I'm gonna rant here for a bit...so bare with me.

I watched a documentary the other day, "Which Way Home" about children from honduras, guatemala, and mexico who risk their lives to travel to the US on the roof of a freight train in order to then cross the desert by themselves. 20% mortality rate. children...as young as 6. As i watched, i saw villages that i've personally seen in my travels and they also look exactly like the kind we see all over our lovely belize. HOwever, while i've heard of adults ocassionally trying to get to the US, its so seldom, and they usually come back, realizing they love belize most of all.

then, later that day, i stopped in a bar on the beach i hadnt stopped in for a bit. There was this guy standing there bitchin up a storm. Calling belizeans all sorts of names (meanwhile, he's standing at the bar, tended by my friends, who are belizean!. Making grand sweeping generalizations about the entire country and its people. Then, he goes on to say he'd "Never recommend anyone invest in Belize".

Did i mention he owns a business here?

I looked at him, said, "I dont think we've met". He stuck out his hand and told me his name. I didnt take his hand, instead i said "Joe (not his name), I understand that you dont like the people here, and you dont think people should invest and move here, so honestly, you chose to be here, you dont like it LEAVE. Seriously, get the f&#^ out!"

He responded saying how much more expensive it is to buy here relative to Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica... blah blah blah

the thing is...those places, their children are trying for better lives by risking them. Their governments are in complete turmoil, there's been a coup, guerillas, all sorts of stuff...and here we sit, with the support and protection of England, with a democratic (if not young) government, in an english speaking country.

so, really, is nicaragua, costa rica, guatemala "cheaper". Well, i suppose, if you think cheaper is better...but honestly, less costly is different than cheaper. There are AMAZING deals and reasonable prices in this country.

Why are we comparing ourselves to the rest of central america, when really, we should be comparing ourselves to Hawaii or Bermuda or someplace like them in many regards. Sure, we lack some infrastructure, but then again, we are much less costly to live in than those places.

i bought my home here 3.5 years ago. If i told you what i paid then, and what its worth now, you'd say what everyone says "Damn, gial, you got a good deal". yip, yup, i did... (thanks again investinbelize.com!)

so to that big meany head dude, who OBVIOUSLY wont be here long (the island doesnt like mean people :)) i say "BITE ME!! and dont let the immigration door hitcha in the arse!"

god bless belize!

Barkeep - I'll have what Lara's having please.
:-)

So will I, if not rolled to lose

I agree with Lara! There are many other risks involved in owning property in those other Central American countries, including convoluted property laws, squatters rights, etc.
For those trying to open a business that is tourist-oriented Belize is perfect compared with those other places (maybe not Costa Rica) because it has good tourism promotion.
Now, if one wanted to open a factory, Guatemala or Nica. might have advantages due to the low cost of utilities and labor. However, Belize being an English-speaking country may be equally as advantageous. JMHO

It's not just that. If the guy is having a bad experience, it is not going to be improved based on his attitude. His attitude wasn't in the right place when he first invested.