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A common topic in the Belize Facebook groups is working while in the country. Many people ask: “Are there jobs there?” “Can expats work?” And “What's involved in receiving a work permit?” However, ask questions about working in Belize with caution, as incorrect wording will  surely make you the recipient of some standard invectives: “It’s illegal to work without a permit!” or “Don’t take jobs from Belizeans!”  While I don't condone either, online work often gets overlooked as a way to navigate those concerns in Belize. Whether you call it remote work or being a ‘digital nomad,’ holding a job outside of Belize offers a viable option for any expat wanting to work while in the country—though it does fall into a bit of a gray area. Changing Careers as Part of Your Move Abroad Changing careers is a challenge wherever you are in the world, and doing so while relocating to Belize only adds another hurdle to the moving process. If you have longer-term plans for getting here, consider transitioning to online work beforehand. If you can learn a new industry and skills to secure a fully remote gig that doesn’t restrict your location, you can seamlessly take your work with you without a significant loss of income.  If you choose to make the career change after you’ve moved, then be sure to factor in how long it will take you to enter a new online profession. Depending on the extent of the change, it can take anywhere from several months to more than two years to secure a position in a new industry—this was certainly the case for me— with an average of eleven months . Working in Belize While Not Working in Belize Not everyone is retired when they move to Belize, so finding reliable and consistent work is essential for financial planning and longevity. Depending on where you settle and how you choose to live, the cost of living may not be any cheaper  than in your home country, emphasizing the importance of finding work in Belize. But that doesn’t have to mean working in Belize  while working in Belize. A remote job is an excellent alternative to a boots-on-the-ground job and will likely pay better. The average hourly wage in Belize is around BZD 5 or 2.50 USD. I don't know about you, but that is a significant pay cut from what I made back home and what I currently make remotely.   If I Can Do It, So Can You Before I moved to Belize, I was a general contractor in residential renovation and construction. I closed my business shortly after leaving Canada as attempting to complete physical projects wasn’t possible for me from afar. I am now a freelance/contract web content and SEO writer . How to Transition into a New Career I am not an expert in career changes, but I have experience doing so (and am still in the process). I suggest leveraging as much of your previous work experience as possible when transitioning to online work. I leaned heavily on my construction and renovation experience when I started writing professionally. I self-published Home in Good Hands: A Homeowner’s Guide to Construction and Renovation , which won the Finalist Award in the Readers' Favorite International Book Awards . I used this experience and accolade to get a job writing SEO articles about home improvement and maintenance for a real estate brokerage on Vancouver Island. That job helped me land a client for whom I provide web content for their customers in the building supply industry. That snowballed into SEO content writing for a digital marketing start-up in LA, writing for their clients on various topics I'm unfamiliar with. I'm still acquiring clients and writing gigs but making significant progress. All these jobs are done from my home — surrounded by screaming toddlers, barking dogs, and two cats jumping all over me. Joking aside, it's great: I write articles with a beautiful view out my window, watch my kids grow up, and spend lots of time with my wife. All I need is my laptop, electricity, and an internet connection. Remote Work for All! This type of work isn't just limited to writers. There are many remote online work opportunities, from web design and telehealth to education, tutoring, minute-taking, AI training, graphic design, and more. Just think of a position; a company will probably offer a remote version of it. Some restrictions and limitations exist, like the type of work, residency, and banking requirements, but many options exist. You can find these jobs on numerous employment websites, such as Indeed, Fiverr, Wellfound, Upwork, LinkedIn, and Flexjobs, just to name a few. Filter your search for remote work on these platforms and sign up for email notifications for job positions that fulfill your requirements. Be sure to upload your resume and credentials to as many as possible, especially the free ones. Yes, it takes time to rejig your resume and input your info into all the various sites, but it's worth the effort.  Persistence is the Key to Finding Remote Work as an Expat in Belize If you decide to do something quite different from what you did in the past, as I did transitioning from on-the-job construction to remote writing, my advice is to get into the nitty-gritty of the work and regularly chip away at it. Sign up for free courses, even if they are essentially sales pitches, and take what little nugget you can get from them and expand that knowledge. If you enter a creative field, like writing, graphic design, web development, video editing, etc, then live it. Ensure you’re engaged in the work daily, especially in the early stages when you aren’t making money: it's the only way to build skills and expertise in the new field.  Scam Awareness Be aware of scams on some platforms —Upwork in particular— however, the employer screening processes are improving, and most are good. Scams (short contracts and one-off projects) are most prevalent in gig work, so use your best judgment when applying for and taking on this type of remote work. Don't do anything that doesn’t make sense, like sending the employer money in order for them to pay you. Also, don't over-commit to anything. Secure a retainer or deposit for big projects or otherwise schedule some early deliverables that require the employer to pay for the services rendered. This way, if the job is a scam, you haven’t lost too much time or resources.  Working Remotely in Belize Don't Belize Everything You Read Online (except this Blog, of course!) While researching for this article, I came across a bunch of information* about a “Digital Nomand Visa” for Belize. My initial thought was, “ bullshit! ” but I wanted to be sure. A quick visit to the Belize Immigration website, precisely the visa types page , failed to produce anything on said topic. With the smell of cow dug lingering, I decided to inquire further and contact a couple of government of Belize email addresses these questionable sites provided in their description of the ‘digital nomad visa.’ As of this writing, four days have passed with no response. Some might say, “That's Belize bureaucracy for you,” and they may be right. Still, I can't help but feel that there is no such thing as a ‘digital nomad visa’ in Belize. I’ve dealt with numerous government agencies over the last few years (BTB, CBA, Belize Immigration, the Environmental Authority, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, and BAHA), and most are quite responsive unless you are inquiring about something they know nothing about. It's common to email someone in the Belize government who is not directly related to the matter of inquiry and have them ignore you. I suspect this is happening here —a “digital nomad visa” does not exist, so no one feels obligated to respond.  Is the Digital Nomad Visa for Belize Bullsh*t? In short, yes. Even if it turns out to be real, it doesn't seem worth applying for. The dubious information I gathered on this visa, also known as the “Work Where You Vacation Program,” claims to allow individuals to live in Belize for up to six months. Open to citizens or permanent residents of the EU, UK, USA, or Canada, applicants must be employed or have proven income outside Belize. The required minimum annual income is USD 75,000 for individuals or USD 100,000 for those with dependents. Applicants must provide various documents, including a job letter or proof of self-employment, proof of income, a notarized banking reference, a clear police record, and certified passport copies. Travel insurance with a minimum health coverage of USD 50,000 is also required. Successful applicants and their dependents cannot work within Belize during their stay. The estimated fee was ambiguous, varying widely across sources, from as little as 300 USD to as much as $900. The theoretical cost most likely wouldn't include a lawyer or assistant fee, which many expats employ to speed up and smooth out their work permit or residency application process. If this is  true, it appears to be a lot of work to apply for a 6-month stay, especially when you are wholly unfamiliar with the Belize Immigration office and its processes. If you had considered this an option**, applying for a regular work visa, valid for 12 months, would make more sense. It also seems quite intrusive: this visa requires you to provide more personal information than required when extending your monthly visitor permit.  It's best to avoid oversharing information regarding your finances when you are new to a country, especially a developing one like Belize. I am not saying that you’re at risk when doing so, but scams exist, and corruption is rampant throughout all levels of the Belizean government. I advise sticking to the basic monthly visa renewal process, where you usually don’t have to reveal much if any, information about your work status. What is the Source of the Digital Nomad Visa in Belize? So, I’m not sure where this information comes from. Perhaps it's old information the government websites have since removed, but other sites still contain it and piggyback off it. Or maybe it's a straight-up fabrication produced by an AI-generated content hallucination  (yes, that is a thing) that no one has thought to correct.  Nevertheless, the prevalence of this information, which is very recent, by the way—one source produced a blog post on this topic as recent as Aug 7, 2024— proliferates the internet. There are numerous Google search results pages about this, none of which are official Government of Belize websites, mind you. Despite its abundance, I wouldn’t give this information much weight***.  *I considered providing links to these websites but didn’t want to support their SEO with a quality backlink. **If any readers have applied for this visa, I would love to hear from you so that I can update this post. ***I plan to update this post if I receive a response to my email and can finally determine the validity of the digital nomad visa.  Keep a Simple Life, Simple If you're considering working remotely from Belize, it's essential to understand the current situation: there's likely no official process for the phantom digital nomad visa. Since there isn’t information on the immigration website, and no government official has provided info, let sleeping dogs lie ; it's Belize, after all, and there are many snoozin’ pooches. Be wary of other websites, blog posts, or information claiming otherwise, as they may be inaccurate. Truthful but Tight-Lipped Regarding your remote work status, it's best to keep things low-key. Don’t push for anything beyond the standard work permits offered by the immigration office. Since there isn’t anything official about remote work, keep it that way.  My wife and I have been doing monthly visitor permit extensions for the last two and a half years. From the first visit, I’ve claimed to be self-employed (the truth) —writing it on the application form— and haven’t had a single issue. I get the odd inquiry into what I do. When I first arrived, I told them I had a construction company in Canada (the truth), and most recently, I told them I was a freelance writer (also true). These inquiries are few and far between, and the line of questioning is brief.  Quietly Go About Your Biznas Sometimes, the best approach is to ask for forgiveness, not permission. If questioned about your work status, for example (this is 100% hypothetical), and an immigration officer tells you it's illegal to work remotely without a visa, I’d advise you (*I’m not a lawyer, by the way) to sincerely apologize and ask for more information. If the official can't provide concrete details, an information package, or an application, then continue as usual, as there probably isn't anything they can do. They are just giving you a hard time —it happens, and just another version of the Gringo Tax ; in this case, it's your time, not money. If they provide you with resources outlining an established process, then by all means, follow it. The above may all seem like I'm being dishonest and trying to hide something, but I'm not. I'm just doing my part to not stir the pot, draw attention to myself, or change this country in ways it doesn’t need. The thing is, many expats come here and attempt to impose their customs and standards. It happened with building permits for residential construction. When my wife and I first came to Belize in 2020 in search of property, building permits weren’t a thing. When we arrived to build our home two years later, they were a requirement. A local Mennonite man explained that this resulted from foreigners inquiring with the government about building permits. As the saying goes, “Ask, and you shall receive” …and subsequently, pay.  If you wish to come here and work remotely, do so quietly, and all will be well for you and everyone else, too. Thanks for reading! If you are interested in other works of mine, check out   Simo's Substack , the   Lili Art Blog , or   my award winning self-published book . If you want to support this blog so I can continue to provide valuable information on Belize, consider donating, subscribing, or clicking an ad or two! Subscribe to the blog to never miss a post!

As a foreigner living in a Caribbean nation like Belize, being aware and ready for the threat of tropical storms and hurricanes is a necessity of seasonal living. Like everywhere else, hazards exist, be it ice storms in Canada, wildfires and tornadoes in the US, earthquakes in Italy, and tsunamis in Japan. Living alongside potential dangers is just part of life on earth; for Belize, it's hurricanes. For those living in or considering moving to Belize —or any of its Central American neighbours— knowing what to expect and being prepared is an integral part of life. And having the knowledge and a plan in place makes handling such occurrences —rare in Belize’s case, thankfully— less stressful.   A Season for Turbulent Weather Hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th and produces an average of ten tropical storms, with approximately six reaching hurricane status . In typical meteorological fashion, these statistics vary across reporting organizations and institutions, with some claiming higher averages of 12 hurricanes, with six reaching category three or higher . A storm's strength is categorized by a number from one to five, known as the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale , with one being the weakest hurricane and five the strongest.  Now I realize that “weak hurricane” sounds like an oxymoron, as to acquire such a status, a storm must reach and sustain wind speeds of over 74 miles per hour (118.4 km/hour). Winds at these speeds can break windows, sever tree limbs, topple shallow-rooted trees, damage roofing and siding, and down powerlines, not to mention the heavy rainfall and flooding they cause. And that's just a CAT One; potential storm damage increases from there. I also don’t want to downplay tropical storms, which can have winds from 39- 73 miles per hour, and cause damage to property, buildings, and trees. 2025 Hurricane Season Outlook The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasts an above-normal 2025 Atlantic hurricane season , with a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season, and only a 10% chance of a below-normal season. NOAA predicts 13 to 19 named storms, of which 6 to 10 could become hurricanes, including 3 to 5 major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher). Belize Weather: Relaxed, Like Its People  We are at the height of the 2024 hurricane season, which many have predicted will see above-average activity . Luckily for Belize, it's been pretty quiet this year, as in most years. Thanks to its geographical location, Belize is a great place for expats looking to safely move to or retire in its vibrant coastal communities, like Corozal, Dangriga, Punta Gorda, Hopkins, and Placencia. Belize and its neighboring Central American countries experience less frequent and intense weather than the Northern and Eastern Caribbean or coastal Southeastern United States due to various geographical and meteorological factors: Western Caribbean Location Belize and much of Central America are farther west in the Caribbean basin. Many hurricanes form in the eastern Atlantic and intensify as they move westward, affecting the eastern Caribbean islands. Storms generally lose steam over land masses due to the absence of warm water, which they use as fuel . Wind Patterns Steer Storms Away Wind patterns and steering currents are significant reasons why Belize doesn’t experience as many hurricanes. The prevailing easterly trade winds tend to steer hurricanes towards the northern Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, often curving them away from Central America. Large-scale atmospheric patterns often guide hurricanes on a more northwesterly track, which can take them north of Central America. Mountains as Natural Barriers Geographical features like the mountainous terrain of Central America can disrupt hurricane formation and weaken existing storms. For example, Honduras has a coastal mountain range that can act as a barrier. Interesting fact: you can actually see the mountains of Honduras from Placencia on a clear day! Cooler Waters Reduce Storm Strength Water temperature is an important contributing factor, too. While the entire Caribbean is warm, the western Caribbean, where Belize is located sometimes has slightly cooler waters compared to the eastern Caribbean, which can be less conducive to hurricane intensification. I know it doesn’t seem like it at times when the sea feels like bath water.  Be Prepared: Hurricanes Still Possible However, hurricanes can make landfall in the region, and Central America and Belize are not immune. So, anyone who lives here or plans to move here must be aware of this fact and know what to do if it occurs. However, being knowledgeable and prepared makes experiencing a strong weather event less daunting and intimidating. The Hurricane Preparation Checklist for the Unfamiliar Foreigner So, let’s go through what the expat who is green —like we were and still are I suppose— to these types of weather events can do to be hurricane-ready in Belize. We did most of these things in our preparation for Lisa and there are things on this list we would do better next time too.  1. Create an Emergency Weather Plan Knowing what to do and when is essential for any preparedness plan. Your plan will dictate your actions, like boarding up your house, where you will go if you need to evacuate, and what supplies you will have or need to get. You should know your evacuation routes and if there are any storm shelters in your area. In Placencia, the evacuation route is Placencia Road. The nearest shelter for the communities along the peninsula is Georgetown Technical High School, on the Southern Highway heading towards Independence. Click here for a list of storm shelters in Belize . Many communities organize their own shelter-in-place points, with one or more members offering their home for others to hunker down in. If you do this next to the ocean, reside on a second floor in the case of a significant storm surge.  You should also determine a communication plan to establish how and when to contact friends and family members and set a meeting point if sheltering in a group. Remember that BEL will shut off power to areas under threat for safety reasons, which often means there is no internet connection, either locally or regionally.  2. Preparing Your Hurricane Supplies Before your first hurricane season starts, you should gather and store a supply of storm essentials. Below is a list of some critical items for a hurricane preparedness kit. Be sure to assess what you need, as everyone’s kit will differ based on their situation, preferences, and the number of people it will support.  List of Essential Hurricane Supplies  Potable water: one gallon/person/day for at least three days and a compact secondary source of water purification and water storage containers . Non-perishable food in hard plastic or glass containers to keep out moisture and bugs. Last year, my wife and I purchased a small bucket of freeze-dried food containing over 100 portions, with a shelf life of 25 years , which was a great addition to our emergency supplies. Backup prescription medications (if you require meds). A well- stocked first-aid kit . A d urable flashlight . An LED lantern or candle lantern . I don't like to use candles in an emergency situation as it adds a potential hazard, but if you insist on using them, be sure to have a fire extinguisher. A basic tool set . A wireless cell phone charger  (provided your phone is compatible) or a rechargeable cordless charger . We have one for our kit and its very handy even when their isn't a storm brewing. Battery-powered or hand-crank weather radio in your kit. Some   models like this include USB chargers and flashlights . Extra batteries for anything that needs them. Having a variety on hand will ensure you have what you need when you need it . Portable, battery operated fan for keeping cool during a power outage. Disinfectant wipes  for cleaning hands if you don’t have running water. Back Up and Secure Important documents: Keep your passport, property title, residency card and other important papers in a waterproof folder or pouch . Be redundant! Make sure to have colour copies and digital files of all important documents. A large tote or totes to put all the above in . Gerry can  of fuel for your vehicle. Pet food for the fur fam (if you have them).  Plywood for boarding up your home. Prepare Wisely: Because Your Freezer Pizza Won’t Last Forever Another good thing is a reliable backup power source ready to use after the storm. Standard options are a gas or diesel generator  (<— we have this one), a reserve store of power from your existing solar setup, or a fully charged portable solar battery , as we also have. You can use these to run fans, small appliances, and even a fridge for up to eight hours (depending on the model), which is excellent, especially if there is a delay with power returning to the grid.  We also ensure a reserve tank of liquid propane (LP) gas with a portable gas stove for cooking, boiling water for coffee and tea, or water purification . But, please exercise caution when using a gas stove in an emergency and do not use it indoors. The exhaust from ignited LP gas contains harmful carbon monoxide. It's Go Time Lastly, you may consider assembling a “go bag”  of clothing and other personal items so you aren’t scrambling in the event of an emergency evacuation. Once you have put your kit together, ensure you routinely inspect your supplies, remove and restock expired/expiring items, and replace or upgrade items as needed. It also helps to build the kit over time, as purchasing all the items above can run upwards of USD 1500.  3. Stay Informed A critical aspect of a properly executed hurricane preparedness plan is staying informed. Regularly monitor weather alerts throughout the season, join Facebook groups related to hurricane watches in your area, watch and subscribe to weather-related YouTube channels (I like Mr. Weatherman  as he is honest, to the point, and doesn’t fearmonger for views), and download helpful weather apps like Zoom Earth . Knowing where storms are, how fast they develop, and when and where they will make landfall is essential to staying safe during storm season. Have a weather radio on hand for when internet and cell services are down. 4. Insurance Take out hurricane insurance for your home. Despite misinformation circulating on Facebook, you can insure a wood-framed home in Belize. Your premium will be lower with a masonry home of a similar size, but it is still available for wood construction. When renewing, review your coverage each year to ensure your home insurance covers wind and flood damage, and update it if necessary.  If you plan to build a wood-framed home, check out The Ultimate Guide to Building a Home in Belize Part One  and Two to learn how to increase the structure of your home  to make it storm-ready. 5. Secure Your Home When a storm is imminent, take immediate action to protect your house and property. Begin the necessary preparations quickly, whether you hire someone or do it yourself, to avoid working as the storm hits. Following the tips from point three above, you’ll have enough time to prepare. One key task is securing your windows and doors with shutters. For a comprehensive guide on storm-proofing your home in the Caribbean and Central America, click here .   Some homeowners along the coast in Belize opt to install roll-up steel shutters, while others choose traditional wood shutters beside each window. Many, who prefer a cleaner facade or don't have the budget for the expense of the steel option, keep a stash of plywood for such occasions. Shuttering your windows and doors will protect them from projectiles and being blown in, as well as water penetration. In the grand scheme, it's an affordable and effective way to prevent repair costs (compared to replacing them). Batten Down the Hatches (And Your Patio Furniture Too!) On the ground level, remove everything from the floor and place it as high as possible to protect it from flooding and storm surge. Put away or tie down patio furniture and other loose items. Trim trees that are overhanging the roof or close to your house. If you have coconut trees bearing fruit, remove them, as they can become, in effect, organic canon balls.  Ultimately, use your common sense here. If you think it might blow away or get damaged, then take the appropriate action to protect it if it has meaning or value. Turn off the main power breakers in the house (in case flood waters reach the height of outlets on the main floor). The electrical utility provider, in this case BEL, will shut off the power grid ahead of the storm. Turning off your main power to the house will have the added benefit of protecting the home's electrical wiring, components, and anything plugged into it from power surges once power returns. 6. Evacuate if Advised If you plan to leave, leave early to avoid the possibility of last-minute congestion. Take your go-bag, emergency supplies, important documents, and other valuables you’ve previously collected. Again, step three will inform you of what local authorities are asking residents to do.  However, whether you choose to leave or not and for what storm category is a personal choice. Your decision will probably hinge on your assessment of your overall preparedness, your home’s construction, and the size of your cojones . 7. Have a Plan for After the Storm Whether you leave or not, you should consider what you will do after the storm. Hopefully, all would be well, but there could be damage, inaccessible roads, and a lack of utility services. Having a preparedness kit will help , but you should also have a plan, such as when to leave the area if services don't return quickly or when to return if you have previously evacuated. If you sheltered in place and experience an extended power outage after the storm, you should consider how to cross-ventilate your home.   A buildup of hot and humid air can make you uncomfortable and promote the growth of mold. If you boarded up before the storm, have a plan in place so you can quickly remove protective window covers to allow air to circulate through the building. For best results, ensure you open opposite-facing windows or vents for cross-ventilation to lower indoor temperatures, which is especially important for families with young kids, pets, or elderly members. Additionally, having a designated post-storm recovery kit will enable you to address any issues on or around your property, providing peace of mind and confidence in your ability to tackle any challenges that may arise. My Belizean Hurricane Experience While thankfully, I have not experienced a hurricane, we had a scare not long after arriving here. In November of 2022, Hurricane Lisa landed in Belize City, approximately 100 miles from our house in Maya Beach, on the Placencia Peninsula. Being green to such a thing and having a newly built home to protect, we sprung into action, purchasing plywood to craft custom shutters and boarded up the place —just in time for… the storm to move north of us. We spent the evening drinking cocktails on our back deck and fishing in the canal during the planned power outage (a storm precaution).  It Ain't All Cocktails and Fishing Poles Even though our efforts were for naught, I am grateful we didn't have to weather the storm. It was a great exercise in storm preparedness and gave us insight into what we must do to be safe and ready. Plus, we now have storm shutters cut, assembled, and labeled for future use. It also taught us to be more diligent in our monitoring efforts, as the track and timeline of these systems are often well established ahead of time and had we been more aware, we would have known the storm would pass us by.  When I talked to my friend Rick (try his coffee!)  days after, he laughed and emphatically said “no” when I asked him if he had shut up. He was well-informed and knew the hurricane would be nowhere near Placencia. Staying Safe and Prepared Throughout Hurricane Season While the risk of experiencing a hurricane in Belize is far lower than that of other Caribbean nations, it's still important to be aware and prepared. It could very well be that you will never need to use your supplies but having them ensures you can act in the event you do. By following these steps, you can better protect yourself, your family, and your home during hurricane season. Preparation is vital to minimizing the impact of hurricanes and ensuring a swift recovery. From assembling a comprehensive emergency kit to securing your home and knowing what to do after a storm, being proactive can make all the difference. Remember, a well-thought-out plan and timely actions can help you weather the storm with greater confidence and safety. Stay safe out there! P.S. For the complete list of storm-ready items mentioned in this post, click here . * This post contains affiliate links to products I use or recommend. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission—at no extra cost to you. It’s a simple way to support the blog and helps me keep creating meaningful, helpful content. Thank you! Thanks for reading! If you are interested in other works of mine, check out Simo's Substack , the Lili Art Blog , or my award winning self-published book . If you want to support this blog so I can continue providing valuable information on Belize, consider donating, subscribing, or clicking an ad. And a special thanks to those readers who have shown their support; it is greatly appreciated!

