Where did this start?

I was fortunate to be able to attend a painting workshop in Tikal, Guatemala several years ago. This was during the time of the stealing babies scare, supposedly carried out by middle-aged women. I fit that description, but being in a group of 25 artists gave me the feeling of safety and comfort. Ten days at the Jungle Lodge was a unforgetable experience. There I met a wonderful lady by the name of Caroline Carr. We'd all flown in from the US to Guatemala City and then to Flores and by bus to Tikal. I found that Caroline lived in Belize (where in the heck is that?) and that she had come through the jungle to get there. Wow, I was impressed by her bravery and fascinated to hear about this little country to the east. This experience was extraordinary and stayed with me for years. In 2004 I wanted to show my husband, Art, a little of what I'd seen, but didn't want to brave Guatemala again so researched Belize and away we went.

I had contacted several realtors by email, just because it's a great way to see places off the beaten track when you're not familiar with an area. The end result was to find our place in Bullet Tree.

Right here I want to let anyone who's interested in Belize property to be aware of a couple of things to watch for. One is that you might find a property the "owner" wants to sell, but the reality will be that they really don't own it. It's actually leased land, which is much like homesteading in the US. They don't have a right to sell it.

The second thing to watch is the asking price. You might find that the same property is for sale by the owner at one price and is listed for different prices by several realtors. There's currently a movement to create more consistency and ethics among realtors which will give customers a more reliable service.