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Terms are like half down and half over tens years. It took me 3 months to get title after paying everything off. By the way I am in England

If your lawyer was doing his/her job, you wouldnt be here asking questions. JMHO

I also do not understand what it means when a lawyer offers to 'conduct the closing on my behalf'. Who else would do it and does that mean more are costs involved...? This is always automatically done by the lawyers here in North America and included in their fee, so again this is confusing to me...

Why not ask your lawyer?

I made an offer and put down 10% deposit (later found out it should have been 2%) and signed an agreement for sale. They asked me for a closing date and asked them if 3 months was long enough, they said yes. If you do not pay the rest by the closing date, they keep the 10% and resell. In the next 3 months I had a lawyer in Belize City draw up a proper contract. I took mine over terms and when I came to sell I had to pay off the first party, so I could then have the title changed into our names, it was then free and clear. The closing cost was about BZ$1,200. I would have your lawyer do a title search to make sure it is free and clear and it is the owner of the property that is selling it to you. The problem I have found out with Belize is everybody has a different story to tell.

Thank you Inplub. I had been in touch with another lawyer who never mentioned closing dates, therefore another reason for my confusion.

The way I understand it, if the papers are all executed and the taxes paid up and title signed over after being throughly checked, then the buyer pays the price in full (at least in my case) to the seller and then the rest of the papers get filed with the government. So, as for the closing date - I still don't understand when that kicks in and what that means in Belize. Once I pay the funds and the title is signed over I expect the place to be mine, no? Or is the closing date to give them time to collect their things? The buyer in this case is overseas so no need for that, and everything in the house remains and there is no construction happening.

It's true, there is always a different story depending on who you talk to. Hence the confusion!

The seller wants you to pay a 10% deposit down and then a closing date everything will be done by. It is so if you back out in the next 3 months or so, you have not wasted their time and then they have to sell it again. Once a date has been set you have to make sure the deal is done before that date or you will loose your deposit. That is why you have to be careful when you set the date. You should talk to the seller and if he know he will get the full amount then he can make the date more flexible.

It can get complicated when something goes wrong. For example, I live in England and paid the owner into a bank in the USA, the property is in Belize, which court in which country do I fight my case. That is why you need a good lawyer in Belize.

M<ake sure you have a Belizean lawyer, the laws governing real estate transactions are very different in Belize than what you know in the states. Lan's book has a chapter on how to buy real estate in Belize. Several of the real estate agents have a short how to on buying in Belize. I believe that the process is fairly standard and only becomes complicated when things aren't as transparent as you would like. From closing to having my deed took about 3 months. Others have taken much longer. As with real estate transactions anywhere in the world, be careful and have a lawyer you trust.

Thanks guys. All good advice. If you close and are simply waiting for your deed, can you now live in the house and are you now responsible for the taxes?

Once the title is signed over to you are you and the seller finally done, even though it takes awhile for the deed to come through? I was told it took about 8 weeks.

Is Lan's book fairly up to date? Things can change overnight it seems...