A Guide for Property Owners Abroad Photo by Justin Aikin on Unsplash Storm season in the Caribbean just kicked off. While it may cause apprehension, it isn't something to fear; however, a healthy respect for it is beneficial. The rhythm of life in the Caribbean is laid-back, but when it comes to hurricanes and tropical storms, preparation and earnest action are essential. While Belize's geography better protects it than many of its island neighbors, the risk is by no means zero. As someone who has made this place home, I've learned firsthand that a little effort ahead of time can save you from severe damage and stress down the road. I previously published—and recently updated— an article on hurricane preparedness . While that post is very informative, discussing what you need to do to prepare an action plan and a storm-ready kit, it doesn't explore all aspects of preparing for a hurricane or tropical storm. So, I am providing a companion post that focuses explicitly on the necessary steps to prepare your home and property, to protect it, and hopefully save you time and money. Now, storm-proofing your home isn't just about avoiding costly repairs, although that is a significant part of it; it's also about protecting your family, your investment, and your peace of mind. Whether you're new to the region or have lived through a few seasons already, I've put this guide together, drawing from my two decades in the construction, renovation, and home maintenance industry, so you can know what to do to prepare your home and property before a big storm hits. 10 Steps to Storm-Proofing Your Central American Home Below is a list of routine maintenance tasks that you can complete to help make your home and property storm-ready and save time in the event of a quickly developing weather system. Check Your Roof (Yes, Even the Brand-New One) No matter what material you've used—zinc, clay tile, or even poured concrete—your roof is your first line of defense. Inspect it regularly for signs of rust, damage, cracks, cracking sealant, or loose fasteners. In high winds, even small vulnerabilities can become big problems. If you see something's off, address it early. Clean Your Gutters and Downspouts Photo by Javardh on Unsplash Tropical downpours can overwhelm even well-designed drainage systems. If your gutters are clogged with leaves, twigs, or debris, water will overflow, potentially leading to roof leaks and flooding issues on your property. Clean them out at least twice a year, or more if palms or broad-leafed trees surround you. Doing so ahead of storm season and again during will ensure your gutters can handle the deluge the storms dish out.  Trim Those Trees We all love our mango, moringa, coconut, and flamboyant trees, but in a storm, they can quickly turn dangerous. Trim dead limbs and overhanging branches, especially anything near your roof or windows. And if you've got coconut palms near your house, harvest those green orbs early. Trust me, you don't want a flying coconut coming at your house like a cannonball. Reseal Around Windows and Doors In high winds and sideways rain, even a hairline crack in the sealant can allow water to enter. Check your doors and windows for cracked or peeling caulk. Scrape out the old material and apply a fresh bead, especially around older wooden frames that expand and contract with changes in humidity and sun exposure. Additionally, adding L-flashing above large windows and doors can help prevent driving rain from penetrating your home.  Check the Siding Similar to the roof, siding can sustain damage from prolonged exposure to direct sun, salt air, and heavy rain. If your home has wood siding, look for splits, peeling paint, or loose boards and address them accordingly. For metal siding, inspect for loose fasteners and trims, ensuring everything is snug and sealed. For block and concrete wall assemblies, inspect for large stress cracks at joints and seal them to prevent water penetration.  Secure or Store Loose Outdoor Items Photo by Balikó András on Unsplash Outdoor living is one of our favorite things to do in Central America and the Caribbean. But hammocks, potted plants, patio furniture, BBQs, and even garbage bins can become projectiles in strong winds. Put away what you can and firmly tie down the rest. Don't overlook solar panels, satellite dishes, LP gas cylinders, and small water tanks; they may also require extra bracing for significant weather events. Protect Your Wheels During a big storm, park your vehicle(s) in a garage (if you have one) or under a deck or covered structure. Even after trimming trees and removing potential hazards, limbs or entire trees can still come down. Getting your vehicles out of open, unsheltered areas will ensure they remain protected and provide peace of mind.  As a side note, if you can elevate your vehicle in some way, especially if you are seaside and have a high groundwater level, you can keep it protected from overland flooding or a storm surge.  Install or Test Fire Extinguishers Oddly, house fires can happen during  hurricanes due to gas leaks, generator mishaps, or candle accidents. Keeping a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and near electrical panels is a smart part of emergency readiness. Back Up Important Documents In Belize, land titles are physical documents. Protect them and create redundancies, such as colour copies and digital backups. Store the originals in a waterproof case and put them in your go bag.  10. Create a Post-Storm Recovery Kit Image by Willfried Wende from Pixabay People often prepare for the before , but not the after . Hopefully, all will be well after a significant storm, but the reality is unknown. Having a kit with some essential tools and equipment will help if you find yourself having to clean up on and around your home and property. What you will need in a post-storm recovery kit will vary based on your preferences, abilities, needs, and the size and location of your property, but it could include the following items: Heavy-duty work gloves for protecting your hands during cleanup or repairs. Rubber boots. Heavy-duty tarp for collecting debris Ratchet straps  or rope for securing items or providing support to a damaged tree or structure Bungee cords  for similar reasons to the above Chainsaw, fuel, and bar oil Bug repellent Disinfectant wipes  for cleaning hands if you don't have running water Simple hand tools (hammer, crowbar, saw) Local contractor phone numbers (in case repairs are needed and you can't or don't want to do them yourself) 3 Upgrades That Make a Difference Install Storm Shutters Window protection is huge. Storm shutters protect against flying debris and reduce the likelihood of wind and water entering your home. Hurricane-force winds are capable of pushing through glass, but shuttering adds a layer of protection, significantly reducing the risk of damage. A study by the Florida Building Commission found that homes equipped with storm shutters experienced 30.8% to 54.8% less damage  compared to similar homes without shutters during hurricane events. Some homeowners install permanent steel roll-down shutters, while others, like us, keep a stash of pre-cut plywood on hand. Either option works; what's best for you will depend on what fits your budget and situation. For those who opt for the latter option, be sure to allow sufficient time to install the shutters ahead of a storm and make sure you treat the wood for termites when storing it in the off-season.  Install Dry Wells and Swales If your property is prone to flooding, install a dry well (or several) to contain large volumes of water. A dry well is simply a gravel-filled pit you can divert water into. They act like a floor drain for your property, drawing in overland water and helping to prevent flooding and potential damage. You can also divert downspouts and other drainage pipes directly into them.  Additionally, adding swales on your property will help to control water runoff. Similar to a dry well, a swale is a shallow ditch that uses natural grading to collect rainwater runoff. They are usually placed parallel to the property line and can be used in conjunction with a French drain to whisk water away from the property. Consider Hurricane Ties These are small metal fasteners that can make a big difference. They connect rafters to the top plates of structures, reinforcing the whole roof. If you're building a new home or retrofitting an older one, installing hurricane ties is one of the smartest moves you can make in a hurricane region. Similarly,   installing 1/2" steel threaded rod in wall assemblies  will further strengthen the integrity of the building.  A Mindset of Preparedness In Canada, we stocked up for ice storms. In the central US, folks board up for tornadoes. Here in the Caribbean, we prep for hurricanes. It's just part of seasonal living but being proactive matters. Storms Don't Wait, So Don't Wait for Storms There is no need to panic. But be smart and diligent when storm-proofing your home in Central America. Start with the maintenance items and add the upgrades if it's possible. Keep your go-bag handy  and your evacuation plan simple. That way, whether it's cocktails at a friend's during a power outage or a real storm coming in hot, you'll be ready. * This post contains affiliate links to products I use or recommend. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission—at no extra cost to you. It’s a simple way to support the blog and helps me keep creating meaningful, helpful content. Thank you! Thanks for reading! If you are interested in other works of mine, check out Simo's Substack , the Lili Art Blog , or my award winning self-published book . If you want to support this blog so I can continue providing valuable information on Belize, consider donating, subscribing, or clicking an ad. And a special thanks to those readers who have shown their support; it is greatly appreciated!

Life as an Artist in Living in Belize Digital Painting of Moho Caye by Lili Dauphinee I recently published this post on my wife’s blog , which I contribute to and help manage. While I realize the average person isn’t an internationally selling artist, the article provides sufficient insight into what it's like to start working remotely from Belize. When we decided to move here, she was apprehensive about how she would ship pieces to collectors and get the materials she needed. While she has managed to do both (with complications, of course), she also discovered additional hurdles that she couldn’t have anticipated before living here. So, with her permission, I want to share them with you in hopes it’ll shed light on what you may face when attempting to start an international business or remote work role in Belize. As always, I’d love to hear about your experiences, plans, or any questions you have. Enjoy! ***originally published on lilidauphinee.com *** Several years ago, Lili and I moved our entire family from Canada to Belize . In search of more family time and a simpler way of life, we sold our house and many of our belongings, shipping what remained overseas. With two toddlers and two dogs, we took a deep breath and stepped into the abyss, not knowing how the next chapter of our lives would unfold in an unfamiliar part of the world. While we love our new home base—Belize is a country with breathtaking natural beauty and kind, welcoming people—and we don't regret moving, simplicity isn't exactly what we found.  Becoming an internationally collected artist from a developing country hasn't been easy for Lili. Doing so from anywhere isn’t a simple task, and taking on such a momentous career change as she has revealed many unforeseen challenges. The old adage “you don’t know what you don’t know” rings loud and clear for her. She simply couldn’t have anticipated the unknown challenges of a professional art career in a place like Belize.  So, with Lili’s permission, I want to share some of the challenges she faces (as I see them) as we put down roots in the wonderful yet challenging and often confusing tropical beachside community we’ve called home. Challenge #1: Getting Supplies in Belize for Remote Work What’s a Painter Without Paint?  One of the biggest challenges for being an artist in Belize is access to quality art supplies. Without them, she can’t work her magic. Back in Canada, Lili had access to innumerable suppliers, from large chains like Michael’s (the equivalent to Jerry’s Artarama in the US) to smaller boutique stores like Above Ground in Toronto. Nothing like that exists here in Belize. There are some basic paint supplies at the office supply store in Placencia Village and a similar store in Belmopan (which round trip essentially takes an entire day). But, they are more for the crafts side of the art industry and not what a professional fine artist would use. Lili’s only option is to order supplies online using the delivery address of a Belizean logistics company in Miami, where they are boxed and loaded into a shipping container and imported into Belize. The process takes 4-6 weeks, depending on how quickly the supply store ships the order and whether it makes it into a container before the doors are sealed. If she misses a cut-off, the supplies must wait at the logistics company’s depot until the next shipment leaves. After such a lengthy process, items are often damaged or missing, with no recourse or process for reclaiming the missing items or receiving a refund.  Challenge #2: Shipping Paintings to Collectors Will They Get There? And at What Cost? Another significant hurdle for the fine artist in Belize is shipping out sold paintings to their rightful owners. While she’s discovered this is possible and has been shipping out paintings for the better part of a year now, it took some time to find the best method and to get over some initial fears and apprehensions—which are warranted. One method for exporting her works is through private postal services like DHL and FedEx. While these companies have reliable and established supply chains and processes, they are very expensive—sending an 8 ½ x 11 manila folder can cost upwards of 125 USD! In lieu of this, she has opted to use the national postal service to keep shipping costs reasonable. While she’s generally had a good experience with the Belizean postal office—usually driving the packaged paintings to Belmopan, the nation’s capital, to receive optimal service—we have recently encountered problems when using the local branch. Paintings, just sitting there for weeks Anyone who purchased a painting in her recent drops has probably received an email from a frustrated and embarrassed Lili: the outgoing paintings just sat for weeks before they were processed and sent out. No explanation was provided other than a vague excuse about “not having stickers.” In reality, it's more likely a case of “island time.” FYI: Placencia is a peninsula but is colloquially referred to as an island because life here reflects that of one—everything is shipped in, access to essentials can be limited at times, we are surrounded by water (in three directions), and there is an accepted slower pace to life. Recently, she has opted to use the local post office because she is getting busy— overwhelmed, really—with publicity opportunities, gallery shows, and demand for paintings and commissions, so making the round trip to Belmopan (which takes a full day as previously mentioned) isn’t practical under the current circumstances.  Challenge #3: Heat and Humidity Just a ‘Lil Hot and Bothered with Remote Work in Belize Up until recently, this hasn't been a huge issue, but it's posing a considerable challenge to get paintings out in a timely manner. There are two main seasons in Belize: dry and rainy. This past dry season was very dry, and it extended into an abnormally dry rainy season—at least for the first two-thirds of it. When the rains finally came, they poured, and the country has seen a consistently high volume of precipitation. Don’t get me wrong, we welcome the rains as they break the intense Caribbean heat, fill our cisterns—the main water source for our home is rain catchment—and are great for the local flora, but they create a humid environment in her studio. While she manages it well with the use of fans, the relative humidity increases the dry time of the medium Lili uses: oil paint. She estimates that paintings are taking 2-3x longer to dry under the current conditions. Thankfully, this is a temporary concern as we approach another dry season. The heat is also a challenge at times, especially during May and August, two of the hottest months in Belize. This year was particularly hot, with record heat countrywide. Temperatures upwards of 45°C (113°F) were common this past year, which makes working in her unairconditioned studio uncomfortable. The only saving grace is that her workspace is concrete and cinderblock, which keeps things cooler. She is also spared from the direct heat of the day with east and north-facing windows that are shaded during noon- 3 pm, the hottest period of the day. Challenge #4: Studio Pests Drop-in Guests Lili has yet to open her studio to the public, but this hasn’t deterred guests from regular pop-ins. Belize is home to exotic creatures and many of them regularly take up residence in her work space. She almost always has the watchful eyes of green geckos monitoring her creative process, motionless on an adjacent wall or on the ceiling, unmoving except for the lick of the lips or the snap of the jaw while capturing prey. While they tend to deposit unpleasant birdlike turds around the window ledges, they are actually a benefit to have around: snatching up an endless buffet of pests like mosquitos and noseeums. The gecko poops are evidence of their determination and unwavering support.  Come sunset, the biting bugs emerge, but thankfully, this time coincides with the end of her day, so she is never at their mercy for too long.  Occasionally, Lili will get a monarch butterfly or unique moth to join her in the studio, whose presence often turns into sparks of inspiration or a moment of gratitude for nature’s muses. Juxtaposing the beauty of the butterfly is the fear-inducing scorpion. While we thankfully do not encounter as many as other foreigners we know, they are still a regular fixture in her studio. Lili sounds the alarm, and pest control—yours truly—gets to work on removing the formidable creature. Thankfully, they aren’t too shy and leave you plenty of opportunity to catch them as they remain motionless until otherwise provoked. One must be exacting in their movement, for if you miss or flinch, they are hard to catch when on the run. As annoying as these pests can be, the raw Belizean nature offers beautiful moments of connection with local fauna. Exotic birds perch in neighbouring trees or on our roof, agoutis and iguanas wander through our yard, hummingbirds hover at our feeders and flowering plants, and we even see the odd croc or two in the canal that borders our backyard. I can't say we were this close to nature back in Canada, and it’s special. Challenge #5: No Fine Art Scene It’s International or Nothin’ Caribbean culture, with its vibrant primary and secondary colours, has a significant presence in Belize. Local artists produce a plethora of works, from the painted masks of the Maya and leather drums of the Garinagu (aka Garifuna) to the charming underwater scenes of the peninsula artists; there is no shortage of art to purchase. As great as it is, much of the work has a tourist industry slant, and the market for fine, abstract art is absent here in Placencia and Belize at large. After a trip to Bacalar, Mexico, nearly a year ago , it became evident that the fine side of the art industry has yet to emerge in Belize as it has there. There is nothing wrong with that per se; it just poses another challenge for someone like Lili, in which that type of art is her proverbial bread and butter. As a result, Lili's modus operandi is international recognition and sales. A lot of her time—admittedly more than she’d like—is spent digitally networking, promoting her work and drops on social media, and updating her website to appeal to her clientele, people like you, the reader, who are interested in the finer things in art. Thanks for reading, by the way. While you’re here, be sure to check out Lili’s collections page . So, for now, the international art scene is where she’ll reside, at least until a modern art scene develops here.   Challenges Equal Growth, and Growth is Good Regardless of the inherent challenges of being an international artist in Belize, life is good. Yes, you can't buy adequate art supplies here, but she gets them; it’s frustrating and worrisome to ship finished works out of the country, but she manages to do it; insects and other creatures can be a bother, but they also provide her a source of connection with nature; the heat and humidity increase dry-times but she’s adapting; and it's true that there isn't a fine art scene here but she's found an international one and who knows, maybe her presence here will attract one.  Despite the challenges, it's all good. Lili chalks most of it up to personal growth, a task to which she is equally devoted. She's learned to stay calm and trust in herself and in the universe—that it has the best in mind for her. And I think that’s a valuable lesson for us all. Thanks for reading! If you are interested in other works of mine, check out Simo's Substack , the Lili Art Blog , or my award receiving self-published book . If you want to support this blog so I can continue providing valuable information on Belize, consider donating, subscribing, or clicking an ad. And a special thanks to those readers who have shown their support; it is greatly appreciated!!

