IDEA : avoiding pitfalls and securing your investment

Our collective team of professionals have first hand experience of investing, working, living and conducting business in Asia, North America, Europe and Latin America. We are also keen to share our knowledge and experience to help those new to emerging locations or those keen to avoid mistakes made by others.

IDEA : AVOID COURTS, TRY PROFESSIONAL MEDIATION 

Court action costs time and money; so why play that game if you do not have to? Professional mediation offers a fast method of reaching agreements between opposed parties.

Resolving dipsutes without the need for court action is preferable in most cases, more so when the parties are based in different countries and perhaps used to different legal systems.

Mediation is not a forced process, unlike arbitration, and therefore best suits opposed parties who wish to reach a swift a legal conclusion. Mediation avoids the need for opposing parties to meet in person, or communicate via phone or mail. The appointed mediator is employed jointly by both parties and acts as a reference for points of law and an impartial facilitator for points of negotiation.

Real estate disputes, conflict over the jurisdiction of contracts, clarification on regulations, winding up of affairs and practice - all can benefit from professional legal mediation without recourse to the courts or individual legal representation.

IDEA : avoid buyer traps, enjoy your investment and an emerging market

Yes, it’s true. One savvy investor bought a Caribbean island for less than the deposit on many of our European/US homes. Real estate bargains do exist, but in an unregulated market you can expect a struggle to find them. And if you do find them, what next?

Real estate in Belize is a hot topic and for good reason. With a population of only 260,000 people there is plenty of land (plus 400 islands) to go around. Investment pioneers (and those who came, loved and bought) have been quietly securing stunning properties for a good number of years.

The market in Belize for vacation properties is certainly booming, with some beachfront and island properties seeing almost 800% growth over the past 5 years. Much of the price increases though have been fuelled by the un-regulated real estate agents who see the opportunity of selling to ‘gringos’ enamoured with the country yet unaware of the true opportunities. This has of course provided many opportunists the chance to under-cut the inflated market price by offering bargains to the more interested buyer - many of which turn out to be bad buys.

For the initiated though, great value land (especially large tracts) and properties can be bought and managed with consummate ease. The legal system is robust and very familiar to UK and US buyers, the land prices are below the Caribbean average, plus with the right structuring, you can benefit from zero capital gains and a very low property tax. Like all good things though, it will come to an end. We estimate only a few more years of better than average growth (and some stunning examples of capital gain) before the market matures, regulates and is dominated by corporate investors.