Tropical Storm Alex in Belize

Tropical Storm Alex makes landfall in Belize.

Tropical Storm Alex becomes the first named storm for the Atlantic Basin this year (2010).
At 5 PM on 6/26/2010 Tropical Storm Alex made landfall in Belize City bringing high winds and heavy rainfall increasing as the night progressed. The residents of Belize had prepared for the worst and prepared for a Category 1 Hurricane.
Will Moreno, Broker of Platinum International Real Estate made sure to keep all residents of Belize and Belizeans abroad posted on what was taking place via Facebook. Here a few photos and videos of Tropical Storm Alex.

Hurricane Season Dates:
Hurricane season in the Atlantic begins June 1st and ends November 30th.
The Eastern Pacific hurricane season begins May 15th and also ends November 30th

18 Acres of Serenity Off the Coast of Belize City

18 Acres of Serenity Off the Coast of Belize City in the Caribbean

You can purchase 18 acres of pristine land as your private and serene get away location just off the coast of Belize City surrounded by the beautiful Caribbean Sea. This island serenity sits only 20 minutes from the city by boat and only 10 minutes from the Cruise Liners Port and Channel.

This island lends itself as an excellent commercial opportunity and is ideal for a resort or a day spot for tourist to get away.

This pristine location has deep water channels on both sides of the island which is excellent for a private yacht or water activities such as diving or snorkeling.

Priced at an unbelievable $100,000 USD per acre for beach and island property.

Seller is extremely motivated and would consider selling the whole island for the right price.

Property won't last at this price so be sure to make your offer.

For more information on this property, CLICK HERE


To view other properties in Belize, CLICK HERE

Call or email us today for more information or to make your offer.

Email: platinumhomesbelize@gmail.com

Phone: 501-664-1630

Father's Day being celebrated in Belize - June 19th,2010

This weekend many people in Belize will be celebrating Father's Day on Sunday June, 20th, 2010.

Here is a brief description and history of "Father's Day".

Father's Day is a day honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. It is celebrated on the third Sunday of June in 55 of the world's countries and on other days elsewhere. It complements Mother's Day, the celebration honoring mothers. It is a widely known celebration. The first observance of Father's Day is believed to have been held on June 19, 1910.

Keeping the Spirit alive, the management and staff of Platinum International Real Estate would like to wish our fathers and all fathers a safe and HAPPY FATHERS DAY.

Beautiful 3 Bedroom, Riverfront Home in Hopeville Area of Punta Gorda - Belize

This Beautiful Belize home is just minutes from downtown Punta Gorda in the Hopeville Area and sits on the river.

This spacious single storey 3 Bedroom, 1 Bathroom, 2400 Sqft Home is completely move in ready. The large lot measures 102 x 82 Ft. and has plenty of room to expand.

The home boasts a large open floorplan and the kitchen  has a full breakfast bar and lots of storage space. The full wrap-around verandah/patio lends itself to beautiful views of the river. This home has its very own access to the river and private pier.

For more information on this property, CLICK HERE


To view other properties in Belize, CLICK HERE

Call Today for an appointment to view this wonderful home!

Call Today for an appointment to view this wonderful home!

SAGA Humane Society may be forced to close its doors to the animals

SAGA is a humane society in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, that is committed to providing care for unwanted, abused, neglected, homeless, injured and sick animals in Belize. It is committed to preventing cruelty in all its forms through educational programs and provides an invaluable service to the San Pedro Town Board by doing public health investigations, dealing with dog bites and other animal nuisance issues. SAGA has allowed the San Pedro Town Board to cease using poison as a method of stray control.

Please help Save SAGA Humane Society!


For 10 years the SAGA Humane Society has provided valuable services to the Town of San Pedro and now it may be forced to close. Please Act NOW.

Over 75% of the money needed to provide the community with a Humane Society comes from the veterinary clinic SAGA runs, which provides both free and for-charge care. It is this income that pays for all of the other services. NOW, the SAGA veterinary clinic may be forced to close, putting the entire Humane Society at risk and out of business. If SAGA cannot employ a full-time vet, we cannot generate the income to offer all the many free and low-cost services we currently provide.

WARNING: If you are an animal lover the photos below may be graphic and disturbing in nature. There is a happy ending thanks to SAGA HUMANE SOCIETY.


This is what SAGA does for you and the animals of San Pedro:

* Dog Patrols to pickup stray, dangerous, diseased, maltreated, abandoned or injured animals.

* Responds to complaints of dog attacks, dog fights, noise nuisance and other negative interactions between the animal population and humans.

* Provides free rabies shots for all animals.

* Provides free or low cost medical treatment for animals belonging to those suffering financial hardship.

* Provides a shelter to house, feed and treat the homeless or mistreated animals of San Pedro.

* Provides animal adoption services, providing many local families with much loved pets and guard dogs.

* Assures that all people who want to adopt are able to provide good care for the animal.

* Assures all animals placed for adoption are spayed or neutered and have been given a clean bill of health with all shots up to date.

* Provides free or low cost spays & neuters to help prevent overpopulation.

* Provides humane euthanasia when appropriate and eliminate the need for the Town Board to use poison as an alternative.

* Provides educational programs to help the people of San Pedro learn how to care for a healthy, happy pet.