Our contractor watching as part of the house is raised onto its foundation he built. Welcome back. If you are new, thanks for visiting! With the continued inflows of expats into Belize, land and property purchases continue at a record pace countrywide. If you are an expat looking to purchase or move, several options are available: rent, buy a pre-existing home, or purchase a lot and build for yourself. This post will explore the latter option, which my family and I chose three years ago. The following year, we began construction.  Like any construction project, it was a significant undertaking, even for a contractor in Canada like myself. Despite nearly 20 years of construction and renovation experience, I still found there was a learning curve to building in Belize. Construction methods are different, as is how local contractors, builders, and suppliers communicate. I learned some valuable lessons and want to share them with you so your project unfolds smoothly. An Explanation of the Following Posts The original draft was lengthy, so I've divided it into two parts, making it easier to digest and refer to later. Part One—this post—covers various pre-construction processes, like determining a location, considerations when choosing a lot, and ways to hack your budget and keep costs down. Part Two discusses all things construction, from clearing a lot and installing services to building methods, materials, and maintenance requirements and considerations. Before We Get Started  There is one, albeit important, topic I won't cover in the posts: finding the right contractor. I wrote an award-winning book , Home in Good Hands: a Homeowner's Guide to Construction and Renovation , with a chapter on that subject. I encourage the reader to check it out. The book also contains detailed information on renovations and construction projects from start to finish, and it's a great companion resource to this and the following post. To keep the posts concise, I choose not to rehash it here. You can find the book on Amazon (linked above in the book title), Google Play, Apple Books, Kindle, and elsewhere. It provides valuable information you can apply to any construction or renovation projects at home, abroad, and in Belize. A Wee Disclaimer While I have considerable experience in construction in Canada and built a home from scratch in Belize, expats aspiring to build here should conduct research and do their due diligence. My experience building in Belize is nearly two years old, so that things may have changed. Indeed, material and labour costs, the availability of buildable lots, and contractors to do the work have changed since then.  Nevertheless, much of the information provided applies to the current market conditions and will, at the very least, get you thinking about things you might not have otherwise. A Final Caveat If you have never built or renovated a house in your home country, I wouldn't recommend cutting your teeth in Belize. If you are entirely new to residential construction or renovation, you may just want to consider buying a home in Belize . Doing so will make your time in Belize more enjoyable and preserve your mental and familial health. For those of you who have previous experience or are the adventurous type, this post and the following will provide a go-to guide to building in Belize. Let's get started! Choosing a Property Hey, it's me! You can only start to build something once you have a property to build on. There are various factors to consider when picking a lot, so let’s start there. Determining Your Location Establishing Priorities There is a lot of property for sale in Belize. Driving down the Placencia peninsula or along the Hummingbird Highway and scrolling through Facebook real estate groups reveals a lot of choices. The abundance of choice is a blessing and a curse. So the first thing to pin down is the environment you would like to live in, i.e., in the jungle or along the coast. There are various ecological zones within Belize’s borders, each with pros, cons, and nuances. I cannot say much more than this. The aspiring expat needs to do the legwork to determine what area of the country and way of life is best for them. It also isn't the post for an in-depth exploration into what each area of the country offers- perhaps an idea for a future post. No matter where in the country you buy, vacant land is found in pre-established developments or stand-alone properties. If the property is part of a development, it may benefit from being already cleared and filled with services in place. However, it will also come with a higher price tag, monthly HOA fees, or other conditions. If not part of a development, there are many things to consider, like access to services (electricity, water, and gas), building materials and labour availability, and the extent of clearing and grading necessary for construction. Ask Yourself These Questions When Choosing a Property to Develop When starting, it's a good practice to list all the essential aspects of a property you seek. Ask simple questions based on your desired lifestyle, needs, and wants. Some sample questions may look like this: What do I want out of a property? Do I want to be close to the ocean or a body of water, or are mountains and jungles more appealing? If water is a must, are boat and marina services a necessity?  Do I want to be close to shops and restaurants? Is hopping into a vehicle whenever I need to do or get anything an issue for me? Am I looking to downsize and live simply, or do I want the size, comforts, and conveniences of the houses back home? In the latter case, expect to pay a premium on your build. Is the activity of a city or town my vibe, or is a secluded hideaway what I am looking for?  If you prefer seclusion, how will the location affect the construction process? Is there a road/driveway into the lot? Can crews, materials, and machinery access the site? Will crews have water available on a lot that is ‘off the beaten path’? Water is necessary for poured concrete and concrete block construction. Many out-of-the-way, off-grid lots are affordable at first glance but come with a high cost to build on them. Considering everything will help prevent you from quickly getting over your head. Unfortunately, you can’t always rely on a real estate agent to provide this information, so you must find out for yourself.   Is an expat community vital to me, or do I want to surround myself with locals and fully immerse myself in Belizean culture and customs?  Do I require access to electricity, water, and gas services, or am I comfortable living off-grid? Many locals do in Belize- some by choice, many out of circumstance. Is the property for personal use, an investment, or both? Do I want/need vacation rental potential and income generation? If so, purchase in a desirable, popular, and established area (or, at a minimum, an “up-and-coming” area) like Ambergris Caye, Placencia, Hopkins, or San Ignacio. Investment Potential If investment is part of your overall purchase strategy, then a hyper-focus on location is something to consider. The mid-to-long-term outlook of my past property purchases has always included an investment aspect. When my wife and I purchased in Belize, we decided to buy in a desirable area with growth potential. At the time, Maya Beach  was an established community of boutique resorts, quality restaurants, and a small but established expat community. The area had a lot of property for sale and land for development. When we arrived to build our home a year later, the local real estate market increased by 30%. That number is over 100% now, notwithstanding the house we built. Development is happening all around us. It's reassuring to know that in the event of a tragedy, a challenging circumstance, a change in priorities, or an otherwise unforeseen event, we can sell without taking a loss. Curmudgeons on Facebook will tell you this isn’t possible, but it is -they are probably projecting their regret surrounding not purchasing land.  Informed Decisions At the time, we intended not to sell the property but to establish a long-term home. However, it's essential to understand that priorities change, as they did for us. We dreamed of living by the ocean but now prefer inland after two years here, traveling the country, and spending much time in Cayo District and the jungle around Belmopan. If you can spend a minimum of 3-4 weeks in the location under consideration, preferably when the weather is wettest and hottest, you will quickly learn if it's right for you. We couldn't do that with a 7-week-old and a toddler when we came to Belize, but if you can manage to live in and explore the country before purchasing, you’ll make the most informed decision possible.  I digress. If you purchase in a touristy area and plan on spending at least some time at home, how busy do you like it? Maya Beach is on the Placencia peninsula but is less busy than the village proper. We wanted to be close to the action but not in the thick of things. At the time, this area was less expensive. If you make a similar decision, you can get more for your money. When starting, the above and other questions are important to ask yourself, as they can help narrow down where to purchase and what to build.  Affordability Belize is still considered one of the last affordable paradises. However, property values have hockey-sticked in the previous two years, and with a North American exodus underway, they won't fall anytime soon, if at all. Some basic questions you can ask yourself regarding a piece of land are: Does it fit within my budget? If it's tight, can I find something similar in another location?  When we purchased, entry into the market in a beachside community was as low as 50,000 USD for a small parcel off the beach but close to it. It is no longer the case along the Placencia Peninsula. However, you can still find an affordable lot in some of the newer developments along the country's northern shores. Compared to other Caribbean countries that are desirable for expats, Belize is still a viable option. Budget for Building a Home in Belize Ultimately, your budget will dictate what and where you can purchase. Here are some key factors when budgeting for land purchase and construction.  Land Purchase Considerations In addition to buying the lot, the government of Belize requires the purchaser to pay an 8% (for foreign buyers) Stamp Duty. If you have a lawyer on the transaction, they will charge an additional 2-3% of the purchase price for their services.  Construction Considerations I used to recommend to my clients in Canada that they include a 10-15% contingency for small-scale projects and 15-20% for major renovations. I recommend a 25-30% contingency for the project's construction phase in Belize. It has to do with communication, expectations, and market factors. I will explain this in more detail in Part Two, but I can provide an example here.  Our real estate agent told us municipal water was at the roadside when we purchased our parcel. There was, but it was across the road at the beachfront properties. What she thought was water access was a grounding rod for the electrical wires overhead. The local independent water provider quoted a high price for bringing a water line under the road and into our lot, so we opted for rain capture, which was the cheaper option. It has become a non-issue now, with the government-owned Belize Water Service  (BWS) assuming supply in the area and installing water lines on our side of the road.  Nevertheless, it was a considerable oversight with a decent price tag. It cost us several thousand dollars to purchase and install a water pump, pressure tank, water filtration, sisters, and a concrete pad to sit them on. I don't blame the agent. We purchased the lot and were ultimately responsible for confirming the agent's claim about water availability. Hack the System Is there a way to hack the system? Can you achieve your goal without blowing the bank? Does the location(s) you are looking at provide the potential for creative thinking? For example, can you purchase off the beach, where prices are substantially lower, but still capture a view and take advantage of its proximity?  We were fortunate to find a decent-sized lot (75’ x 145’ or ~¼ acre), nearly 6x the size of the property we previously owned in Canada, with a canal in the back and 100’ from the beach. The lot is road-front, and the beach-front lots across from it are staggered, providing a view of the ocean from our raised front deck. It was a great find at a decent price because there aren’t many properties on the peninsula this close to the ocean that aren't beach-front. The road in our area is very close to the beach, and beachfront lots are typically three to four times more expensive, so we felt we somewhat hacked the system. Beaches in Belize are public, so we can simply cross the road and use the beach as we please but don't have the cost to maintain it or pay the premium for being on it. When the sargassum comes, we can avoid it. If you are right on the beach, there is no escape; you'll smell it even if you don't see it. Don't get me wrong, being on the beach is an excellent option if you can afford it, but this was a great way to achieve a dream while keeping costs down.  There is one caveat with this: many property owners fence their property lines, disobeying local bylaws that dictate the presence of an easement between each property. The beach is public, after all, which requires access. If your beachfront neighbour blocks that access, the beach may be farther away than it seems. Fortunately, our property has a gift shop across the road, with a beach and road entrance. The owners are pleasant and allow us to use the right-of-way on their property to access the beach. Another way we hacked the system was by incorporating prefabricated structures into our design. Doing so allowed us to build a custom home at a lower cost while reducing the timeline by 50%. Compared to the standard floor-by-floor construction method, we simultaneously built the home's main and second floors. If you didn’t know this aspect of the house, you wouldn’t guess, as ours is not the “typical Mennonite building.” Specifically, Mennonites didn’t build the prefab structures; we used Premier Homes Construction  in Iguana Creek, whom I recommend. Labour & Materials Before you get that construction project underway, I recommend compiling a list of builders and their costs for specific projects. Many contractors can provide a per-foot/square-foot price for certain material types and installation methods. These fluctuate, so don't rely on old blog articles, websites, or Facebook groups to provide this information. Go directly to the source. Then, expect it to increase if you wait a year or more to start the project. You will need a contractor to complete the work, so shop around to put together a rough cost. Materials The availability and cost of materials change often. Some building materials, like concrete and concrete blocks, are produced locally and inexpensively. Other items, like pressure-treated lumber, are costly because broader market conditions affect Belize's trade and import prices. Fixtures and finishes (i.e., porcelain tile and lighting) can be expensive, and options for format, style, and colours are limited. Much research and legwork is required to source these items locally. Importing may be the right choice depending on what is available, the cost, or your desire (and insistence) for a specific style, quality, and type of item.  However, since moving here, I have noticed a considerable difference in what is available for finishes and furniture. Stores like Builders Hardware  in Belmopan and Mirab  in Belize City have good-quality items. You will pay a considerable markup, though: my wife and I found a couch on a US-based website for sale at Mirab, with an additional thousand USD tacked onto it.  Labour Labour is typically affordable compared to North American standards. The typical wage for a general construction labourer is around five Belize dollars per hour. Therefore, you can deploy a large crew for a reasonable weekly fee. I encourage you to treat these individuals well. They work hard all day in the Belizean heat and commute for hours before and after each workday. If the builder you hire is legit, he should pay his workers for two weeks of holiday yearly and may even provide the crew with lunch daily. Expect the contractor to pass these expenses on to you.  Planning Your Build My wife holding up colour swatches against the natural colourscape As with the land selection process, there is much to consider when deciding what to build. You need to assess material types, construction methods, and environmental factors. It's important to ask yourself what you want to build and why and to be flexible if a design idea doesn’t work well within the Belizean landscape. Have you always dreamed of a glass home by the beach but failed to consider how it would hold up in the direct sun or a hurricane? For that reason, poured concrete or concrete blocks are used in many homes. Wood frame construction is also common, and there are ways to improve the storm resistance of a wood home (I'll touch on this in Part Two). Combining all three methods is also a widely used construction method and what we chose. We built our wood-framed house on poured concrete piers, with one ground-level section infilled with blocks.  When it comes to choosing an architectural home design, it'll come down to balancing personal aesthetics, practical building practices, and budget. Explore design ideas common in the region and similar climatic zones and compile a list of those you like and think will work for your lot. Assess Your Property The size and shape of the property and the local building variances will also influence what you build. Property access is another consideration, especially if you plan on prefab construction. We had to clear our lot entirely to get the delivery truck on site to place the buildings on their foundations. Assessing the property and your budget is crucial to seeing what works best for you and the property itself. You will have already done this before purchasing the property, but it's good to revisit it during the planning process. Things pop up between buying and building, and you should consider them during the construction planning phase.  Even if the entire home is built on-site, understanding access to materials and machinery is essential. For example, how far from the road is the building site? Can a concrete or pump truck make it onto the site, or will the crew mix concrete by hand? If you build a large home, that is a substantial undertaking for the crew and will increase the project’s timeline.  Purpose of the Property: Personal Use vs Rental What is the intended use for the property? Whether your residence doubles as a vacation rental, determining who will reside in the home influences the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and amenities. The planned use of the building and your personal preferences will also affect the level of fit and finish. The home must be well-appointed to fetch a high rental fee if you plan to rent it. You must also consider the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) qualifications and standards. The vacation rental market is highly competitive, so plan to include some unique features to attract renters.  Needs vs. Wants If the property is for you and your family, assess what is essential for you and what you want. It is subjective, but discussing and writing out what is needed and wanted is vital. Don't be shy; put down everything that comes to mind. You could include a view, a pool, an observation deck, specific-sized windows, or types of doors- really anything. Once you have these items down, you can build preliminary pricing. Depending on where you purchased and your budget, your needs may knock some wants off the list.  Environmental Considerations Heat Penetration In the tropics, heat entering the home is a significant factor to consider. No matter how you build it, heat will permeate the home throughout the day. There is no stopping forty-plus-degree radiant energy. There is a continual debate surrounding wood vs. concrete, which I will explore in Part Two. Other factors, such as the number and placement of windows, contribute to heat entering the home. More windows equals more sunlight, and more sunlight equals more heat penetration. It’s why traditionally built homes in the tropics have few and small window openings. However, this isn’t great for capturing views or interior aesthetics with limited natural light. Also, having few windows means limited airflow, essential in Belize for limiting humidity and preventing mould and mildew growth. Even in the height of the dry season, mould can still take hold in an inadequately vented room.  Luckily, there are ways to strike a balance, and you can design a home that incorporates natural lighting while allowing for lots of windows and airflow. Large Roof Overhangs Large roof overhangs on a hip or gable roof provide shade for large windows, which is an effective way to mitigate direct sun exposure and cool off and air out the home in the evenings. Adding a covered porch or veranda is a great way to achieve this while improving the functionality and architectural interest of the house. Building orientation What is the best way to position the building  on the property? Is there a breeze you want to capture or a view to optimize? Does the property get a lot of sun? Is solar capture a priority? If you plan to have solar on the roof, you must build the home in a clearing that tracks the sun's path. It’s a double-edged sword in the tropics because shade is your friend. Orient large windows parallel to the sun's path or shade them with awning or deep roof overhangs, as mentioned above. In the case of solar power, even if you don’t install it right away, planning for its installation and orienting the building for future purposes should be done first. As mentioned above, writing down your desires for the property is an essential step in the planning process, allowing you to forward thinking and the ability to anticipate future developments.  With our house, which is C-shaped, we included many central windows in the design, with fewer east and west-facing ones and none to the north and south. Doing so allowed us to illuminate the home with natural light while reducing exposure to direct sun throughout the day. Some sun comes in the east-facing windows in the morning and through the west in the evening, but most is overhead throughout the day, hitting the insulated roof. We also included within the C a row of functioning high windows. Heat rises, so coupled with a shed roof, the heat naturally flows up and out these windows when opened.  Insulation I don't know if insulation is more common in wood-frame construction now than when we built our home, but it wasn’t a standard then. It was something we requested and insisted on. Many of the traditionally built prefabricated homes do not come with insulation. I was interested in spray foam, but the home builder didn't have it available, so we went with standard fiberglass batt insulation. If spray foam is available to you, it's a good option because it can seal gaps and cracks, increasing energy efficiency and keeping bugs out. If you plan to run air conditioning, insulation is necessary to keep the cool air inside and reduce the load on your air conditioners. Insulation will also help to reduce heat penetration through the exterior wall assembly of your home, whether wood, concrete, or blocks. If building with the latter two, a stud wall framed against the interior block or concrete is needed for the insulation and should be accounted for in your plans.  Natural Disaster Mitigation There are various natural disasters to consider when building a home in the tropics. Belize is home to hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and wildfires. Depending on where you plan to construct, you must plan for at least one or more on the list. So, it's essential to ask yourself what you can incorporate into the design to avoid or reduce the amount of potential damage caused by one of these events. Mitigation measures include landscaping, building practices, or accessories to the home’s exterior, and you should include them in your budget when planning. It's vital to explore these ideas early and have them influence your build rather than decide to add them later to a less effective degree and higher cost. Hurricanes If you are building on the coast, incorporate short roof overhangs or sacrificial eaves into the design. Sacrificial eaves are separate from the roof structure and designed to come off in a hurricane. This function reduces the stress on the roof structure, as deep roof overhangs that are part of the main roof structure act as a kite in high winds and can help the storm take your roof.  Storm shutters are also a must on the coast and will protect your windows and doors from airborne projectiles. In their simplest form, use cut-to-size sheets of half-inch plywood. Some homeowners have traditional wood shutters built and installed on the house for easy access. On the high end, use steel roll-up shutters . Trim, maintain or remove trees within striking distance of your home. Coconuts are especially harmful in hurricanes as they are plucked from their tree and hurled into the air. If you plan to include coconut palms in your property design, set them away from the house, regularly maintain them, and remove all coconuts before a storm.  