Best Buy on the "Right" Caribbean Island | Pathfinder International

Friday, August 14, 2009

Dear Reader,

A home on a Caribbean island can be an expensive buy—if you’re on the wrong island. You’ll pay more than $800,000 for a fairly average condo in Bermuda…and more than $600,000 for something similar in St. John on the U.S. Virgin Islands. But on my favorite Caribbean island—a nicer place to spend time than those other islands—you can buy a home for $100,000.

I’m talking about Ambergris Caye off the coast of Belize. Here you can watch the waves break on the barrier reef from white-sand beaches. This is picture postcard Caribbean. Divers and snorkelers come to explore its spectacular 176-mile barrier reef—the largest coral reef in the Western Hemisphere. Sport fishermen enjoy a bounty of snapper, grouper, barracuda, bonito, tuna, kingfish, sailfish, and marlin. Some of us just like to chill out here. The relaxed way of life here is infectious.

What really sets Ambergris apart is the people. English-speaking, it is a melting pot of descendants of pirates, slaves, and conquistadores. There’s a quirkiness and edge to the people. They draw on diverse ancestry for unique traditions of music and storytelling. With Ambergris, you won’t be looking in on these traditions from the outside. You will be invited in. You can immerse yourself in the local community. There is no language barrier. The locals embrace diversity.

You won’t want or need a car here. Golf carts are the principal means of transportation. San Pedro (the main town) is well served with cafés, bars, restaurants and shops. There’s more to Ambergris however than enjoying a bottle of Guinness (yes, Guinness is considered a national drink here) with a new friend. Tennis, fitness and diving clubs will keep you active and quickly connect you with new expat and local friends.

Last year Islands magazine selected Ambergris as one of the 10 best islands to live on, describing it as “an affordable paradise in the Caribbean.” You can buy a condo three blocks from the beach for $100,000 (in fact, $99,999) that gives you access to a beach club, and fitness and country club facilities.

The head of sales at this project is Ann Kuffner. Over the past 10 years, she has owned property and started a business in Belize, and now lives there full-time. If you’d like to talk to her about these $100,000 condos…or about life on Ambergris, she’ll be happy to talk to you.

Ronan McMahon

P.S. Belize received its independence from Britain in 1981—and inherited the British legal system. As a result, Belizean law places almost no restrictions on foreign ownership of real estate, and so buying property here is easy for North Americans. To learn more about some of the most affordable property in the Caribbean, contact Ann today.

Best Buy on the “Right” Caribbean Island