Why Belize??

I know, I know...it's been a while, sorry about that!  Sooooo at the end of the last blog I promised to tell you a little bit about why we decided Belize was the place for us.  When I came to the conclusion that a lot of the other islands were just too pricey for us, I started thinking that maybe we should go and check out Belize.   The reasons were fairly simple:  the price of property was reasonable for the Carribbean, it was an English speaking country, the flight from DFW is only 3 hours, the exchange rate is simple and it has a great retirement program.

I found a new development just outside of Dangriga which is located on the mainland.  The pictures were breath taking and I liked what I saw.  After talking with one of the representatives, I decided it was time to just take the plunge and head off for a country unknown to us to do some more research.  Just as I had made up my mind to go see these wonderful villas, I started thinking that just maybe a little more research was in order.  As I searched the internet looking at properties, I came across a website called Invest in Belize.  Since the owner of that website (Tim) lived there and handles real estate, I decided to email him about a couple and see if they were still available.  After a couple of emails back and forth, we decided a phone call would be a great idea.  The more we talked, the more I learned.  He cautioned me that Belize is not for everyone.  They are known for the views more than their beaches and the only way to know for sure was to schedule a trip.  As we discussed where in the country we wanted to go, Tim impressed upon me that Ambergris Caye was the number one choice!  He told me that it had the largest expat community and that access to services and supplies was more abundant there.  It was decided....Ambergris Caye it was and soon!

Wait, what????  This is the reaction we received from our family, our friends and those who heard the news that we planned on retiring in Belize.  It's dangerous, it's a third world country, there's no good medical care were just a few of the comments for reasons they used to convince us not to leave Texas.  Okay, so maybe I should start at the beginning.....

For years I have loved the ocean, not because I'm great at water sports, I just like to look at it!! There's something soothing about miles and miles of aqua blue water, the warm sand, and the sun shining down on me.  I have a sense of freedom when I'm on a beach that I haven't found anywhere else.

My husband and I are 48 years old, relatively healthy and our kids are all grown.  I have a great career working for a private school in North Dallas and we own our own real estate and remodeling business based in Keller.  We love our life, good friends, wonderful family and an incredible marriage....the third for both of us.  Yes, it was a struggle getting to where we are now but we are very grateful for what we have now due to our turbulent pasts. 

Approximately two years ago, a week before Christmas, my husband, a master electrician and senior project manager was laid off with no notice and no severance pay.  It was a blessing in disguise!  It was just what he needed to help him jump off that cliff and into starting his own real estate investing business. We had been dabbling in it for a while and actually had our first house that we were flipping already underway.  Now he could work on it full time!!  He took real estate classes on line and got his realtors license so we could buy and sell our own properties as well as helping other realtors find "diamonds in the rough" for their clients.  We now own 8 properties. Four rental properties, one owner finance, two flips and the one we currently live in!!

Our youngest child is about to turn 19 years old and I had planned on retiring from my job at the school after she graduated which technically would have been this past May.  So late last year, we started talking about where we wanted to retire.  We knew it would be on a beach somewhere, not in the United States, a short flight and English speaking....yeah we weren't asking much!! I took to the internet and started researching.  I could not believe how expensive some of the islands were!  I will post more tomorrow about our research and how we came to the conclusion that Belize was the place for us....STAY TUNED!