Overland Flooding Flood waters in Placencia, October '22 Many mountain areas and the country's south are prone to floods. In raining season, a lot of rain can fall in a short amount of time. If you plan to build in an area prone to flooding, you must design for it. A home raised on piers will keep you and your belongings dry. You can adequately divert, capture, or mitigate overland flooding using downspouts, rainwater reservoirs, swales , and French drains .  Another way to prevent or reduce overland flooding is by selecting proper fill. Parcels of land commonly need grading and leveling. If your property requires this, bring in truckloads of fill to raise grade and level depressions. There are several common fill types: lagoon sand, rocky fill, and clay (ordered from highest cost or lowest). Many property owners opt for clay because it is cost-effective but regret it when their land floods in heavy rain. We needed fill for our lot and opted for the mid-priced rocky fill. It was one of the best decisions we made with our property. Many of our neighbours experience flooding, but ours remains dry. It quickly drains because of the porous nature of the fill, even when we receive five feet of rain in seven days like we did last year.  When landscaping, plant heavily rooted trees and install retaining walls to prevent soil erosion during heavy rains and flooding that cause washouts.  Wildfires Wildfires are a severe hazard in Belize, and areas in Cayo are particularly susceptible. Over thirty percent of Mountain Pine Ridge burned this year, affecting families and agriculture ; other regions were similarly affected country-wide. If you plan to build in an area where wildfires occur, you may wish to build in concrete or block or incorporate some into your design. Metal roofs and siding are typical in Belize, which is optimal in fire-prone areas.  Good fire prevention practices include prescribed burns, creating fire breaks around your property, and routinely clearing brush and dead plants and trees. Shape of Your House The shape of your home plays a role in how it will withstand the local environment. Low, squat structures and round or octagonal homes withstand hurricanes best . If you build in an area not threatened by hurricanes and opt for a multi-story structure, incorporating a central chamber within the home facilitates the expulsion of hot, rising air through the natural stack effect .  Design & Permits Once you have considered the options above, you are ready to put a formal design together. You must hire an architect to draft your construction drawings to apply for the building permit through the Central Building Authority  (CBA). Some areas are exempt from needing a permit, like Mennonite communities, but it is unlikely you will end up in one. If you do, you can skip this step and build as you please.  If you use a prefabricated builder like ours, they complete the entire design and permit process. However, my wife and I designed the whole home using a 3D modeling program  I used for my business back home. We simply provided the builder's architect with our drawings, and he copied them directly, which sped up the process and ensured our design was what we wanted. Solid Foundations Start with Thoughtful Planning Thank you for reading this detailed guide on choosing and preparing your property for building in Belize. Kudos if you made it to the end. I know it was lengthy, but I wanted to include as much as possible. The planning stage is crucial and there is a lot to consider. I hope the information shared here provides a solid foundation for planning and decision-making. Remember, while the process of building a house in Belize is challenging, it is also gratifying. By doing your due diligence, staying flexible, and embracing the unique aspects of building in Belize, you can create a home that meets your needs and enhances your new lifestyle.  Stay tuned for Part Two , where we'll explore the nitty-gritty of construction and offer more insights and tips to help ensure your project's success. Until then, happy property hunting or project planning, and enjoy turning your dreams into reality in beautiful Belize. Thanks for reading! If you are interested in other works of mine, check out Simo's Substack , the Lili Art Blog , or my award winning self-published book . If you want to support this blog so I can continue to provide valuable information on Belize, consider donating, subscribing, or clicking an ad or two! Subscribe to the blog to never miss a post!

Image by Charles Leslie from Pixabay A big part of the move to Belize that many expats make involves the logistical hurdle of shipping their belongings into the country. Whether choosing to import goods because they love their stuff, have discovered before moving that certain items aren’t available, or repurchasing items they already have will be costly, there are several ways to do it. I’ve seen this topic pop up in Facebook groups, and it was a big part of my move abroad, so I thought I’d chime in with a post to share my experience importing items into Belize.  It’s a big logistical task, with lots to know, so in this guide, we'll examine the options and the most common items expats bring here. It also isn’t inexpensive, so this guide is aimed at the do-it-yourselfer (like yours truly). I strive to provide you with as much information as possible to smooth the process and hopefully help keep your costs down. Common Ways to Move to Belize Shipping Container Many expats import their personal belongings when they move to Belize to buy or build a house. One effective way to do so is by using a shipping container. For those readers less familiar, a shipping container is a large, standardized metal box used in global trade to transport goods, predominantly by sea, rail, and land. Typically made of steel, shipping containers are weather-resistant and secure, ensuring cargo's safe and efficient movement across long distances. They come in several sizes, the most common being twenty and forty-footers. Also known as “cargo containers," "freight containers," or "intermodal containers,” shipping containers are a ubiquitous fixture in the Belizean landscape. You can spot the various coloured steel rectangles country-wide in lots, building sites, and developed plots. They are a convenient way to move goods across international borders and make great storage sheds, auxiliary buildings, homes, and even pools ! Depending on your budget and what you plan to load into one, it can be an affordable shipping option, even when purchasing your own. However, the cost to buy and send a container abroad fluctuates and can be pricey sometimes, especially if you don't have enough stuff to fill one. In this case, you can rent a portion of a container, but this has its downsides: your items are more exposed to loss, damage and theft as your times are routinely shuffled around, with loadings and unloadings, compared to having a container of your own that you seal after loading and don’t opened again until its destination.  If you consider bringing items into Belize, using a container is a viable option. A word of caution: Do your research! There is a wide range of pricing. When I looked into this nearly three years ago, I received quotes from a few thousand dollars to over sixty! Shipping Your Items Out of Country As I mentioned above, there is a lot of work, organization, and logistical planning involved in shipping your items to Belize, or abroad, for that matter. This process is the same or similar wherever you go, so the following is still a handy guide even if you aren’t moving to Belize. Due to the specific industry nature of this endeavor, I would advise hiring a professional to assist you. I found a local international shipping company from which I used to purchase a container and help with the logistics and bureaucratic process of sending a container full of stuff out of the country.  Renting vs. Buying a Container An important decision to make early on is whether to rent or buy a container. After extensive research, we decided to purchase a container for the safety of our belongings and the convenience of timing. Since we had enough stuff to fill a twenty-footer, having our own ensured that our stuff would make the trip with minimal handling of the contents. Since we had our own, we would load it and witness the sealing —a little tag placed through one of the four lock brackets. A missing or broken seal indicates that someone opened it. The Cost of Shuffling Conversely, many companies quoting the rental option—whether a partial forty or a full twenty—required us to load our belongings into a moving truck for transport to a warehouse. A crew would unload and store everything there until a container became available. They would then load our items into the container for overseas transport. Once in Belize, another crew would unload the contents and store them again until they could be reloaded into a moving truck for final delivery. The whole process felt long-winded and exposed our belongings to innumerable hazards. Since we were building our home and knew it wouldn’t be move-in ready for some time, we would have had to store our items long-term, until they could be packed into a truck and delivered to our home. Pay for Simplicity As you can see, that's a lot of shuffling about, which increases the chance of damage, loss, and theft, plus the added cost of storage fees. Once we tallied the cost of both options, we chose to buy a container for a marginal amount more. With that small additional fee, we purchased peace of mind.  *The above is my opinion; your situation is unique, so do your research and choose the best option for your situation, needs, and budget. Whatever the Option, Prepare for an Involved Process When planning to ship items via container, there is a multi-step process to consider: 1. A. Packaging Items : Wrapping and boxing items for moving. My wife and I did this ourselves, but packing services are available throughout North America if you have the budget or are time constrained.  1. B. Create a Detailed Manifest:  When packing, itemize each box, bin, or crate and record its contents. You will need this for the customs brokers on both ends, and this information determines your import duties, fees, and contents insurance. Be sure to record the estimated value of each item and its replacement value, too. I used a spreadsheet when completing this, making it easy to send the info to domestic and Belizean-based brokers.  When importing items into Belize, you can drastically undervalue all of your used goods, but be sure to make note of the actual replacement value for the ocean freight insurance. Doing so ensures you receive adequate financial compensation to replace your items if something happens to the cargo ship or your container . I’ll touch on costs later in this section. 2. Loading the Container : The container arrives on a trailer hauled by a semi-truck. Loading requires skill, as you want the container packed as densely as possible. All sorts of machines, including cranes and forklifts, will handle the container throughout its journey. It will also undoubtedly get jostled around on rail, road, and sea. Having a dozen or so ratchet straps during loading helps secure your belongings.  Again, you can hire professionals to do this for you or do it yourself. However, there is often a time limit, so if you do it yourself, you will need assistance. I loaded mine midweek, so soliciting the help of friends and family wasn’t an option as they were all at work. Instead, I hired some local, salt of the earth movers for half a day, and four of us loaded the container thirty minutes shy of the four-hour cut-off. 3. Transportation to Port: Depending on your location, your container may first travel by truck and then by railway into the port of departure, as was the case for us. It traveled by truck from Hamilton to Toronto, then by rail to the port of Montreal. 4. Clearing Domestic Customs : I have no idea of this process as our international shipper handled this part. She did a good job because our container was out of the country in a week or so. 5. Loaded onto Cargo Ship: Self-explanatory. 6. Seabound: Also self-explanatory. 7. Unloaded at the Port of Belize: Nuff said, apart from this caveat: this part of the process is a notoriously inconsistent experience. Some fortunate people, like myself, have their containers swiftly unloaded and sent to their customs broker’s yard, while others experience immense delays after their container gets buried in a pile of unprocessed containers for months on end. When they finally receive work that their container has been processed and is available for official entry into the country, it comes with a fat port storage fee. 8. Receipt By Broker: I have heard that this step doesn’t have to happen, and the broker monitors the inspection process and clears the container right at the port. For whatever reason, our Belize-based customs broker had our container sent directly to their yard, where the inspection took place before delivery to our lot. 9. Transportation to Your Lot or Specified Destination: Our customs broker organized this as part of their services. 10. Unloading the Container From the Trailer: On the day of delivery, my customs broker informed me that the SkyTrak he had organized  to unload the containers fell through. In an effort not to reschedule and avoid storage fees at the broker’s yard, I quickly sprung into organization mode. Thankfully, the contractor we hired to complete the foundation work was reachable, and he made some calls to coordinate with a local SkyTrak operator from a site down the road. When the container arrived, it was too heavy for the lone machine to manage, so we had to solicit the assistance of a second SkyTrak, who worked in tandem with the first to unload the container. As you can see, it's a lengthy process with many stages and “moving parts.” There is plenty of room for errors, delays, added costs, and logistical hiccups. So if you choose this route, take your time to plan and research and choose the companies that you feel most comfortable with for each phase of the container's journey. Is it Worth it the Costs of Shipping a Container? Shipping your belongings to Belize isn’t cheap, so be sure that what you are sending has adequate value or rarity. If you can sell it at home and repurchase it in Belize for a slightly higher cost, it may not be worth bringing it. However, if you have unique furniture pieces, custom home finishes, or a lot of tools like we did, it may make sense to foot the bill.  I have provided some approximate shipping container costs below. Please note that these figures are not only more than two years old, but they are specific to our location in Canada, the contents of the container, the port of embarkation, and the actions of our receiving customs broker at the time. All prices below are in USD. Ocean Certified Shipping Container: $5,000.00 Transportation & Exporting Cost: $7,000.00 Import Cost- Duties, Taxes and Fees: $8,000.00 Transportation/Delivery: $900 Total= $20,900.00 Now that we thoroughly understand shipping containers and their processes, let's look at other common ways expats import items into Belize. Mules & Freight Forwarding Image by ErikaWittlieb from Pixabay There are several options for bringing items into the country beyond intermodal containers. A straightforward way is to jump on the Belize Mule Group  and ask if anyone is making the trip down from Canada, the US, or Mexico. For a fee, ‘the mule’ will pick up, transport, and deliver your item. There are also freight forwarding companies like Belizean Queen  and Arrow Freight  that allow you to order US items online from stores like Home Depot, Ikea, and Amazon, or any store with online ordering and delivery, for that matter. When placing your order, you provide the businesses’ mailing address, usually a depot in a major port city like Miami or Houston, and then inform them of your purchase. They box the items up as compactly as possible and ship them into the country for a flat rate per their set package sizes. The fee includes all duties and taxes. I’m unsure how they swing this, but I don’t doubt an institutionalized ‘greasing of palms’ is at play. The Empty Box Paradox This arrangement has both its positives and negatives. Since the shipment cost is based on size, it's a cost-effective way to import heavy items. However, if you only have a small item, it’s subject to their minimum box size and fee, which is $30 USD with Belizean Queen. Sometimes, one small item from a larger order gets delayed and doesn’t make the trip with the rest of the items. Unfortunately, if you don't have more items coming with the next scheduled delivery (which is every two to three weeks), they will send them by themselves. We’ve had a small and light package, equivalent to an 8x10 piece of paper, with a value of a few dollars, sent alone in a $30 USD box. It's definitely a bit frustrating at times. Most expats use these services for smaller, everyday items, but I have heard of people using them to move personal belongings, too. While these companies are viable options for bringing in everyday items, I would contact them and request specific quotes if you plan to import larger household items like furniture or appliances.  Transporting it Yourself Bringing your items in yourself via land border is another, albeit less common, option. This was also what we did in addition to a shipping container. Since import duties on vehicles are high, my wife and I decided to purchase an old shuttle bus in Canada. We did this for two reasons:  1. It was a great moving van, and 2. The import duties were significantly less than those for regular vehicles because the value was so low; keep all relevant documentation pertaining to the purchase and transfer of ownership for used vehicles from your home country. A quick note for context: in Canada, such vehicles aren’t costly but are quite valuable in Belize.  We loaded the bus with the belongings that didn't fit in the container or that we needed immediately: we had a lot of baby stuff that we didn’t want to be locked up in the container if it took a long time to arrive. Keep it Cheap If you plan to do something similar, ensure the bill of sale displays a low value ;). The customs department may refer to the Kelley Blue Book  value, but if you have a bill of sale on hand, they will be less likely to charge you duties based on that value. The value of a vehicle like ours was also hard to find (not in KBB), so all they had to go off was our Canadian bill of sale. While many people don't have much of an issue taking a vehicle or towing a trailer full of stuff over the Mexican border, this was not the case for me. I wrote about this experience on my Substack , so I will keep it short and sweet. Just Google “Transmigrante.”  I will say this: in all my research about driving through Mexico, I did not come across that term or anyone alluding to anything similar to my experience. Even after a retroactive search using specific key terms I now know, I still can’t find much on this. My only advice for someone bringing in a larger load of personal items is to make sure you line up a Spanish-speaking customs broker at the southern border in Texas to put together all relevant documentation before you attempt to make the border crossing into Mexico. Also, plan to budget around $1,000 USD for this process, plus have a small stash of USD bribe money tucked away for opportunistic municipal Mexican police.  The Usual Suspects Apart from personal items, which can range from household goods, art, appliances, tools, clothing, etc., expats frequently bring pets and vehicles into the country.  Viable Vehicles Many expats import vehicles and do it over land or by container. It requires a lot of research and organization, whichever option you choose. Be aware that the duties of conventional trucks and cars are quite high. Several factors that determine the import duties and taxes are:  The vehicle's age Its value The engine's number of cylinders If you plan to drive a truck or fancy car from Canada or the US through Mexico, consider hiring a Spanish-speaking assistant familiar with the trip, the cartels and border crossings. This will make the trip easier and safer. You can hire someone to meet you in Texas and drive you through Mexico and Belize.  A word of advice: provide as little information as possible at border crossings, especially with Mexico. If you plan to import the vehicle into Belize and never bring it back, do your best to keep your plans from the Mexican border authorities; otherwise, they will excise a hefty duty to transit through. Simply say you are road-tripping to Belize, and the vehicle will head back to your country of origin on your return trip. Just pay the temporary importation fee and never look back. Their documentation process is analog, and the chances they ever check up on you, especially after the vehicle is registered and plated in Belize, is slim to none. You’ll still be able to cross into Mexico without issue, as we have several times. You will need a customs broker to complete the importation process at one of the two borders. You can postpone this process for about thirty days (with the option to extend it to ninety days) by bringing the vehicle into Belize on a temporary importation permit. Brokers are relatively inexpensive and move the process along for you: they know who to bribe and much, LOL. All joking aside (but not really), they will help you negotiate the importation fees, which can be as high as 80% of the vehicle’s book value.    If you ship your vehicle by container, there are conditions pertaining to how much fuel you can have in the tank, among others.   How to Move Pets to Belize Let’s not forget our furry friends! Many expats bring their pets into Belize too, and we are no exception. Our two family dogs accompanied my travel buddy and I on the seven-day journey (well, more like eleven, due to the difficulties at the Mexican border I alluded to above). The following section will explain the process from a Canadian point of view, although I imagine it is similar to that of our US counterparts. It will also focus on the land crossing, as shipping our dogs with a Canadian airline wasn’t a viable option at the time. We chose to drive them because: 1. I was already driving a bus full of stuff, and 2. In order to fly them, we had to do it from the US, which meant crossing a land border by vehicle anyway and left us with the challenge of collecting them at the International Airport outside of Belize City the same day they left—a transportation impossibility. Ultimately, the cost of driving our bus full of stuff was cheaper and more convenient than the quotes I received for flying the two dogs. I digress.  Bringing dogs and cats into Belize is quite simple. Since Canada, the US, and Mexico are all part of NAFTA , it's a clean shot with the animals to Belize. I had no issue with the dogs at any of the borders. The US didn’t even ask for their paperwork, and the Mexican border officials briefly glanced at it.  Get Your Documents in Order Before you leave, you need to do considerable coordinating. Get in touch with The Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) to obtain the required form for importing your pet(s ).  They are quite responsive and usually get back to email inquiries in a day or two. Once you have filled out and returned the form to them, you have up to three months to enter with your pets, so a little timing is needed when making your submission. If your pet(s) are entering through airline, you must schedule an inspection with a BAHA officer for the day of arrival.  Image by Mirko Sajkov from Pixabay That's all pretty simple, but where it gets complicated is on the North American side of things. In Canada, you need to first visit the Canadian Food Inspection Agency –yes, random, I know– to get the required paperwork to have your pets travel internationally. At the time, they required you to visit them in person to get the necessary paperwork, which is essentially a pet passport, though it isn't called that. Then, you take that packet of information to your veterinarian and have them administer and record the required vaccinations, tick and flea medications and dewormer for your animal(s). Once that's filled out, you take it back to the CFIA to have one of their higher-ups sign off on it. You need to complete that process for each dog or cat in order to get them into Belize. Cross Your Ts A note of vaccinations: rabies vaccines are valid in Canada for 2-3 years, but that timeframe isn't recognized in Belize and is required annually. If your pet(s) got vaccinated last year and you weren't planning on doing it again because they are "still good," I'd recommend getting them again before entering Belize. It's a precautionary measure, just in case the BAHA officer who inspects your pet(s) takes issue with it and you find yourself subjected to additional “fees.”  Image by Mirko Sajkov  from Pixabay A final tidbit before we wrap up this section: It's important to understand that the US has placed Belize on a blacklist of countries  surrounding rabies. North American nations don’t recognize the vaccine they use in Belize, so if you ever want to take your pets back home to the US, you must keep them up-to-date with the requisite vaccines.  In Canada its less strict, but you will have to wait to high season to fly them direct as transiting them over American soil is prohibited. This means taking your pets to Mexico before their next shot. By doing so, you will be compliant with NA vax standards and should be able to get them back into your home country. I'm not 100% sure what the current status of this is, so if you have an update or insight into the latest developments on this, please leave a comment, and I’ll update this section accordingly. Hiring a Customs Broker Hire a customs broker, no matter what you are bringing in, where it's coming from, or from what border it's entering. Do not attempt to do this on your own unless you have direct experience working in this industry. A customs broker will help you navigate the paperwork and grease the necessary palms. I have no doubt that the ease at which our container made it to our lot in Maya Beach hinged heavily on the fact that we had someone who was experienced with the Belizean import process working behind the scenes. If you are interested in knowing who I used, you can email me directly.  Import Duties For a complete list of duties, check out the Belize Customs and Excise Department  website. It has almost every item you can think of, from vehicles, boats, and trailers to art, and furniture and appliances. These are essentially negotiable, and your customs broker will get costs down for you.  Missing and Damage Items Image by Ronald Plett from Pixabay It's not so much a matter of whether  there will be damage but how much . From what I can tell, the items within our container made the journey unscathed but sustained damage during reloading after inspection. Our container was packed with pinpoint accuracy, and getting it back to its original state after the inspection process pulled out most of the contents would have required servant-like memory and a team of four people. According to my broker, the inspection was a one-man show. As a result, we had some damaged items, and when we finally got around to unloading it, a couple of boxes appeared not to have made the trip, too. Receiving Compensation for Damaged Items Unfortunately, we weren't eligible for compensation due to the time it took to unload our container after delivery. Most brokers have a limit of thirty days to make a claim. When our container arrived, I was only able to do a quick inspection and didn’t see any damage at the time.  Our container arrived fast: six weeks from when it left Canada. Normally this would be great, but we had anticipated three to four months, and we were not ready to unload the container when it arrived. But, it came so quickly that we didn’t have a house to unload the container into. Thankfully, the damage wasn’t too bad, and we fixed and repaired most of the items ourselves –as DIYers do!  Everything in its Place Image by Ronald Plett from Pixabay Okay, so I think that's all I can think of regarding importing your life and belongings into Belize. It's a lot of work, so leave yourself a lot of time to do your research and due diligence. Moving to Belize and deciding how to bring your personal belongings is a significant logistical hurdle for many expats. Whether you opt for a shipping container, use a freight forwarding service, or transport items yourself, the process can be complex and time-consuming. Thorough planning, research, and choosing the right method based on your needs and budget are critical to ensure a smooth transition. By understanding the options and anticipating potential challenges, you can make informed decisions that streamline the import process and minimize stress as you settle into your new life in Belize. Until the next post, happy moving y’all! Thanks for reading! If you are interested in my other work, check out  Simo's Substack , the  Lili Art Blog , or  my award-winning self-published book . If you want to support this blog so I can continue to provide valuable information on Belize, consider donating, subscribing, or clicking an ad or two!  Subscribe to the blog to never miss a post!

