity, is there any power generated from wind or water (surf) on the island? anywhere in BZE? I'm sure big storms & esp. hurricanes limit the possibilities. I've read about systems that can be dismantled pretty quickly so they aren't torn apart in such situations. I would imagine they are pretty expensive. Is there any tax break or duty exemption for "green" or sustainable methods?

we run the whole eletricity by solar-power, lights, fan, water-pump, tools, everything. It is really easy and after the first investment for the solar-equipment the power is for free. This year we will add a little wind-generator. The same type which are used at sail-boats. they are quiet, water-resistant and very effective and easy to install and reinstall in case of storms.

We also get our water by rain-water-system, clean and good water. The toilet-water we take from a well.

All water-pumps run by 12 Volt and the pressure is as hight as from 110 Volt.

The fridge we use works with butan but also with 12 Volts or 110 Volts - that means you can choose what you like to use.

The only critical point by Solar- and Windpower is the battery. Batteries are expensive and will normaly not last much longer than 5 to 7 years. Old Batteries can be renewed by Renco Batterie Factory in Belize.

If somenone is interested in further information how to us solar- and windpower, i can give you some ideas how to do.

I'm curious about your solar setup.

How many panels do you have in your array? What size are they? How much power are you generating? How many batteries are you using and what size are they? Do you have them hooked up in series or parallel? Are you using all 12v or are you converting your power to 110v? If you are using 110v what kind of inverter are you using?

Regarding your windpower setup, what windspeed does it take to generater the power? What is the expected output?

Ah, so many questions, sorry. It is a subject that I am very interested in.

hi helper
see my reply under topic solar