Rental Timing

[Scott Noe]

I will be retiring next year and want to try Belize on for size. My plan is to fly down in April 2017 and spend a week in Ambergris Caye and a week in Corozal looking for places to rent starting in May or June 2017. My budget is around $1500 including utilities and I’m looking to rent for about a year. My questions are 1) is my timing right or should I start looking for a place much sooner or later and 2) are the realtors listed in the Belize Insider visit plans still the best bet? I know you always say the best deals are found on the ground. Am I spending enough time to get this done? Thanks for your help.

R/ Scott

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Scott,

First of all, with a budget of $1500/month, you should be able to find a nice place, whether in Corozal or on Ambergris Caye. You probably will find places for considerably less, with some luck. You could even rent for six months in Corozal, and on Ambergris Caye, to compare them. The lifestyle is very different between the two. The rents are MUCH lower in Corozal. But there is less to do there, especially if you are single.

Historically, May starts the slow season in Belize. So more rentals open up as snowbirds fly back home to North American. So, yes, you should be able to find a longterm rental starting in May, for a year. When you commit to one year you typically get the best rate, too. So start by asking what the rent is for a few months, six months, and a year.

In general, realtors are not the best ones to go to for rentals. The property management companies have a much better inventory and service track record, as that’s their business. I wrote an article for the Belize Insider, for June 2015, that covers suggested ways to find rentals in each region. So go to the Belize Insider Monthly section and read that article. The suggestions for Ambergris Caye are still applicable. We have multiple property management companies on the island. And you can even find rentals in the San Pedro Sun newspaper each week, although not that many.

Corozal I’ve added sources for rentals:

-http://consejo.bz/property/rentals.html – Nice rentals in Consejo Shores. But you’ll need to have a car if you live there.
-http://www.belizevacationhomes.ca/rentals-2.html – Corozal Vacation Rentals – but they have quite a few longterm rentals.

Good luck! Let us know what you find.

[Scott Noe]

Thanks, Ann. I’m sure I’ll have more questions as the time gets closer. Your articles have been a great help. I’ll check the June ’15 one you mentioned.

R/ Scott

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Glad to hear the articles are helping.

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