The Belize real estate market continues to be hot. Prices have trended up in the past 10 years, and properties close to the waterfront or the inland tourist centers continue to be excellent investments.More reasons:​Beautiful semi-tropical land and climate. Only Central American country to have both english as the official language, and a well-run legal system based on english law. The belize dollar is pegged 2:1 to the us dollar (for financial discipline and inflation protection).International buyers can own property in their own name. Belize has low property taxes, low income taxes, and no capital gains tax! Owners of quality property benefit from belize’s strong vacation rental market. Beautiful forests, rivers and jungle. Honest and friendly people.

Many expatriates call this the “hidden gem” of Belize. Although it’s not on any beaches, it’s the eco-tourism center of Belize. The capital town of San Ignacio is a bustling, well-developed town that’s only an hour from Belize’s capital city of Belmopan. The Cayo District is scenic and affordable.

In Belize, foreign nationals have the same right of real estate ownership as the tropical nation’s citizens. Whether you are searching for a condo, a residential house, or vacant land, the simplicity of becoming a property owner in this country is going to take you by surprise.

You can generally expect to pay 1.5% of a property’s assessed value. That assessed value can vary from 10 to 30% of its market value depending on where it’s located.

Real estate law in Belize is pretty straightforward. Since it’s a British commonwealth, it’s based on understood principles and hasn’t had the need to overly complicate things. But you should still find some sort of representation, whether it comes in the form of a certified real estate agent or an attorney.

The Belize government has been pushing aggressively to improve migration to the country for years, and that means that retirees have access to some generous benefits. The Qualified Retirement Program serves as a streamlined pathway to citizenship that can ease the moving process and provide significant tax advantages.