Welcome back to Part Two of The Best Guide to Building a Home in Belize, where we will continue our exploration of the nuances of residential construction in this part of the world. If you didn't catch Part One, you can read it here .  As I mentioned in Part One, I have yet to include any information on finding a contractor as I already wrote a book that explores that subject at length. So, if it appears I have skipped over an important topic, I have. The process is the same wherever you are, so I encourage the interested reader to check out Home in Good Hands: A Homeowner's Guide to Construction and Renovation . In addition to helping readers find a reliable contractor, the book covers various topics, from receiving quotes and signing contracts to the construction process and workflows.  Anyhow, let's get down to business! Preparing the Property At this point in the game, you will have a parcel of land, a design, and possibly a contractor ready to build. Depending on the location and purchase price, your lot could be in a different number of states before you start construction: cleared and build ready, partially cleared- some empty lot owners clear underbrush before they sell the property to make it walkable and more appealing to buyers- or in its natural state, which typically means dense jungle or savanna here in Belize. Let's assume you are starting with the latter to give the reader the most information possible. Clearing the Land With an essentially jungle lot, it’s common in Belize to clear or partially clear the land before construction can begin. How much you clear will depend on the property size and how much you plan to develop. In our case, the previous owner had cleared much of the underbrush. All that remained were some craggy trees and shrubs in the middle of the lot, which we chose to remove so we could have better access for construction.  Please Keep What You Can What you decide to keep or not is wholly up to you, your wants and needs, and the project's demands. However, keep as much as you can. Leaving older-growth trees and established plants will make the property look nice sooner, provide shade immediately, and keep your landscaping budget down. It also helps to preserve Belizean ecology and reduce the disruption to the local fauna that lives there.  Two of our neighbours did this, and their properties looked appealing right after construction, with well-established plants throughout the lot. Don't get me wrong; we love the look of our property, but it takes some time for the saplings and infant plants to take root and grow. Admittedly, we could have done a better job of this. We weren’t as mindful of Mother Nature as we could have been when we prepared the lot for construction. We hired the contractor to clear and didn’t fully understand the process -essentially, an excavator clear-cutting and removing everything. However, we did leave a large oak tree along the northern property line as it wasn't in the way and would provide shade to the home in the summer months. Similarly, we kept some small trees at the back of the property, canal side, because there wasn't a need to remove them. Unfortunately, everything else went. We regret this, but given the prefabricated aspect of the project, we needed a lot of access for the delivery and installation of the buildings.  After construction, we replanted species native to the area, such as sea grape, cocoplum, cashew, and palmetto, and other local edible species, such as mango, elderberry, wax apple, and banana. We initially didn't anticipate this, but it's a good thing to consider: landscaping and replanting will require more work and cost if you clear everything.  If your property has old growth, edibles, or a unique plant species, you should clear around them. A friend of ours in a community north of us on the peninsula left two specific trees during their clearing process because they contained orchids. To preserve them, they kept the trees on which they were growing, and they now add charm and a talking point to their garden property. Ultimately, you will do what you need based on your plans, but it's essential to be mindful of the process, as it can harm the environment. It's always best practice to limit your impact as much as possible. Mangrove Considerations Mangroves are critical for maintaining the country's rich biodiversity and protecting its coastal ecosystems. These unique intertidal forests serve as vital habitats for numerous species of fish, birds, and invertebrates. Mangroves  also act as natural barriers against coastal erosion and storm surges, providing essential protection for communities and infrastructure. Belize has made significant strides in mangrove preservation  through legal frameworks and community-based initiatives emphasizing sustainable management and restoration. Belize is very protective of its mangrove  communities, and alteration to any mangrove for any reason is strictly prohibited unless permitted. When we arrived, some juvenile mangroves were starting along the canal at the back of the property. We didn't touch them throughout construction and didn't need to include this permitting aspect in our project. If you are developing a property with a dock or boat slip on a lagoon, canal, or seaside that contains mangroves, conducting research, pursuing the proper permitting process , and treating these important ecosystems with due respect are essential. Filling & Grading Depending on the lay of your land and the composition of the existing ground, you may need to add fill. Choosing the proper fill is often based on availability at the time of the project, but the primary consideration is how well it will allow water to drain. There are several different types of fill available. For properties along the coast, the most desirable is lagoon sand -sand dredged from the bottom of lagoons while constructing canals. When we built, lagoon sand was hard to come by and expensive, so we were left with the other two options: clay or rocky fill, consisting of sand and medium to large-sized rocks. I don’t recommend clay because it’s not porous and restricts water drainage. Many property owners and developers use clay because it is inexpensive, but they experience flooding afterward. Evidence of its lack of drainability (yes, I just made up a word) is evident on properties after heavy rains. It's common to see ankle to knee-deep water on many lots on the Placencia peninsula after a downpour. Luckily for us, clearing our lot revealed that we had nice sand throughout, so our contractor suggested we scrape it up, pile it to the back of the lot, and bring in rocky fill. He then redistributed our existing sand overtop. It was a genius idea that saved us money by reducing the loads needed and ensuring excellent drainage and better sand underfoot. Even after torrential rains, the water weeps away quickly, and we never have standing water, even after it rains 60” in seven days. Yes, that happens. When filling, focus on low spots and grade the entire property on a slight angle to train water away from the property.  Our property borders empty lots to the north and the south, a road to the east, and a canal to the west. The road is raised relatively high, with the canal much lower, but the lowest point is in the middle. We determined that we didn't need to match the height of the road (it would have required a lot of fill and not necessarily achieved much) but focused on filling the middle, keeping an even slope towards the back. In overland flooding -which we haven’t experienced- the water would naturally flow into the canal. Our contractor worked to grade the property according to this plan, making sure not to create a too steep slope, which would increase the risk of our sand washing away. Installing Services What services are available? Does the area where you are building have electrical, water, and gas (propane/butane)? Are they available at your site, or must you bring them in? If not, what alternative options are available to you? Electricity Standard Connection At the time of clearing, there were electrical lines at the roadside. To get power into the property, we paid approximately 2,500 USD to install an electrical service entrance and the BEL connection fee. We put the service entrance at the northwest corner of the property, close to the road and under the power lines. Our contractor did this in a typical way. They built the entrance using the standard method: concrete and concrete blocks and then finished it with a cement-based parging mix. The electrician then installed a breaker box with a main shutoff on our side of the property and buried supply lines in a conduit that ran to the house location. They also installed a temporary outlet so the crew could have power to run tools. After completion, Belize Electricity Limited, the electricity service provider, installs the meter on the roadside of the service entrance. This location allows them easy access if they ever need to service the meter or remove the power to the property. I’ve heard this step can take ages, but it was about ten days for us. We weren't in the country then, so it didn't matter much. For some properties, electrical service isn’t close by. In that case, you need to find out where it is and the process and cost to bring it to your property. Suppose it is not available at all or is too cost-prohibitive - I’ve heard stories of BEL trying to charge people tens of thousands of dollars to bring service into a new area- then you must explore other options like solar, wind, or hydroelectric for your house. Most solar systems are readily available at a hefty cost, and wind and hydroelectric generation would most likely require some research into companies capable of completing such a task and local government regulations and restrictions. Hydroelectric conditions on your property must be favorable, like a waterfall or other significant water source on a slope. Solar Solar energy is plentiful in Belize, and retailers are widely available, with many companies providing equipment and installation services. If you plan to use solar energy in your home, you should determine this and budget it early in your project planning. There's no better way to blow your budget out of the water than not anticipating a big-ticket item like solar.  Generally speaking, solar energy comes at a considerable cost for even a modest system, starting at around fifteen thousand USD, which won’t cover all of a home's electricity needs. From what I’ve researched, plan to budget a minimum of thirty thousand USD for a typical house home and closer to fifty thousand if you plan to run AC off your solar.  If you can afford the upfront cost and have a long view, installing solar is worthwhile. Over fifteen to twenty years, you will save money on electricity costs for your home. More appealing is the self-reliance and sustainability aspect of solar power generation. By not drawing from the grid, you won't contribute to the dirty energy it supplies. Furthermore, electricity supply and distribution is a significant problem in Belize. The country doesn't produce enough to supply the demand and purchases additional power from Mexico. In recent months, the Mexican government, with their supply issues, ceased providing power to Belize. Blackouts and brownouts have been prevalent in Belize since moving here but have become routine as BEL adopts “load shedding” to reduce the demand on their grid. Friends of mine own an off-grid home in the jungle outside of Belmopan and are wholly unaffected by the rolling blackouts and wavering power supply—a compelling reason to invest in solar. Fine Tuning When determining your solar needs, you must provide the company you choose with a list of all appliances and sources of electrical draw.  This list includes anything that requires electricity, from fridges and washing machines to fans, cell phones, and laptops. Everything must be accounted for to put together the proper solar setup. You must also determine how much storage capacity you desire, which will determine how long you can run the home during times of little to no sun- which occurs during the rainy season. Using this information, they can calculate the kilowatts needed to run your home and either suggest a package they offer or provide a custom setup for your needs. There is also the option of auxiliary backup power through a generator, which can be tied into the solar system and kick in when the batteries can no longer sustain the home.  Alternatively, if you have access to the grid but still prefer the self-reliance of solar, there are grid tie options. Grid tie allows you to use solar power during the day and grid power at night, effectively reducing the cost of your monthly electricity bill. Unlike in North America, buyback programs aren't readily available. However, recent news suggests that the government and BEL are implementing a buyback program, but from what I’ve read, this is limited and not as cost-effective as programs in other countries. Wind Many solar companies offer small wind generation hardware  and installations. Most of these have a small production capacity and are used as an auxiliary power source to power a specific appliance like a water pump. I have yet to complete thorough research on this topic, so the interested reader is encouraged to explore viable options for residential wind power generation applications. Water As I mentioned in Part One, water wasn't available on our side of the road when we began building. After several inquiries and no reply from the local independent water supplier about bringing municipal water into our lot, we opted for rain catchment. We had heard rumors that the government would take control of the water service in our area in the future, so it appeared that the local company was not interested in the expense or effort required to bring water under the road to our lot. In recent months, BWS ran supply lines with metered service on the way. So, say you end up in a similar situation to us, where water service isn't available or easily accessible. What are your options?  Rain Water Collection As previously mentioned, rainwater catchment is a viable and eco-friendly option for water supply. Mother nature provides you with all your utility water and, depending on the filtration system you opt for, drinking water, too. However, there is a learning curve when coming from North America, where rain collection is not the norm or even allowed in many municipalities.  Using rainwater requires specific equipment and routine maintenance to ensure all components function. Rain catchment systems require large eavestroughs, downspouts, and reservoirs to capture the water. They also need a pump, pressure tank, and filtration system to function correctly.  There is also a supply issue for part of the year, with long stretches lasting months with no rain. You need a substantial cistern volume if you want a reliable water source through the six to seven months of the dry season. Also, it's important to note that annual rainfall volumes differ across the country. For example, the southern regions of the country get approximately three times more rain than the Northernmost, so researching the specifics of your area is crucial before installing a large rain catchment system.  Researching an upcoming off-grid build, my wife and I estimated we would need at least two 2,640-gallon cisterns, each costing 2,600.00 USD. Once you factor in a pump at 250 USD, a pressure tank at 500 USD, and water filtration, ranging from a couple hundred dollars to over $1,000, the system's cost increases. First Flush System If you go with rainwater collection, add a first flush system. It is an additional attachment to the downspout that feeds water into the collection reservoir, which collects and diverts the first volume of rain collected from the roof. Rooftops collect dust, dirt, and other debris, especially over the dry season, and it all gets washed into your cisterns if you don't have measures in place. You can use a filter at the inlet, but that won't separate fine particulates from the water. These will eventually build up in the collection tank, clog water filtration systems, and need regular cleaning, which could mean draining the tanks and wasting water.  A Hybrid Approach If you have access to municipal water but are interested in sustainability and self-reliance, you can take a hybrid approach to water service for your home. In this case, you install a rain catchment and a municipal water hook-up. In the dry season, municipal water can fill the cisterns fitted with a float valve. You will still pay a small monthly fee (ten Belize dollars) for the municipal water hook-up, but it allows you to use what Mother Nature provides during the rainy season and reduce some of your utility costs. Water Collection Woes  The downside is that the pump requires electricity, so you will lose access to your running water in a power outage. Making the water potable is possible, but some systems, particularly UV, are costly. To avoid clogs from hindering your catchment system's effectiveness, you must conduct routine maintenance to clear the roof and eaves of debris.  If you decide to go this route, opt for large reservoirs. We didn't get the largest available, and in hindsight, I would have. In long dry seasons, water needs to be topped up by outside sources, and you will have to purchase water to fill the tanks if they aren't large enough or your consumption is high. Conveniently for us, the local hardware stores, our neighbour, provides water delivery service. This system requires us to monitor water levels within the tanks and order in advance when the levels get low. When it's very dry and the water demand is high, it can take up to five days for the delivery to show up after ordering, with advance payment. If you plan to build in a remote location, away from convenient water delivery, plan for large cisterns or a secondary source like a well or a year-round stream from which you can pump.   Depending on the size of your reservoirs, you may need to change your behaviour with this system. Being more conscious of water usage is a good practice. For example, when showering, I turn the water off while I soap up, or when washing my hands, I shut off the tap when lathering. Efficient appliances, such as a dishwasher and washing machine, are necessary, as they will help conserve water and reduce usage.  Well Water Wells are also an option, depending on the availability and depth of groundwater.  A well can provide a constant water source for your property, although it can dry up in severe drought. If you have many plants you need to water, this is a better option than rain catchment, as you can quickly use your rainwater to water plants in the dry season. (We capture the AC wastewater in buckets and use that to water our plants). Depending on the water depth at your lot, the cost of a well installation can be as high as seven thousand USD.  Desalination  If you are close to the ocean, you need a desalination system with your well to create fresh water. Since the water table is high in these areas, groundwater will be brackish if not completely salinated. A similar system to the rain catchment setup will accompany your pump house: a pump, pressure tank, and filtration system, which requires specific knowledge to operate and maintain. Water Diversion Water diversion is another option for locations close to a water source, like a river or stream. Due to ecological considerations, the local municipality will have its own specifications and limitations for diverting water sources. Usually, only a specific percentage is allowed for diversion to limit the impact on the surrounding ecosystems and inhabited areas.   Septic Systems Most properties in Belize need a septic system, as sewers are only available in parts of Belize City, Belmopan, and San Pedro. The size of your house and the number of bathrooms will dictate the size of the system. They are usually basic, consisting of a large concrete box (ours is five feet by fifteen feet) with several chambers, each with a clean-out hatch. Black water enters the first chamber, and grey water gets diverted to the last chamber, which leads to the leach field. The leach field is a perforated PVC pipe buried several feet underground and in line with the bottom of tank. It's best not to put anything apart from fecal matter and urine into the system. Otherwise, you run the risk of clogs and will frequently need pump-outs.  When installing your septic, place well-draining earth or gravel under and around it, especially if you have used clay fill. If the tank and leach field cannot drain well, it can cause unwanted backups. Cooking with Gas I'm unaware of any gas service line for residential homes in Belize, so most properties have tanks that supply LP gas (liquid propane- which contains 30% butane in Belize) to stoves, water heaters, and the odd dryer.  Which Stove is Best for Belize: Gas or Electric? There is an ongoing debate about whether to cook with gas or use an electric stove and oven. The heat generated from a gas cooktop is substantial. If you plan to run air conditioning, you must use electricity to cool the appliance's excess heat.  During the build process, the unit we rented had a gas stove. It was sometimes unbearable, especially when cooking in thirty-plus-degree weather in a space that didn't have AC. We opted for an electric stove and had planned for before that experience. After experiencing it firsthand, we were glad we went with electric. Unless your kitchen is mostly outside, gas inside with the Belizean heat is a lot, but ultimately, it's a choice you will have to make for yourself. Yes, we use more electricity to use the appliance, but it doesn’t heat our home to the extent a goals stove would, which helps offset cooling costs.  