Real Riverfront Assets For Less Than US$20,000
I’ve told you about Carmelita before. This is a riverfront community being developed in the Cayo District of Belize. I’m bringing it to your attention again today for two reasons. First, I believe it remains a top riverfront lifestyle option, not only in Belize but generally.
Second, I spoke with the developer, Phil Hahn, earlier this week. Phil reports that he’s close to breaking ground on construction for the first house at Carmelita. This is good news in general (especially for investors to date). In addition, though, it means that the pre-construction window is closing. Phil explains that, within the next couple of weeks, he will stop offering the pre-construction lot discount that buyers have been able to take advantage of to date.
Live and Invest Overseas readers will continue to be eligible for their 10% preferred client discount. In addition, if you pay cash up front (while you wait for the titling process to be completed), you can take another 5% off the price.
And Phil is offering another 10% discount on the price of the lot if you commit to build a house right away.
However, the pre-construction discount will disappear shortly, and the other discounts will go away in the not-too-distant future, as well. However, right now, while Carmelita remains in the pre-construction stage, you can buy a lot for less than US$20,000 (if you agree to begin construction of a house immediately).
Why do I like Carmelita as much as I do?
Carmelita is 450 acres with more than a mile of riverfront and a spectacular view of the Maya Mountains. On one side of the property is rain forest; on the other is the Belize River. It is in this pastoral setting that Phil Hahn, with seven years of experience developing land and doing business in Belize, is laying out his “New Ruralist” community.
The plan is to preserve the 150 acres of rain forest, home to howler monkeys and native fruit trees, on the north side of the property, while incorporating a new village with room for organic gardens, micro-farms, and community agriculture.
The New Ruralism movement is becoming increasingly popular as more and more people are looking to live “off the grid” and off the land. This beautiful Belize River Valley is an ideal place to pursue this way of life.
Organic food and organic gardening are big and growing industries. Since 1990, the organic food market has seen average growth of 20% per year, and the organic sector of the lawn and garden market, likewise, has enjoyed stellar growth.
While many industries and sectors are struggling in the face of the current economic climate, this organic sector could continue to expand because of the down global economy. Current economic realities are motivating more and more people to look for ways to be more self-sufficient.
Price point is key, the critical element of any buy decision today. This is where Phil has a real advantage at Carmelita. Thanks to his low basis in the land, the availability of resources nearby, and the off-the-grid philosophy, home sites are priced from US$25,000 to US$45,000, depending on size and location, and you can purchase a small off-the-grid Garden Cottage for US$109,500.
As I mentioned, with the combination of discounts currently available to you as a Live and Invest Overseas reader, you can get into the lowest priced lots for US$20,000 or less.
The philosophy at Carmelita is simple. Phil is providing an affordable place for people to live a healthy and happy lifestyle. And he’s launching this new opportunity at a time when these back-to-basics values have more resonance than they have had in decades.
The Cayo District, the region of Belize where the Carmelita community is taking shape, has quietly become the fastest-growing area in this country. The lush tropical rain forests you find here, the abundant fresh-water rivers, the largest underground cave system in the Western Hemisphere, and the fertile Belize River Valley once supported hundreds of thousands of Maya. Today the entire population of Belize is less than 350,000.
While there are still Maya villages in the Mountain Pine Ridge region, the friendly residents, both locals and expats, of the Cayo District come from all walks of life and diverse ethnic backgrounds. However, as Belize is a British Commonwealth, with English as its official language, it is an easy place to acclimate.
The Carmelita community will be powered by solar panels, and it will boast the latest eco-friendly septic processing systems. Traffic will be limited to human power (biking and walking) and golf carts.
The big-picture development plan is for sustainability…not eco for the sake of eco, but sustainable for the freedom that brings.
Personal independence is a critical part of the history of Belize. This country was founded by pirates, and it continues to embrace a freedom-loving approach to life and government. Bottom line, Belizeans don’t like government. They don’t like anyone interfering in their affairs. What they do like is minding their own business and living independently. These qualities are perhaps unexpectedly combined with a warm and welcoming hospitality. Phil has been inspired by that combination to design a community where, as he puts it, “People can be independent together.”
The community overall is being conceived to operate as independently as possible. At Carmelita, you won’t have to worry about power outages, because you won’t be dependent on the local electric company. You’ll know where your food comes from, because you’ll be able to look out your window at backyard gardens and community fruit groves. Houses and other structures will be built from local materials, including the beautiful and exotic local hardwoods.
With more and more people looking to escape government control and intervention and to find options for living more independently, the timing for a community like Carmelita is perfect. And, again, Belize is an ideal choice if you’re looking for a place to take control of your life.
Of course, as an investor in Carmelita, you don’t have to buy into all of the premises and philosophy behind the design and the master plan. The important thing for an investor to understand is that there is a fast-growing and very viable market for this kind of independent, sustainable living community. The idea and vision behind Carmelita are very saleable, as is the riverfront location.
And the super-low price point makes this a very realistic option even if your budget is small.
For more information, get in touch here.
Lief Simon
