AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Belize Life Living in Belize Real Estate Advice

i don't live there, i'm just a tourist. but based on what you say you're looking for, if i were you, i'd have to agree with jzb - north of the cut by at least 2 miles, 3 miles/+ south of town, or the west side.

at that point, you'd have to think of how far from town or how remote you want to be. even tho you're familiar with belize and cc, you really do have to go and spend a week or two on AC to get the lay and feel of the land. i think each area possesses unique charms.

and of course, yes, use a reputable realtor - there are several well-recommended ones available there.

Cancon08 - As someone that has been going down to Belize for the last decade, at least once, and sometimes several times a year, you sound a lot like me. I looked on the mainland, AC, CC and Placencia extensively. I finally purchased on AC in the Tres Cocos area which is about 1 mile (give or take a bit) north of the bridge. I have gone literally all the way to both ends of the island, and there are lots of great areas, all depending on what you're looking for. As a typical gringo, I wanted ocean front, not only for the view, but mainly for the tradewinds. After MUCH searching, I decided on the TC area for several reasons. It's both close enough and far away enough from town for me. Even more important, the golf cart ride much further is brutal, extremely bumpy in dry season and swimming with your cart in rainy season. You can easily overcome that obstacle with a boat. The further north you get, the more isolation and better wildlife you'll get. I like the neighborhood feel and security of TC, where you have your own space, neighbors are not nosy and are extremely helpful if and/or when you need it. Turned out to be the best of everything I was looking for. Some seclusion, wildlife, outstanding views of the water, excellent neighbors, close enough for shopping and nightlife when I want it, etc. I looked long and hard at the south end of town as well, and there are some great areas there as well, but again, for me I love the north end for lots more reasons than the south end. And for a real estate agent, my highest recommendations go to Sunrise Realty, Amanda or Chris. Best of wishes in your search. I think you'll love it as much as the rest of us do. :-)
Feel free to PM me if you'd like to chat in more specific detail.

1 mile north of the bridge is out of many people's price range and there is very limited availabilty in that area. "Seclusion" and "wood housing" are not terms I would associate with that area.

Although the south end is developing at a much slower pace than the north end, there is not a tremendous selection there either if someone is seeking "seclusion".

The west side has tons of available property, plenty of "seclusion" but............it's on the west side.

It may still be considered Caribbean Sea front to some folks but I personally think it's more like "bay" front.

Prices on CC are far below prices on AC.

It all boils down to how deep are your pockets?

I own way down south because that is what my pockets would allow.

If I had the deep pockets to be closer to town then I would be. Close to town reef side either north or south are both great!

gabby - LUCKY YOU! tres cocos is really lovely and far more lush than town - its perhaps my favorite area on AC. if i had any money (which i dont) that is where i would like to be.

that said, i don;t think of it as being particularly secluded. that was why i suggested 2+ miles north of the cut (or at least north of Palapa Bar).

*sigh* i wish....

If your goal is to be on the beach Tres Cocos does not have much in the way of options (available options). South does have many options and offers some things that you just can't have on the north side such as City water, and a road that has access to town via taxi, golf cart and or bicycle. No bridge and no fees.

I live south and work in town and I can tell you that when I leave town I am happy to get home where in some cases I will not see a sole for several days. The waterfront on the south is more disconnected and so you don't get any traffic at all on the beach. This is also true to some extent in Tres Cocos but beyond Tres Cocos you will get several hundred people a day walking, riding and driving in front of your home. This is not always a problem but if you are looking for peace and quiet that may hamper it.

The north side other than Tres cocos has resorts every few hundred yards to that will also increase the traffic.

as a realtor my advice is speak with a realtor from MLSambergriscaye.com, make arrangments to come down and have them give you the tour by boat and by road. This will allow you to experience what each of these areas has to offer.

Once you are comfortable with a realtor then they will do all the work and find and show you properties that are in your price range and that offer the characteristics that you are looking for. Any of those realtors will point you in the right direction.

What I am saying is you need to come down and have someone show you around!

Good luck.

I suggest renting for a little while in several areas before buying property.

There is a big difference between Caye Caulker and San Pedro in many ways other than pricing and location. It seems to me that you need to decide what you want in a place, then you look for it. I'm just about finished building a house on the north island of Caye Caulker but it took quite awhile to decide that was where I wanted my house. The south island has more amenities than the north island, Ambergris Caye has more and San Pedro even more. They also have different levels of seclusion. I'm sure that the same can be said for other sections of Belize. Before buying I spent time in both CC and SP and also was down in Placencia and Dangriga. All of these places have both good and bad realtors. Once you find the area then you can find the realtor. Its hard for a realtor to find you a place if you don't know what you're looking for. And make sure you know how much money you want to spend. If you want a house that is yours don't rent while your not there. This also means you need to have some sort of caretaker especially if you're looking in a secluded location. As others have said you have to go pretty far north to get sanctuary and privacy, peace and quiet. That also means boats to get back and forth and most likely having you house built by a Belizean contractor in a place very difficult to build. Remember the more isolated the property the harder it is to build and the most costly. Just building on the north island of CC added a considerable amount to the building cost, including providing my own power and water. Good luck.

I'd buy used and leave the many headaches of building to others. That way you know exactly what you're getting.

Buying is easier but you still need to figure out where you want to live. And the more remote the location of that house the more expensive it'll be. Someone had to pay to get the materials to the site to buiuld the house.

I would agree if you were talking lagoon front, but the west peninsula is actually very beautiful. It has some of the best beaches on the island and I would buy out there in a second if I could afford it, and if there were electricity. The view is nothing like a bay. You are looking upon wide open sea with a few spotted islands in the distance. Beautiful.