However, our selection caused us some issues during the build. Our stove is a fifty-amp appliance, but fifty-amp plugs that are standard at home weren't available here at the time (only 30-amp plugs were available—I'm not aware if that has changed). We had to order the part from the US and have it shipped into the country through Belizean Queen, which took over a month. All the while, we were without a stove. Foundation Fundamentals Basements, like those found in most homes in North America, aren’t very common in Belize (I have heard that some Mennonites in the Spanish Lookout area have them). The water table is very high in many places, so putting it in a basement doesn't make much sense. Most homes are either at ground level or raised on posts to catch breezes and limit the presence of bugs. Therefore, I sometimes interchange the term foundation with the first-floor structural components. However, structural elements, such as footings, grade beams, and piles, could be considered strictly “the foundation.” Floating If you are building with poured concrete and concrete blocks, this is a common foundation used everywhere in the country. It consists of footings- approximately 4'x4'x8” blocks of concrete and rebar set approximately two to three feet deep. There isn't a frost line here, so going four feet below grade, like in many parts of North America, isn’t necessary. Depending on your house's size, you may have forty or more of these. Our house has twenty-seven of them.   While pouring the footings, workers set rebar cages at the height of the first floor in the center of the footings. These cages form the interior steel skeleton of the building's structure. Workers erect wood forms around the steel cages and pour concrete inside to create foundational posts. If the second story is wood, they insert heel straps into the poured concrete at the top of the post to secure the wood structure to the foundation. If the second floor is concrete, they leave rebar sticking out the top to tie into the next layer of concrete. This type of foundation is called a floating foundation because it is essentially “floating on the ground beneath it. There isn't anything tying it to something solid like bedrock.  Piles Piles, conversely, secure a home's foundation to solid earth beneath it. These are becoming more common as more owners and land developers build large concrete homes on the beach. Piles are long concrete piers connecting a home's foundation to the bedrock below. They are drilled and poured into the holes or pounded into the earth. The construction crew then ties the piles together with a grade beam, similar to the floating foundation, erecting structural posts from pile locations. There are limitations to piles, as sixty feet is their maximum length. If your plans call for piles but the bedrock below is below sixty feet, a floating foundation is used instead. Wood Post Wood posts are the cheapest option available here in Belize. The wood posts come with the price if you build a prefabricated home. The crew will set the posts on concrete footings at grade before delivery and attach the home to the posts when the house is delivered. Wood post foundations have the added benefit of allowing you to easily relocate the house later if need be. The downfall is that they are prone to termites and rot, requiring regular maintenance and care to ensure longevity. Most wood posts are Belizean hardwood, which is heavy, dense, and hearty. If you are in an area prone to earthquakes or hurricanes, further research is needed to see how this type of foundation holds up in such an event.  From Floors to Walls You will have various choices regarding a home's walls and floors. Here in Belize, there is wood, poured concrete, concrete block, foamcrete, and styropanel for walls. Each of these has pros and cons. Earth, wood, or reinforced concrete are the only options for floors. I will touch on the latter two, as earthen floors aren’t typically a feature of an expat home.  Would Wood Work for Floors and Walls? Wood provides warmth (not temperature, but aesthetics) and comfort, unlike any other material. The natural grain and colours in wood provide interest and a connection to nature, while the density and inherent properties of the material allow for moisture regulation and the quick cooling of the structure at night.  Wood-framed floors and walls are much faster to build than concrete or block walls. Despite the increase in price over the last few years, wood is still cheaper overall due to the labour required to build with it. An experienced two to three-person crew can erect a wood-framed structure with surprising efficiency compared to the same structure in masonry, which requires additional labour to mix and haul concrete and mortar. Wood frames are also easily modified and repaired, so if you plan to build an extension or complete a renovation later on, wood construction allows for ease of access, modification, and integration.  However, it doesn't perform well when insulating against sound. It also doesn't insulate against the daytime heat like concrete does. Since wood is an excellent thermal bridge , the same principle that allows the building to cool off in the evenings works in reverse during the day, heating up the inside quickly. So, the studs in the wood walls connect the inside and outside of the home and act as a medium to transfer air temperature. In North America, offset double stud walls minimize thermal bridging, but I have yet to see this building practice used in Belize.  Therefore, insulation is a must, albeit less common than in North American wood frame construction, when building with wood in Belize. Also, conventionally framed wood frame construction lacks integrity in a major storm unless you factor in additional measures to increase its storm viability. Wood frame construction also has structural limitations in Belize as common North American structural wood technology like LVL is not yet available. So, if you are looking for large, unsupported openings, roof overhangs, and similar architectural details, wood frame construction won't be the building method to achieve them. Pouring Over the Details of Concrete Walls and Floors From the endless building sites on the Placencia peninsula, I have seen that entire concrete walls are rare. Most structural walls consist of poured concrete posts in-filled with concrete blocks. It doesn't mean that full concrete walls aren't available. Still, the building technology in Belize limits the scope of a pour, with limited access to large, easily movable, and pre-assembled concrete formwork.  However, concrete posts, beams and floors are ubiquitous and are great options for building a sturdy home that can withstand hurricane forces.  Concrete Block Walls. Also known as CMUs (concrete masonry units), concrete block walls are everywhere in Belize. At as little as one US dollar for a 6" x 8" x 16” block, CMUs are an affordable option for concrete construction. However, they are still not as affordable as wood frame construction after you factor in labour, rebar, concrete infill, plastering, and painting (not necessary but often desired).  However, when adequately reinforced with rebar and concrete inside the block, CMU construction is arguably the most storm-ready structure.  As with any construction method, the quality of construction matters, and a poorly built masonry wall can be a hazard to everyone, inside and out. The builder's practices will influence the building's cost, energy efficiency, and interior comfort.  CMUs are quite porous and need to be sealed inside and out with cement parging (the ‘ol wall flick—if you know, you know, lol). Otherwise, moisture will penetrate the walls and cause high humidity, increasing the chance of mold and mildew. Filling the block with concrete while erecting the wall will help with this, as well as stiffening the wall. Despite their porosity, air doesn't seem to move freely across the blocks’ surface, so be sure to design window and door locations to capture cross breezes and routinely flush the interior with fresh air. If not adequately planned for with proper interior ventilation, some concrete and block homes can smell and feel musty and possibly need a dehumidifier.  Foamcrete and Styropanel I'm not going to lie; I don't know much more about these building materials besides that they exist in Belize. Also known as aerated concrete, foam concrete is a mixture of cement, water, small aggregate, and a foaming agent. This process provides a lighter-weight, efficiently poured substitute for non-loadbearing walls and CMU infill. The foam aspect also gives the material a better insulating ability (R-value) than standard concrete and CMUs.  Styropanel combines styrofoam and steel mesh plastered or embedded in concrete. It is commonly used as infill walls between poured concrete posts but can also be used for floors and structural applications when combined with conventional formwork and concrete. Which Building is Better for a Home in Belize, Wood or Concrete? There is a longstanding debate over which construction method, concrete or wood, is better for the Belizean environment. Undoubtedly, concrete is more hurricane-resistant than wood, but there are methods for increasing the strength of wood-framed homes, like steel rods and hurricane ties, which I'll explain momentarily. In addition to its storm resistance, concrete is typically cooler during the day. However, wood breathes better than concrete and, as I mentioned before, is an efficient thermal bridge. After a hot day, wood construction will cool off faster than concrete, which tends to store heat and radiate it back into the home at night. Wood floors are also easier on the body than concrete. Anyone who has ever stood on a concrete floor for an extended period will understand how energetically draining the material is. Both wood and concrete homes have pros and cons, and choosing one depends on your priorities and preferences. Raise the Roof Asphalt shingles aren’t common here, as they wouldn't withstand the direct sun and high temperatures. Metal roofs are the standard in Belize for residential construction, whether over a wood-framed or concrete slab roof structures. There are various styles, colours, and thicknesses (termes gauges). Something to consider with metal roofing is that it amplifies the sound of the rain, which is nice for light drizzling but very noisy for torrential downpours. To mitigate this, install at least one layer of 1” high-density foam panels under the finished metal roofing. To eliminate this, install a poured concrete roof on your home. Local Building Codes and Practices I am unaware of an official building code in Belize like that found in North America. However, the Central Building Authority (CBA)  enforces a construction standard for all new buildings in the country. At times, it's hard to tell what that standard is. Some documents are online, but most pertain to the permitting process, who can apply, and how one should apply. There is nothing in the realm of how to build homes. For those interested, here is the link to the most recent (2020) Building Act  and the 2022 Building Regulations , which the former references. I know of some standard rules from when we built, like five-foot setbacks from property boundaries and thirty feet from the middle of the road if your property is roadside. There is also a height restriction of five stories, at least in Maya Beach.  Even if you don’t have construction experience in Belize, driving by the endless building sites reveals that construction is different here than in North America: they use bush stick –a fast-grown hardwood found in the country’s jungles– to support the formwork for concrete floors. I don’t doubt that it’s a sturdy and affordable option, but I definitely question how precise it is. The concrete work comes out quite rough, due to the absence of technology to adequately vibrate the concrete after its poured. As a result, all concrete work needs finishing with cement parging.  Wood frame construction is also done differently, depending on who's building. For starters, subfloors aren't a thing here. Hardwood floorboards aren't typically tongue and groove and are fastened directly to the home's floor joists. The boards aren’t exactly straight either, so gaps between the boards get filled with wood filler. Over time, with the expansion and contraction of the boards, the filler comes loose and falls out, leaving you with a view of the outside through a crack in the floor. We avoided this issue by having plywood and plycem (where we installed tiles) installed throughout the entire house. Doing so also allowed us to have smooth transitions from hardwood to tile and improved the home's structural integrity. Furthermore, some Mennonite crews will build with 2 x 3 or 2 x 4 on the flat, often with wide spacing between stud centers, without adequate corner studs and other structural members. Those details may not mean anything to you, but take it from me: it’s not the best way of doing things. Luckily, we built our home to a much higher standard, which was in line with how I built in Canada. Our house was overbuilt, with non-load-bearing door openings containing substantial headers. Perhaps the additional structure is necessary for the home to survive delivery and installation. Nevertheless, I appreciated the overbuilt nature, which is how I usually do things anyway.  However, not all builders construct that way, and you must be clear on what you want. In addition to subfloors, insulation isn't often a standard inclusion in the building envelope, so if you want it in your home, request it early and budget for it. Fiberglass rolls and spray foam are becoming more widely available, but they still aren't the standard practice. Be sure to ask about it.  It's All Greek to Me Construction methods aren't the only thing different from “back home.” Ways of communicating are as well. Much of this stems from differences in living standards, so details get omitted from a misunderstanding of ways of life. Many expats move to Belize and expect the same standards from home, but those don't necessarily exist. For example, “finished home” means something different than it does in North America. At least it did when we built, perhaps this has changed. Nevertheless, what is considered “finished” didn't include a kitchen or bathroom. Yes, that's right. How's that a finished home, you ask? That's a good question. The answer is many people still cook outside and use an outhouse. It's essential to remember that Belize is a developing country, and many modern conveniences aren't “standard” here. Here is another example: Friends of mine had a laundry room closet on their plans (also a prefabricated home), but when the house arrived, the laundry area didn't have water lines or a drain; it was just a closet with an outlet inside. The thing is, many local people wash their laundry in the local stream. Just peer over the edge of any bridge while driving along a highway, and you are bound to see the women from the local village waist-deep in the water scrubbing clothes. So, there is an honest lack of understanding of some of these concepts, like in-unit laundry. It's just not a thing, so many local builders don't think of it, anticipate it, or plan for it.  For further context, I recently spoke to a worker a neighbour hired to complete a project on his home. The worker explained to me that his house doesn't have electricity or running water. He recently missed a work day because they ran out of water, and his wife was home with their baby. He spent all day running water from the local source, which is intermittent, to his home so his family could have bathing and drinking water. That story reveals the standard many Belizeans live in, so it makes perfect sense that they wouldn't think of a laundry room as part of a home.  Cultural Misunderstandings I've also noticed a cultural difference from my time in the country: rarely is information offered, so you must ask many questions to get the information you seek. If you still need clarification, ask again in a different way. What often seems like an obvious opportunity for someone to provide you with information isn't. You have to ask multiple times to get an adequate answer to your question.  As a result, pinning down exact pricing for, say, foundation work was challenging. I received a quote for a concrete slab under one part of the house with two bathrooms above. Even though the bathroom waste lines get installed under the slab, the slab price didn't include this. Because of this difference in communication, many items were left out and added on the fly, driving up costs.  Another example of this regards our electrical service. When we received our quote for this aspect of the project, it didn't include the labour and materials to bring the power from the service entrance to the house, just the cost for the service post and BEL connection. So the “electrical hook up for the house” was a two-part price. I thought the quote should have included power to the house because what good is power at the street if it isn't connected to the home? The local contractor we hired was great and trustworthy, but it didn't occur to him to include the whole series of electrical connections in the cost of “hooking up electricity.” Similarly, air conditioners were quoted, but the price didn't include the labour and additional materials needed to install them; it was just the unit costs. One or two misses like this are manageable, but many add up to a significant cost. So be sure to clarify when you receive pricing and ensure it includes all aspects of a given task. It may mean more legwork on your part, but it's well worth the effort when you build an accurate price for your home construction project. Lastly, don't settle for ballpark pricing. Such occurrences always went over the loosely quoted price. To reiterate, what is standard in Belize differs from what is at home. Remember that even if they don't do certain things here, like subfloors and insulation, they are still important and valuable to home construction in Belize. You must act, ask questions, and push for adequate answers when local building practices differ from what you are used to. Also, expect that ‘modern conveniences’ will drive up the price of your project. Dealing with Issues As with any construction project, issues will arise. When they do, it's essential to stay calm but be firm with your approach to resolve them. During the construction of the prefabricated sections of our house, we receive regular updates from the associate managing our build. She sent them through photos as the yard where the construction occurred was several hours away from our lot. In one of the photos, I noticed a window location error. It was a significant error in which the framers accidentally increased the space between two rows of windows, which meant that a perpendicular roof line would fall into the middle of a window location. When I brought the issue up and requested that they fix the error, I received a pushback. They told me that their framing accurately reflected the plans. My wife and I designed the home using a 3D modeling program, so I knew the design inside and out. When I proved their claim false, they tried to convince us to change the width of the final window where the roof would now intrude. On the plans, that row of windows consisted of units of equal size, and changing the last one would throw off the symmetry of the design. We stayed firm and insisted that they dismantle the wall and build it to the specifications on the plans. After some time, they reluctantly acquiesced.  That wouldn't be the only problem in that area of the home either. When they put the roof on the connecting section, it was too low, cutting into the window trim on the perpendicular wall. The builder literally cut into the trim to place the roof line instead of raising the rafters, which I made them redo. That was one of many issues that arose during the build. Other issues included: missing insulation in the built on-site connecting section; a bedroom door hung backward; doors framed in the wrong place which interfered with the tub location; master bedroom closet doors were wrong, and many doors rubbed and got stuck. These were all things that the builder would have glossed over had we not stuck to our guns and insisted on a quality that was honestly new to them. Ultimately, I sorted out the master bedroom closet myself because I knew no one else would make it work to my standard.  Now, I understand that the average homeowner doesn't have the knowledge and skills of a twenty-year construction veteran like myself. Yet, that doesn't mean you can't have the home of your dreams. I am sharing my experience through these writings so that less experienced can know how to plan and what to look out for. I’ll be honest; it's a lot, and there was a learning curve for building in Belize, even for someone with substantial construction experience. Yet, it's doable and even enjoyable when you know what to expect.  Building to the Environment I mentioned this in part one, but I want to reiterate here that being conscious of the environment in which you build will help lower power consumption and maintenance costs and improve the interior comfort of your home. All or partial concrete construction, albeit at the highest cost, will protect your home from storm damage. If you choose to build with wood, do not overlook the hazard of hurricanes and take measures to improve the storm integrity of your home. For example, have your builder install hurricane ties and threaded rods throughout the structure. It wasn’t a standard feature when we built the Green House by the Sea, but we opted for it. It's a great way to increase the structural integrity of wood frame construction. Hurricane ties, which secure the roof rafters to the top plates of the wall, are great, but in extreme winds, the whole roof can go, top plates and all. However, the entire home structure becomes mechanically fastened together when you insert half-inch steel threaded rods through the top and bottom plates at eight-foot internals. You secure the foundation posts to the beams at the underside of the structure with heel straps, then attach the beams to the floor joists with half-inch steel brackets. The threaded rod secures the joists to the top of the wall assembly, and steel rafter brackets attach the top of the wall to the roof rafters. This process significantly increases the force a wood-framed home can withstand because the storm now needs to uproot the home from the foundation. I'm not saying that can't happen (just visit The Split in Caye Caulker ), but for a nominal fee—it cost us 750 USD—you can increase your home's storm readiness. Lastly, incorporate high ceilings or open ceilings into your design. You rarely see attic spaces like in North America, and that’s by design. Heat rises, so high ceilings or an open ceiling with a high roof line allow hot air to rise and collect above the living area. Include a high window, wall, or vent to allow hot air to circulate out. Knowledge Turns Challenges into Triumphs Wow, that was epic. If you have made it this far, give yourself a high five and two if you have also read Part One. I hope you found this valuable, informative, and as enjoyable to read as it was for me to write. I appreciate your dedication to sticking with me. This is a lot of information. Yet, I hope I didn't discourage anyone. I aim to inform, not instill fear. With adequate knowledge, the inherent challenges of building a house in Belize are better anticipated and made easier to overcome. Proper planning is crucial.  Consider all aspects of the project, from utilities and the foundation to storm readiness and other environmental considerations. The more informed you are, the better prepared you will be to take on the project and spot potential issues before they become significant problems. Knowledge is essential for keeping the timeline and, most importantly, the budget on track. You are building in a foreign country, and things are different, so communication is paramount. Ask questions and repeat them in various ways to ensure everyone is on the same page. Keep asking until you are satisfied with the answers. When problems inevitably arise, I hope the knowledge you’ve gained here equips you with the confidence to tackle them head-on.  However, if you no longer feel like building in Belize is for you after reading through, that's okay. Perhaps buying a home is more your thing. One final thing. I put a lot of time, care, and attention into these posts: this one and the last total nearly 13,000 words, which is a significant amount of planning, typing, and editing. If you have found them valuable and care to show your support, cl i ck here to help me continue to provide helpful content to other interested readers like you. Alternatively, you can show your support by purchasing my self-published book , subscribing to the website to receive email updates of new blog posts or sharing this post with others. Anyhow, no pressure! Just putting it out there. If you have any construction-related questions or feel I have left something out, please let me know, and I'll do my best to add it or address it in another post.  Don’t forget to have fun with the project, no matter what arises. Despite its challenges, building a home in Belize is a rewarding experience for any expat. Happy home building! Thanks for reading! If you are interested in other works of mine, check out Simo's Substack , the Lili Art Blog , or my award winning self-published book . If you want to support this blog so I can continue to provide valuable information on Belize, consider donating, subscribing, or clicking an ad or two! Subscribe to the blog to never miss a post!

