by Sharon Hiebing | February 9th, 2012
Breathe in, breath out. Breathe in, breathe out. Ahhhh. That was me yesterday, trying to not stress out and get through what was, frankly, a whirlwind of a day! Can I just tell you how much I love my life! Things are really looking up!
We started off with a listing appointment at a couple’s home who will be “snowbirds,” as we call them here. These are folks that live in Belize during what are the coldest months of the year back in their native country. So, being savvy enough to realize that first, they can make a little money by renting their house out in their absence, and second, tenants serve as built in security, they have decided to offer the home as a six-month rental. I’ll be giving you more details about the home in the next couple of days.
After that, a client that we had previously met with about offering his home for rent while he is living in the States and trying to sell the home in Belize called us. He also has a cabin on a separate piece of property that he wants to turn into a vacation and/or long-term rental. So we went to meet with him to look at it. It’s an adorable Mennonite cabin, and he’s in the finishing stage with installing water, getting it furnished, etc., but given its location right by a spring-fed creek, with total seclusion and solitude, I think it will be a big hit for travelers and/or relocation tenants looking to get away from it all.
After that, we were starving, so we decided to grab a quick bite to eat at Maxim’s, the best Chinese food restaurant in San Ignacio Town. I had the Chicken & Pineapple, and Nige had his favorite, steak! Right about lunch time, my 2:00 p.m. appointment called and said her plane got in late, so we rescheduled for 4:30 p.m.
That gave me just enough time to run home and check email and do some office work. Then back downtown to meet my clients. They are a married couple from Virginia who have bought some property here and will be commuting back and forth to Belize, as well as trying to set up a business venture. So they hired Wealth Ships for a one-to-one consulting session.
I’m really glad they did too. Even though residency options in Belize aren’t that confusing, having multiple choices can sometimes muddy the waters for folks and leave them unsure of what option they should choose.
In this case, my clients were leaning towards applying for the QRP (Qualified Retirement Program). However, they were never going to be staying here longer than 30 days at a time. In the QRP, you only have to be in Belize for one month out of the year to keep yourself in good standing with the program, but since they really weren’t going to be “living” here, I recommended they put the QRP on the back burner. If they ever do come here and stay longer than 30 days, they can just get their passport stamped at Immigration and pay a small fee. But there’s no sense in paying for the program if you won’t be taking advantage of importing your possessions or living here a significant amount of time.
They also had thought they needed residency of some sort to start a business, but that’s not true either. Lots of folks who live in other countries own businesses in Belize (real estate developers, for instance). By the end of the meeting, they felt so much better about their situation and options. And I felt great for having helped them. I really do love counseling people and helping them work towards the best decision for their own personal circumstances.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by choices and ended up seeking guidance from an outside source?
