New members of the Belize forum, introduce yourself here — 2017

ccaetano14 wrote:

Hey everyone!  I'm planning on moving to Belize (Placencia to be specific) this spring. 

I'm thinking of driving down from Canada and was wondering what the costs are for duty on all personal belongings and the vehicle I'd be driving down.  I've tried to find this info online but the results aren't clear.  Thanks in advance!

This might help...

webportal.atlasintl.com/Customs%20Docs/belize.pdf

ccaetano14 wrote:

Thanks sloputtputt!  That was a great help!

You are welcome!!

CayeCaulker2017Maybe wrote:

Hello, we are Lorrie & Brad, from CT, USA.  We're considering retiring/moving to Caye Caulker by the end of 2017.!

Sounds like you have a good plan, however before buying any property I would suggest taking  7-10 days to rent a car driving to other parts of the country just to gain confidence  there isn't another place that might just be an even better fit. I did not plan it out, just played it by ear, day by day. Not only can it be educational, informative, fun and entertaining, but when other folks mention some of these places you will have a better idea of what they are talking about.

My first trip to Belize in 2006 was a 7 day sail on a 70ft Catamaran out of san Pedro to several smaller Cays with I think  4 days back in San Pedro itself. I have been to many Caribbean islands and at one time almost bought a condo in Antigua.  I immediately liked Belize, except the San Pedro area was just way too touristy for me.

Next year was a similar trip out of Placencia. I liked it a lot so went back almost every year for a couple weeks at a time until 2015 when I retired and was able to do three trips with the last trip that year spending December in Placencia. During October I realized there were many other areas I only knew on a map, so before I bought property I did what I suggested, rented a car, spent almost two weeks visiting other areas of Belize a day or more at a time.

By looking at other areas, I confirmed to myself that Placencia was where I wanted to spend most of my time in Belize. So early 2016  I bought a little ocean view house in the Village, 450 ft to the beach.

PS: not trying to sell you on Placencia, just on the idea of looking abound as much as you can before buying anyplace.

CayeCaulker2017Maybe wrote:

Again, if anyone knows of, or has information about long term rental properties on Caye Caulker, please post or PM us with details.

http://www.longtermlettings.com/find/re … e_Caulker/

CayeCaulker2017Maybe wrote:

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, well taken and appreciated.  In regards to the post by sloputtputt, we have visited every Caye Caulker realtor website and are familiar with most properties and land plots available on the island.  What we were hoping for was information, or direct contacts, for any possible long term rental properties that might be available, starting in Fall 2017.

CayeCaulker2017Maybe
While all the suggestions are certainly correct here, I think you are aware of these things and that you and your wife have already made a mutual decision of where you want to initially land (so while these suggestions are valid for others who might read the thread in the future, they're probably not helpful to you). If I read your initial and follow up qualifications of your question correctly, you are looking to find direct contacts with property owners that rent them out long term.

I would suggest posting an ad in the "classifieds" found under the "Handy Tools" tab at the top of the page. Be as specific as you can about what you are looking for. I don't have any direct contacts on Caye Caulker, but if you would like to private message me I would be happy to provide some other options to help you get your actual question answered.

VNGRDV wrote:

Hi everyone,
We are Ark and Elena, live in New West, BC. Considering moving to Belize when we get retired. Maybe it's time to start gathering all pluses and minuses together to decide if Belize is a good option for us...
We are planning to come over to San Pedro in March 23-27 and try to get as much info as possible. We already have a reservation in hotel. It would be great to meet some of you guys and besides having some beer discuss how you managed to settle down in Belize and get to know some tips of what to pay attention at... Would appreciate any feedback from you, Belizeans...

Ark and Elena;
Welcome to the Belize Forum. You will find many perspectives to FAQ's in previous threads as well as in some of the blogs found under the "COMMUNITY" tab at the top of the page.

This forum is a great start to ask questions and to access the plus and minuses of life in Belize. But I often say that while you can maybe make a decision that Belize is not for you online, the decision that it is for you can only be made after extended visits away from the comforts of the resorts.

The things to pay attention to are, well.................... everything. The biggest mistake that many expats often make is to assume that anything in Belize is the same as back in Canada or the US. It is estimated that as many as 40% -50% of expats end up leaving within the first year and even more by the end of the second year. While Belize has been everything that we had for, "the reasons that many of us love Belize, ironically, are the exact same reasons many others leave".

As Katzgar has correctly pointed out in the previous comment, many things such as Real Estate, Health Care, location, Security, Cultural differences, etc. need to be accessed based upon your individual reality, expectations, and comfort levels.

If you are looking to get different perspectives, I would encourage you to explore the various regions of Belize. The country is quite diverse geographically and San Pedro is not necessarily a true gauge of typical life for most of us in Belize.

I encourage you to ask many question of as many people as possible. Let us know how we can be of further assistance in your due diligence research process.

I Hope this helps.

ann_eliese wrote:

Hi all!
I've been planning a move (slowly) for over a year now and am getting close to getting my final preparations in order. My main goal is to find somewhere to live (that's how I found this site). Looking forward to reading others experiences and learning, it's a huge leap! My plan is to semi-retire (I work remotely).

My biggest concern is making the move with my older cat, but we will figure it out.

After checking out a few places, I think somewhere near Placienda or Hopkins area is where I'm targeting. Safety is always a concern for me living alone.

so much of what you need depends on your criteria which you provide a bit of.  Be sure you investigate your internet needs in the various areas you are interested in.    I know people work remotely from Ambergris Caye but not sure in other areas.  Southern Belize is wetter then northern Belize.  Things like couriering sticks back north and serious surge protectors may be needed.