It's been a minute since my last article, so I’m excited about posting it on the page again. Belize seems all the rage, especially with North America seemingly going to hell in a handbasket. Many expats on Facebook and other forums seek a much-needed change of scenery. Belize is a viable option for its English-speaking population, proximity to NA, and affordable real estate. Yet, buying a house in Belize can be a daunting task for aspiring expats, especially if they have never been here or have only visited for a brief period. So, in this article, I will draw on my twenty years of home building and real estate experience, both in North America and Belize, to touch on the top five considerations for expats buying a home in this beautiful country.  Let’s jump right in!   1. Establish Clear Title One of the first and most crucial steps in purchasing property in Belize is ensuring the home has a clear title. A clear title means the property is actually owned by the seller and is free from issues preventing or hindering a sale.  Determining Title If you hire a real estate agent to assist you with the property search and purchase, the onus falls onto them to ensure the title is clear. Most established brokerages, like Remax and Keller Williams, usually won’t list a property that doesn’t have a clear title. However, there are less reputable brokers and agents in the country, so be sure to confirm the presence of a clear title yourself. If you use a lawyer to close the home, they will conduct a thorough title search to reveal any issues such as unpaid taxes, liens, or disputes. If there is any doubt about the legitimacy of a realtor or property ownership, you can check the title on your own accord. These records are public in Belize, and you can inquire about land ownership with the Lands Department  in Belmopan.  If you choose to pursue a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) agreement but don't want to do the legwork, there are reputable locals who can complete the land transfer process for you. Search Facebook groups for references from others who have used these services. They can save you money, but be sure to do your due diligence to avoid scams. 2. Determine the Quality of Construction The quality of construction can vary in Belize, so it’s important to assess this aspect carefully. Is it Built for the Local Environment? Belize’s tropical climate demands specific construction standards to ensure durability and comfort. I wrote a lengthy two-part post on building a home in Belize , so I won't rehash it here. I encourage the interested reader to check out the above link. The main thing to consider here is whether whoever built the home did so with the environment in mind. If the property is by the sea, was it built to withstand corrosion from salt air? Look for materials like stainless steel and treated wood, and check for proper sealing against moisture. Belize is in a hurricane zone, so was the home built to withstand strong winds and heavy rain? Ensure that the structure is robust, with reinforced walls and roofing. How Old is the Home? The age of the home impacts its value and the maintenance it requires. A house built in the last two years will need significantly less maintenance than one five or more years old, especially when close to the sea.  If you feel inclined, hire a home inspector to identify any issues related to the home’s age and to catch any other potential problems, such as improperly wired electrical systems, incorrect plumbing, or structural deficiencies. A brief Google search  revealed that there are inspection services in the country. Is it Built to North American Standards? I will probably get flack for this section and take heat for “imposing North American ways of life” onto Belize. I'm all for ‘ live and let live ’ regarding local cultures and customs, but I'll stand firm when improving residential construction projects. Such endeavors only benefit all by increasing the quality and safety of homes.  Many properties in Belize are not built to the same standard as what you may be used to. Having one that is will ensure comfort and piece of mind. Yet, in my time here, I have seen significant progress made in the quality of construction standards. There is a building department, but it's questionable if they enforce an established construction code like in North America.  If you are using a realtor, ask them about who built the house and its construction method. If they can only provide you with a bit of information, do some research. It’s a small country with few degrees of separation between citizens and expats. Someone will know something about the house you are interested in if you just take some time to ask. How Well Has It Been Maintained? Maintenance is key to preserving the value and functionality of a home. Trust me when I say it doesn't matter how new a home is (anywhere in the country). If it is not regularly maintained, the list of items that need attention will quickly grow. Routine maintenance items to consider are: Routine Yard Maintenance:  Check if the yard is well-maintained. Overgrown plants can indicate neglect, while a well-kept garden suggests regular upkeep. Flora will take root quickly, especially during the rainy season, and can become a big job if left unattended for even a month. Mechanical Maintenance:  Ensure regular service to essential systems like the hot water tank and air conditioning units. Repainting and Wood Care:  Regular repainting and maintenance of wood surfaces protect the home from the elements. Whether by the sea, in the jungle, or a residential community, maintenance costs can run high. The sun is intense and will bake surfaces to a crisp. Painted surfaces in direct sun will need bi-yearly attention. Pest Control:  Verify that the property owner regularly sprayed for bugs  to avoid infestations, especially if they don’t live in the home. Ants, scorpions, spiders, and termites are unwelcomed guests, so be sure proper measures are in place before and after you purchase the house.  Repairs:  Identify what needs fixing or replacing before you buy. Inspection items should include roofing, windows, decking, and other critical components. Metal components near the sea will need constant replacement, as even stainless and galvanized materials deteriorate in the salty air. 3. Ensure it Meets Your Needs A home should fit your current and future needs, whether for personal use, rental income, or family expansion. It's easy to get caught up in the “honeymoon phase” of Belize, especially after a vacation. However, it's important to remember that vacationing somewhere and living there are very different things.  Many people on the Facebook groups advise spending at least a year in the country exploring the different areas to best determine where to live. That is all well and good if you can afford to do so in both time and money, but it may not be practical for you. I suggest writing a list of your wants and desires, addressing the practical aspects of daily life. Compile a second list of “ none negotiables ,” then research potential areas to see how they align with these lists. No place is perfect, so concessions are likely as a desired area may not align 100% with your wants and desires list. Ensure there aren’t any “nonegots” with the home you wish to purchase, and you should be able to manage. Some everyday practical needs are: Number of Bedrooms and Bathrooms. Ensure the house has enough bedrooms and bathrooms for your family. A growing family might need extra space, so consider future needs. Guest Accommodation: Additional bedrooms and bathrooms are essential if you plan to host guests or rent out rooms. Rental Income: Properties in tourist areas can generate significant rental income. Assess the home’s potential to attract renters. Expansion Potential: Look for properties with land that allows for future development. It could be adding extra rooms, a guesthouse, or other amenities. 4. Find the Right Place Choosing the Right Location When Buying a Dream Home in Belize Location is one of the most critical factors in real estate, impacting convenience, lifestyle, and property value, and Belize is no exception. The level of development varies widely throughout the country, and there are still many areas without services, adequate infrastructure, or off the beaten path. When choosing a house to buy in Belize, determine a location based on the section above, but take into consideration the following factors: Does it Have Utility Hook Ups? Ensure the home has reliable electricity (this is a relative term in Belize. Being in a tourist location will increase the reliability but will not rule out planned or unexpected outages) and a water supply. Off-grid properties should have sustainable solutions like solar power  and rainwater harvesting systems that are up-to-date and well-maintained. Be sure to have such systems assessed before your purchase, especially if you know little about them. Internet and Phone Communications Check the availability of reliable internet  and phone services, especially if you plan to work remotely. Most services are good in Belize but are subject to power outages. Some off-grid locations may require alternative solutions. Proximity to Good Schools Proximity to good schools is essential for expat families with school-aged children. It will limit your property search area if you wish to enroll your kids in an international school  with other expat children and teachers. The public school system needs more resources and may not provide the level of education you desire. Research local schools and their reputation to ensure quality education for your kids, and then verify that info on community forums and Facebook groups. Close to Important Amenities & Recreation Your assessment of #3 will determine what will and won't work for you, but another factor to consider is how far you are willing to travel for those wants and desires. Many conveniences may be “close,” but that's a relative term: my definition of “close” changed from five minutes away back in Canada to over a half hour in Belize. That's the time it takes me to get to most places. So, consider the home’s distance to grocery stores, beaches, parks, restaurants, entertainment, medical facilities, and other essential services. If you must be ten minutes from a hospital, that will narrow down your location list significantly.  5. If the Shoe Fits- and By Shoe, I mean Budget Finally, it’s crucial to ensure the home fits within your budget, so consider all costs associated with purchasing your home. The F’n Fees! The price is just one factor to consider when buying a home in Belize as an expat. Going “the traditional route” of using an agent and hiring a lawyer will tack on considerable fees: 6-8% for the realtors, 2-3% for the lawyers, and 8% for the Government of Belize . That's a total of 19%! Now, the seller will typically pay the agents, so it's not a cost the buyer incurs but a factor contributing to the overall value of your offer. As the buyer, expect to spend an additional 8-11% of the purchase price. Finance to Own Financing is more common as property values increase in the country. However, you’ll be hard-pressed to get a domestic mortgage as an expat. If financing is necessary, explore options from financial institutions in your home country or pursue an owner-financing  clause with the seller. These are pretty common in both FSBO and realtor transactions. Conditions are subjective to the parties involved but may look like this: 50% down, 3-5 year term at 5-6% interest.  Maintenance Costs We explored maintenance above, but I want to stress the importance of understanding maintenance costs when considering the affordability factor of a house.  No matter where in the country you choose to reside, maintenance is unavoidable. With any homeownership journey, maintenance is necessary, and depending on where you are emigrating from, the scope of maintenance may be considerably more than what you are used to. To get a handle on these costs early on, inquire with the previous owner during the purchase process. Ask them what you can expect to pay after purchasing the home. Once you know what you’ll spend, you can determine how much, if any, you’ll want to do yourself. After two decades in construction and renovation, I have grown fond of physical work and typically complete most maintenance tasks around my home and property. Your Path to Buying the Perfect Home in Belize Navigating the process of buying a home in Belize can indeed be challenging, but with the proper knowledge and preparation, it’s achievable. You can make a well-informed decision by establishing a clear title, assessing the quality and maintenance of the construction, ensuring the home meets your needs, choosing the right location, and carefully considering your budget. Belize offers a unique and beautiful setting for expats, and with these considerations in mind, you’ll be well on your way to finding your ideal home in this tropical paradise. Thanks again for taking the time to read my work. If you are interested in my other musing, I also publish on Substack , and its also free like this. Additionally, I have a self-published book and contribute to the Lili Fine Art Blog . If you are looking for a way to support this blog so I can continue to provide valuable information on Belize, you can donate, subscribe, or click an ad or two! Subscribe to the blog to never miss a post!

