If you are an optimist, you might look back upon your days of COVID sequestration as golden opportunities to think about future goals. Using the internet as your passport, perhaps you launched a business, redefined your career choice, thought seriously about retirement plans, or about owning a second home. It’s likely you ran into pitches for planned communities because there are plenty of these throughout the U.S. The U.S. planned communities have their fair share of perks, but that rosy picture may be deceiving. From prohibitive homeowner association (HOA) rules and new owner fees, folks who decide to take the plunge say they don’t like other people telling them what to do under the guise of stringent HOA rules. Further, privacy can be elusive in an environment where every resident is interconnected.
Is there a way you can enjoy planned community benefits without hassles while enjoying an upscale lifestyle for the same amount of money you’d spend in the U.S.? You bet there is. But you’ll have to look beyond the obvious.
You’re looking in the wrong place
If you’re seeking value, mild year-round temperatures, and an opportunity to escape to paradise—whether you intend to retire, keep working, or launch a business—Belize has become the place to relocate because the only thing better than a nation offering retirement benefits to ex-pats at age 45 are lovely homes with property taxes maxing out at 2%.
Undeveloped land is taxed at a rate of 1% and an abundance of beachfront and channel land sites can be found in one of Belize’s most talked about planned communities. Cerros Sands, located in Belize’s Corozal District, is 9 miles south of Mexico and 84 miles north of Belize City. A beachfront home in this development may only set you back around $89k USD. You’ll never find this much value in the U.S.!
Cerros Sands offers residents authentic off-grid living
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If you shudder every time winter strikes or an unusually hot summer arrives and it takes a glass of something stronger than coffee to open the e-mail with your power bill, say adieu to sky-high utility tabs. Cerros Sands is awash in environmental innovation. Every home relies upon solar power to deliver energy, home rooftops are locations for the collection of rainwater and under-house cisterns stow that water until you need it.
Add air conditioning if you can’t live without it, but since Corozal enjoys an abundance of offshore breezes (the reason this District is awash in wind-generating equipment) if you opt for Mother Nature’s delivery system—warm breezes blowing through the rooms of your home—you won’t be the first Cerros Sands transplant to discover that you love soft breezes even more than air conditioning.
All the perks of a planned community and more
In addition to amazing lot options, and a built-in network of residents who understand the difference between being good neighbors and being nosy, you won’t have to drive anywhere to enjoy plenty of opportunities to socialize. Blackbeard’s bar and restaurant is open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, a boutique resort with 20 accommodations is being constructed on a parcel of land adjacent to the community and if you like to stay active, you’ve arrived in Nirvana.
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Hang out at the outdoor palapa bar once it’s completed, hit local beaches where you can swim and kayak or stick to terra firma and take advantage of horseshoes, disc golf, soccer, and volleyball facilities built to host gatherings of up to 200 residents outdoors or 80 people indoors. Get the latest dish on Cerros Sands by checking out the community’s Facebook page.
Cerros- Maya Site © Duarte Dellarole
Given the Town of Corozal’s vibrant community, you won’t have to go far to get in on all the leisure activities you took part in back home. You can run marathons, golf, and participate in team sporting events and there is no shortage of markets, shops, and national treasures nearby, including Maya ruins, jungles, animal sanctuaries, and more. You’re close enough to Mexico to explore the southern end of that nation, too.
You’re intrigued, right?
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Peruse Cerros Sands’ architectural options to glimpse the many options available to you, and browse properties on the market. Don’t be surprised to find exactly the site and house you’ve been dreaming about.
With the help of Cerros Sands staffers, easily circumnavigate Belize’s legal system (it’s based on the U.K.’s) when you decide to buy, and since everyone involved in your purchase speaks English, you’ll understand every word of your real estate transaction. Want to know more? Contact the Cerros Sands team at [email protected] or if you’re in a hurry, phone 1-619-551-4842. This could be the best move you’ve ever made. You can thank us after you get settled!
