Luxury Real Estate

By Jim Walberg
From his blog: Palmetto Bay Resort in Belize Continues To Feature “Green Development”

This boutique luxury resort on the Placentia Peninsula is a trendsetter when it comes to its “Green Features”!

Palmetto Bay Resort is one of the leaders of “green” Caribbean developments in Belize. This luxury resort has integrated into its design certain features that other developers are watching closely. Palmetto Bay Resort has carefully considered its impact on the environment from the earliest planning stages of its development. Some of the features they have implemented are:

- Geothermal cooling and heating technology.

- Solar power for outside illumination – pathways, water features, landscaping and the beach.

- Grey-water systems to recycle water.

- LED lighting that will reduce energy costs by as much as 80 percent.

- Indigenous species of plants, including fruit trees, in the landscaping.

- Cisterns to catch and store rain water and act as a renewable water supply for the saline pool, water features and landscaping.

- Strategically implemented wind power.

This gated project has plans for around 120 full-ownership condominiums. The initial phase that has just been released has 36 whole-ownership Caribbean beachfront condos starting in the low $300,000s US and they are currently the most sought-after resort luxury real estate for sale in Belize. It is just a short two-hour flight from Houston or Miami to Belize where there are no restrictions on foreign ownership of property or capital gains tax. This is a project you may want to put on your list for your piece of paradise! They even just announced a fly-in package for people who want to seriously consider this as their next tropical home.

OK… so how is this for a description of what Palmetto Bay Resort has created? As you walk into your Caribbean condo you first notice a wraparound veranda overlooking the turquoise-blue Caribbean Sea. What I immediately do is dump my watch and find my bathing suit. The temperature is around 85 degrees Fahrenheit with a delightful warm breeze, and I then head to mashed-potato coral sand. Then the stress really starts because a decision needs to made: sunbathe; snorkel, SCUBA dive; drink… because thirst is a dangerous thing; read; nap; eat; schedule a jungle tour checking out how many Toucans I can spot, and many more choices to consider. Here is the fun part – I get to do it ALL! My first task is to take out the cold beer in the fridge and head to a lounge waiting for me on the beach. All the rest of the remaining choices will show up in their proper order… actually, there is no proper order. This mindset is the way I get to “Caribbean Time” as fast as possible.

Here is more good news for those you intrigued about buying luxury property in Belize. Belize has made owning real estate very simple and easy with some of the most advantageous offshore investment legislation in the world. The official language in Belize is English, and the legal system is based on English common law. Belize has no capital gains tax, no inheritance, estate or probate taxes and no restrictions on foreign ownership of property. The ease of air travel to Belize from the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. is effortless compared to many of your choices for other tropical destinations.

Finally… you will discover a country of diversity! It has a very wide variety of ethnic backgrounds that live together in a marvelous melting pot, each adding to the cultural color of the next. Belizeans are some of the friendliest people in the world. They are a cross-pollination of cultures – ancient Mayan people, Spanish, British, African roots, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Lebanese and Indian influences, AND the official language is still English. This is one of the special Caribbean destinations that you will want to put on your “must-see” list. Let me know if you want more information about my favorite spots. Until next time… fair winds!


Editor’s Note:
Jim Walberg is the co-Broker/Owner of The Bay Area Team, the most-successful team at Keller Williams Realty-Danville. He is also a member of the global LuxuryRealEstate.com network. Jim is an exceptional blogger, as you can see by visiting his blogs, East Bay Real Estate and Caribbean Islands Realty, and reading his great blog entries like the one above. He is the master of fractionals and other luxury homes in the Bay Area and the Caribbean, and he always has a lot of great opportunities to share. Jim always has many awesome opportunities to share. He’s a great blogger, and I always learn a lot when I read his work. I just finished writing an editorial for the winter 2009 issue of LuxuryRealEstate.com Magazine on “green” luxury homes. It was a very educational experience, and I’m glad to see these properties becoming popular as energy prices increase dramatically.