My blog posts frequently spark conversations on Facebook groups, whether related to the article's to1pic or not. Recently, the comments section of a post promoting my last blog entry moved towards the familiar trope of “spend a year in Belize” before you buy - which is fine if you can afford to do so, but it wasn’t the topic of that post, nor is it this one. As the comments evolved, someone mentioned that the “list of shortcomings for Belize is a long one.” Why that individual —who moved here only to return home— still monitors and comments on posts about moving to Belize is beyond me. Nevertheless, it got me thinking: what are the pros and cons of living here?  Ignore the Grumpy Groupies That comment wasn't necessarily wrong —for them. When searching Facebook groups for information about life in Belize, it's important to recognize they are chockablock full of opinions —and everybody has them. People often forget that opinions are subjective  and, therefore, valid for that individual only . Plus, grumpy people on Facebook (and there are many) are all too eager to provide negative comments, yet when asked to elaborate, they fail to do so. Take such contributions with a grain of salt: if someone can’t give greater detail for their negative opinion, it's best not to assign it any meaning. More importantly, that comment illuminated for me the fact that a wide variety of factors influence life in Belize. In this post, I aim to share some. I’m sure this post will ruffle some feathers, so I ask the reader to remember that the following is also subjective : 100% my opinion, and I don't expect everyone to agree. I hope to provide the reader (and aspiring Belize expats) with an honest take on what life in Belize has been like for me . Take from it what you will. It's All Relative Before I get into it, I want to emphasize one final point. Since most of the information you read on Belize is subjective, you may not fully understand how the real-life experiences of certain life aspects will affect you. Sometimes, you need to experience them for yourself . If you don't like it, that's okay. You are allowed to change your mind if it moves that way. There is a stigma around making moves abroad and then discovering it's not for you, and I don't understand why. One of the main reasons my wife and I moved to Belize was to eliminate the potential for future regret. We decided we would take the leap and possibly discover it wasn’t for us rather than wonder what would have happened if we hadn’t. How would we know it was right for us if we didn't try it? We decided that no matter what, even if “it didn't work out” and we eventually moved home, it wasn't a failure: We simply answered the burning question, “What would happen if we moved to Belize?” After two and a half years here, I’ve come to know this country well. Yeah, it isn’t perfect, but what place is? I know my home country of Canada certainly isn’t and has “a long list of shortcomings,” too; they’re just different. Despite its shortcomings, Belize is a beautiful country. Yes, my place is up for sale, but we aren’t going home. We’ve simply discovered that the community in which we built our home isn’t exactly right for us. And you know what? It took us longer than a year  to figure that out. Just remain realistic when you move here. You will still have problems—that's life—they’ll just be different and perhaps more in line with problems you would rather have. Now that my little rant is over let's get to my list of pros and cons of expat life in Belize. Pros of Living as an Expat in Belize The Beauty Belize is a stunning country. The country's beauty knows no bounds, from mountain vistas, jungle estuaries, and sprawling savannahs to breathtaking sunsets and pristine island beaches. There is a landscape that suits everyone. The people, too, varied in culture, history, and language, complement the magnificence of the natural landscape. Whether Maya, Mennonite, Garinagu, or Mestizos, I have found the people kind, courteous, and welcoming.   The Freedom of Living in Belize When you speak with the locals, a common theme arises: freedom. Belizeans are proud of their freedom. Yes, there are qualms with the government, as in all countries, but generally speaking, Belizeans embody the saying “live and let live.” If owning an off-grid homestead in the jungle to hide away from society is your thing, you are free to do it. The locals will let you do your thing if you aren't hurting anyone or the environment. Unlike North America, where multinational corporations have a hand in every aspect of life, Belize is a reprieve from capitalism.  Affordability of Real Estate  Before you get your panties all in a knot and fly off the handle about how expensive it is, keep in mind everything is relative . Compared to Canada, where the average cost of a home  is nearly $530K USD, Belize is an affordable option. For that price, you can own a beautiful home, on a quarter-acre or more, steps from the Caribbean Sea. Back in my home country, that would barely get you a townhouse in a cramped development with a postage-stamp-sized backyard in an undesirable part of a town on the outskirts of a major metropolitan area. Oh, the commute! No, thank you. For context, my current property in Belize is six-times the size of my previous one in Canada, which I considered large and was one of the bigger ones I owned over the years. Similarly, average home prices in the United States and England (where many expats in Belize come from) are $416,000 and $364,000 (US dollars), respectively. Those are averages  that account for many rural and small communities that are considered “less desirable.” Yu di spik Inglish? That's Creole for “do you speak English?” And Belizeans do! It's the national language, which makes life as a North American much easier. Learning Creole or Spanish wouldn’t hurt, especially if you plan to travel to neighbouring countries, but expats living in Belize will get on just fine without it.  Ease of Simple Living Many Facebook groupies complain about living costs here, but they aren't necessarily wrong. If you wish to maintain a North American standard of living, you will spend the same, if not more, than you do at home. However, Belize offers an opportunity to scale back, live simply, and save. Spending a lot of time in the jungle outside of Belmopan, I experienced the affordability of shopping at the Belmopan Market Plaza , where twice weekly, vendors from the area set up their produce, foodstuff, and other wares for sale. There are great prices on produce, honey, nuts and seeds, meat and seafood, herbs, clothing, and other goods. The quality and price are excellent, and you avoid excess packaging prevalent in stores back home.  Remote Work  From the first time we extended our monthly visitor permit, we told immigration (the truth) that we were self-employed. As inconsistent as the immigration department is (see Cons below), this job description has never been an issue. My wife and I have taken clients from North America without problems with work permits and earning income abroad in Belize. I am not aware of any official policy towards “digital nomads” or remote work, which is fine. It's better to ask forgiveness than permission! I know other expats with similar employment situations and haven’t heard of any issues. Live and let live. If you have a job that allows you to work away from an office permanently, Belize is a great place. Earning a North American wage while living a Caribbean lifestyle is ideal.    Cons of Living in Belize Rising Price of Real Estate It depends on how you look at things. The current cost of real estate is a positive for me, but I see the downside for those wanting to enter the market. Belize is a quickly developing country and has fallen on the radar of investors and expats alike. Since purchasing my lot in the summer of 2021, prices have hockey-sticked. A similar lot to ours, excluding the home, is over 3x what we paid for it, making entry into this market less affordable with each passing month. If you are considering purchasing here, sooner is better. Many buyers —not just in Belize but in other rising real estate markets— decide to wait because they feel “not ready,” only to get priced out once they are. Purchasing a home or property in Belize is undoubtedly a big commitment, but you are better to make it sooner rather than later. I am not an investment professional, but real estate has never done me wrong— my opinion.   Lack of Availability with…Everything Simply stated, it takes a lot of work to get things here. To some, that adds charm to this Central American gem: it lends to a slower pace of life, based on experiences rather than things. I am all for not having big box stores and retail chains—it was a draw for me—but the lack of availability in grocery stores and the limited selection of vegetables in my area do get old. However, the sunny, warm climate is ideal for growing all sorts of produce if you are into that sort of thing.   The Heat & Humidity As I write this, the temperature outside, with the humidity index, is 40 degrees Celsius, which is 104 degrees for American readers. It is also August, one of the hottest months of the year here, next to May. It's hot AF, and it wears on you. It takes a lot of time to get used to it. We’ve slowly acclimated, but it isn’t easy. My boys and I have developed a case of persistent heat rash, also known as prickly heat , which comes and goes as we fluctuate between open air and air conditioning. Is it uncomfortable at times? Yes. Is it a deal breaker? No. Eventually, our bodies will adapt and get past it, making us stronger. A little nightly AC and the odd dose of Benadryl help to calm it. Drinking lots of water and replenishing electrolytes is also essential this time of the year.  Cost of Living in Belize It seems contradictory to the ease of simple living above, but it's true. Yet, this is a worldwide problem as inflation rises globally. For expats in Belize, it’s more of an expectation versus reality situation. If you want to move here and spend your days in an air-conditioned mansion on the beach, you will pay out the you-know-what for it. Comforts from home will cost you more here, too, and you can expect to pay a premium when importing goods through companies like Belizean Queen . Things cost more as you move south, as there are only two borders in the country, one with Mexico and the other with Guatemala, and they are both in the country's northern regions. As you move south, goods require additional transportation and have a higher price tag.   If you aren’t retirement age or choose not to apply for QRP , you will have a monthly immigration expense of $100 USD per person, including kids. For a family of four like ours, that's an annual $4,800. It adds up and is significantly more expensive than other Central American countries. The same goes for residency applications.  Other Expats Despite many airline policies, the amount of baggage you can bring to Belize seems to be unlimited. For better or worse, many expats choose to bring their old ways, beliefs, and habits to their new country of residence. Far too many carry their grumpy vibes and new-aged colonial attitudes into Belize. Just be chill and maintain a positive attitude.  In addition to living in the present moment, I abide by the adage, “ When in Rome, do as the Romans do .” Unfortunately, I am a minority in that approach. Far too many come here and attempt to change it, which seems like a backward tack: by changing Belize into where you came from, it no longer has the appeal that drew you here. Wherever you choose to land, Belize or not, it's important to remember that you are a guest, and it isn’t your place to impose your way. By all means, engage in philanthropic endeavours or help in local communities for good causes; just steer clear of complaining and forcing your way on people, customs, and systems in place. Lastly, leave your politics at home; nobody wants that shit, apparently even you, as it’s probably one of the reasons you want to come to Belize in the first place, right? Embracing the Belize Expat Experience – The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful Expat life in Belize, like anywhere else, comes with its unique set of pros and cons. The beauty and freedom of the country, the relative affordability of real estate, the ease of simple living, and the ability to work remotely are significant advantages that attract many expats. However, you must recognize the challenges, such as the rising cost of real estate, limited availability of goods, extreme heat and humidity, high cost of living, and sometimes difficult interactions with other expats. Ultimately, the decision to move to Belize is a profoundly personal one. It is crucial to manage expectations and understand that every experience is subjective. Belize may not be perfect, but no place is, and it offers a distinct lifestyle that may align with your values and aspirations. Embrace the adventure, keep an open mind, and remember that your journey is uniquely yours. If you enjoyed this and are curious to explore my other work, please check out my Substack here or my award-winning book here . I also write for my wife's art website . If you want to support this blog so I can continue to provide valuable information on Belize, consider donating, subscribing, or clicking an ad or two! Subscribe to the blog to never miss a post!

Are you sitting in a cubical right now? Are you watching the darkness of night swallow up the concrete landscape when it's barely 5 pm? Do you have the “winter scaries” and dread the onset of snow and cold? If so, its time to finally buy that family vacation home you've always wanted! Stop dreaming of beaches and swaying palms and make it a reality.  Just imagine gulping down a refreshing coconut water fresh off the tree. Did you dribble a little bit? Probably, but no worries, you aren’t wearing a shirt anyway. Let's continue with the daydream: envision your kids splashing in a pool while you sip a, insert your favorite sunny-day cocktail here, while you catch the breeze off the Caribbean Sea, and look super-cool in those new shades. If you think this sounds amazing, it's because  it is .  But you’re probably wondering, “I’ve never heard of Belize, so why would I want to take my family there?” Well, I’ve got you covered. By the end of this post, you’ll gather your family in the living room to proclaim: We’re buying in Belize! This tiny Central American gem, nestled between Mexico and Guatemala, is the perfect spot for your next family vacation. In Belize, you and the brood will have an unforgettable family vacation that combines adventure, relaxation, and cultural exploration. You will find Caribbean charm, diverse landscapes, rich cultural experiences, and hot, sunny weather here.  Here are six convincing reasons Belize should be at the top of your family travel list every year. 1. English-Speaking Ease One of the most significant advantages of choosing Belize for your family vacation is the ease of communication. Although Belize is multi-lingual, English is the official language. Other languages in use are Spanish, Creole, Mayan, and Plautdietsch . But you can thank the British for making it stress-free for English speakers to navigate and enjoy their time in the country. No struggling to use Google Translate or butchering of Spanish required!  Joking aside, English as the national language of Belize means you can immerse yourself in the local culture, ask for directions, order food, and easily engage with the friendly locals. Trust me, as a father of two toddlers, this aspect of the country makes things much smoother and enjoyable, especially when traveling with young ones. 2. Proximity to Canada & the US Belize's convenient location  makes it an ideal getaway for families from both Canada and the United States. With a relatively short flight, you can whisk your family to a tropical paradise without the hassle of extended travel times. Imagine leaving the hustle and bustle of daily life behind and, within a few hours, stepping into Belize's laid-back and vibrant atmosphere.  No matter where you are in Canada or the US, you are but a hop, skip, and jump away. When traveling from Canada, West Jet and Air Canada provide direct flights during the high season (November to April). You can fly directly from Calgary (YYC), Vancouver (YVR), Toronto (YYZ), Edmonton (YEG) and Ottawa (YOW). United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and Alaska Airlines provide direct flights from many locations in the USA during this same period. Non-direct flights are available from Canada and the US for the remainder of the year.  3. Something For Everyone Belize offers a wide range of activities, ensuring there is something to enjoy for every family member. Whether you're a beach bum, an adventure seeker, a history buff, or a nature lover, Belize has it all! Sea Adventures For those who love the sun, sand, and surf, Belize boasts stunning beaches, crystal-clear waters, and a vibrant coral reef . In fact, Belize is home to the world’s second-largest coral reef and the largest in the northern and western hemispheres. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Spend your days snorkeling, diving, or relaxing on the scenic beaches. Belize's coastline is a paradise for water enthusiasts, with numerous opportunities for water sports, exploring marine life, and soaking up the sun. Land Excursions On the flip side, if your family prefers land-based adventures, Belize has many options. Embark on thrilling hikes through lush rainforests , try your hand at ATVing, go horseback riding through scenic landscapes, or experience the adrenaline rush of zip-lining high above the treetops. National parks like the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System  and the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary  offer diverse ecosystems and wildlife for an educational and awe-inspiring experience. 4. Rich Cultural Tapestry Belize's cultural diversity is a testament to its fascinating history. The country is home to a melting pot of cultures, including descendants of the ancient Maya, Afro-Caribbean Garifuna, British, Indian, Chinese, and even Mennonites. Maya Heritage Explore the remnants of ancient Maya civilizations through archaeological sites like Xunantunich and Caracol . The mysterious ruins provide a captivating glimpse into the region's past and are sure to spark the curiosity of young and old alike. Garifuna Traditions Experience the vibrant rhythms of Garifuna drumming , dance, and traditional ceremonies. The Garifuna people, descendants of African and indigenous Caribbean people, have a rich cultural heritage that adds a unique and lively flavor to Belizean life. Mennonite Influence Belize is also home to a handful of Mennonite communities. These modest people make their presence known through picturesque farms, national food production, and, of course, those wide-brimmed-hat, beard-dawning men  drawn by horse and buggy. The Mennonites provide an interesting and stark juxtaposition to their tropical surroundings but in a most charming way. 5. Culinary Delights A family vacation would only be complete with indulging in delicious local cuisine , and Belize definitely delivers on this front. The country's diverse cultural influences have given rise to a mouthwatering array of dishes and beverages. From conch fritters to the staple stewed chicken with rice and beans, Belize offers many options for the cultural foodie of the family. Oh, I almost forgot- the Fry Jacks! Chocolate Making For the sweet tooth in your family, Belize is renowned for its high-quality chocolate. Take a chocolate-making tour  to witness the cacao bean 's fascinating journey to become the delicacy we all know and love. It's a delightful and educational experience for both kids and adults. Sea Food Whether enjoyed fried at a beachside shack or fancifully served while fine-dining, Belizean seafood promises a delightful fusion of freshness, flavor, and the coastal charm. Conch Belizean seafood is a culinary delight that reflects the country's coastal richness and vibrant cultural influences. With the Caribbean Sea running the entire eastern coast, Belize boasts abundant fresh and flavorful seafood. One culinary highlight is conch, prepared in various ways such as ceviche or fritters.  Lobster Lobster  is another seafood treasure, celebrated during the  annual Lobster Fest . Indulge in succulent lobster tails while listening to island music, all with a sea view.  Fish The snapper, grouper, and barracuda caught in the pristine waters offer a mouthwatering array of choices for seafood enthusiasts. Accompanied by a medley of tropical spices and herbs, Belizean seafood dishes embody the essence of the coastal lifestyle.  6. Beautiful Weather and Friendly Locals Belize boasts a tropical climate with warm temperatures year-round, making it an ideal destination for families seeking sun and relaxation. Whether you're planning to unwind on the beach or embark on adventurous excursions, the consistently pleasant weather  ensures an enjoyable experience. The hospitality of the Belizean people matches the warmth of the weather. Known for their friendliness and welcoming nature, locals go out of their way to make visitors feel at home. This warm and inviting atmosphere creates a family-friendly environment, ensuring that your time in Belize is memorable and filled with genuine connections with the people who call it home. It 's common for locals to wave and say hello, almost as if they know you, as you pass them by. Family is an essential aspect of Belizean culture. They love children and are welcome everywhere. I have yet to visit a restaurant that doesn’t have high chairs available.  What Are You Waiting For? Belize is a family vacation home destination that ticks all the boxes. From its English-speaking convenience and diverse activities to culinary delights, beautiful weather, and friendly locals, Belize offers adventure, relaxation, and cultural exploration ideal for families. Thanks for reading! If you are interested in other works of mine, check out   Simo's Substack , the   Lili Art Blog , or   my award winning self-published book . If you want to support this blog so I can continue to provide valuable information on Belize, consider donating, subscribing, or clicking an ad or two! Subscribe to the blog to never miss a post!

For some, sitting on a beach sippin’ margaritas isn't their idea of a fulfilling vacation. No judgment here; if cocktails and lounge chairs float your proverbial boat, Belize will undoubtedly satisfy. However, if you are the more get-up-and-go type seeking action and adventure, Belize is the place to be . Nestled at the top of Central America, Belize  offers numerous adventures for the intrepid traveler. From exploring ancient Mayan ruins to diving into underwater caves, Belize is a playground for those seeking exciting experiences. This guide will take you on a tour of Belize's most thrilling adventures. Navigating Barton Creek Cave Navigating Barton Creek Cave by Canoe A Belizean adventure isn't complete without a journey into the depths of Barton Creek Cave . Located in the Cayo District, this ancient cave system offers a unique opportunity to canoe through subterranean chambers. You will marvel at the stalactites and stalagmites  that adorn the cave's ceilings and walls while learning about its rich history and significance to the Mayan civilization. Exploring Underwater Worlds SCUBA Diving at the Blue Hole For adrenaline junkies, no trip to Belize is complete without a dive into the Great Blue Hole . Take a legendary plunge into the depths of this iconic sinkhole, where crystal-clear waters reveal stunning underwater formations and abundant marine life. Swimming with Sharks SCUBA Diving with Sharks Thrill-seekers can also experience the rush of swimming with sharks at popular dive sites like Shark Ray Alley , where encounters with nurse sharks and stingrays are guaranteed to get your heart racing. Remember to control your breathing, or you will suck that SCUBA tank dry in no time! Skimming the Waters Kite Surfing Kite Surfing Feel the wind in your hair as you take to the sea and sky with kite surfing  along Belize's picturesque coastline. With its consistent trade winds and shallow, turquoise waters, Belize is a paradise for kite surfing (also known as kiteboarding) enthusiasts of all levels.  Efoiling For the truly adventurous, Efoil Belize  in Placencia will have you ripping through the shallow sea waters on their all-electric, hand-controlled hydrofoil boards. Whether you're a seasoned pro or a beginner looking to learn, Belize's diverse kiteboarding and Efoiling spots offer endless opportunities for adrenaline-fueled fun. Spelunking at the ATM Cave ATM Cave “ Welcome to the jungle ” of Belize and discover uncover the wonders within Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave . This sacred Mayan site serves as both a natural museum and an archaeological treasure trove. Deep within its bowels, the adventurous witness ancient artifacts and skeletal remains left behind by the Maya people.  Wade through underground rivers and navigate narrow passageways to reach the cave's inner chambers. Watch your step! The presence of ceremonial offerings and sacrificial remains creates tripping hazards and provides a haunting glimpse into the ancient past. Adventure Travel: Jungle Trekking to New Heights in Belize Immerse yourself in Belize's lush rainforests with an exhilarating jungle trekking adventure. Traverse rugged terrain, cross cascading waterfalls, and encounter exotic wildlife as you explore the country's vast network of hiking trails. From the towering heights of Victoria Peak  at the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary  to the remote wilderness of the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve , Belize offers endless opportunities for nature lovers to get off the beaten path and discover its untamed beauty. Climbing El Castillo at Xunantunich View from El Castillo Uncover the secrets of Belize's ancient past with a visit to the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich . Situated atop a limestone ridge overlooking the Mopan River Valley , this archaeological site offers majestic temples and intricate stone carvings  that date back over a thousand years. Climb to the top of El Castillo , the site's largest pyramid, for panoramic views of the surrounding jungle and a sense of awe-inspiring wonder at the ingenuity of the ancient Mayan civilization . Adventure Seekers Wanted From exploring caves and kiteboarding along pristine coastlines to trekking through dense mountain jungles and diving into the depths of the Caribbean Sea , Belize offers endless adventures for the thrill-seeking traveler. We've only revealed the tip of the iceberg here. Belize won't fail to ignite your sense of adventure and leave you with memories to last a lifetime. Thanks for reading! If you are interested in my other work, check out  Simo's Substack , the   Lili Art Blog , or  my award winning self-published book . If you want to support this blog so I can continue to provide valuable information on Belize, consider donating, subscribing, or clicking an ad or two! Subscribe to the blog to never miss a post!