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The
Toledo District has long been considered the last outpost not
only to adventure travelers but also in the eyes of many to the
Belize government ministry charged with the task of overseeing
the allocation of the precious budgetary dollars aimed at marketing
the country to the rest of the world. For years the travel guidebooks
offered little encouragement for tourist venturing south, always
over-emphasizing the ample rainfall as well as the mosquito population
inherent to Toledo.
In actuality, the travel writers could not be further from the truth. For the reality is that there is more natural beauty, more pristine rivers and preserved lands to explore, more varieties of flora and fauna, more Belize Maya archeological sites and more cultural diversity in the Toledo District than in any other part of Belize And with the Southern Highway almost completely paved less the ten mile stretch from Golden Stream to Big Falls, with the electrical power lines now in place the entire distance, the overall perception regarding the Toledo District is starting to change for the better. This reality along with real estate values and prices in Placencia and the Cayo as well as on the islands of Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker soaring, more and more investors are looking south to the Toledo District. |
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No
doubt, the Toledo boom is in full gear. In fact, the first Toledo
District real estate agent of record was Century 21's agent Mario
Chavarria who also works as Administrator with the Punta Gorda
Town Council. Mario has been marketing Toledo properties for several
years. And as of November 2004, two new real estate offices have
now opened along Front Street in Punta Gorda and 'for sale' signs
continue to pop up from Barranco to Columbia to Jacintoville.
Gilbert Edwards, owner and operator of Tropical Mayan Real Estate opened the first office along the seashore during the summer of 2004 and now has signs posted from the outskirts of Belize City to Independence Village to PG. On the Internet, SouthernBelizeRealEstate.com represents only Toledo District properties. They offer their service, a unique 'for sale by owner' website. For around BZ$400.00 property owners can post descriptive text and digital photographs until their property is sold. They will either forward leads generated by the site to the property owners, or they allow the owners to post their own e-address and telephone number to receive the leads directly. BELIZEmagazine.com surveyed many of the agencies and property marketers offering Toledo properties for this article. Our research reflects that for years many of the locals in and around Punta Gorda, the capital of the district, acquired lands from other residents who had leased properties. Because of the depressed economy, many of these individuals were able to buy the leased lands for drastically reduced prices versus the current market value. They then presented surveys to the land office in Belmopan. The land office in turn sets prices in which the lease holders can purchase the tracts which made their holdings real 'titled' property. Today, many of these same individuals turn to the real estate agents like Gilbert with Tropical Mayan Real Estate or veteran agent Mario of Century 21 or to the services offered by www.SouthernBelizeRealEstate.com to manage the marketing and sales aspect of their real property. Our survey also found that a potential buyer can purchase two acres ocean front in Punta Gorda in 2004 for US$ 180,000.00, while a twenty (20) acre tract of land can be purchased just outside San Pedro Columbia village for US$ 22,000.00. A 200 acre tract located along the Moho River was available for US$ 150,000.00 or about US$ 750.00 per acre. The BELIZEmagazine.com team found on the Internet an oceanfront tourist hotel in Punta Gorda that is currently being marketed for sale for over one million US dollars. Compared to what you will find in the same price range on Ambergris or Caulker or Placencia, even that hotel is a bargain. It should be noted that closing cost and agency representative commission fees as well as legal council will add an additional 8 to 12.5 percent to the price per acre, depending upon who you work with and how the transaction is structured. The end result, both Belizeans as well as ex-patriots from the United States to Canada to Europe are now able to buy outright titled lands for a fraction of the cost of property in the more developed parts of Belize. Indeed, the Toledo land boom is on and if the values of owning your piece of paradise in the beach communities like Placencia or the island towns like San Pedro are any indication, you best start your land search sooner than later. |
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