Sanctuary Bay, Placencia, Belize

0% Down Or 0% Interest To Own Beachfront In Belize

July 9, 2010, Placencia, Belize: Sanctuary Belize is an ambitious 14,000-acre beachfront development near Placencia, Belize, where developer financing options include 0% down or 0% interest.

Dear Live and Invest Overseas Reader,

The mainland coast of Belize from Hopkins to Placencia is more developed than I expected...and, at least in parts, in a good way.

Following the Live and Invest in Belize Conference last month, Kathleen and I drove this coast. We wanted to see a part of this country where I'd never traveled before and that Kathleen hadn't visited in more than 15 years. Both of us were surprised to find that, as a result of a decade of focused development, Placencia proper is today a bona-fide beach town. It's not our thing, but we recognize the appeal.

In and around Placencia are condo beach developments, lobster shacks, souvenir huts, waterfront bars, karaoke bars, dive shops, and boat launches. If sand and sea are your thing, you now have two options in this country with all the infrastructure you could want--Ambergris Caye and now Placencia.

As I said, though, I'm not a beach-goer. Snorkeling, diving, and baking in the sun don't much interest me. The older I get, though, the more attracted I am to the idea of riverfront living. And, I have to admit, at the risk of sounding like an eco-tourist, our recent travels in Belize reminded me how much I enjoy being in nature. We spent our week in Belize caving, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, horseback riding, and we had a ball.

Where's the real estate investment point in all this? Bear with me...I'm getting there.

The soundest property buy you can make is water-related. True beachfront is typically regarded as the most valuable kind of real estate there is. It's also the scarcest and the most costly.

But, as I'm suggesting, not everyone wants true beachfront. Some want ocean-view. Some want riverfront. Some want access to the beach, the sea, and related amenities but, at the same time, privacy. Some want beach access but a bigger "estate" lot not typical in a typical beachfront development. And others want bona-fide beachfront but can't afford it.

In Belize last month, we made the drive south along the mainland coast to see what there was to see, but also, specifically, to meet with a developer in this part of the country I've been communicating with for the past six months and to scout his property.

Long and short of my report from that visit is thatSanctuary Belize blew us away.

This is a 14,000-acre property, of which fewer than 3,000 acres will be developed. The rest--jungle and rain forest--will be held aside as a preserve. The developed land will be consolidated along the ocean and river boundaries.

With that much land and diversity of water frontage, the variety of scenery, activities, and lifestyle on offer is tremendous. Sanctuary Belize, as the saying goes, has something for most everyone--oceanfront, riverfront, equestrian, dockside, marina, large and private estate lots, even airfield lots if you'd like to access your Belize beach getaway by private or chartered plane.

The focal point of the community will be a marina village with condos and shops overlooking the 175-slip marina already under construction and due for completion by the end of this year.

This is an ambitious project. And I was a little skeptical of the whole thing before our visit. In fact, I'd resisted making the trip for months, because I had trouble getting excited about a development of this magnitude in this part of this country in the context of the current global climate.

The principal in the project I've been communicating with, however, Luke Chadwick, persuaded me. In telephone conversations, e-mail exchanges, and the delivery of all due-diligence materials I requested, I found him to be one of the most impressive and most professional developers I've ever encountered in this part of the world.

Now, after having visited the property, I'm completely won over.

Here are the quick fundamentals:

Sanctuary Belize has no debt. They own all their land outright...

Dirt is moving. They've chosen to focus on the construction of the marina first, for strategic reasons, related to both the long-term infrastructure plan and to marketing, and, as I said, the marina is well under way...

In addition, roads are under construction, and a plantation house has been built by the developer, with accommodation and meeting space...plus three homes have been built by owners, including a big bamboo house overlooking a lagoon that looks like something out of Architectural Digest...

The team behind Sanctuary Belize has many years of experience developing property around the world...

That team includes a local Belizean who is well-connected, well-respected, and who knows how to get things done in this country...

The developer is offering creative and flexible financing terms. This means two important things. First, as they've been selling this way for some time, they have built up a war-chest, as it were, that amounts to a significant monthly cash flow...

The second important thing about the creative and flexible financing on offer at Sanctuary Belize is more personal.

As I remind you often, financing an overseas property purchase isn't easy in many countries; in others, it's impossible. It is possible to borrow as a foreigner from Caye Bank in Belize to buy real estate in this country, but the terms are rigid and require a 50% down payment at least.

Sanctuary Belize, on the other hand, makes many financing offers available, including, in some cases, 0% down or 0% interest.

The developer is effectively working with each buyer to find a combination of down payment, interest rate, and term of the loan that fits the buyer's budget and circumstances.

These guys are smart. They understand that, between the down market for the buyer back home (wherever that might be) and global cash flow concerns, people are reluctant to make a buy decision right now. They've decided they're going to do whatever they can to make it as easy as possible for someone who wants to buy to be able to buy.

They can afford to do this, because, again, they have no debt. They own all their land outright, and they have built up a multi-million-dollar bank of receivables out of which they continue to fund infrastructure investment.

I'm happy to be able to make this introduction today. If you're interested in waterfront property in Belize, either ocean- or riverfront, I say give Sanctuary Belize a close look right now.

More information here.

Lief Simon

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