If you want to help, please contact SAGA urgently to sign their petition to save this very valuable service to the community before it is too late. For 10 years we have helped San Pedro. We need your help now.

Contact The SAGA Society:
Coconut Drive, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize, Tel: +501 226 3266, Email: saga@btl.net
visit theier website: http://sagahumanesociety.org/

Please sign the petition to save SAGA.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/savesagahumanesociety/

Upon arriving at Saga Humane Society

Getting immediate treatment at Saga Humane Society

After Being rehabilitated at Saga Humane Society

Saving yet another dog from neglect

Kids appreciating and learning about animals at Saga Humane Society

Saving another Puppy from neglect

Saga Humane Society

10 Questions You Must Ask The Real Estate Developer Before You Buy

Master-planned communities in Central America come in all shapes and sizes - from small condo buildings to developments covering thousands of acres offering resort style amenities. Many offer pre-construction sales where you buy before you see the finished product. Great gains can be made as properties are offered at a discount. But you have to be confident that the developer will deliver. The starting point is getting answers to these 10 questions below, before you sign the contract.

1.Find out what kind of title the developer has to the land and ask to see the master title insurance policy. Ensure the legal due diligence on these documents is carried out by a good quality attorney. The developer may recommend their own attorney, but it is always safer to conduct an independent review of the documents before signing.

2.Ask whether the development masterplan has been approved by all relevant authorities. In particular, check to see if environmental impact statements have been submitted, and approved. Authorities across Central America are getting increasingly stringent in their environmental regulation.

3.Investigate whether the developer has the capital to move the real estate development forward or if they are relying on sales revenues. Remember that limited financial flexibility or low project sales can adversely impact the timely completion of a project.

4.Do some research into the past experience of the developer and and ask to be put in touch with previous buyers. Try and get background information or bios on the entire developer team including builders, architect, marketers, operators and master-planners.

5.The builder being used is a critical component of the development team. If the developer is using a well respected local firm that has a track record in the type of construction required by the master plan, this is a good sign. If possible try and see examples of buildings that have been completed by the builder so that you can get a real sense of the quality of their work.

6.Find out how much time of the year the developer spends in-country. If the developer is foreign, but lives full-time in the country where the real estate project is located, this is a positive indicator for their long term commitment to the project and country.

7.Find out about the water source and whether the developer has ensured that there will be enough supply even when the development is fully built-out. Ask how sewage is being handled and does the process comply with local regulations. Check to see if power lines will be underground or overground.

8.Read the Codes Covenants and Restrictions (CC&Rs) carefully. CC&Rs in some international real estate developments can be highly restrictive, down to what you can or can’t grow in your garden, what pets you can have, the architectural style that is allowed, or the color of your roofing tiles. Make sure you know what you’re getting into. In most cases the CC&Rs will be enforced by a Home Owners Association (HOA) - a legal entity which allows the developer to transfer ownership and management of the community to the homeowners after it has sold a predetermined number of units or lots. Ask to see a copy of the Association bylaws and budget.

9.Don’t forget to find out about after sales service such as property management, rental management and marketing support for re-sales. Make sure you are comfortable with the level of service that the developer intents to provide after the sale.

10.Find out if the developer is addressing the social and environmental impacts of the development and whether there are any programs in place to support the local community. Efforts to protect the environment, treat employees and suppliers fairly and ensure that the local community is benefiting are all good signs of a ‘responsible’ approach to development over the long term.

Reveal Real Estate - charting international real estate trends in Central America.

Corozal Town's Early History

Corozal Town of Today

To the extreme north in Belize you will find the town of Corozal which was founded in 1848 by refugees from the Maya Indian uprising against the Spanish in neighboring Yucatan. This uprising, known as the Caste War (from the Spanish "castas" or race), began as a war against the Spaniards, but it eventually became a war against the Mestizos. The Mestizos who are half Spanish and half Indian, had proven to be formidable allies of the Spaniards, and were thus mortal enemies of the Maya Indians.

A massacre at Bacalar, Mexico which was a Mestizo stronghold about thirty miles north of Corozal Town, finally led to the exodus of thousands of Mestizos from Bacalar and the surrounding areas in Mexico. Between 1848 and 1856 more than 10,000 Mestizo refugees crossed the Rio Hondo, the river that now serves as the boundary between Belize and Mexico. The immigrants sought refuge in northern Belize, and increased the population of Corozal Town to 4500. Mr. James Blake, a magistrate, let them settle on lands in the Corozal District and helped them to establish the new crop, sugar cane.

The Mestizo refugees were far from safe in Corozal Town as the Maya Indians from the Mexican base in Santa Cruz Bravo, which today is now Carrillo Puerto, made several incursions into Corozal Town. In defense, Corozal became a garrison town and Fort Barlee was built here in 1870. Today, the brick corner supports of the fort surrounds the post office complex of the buildings across from the central town square.

The immigrants brought with them Mestizo culture: Spanish and Yucatec Maya language, Catholicism and Maya folklore, the use of alcalde system, their family structure and way of life. Soon, there emerged a local replication of the society of the Yucatan within the boundaries of a country ruled by English expatriates.

Cerros Maya Ruin in Corozal

Across the bay from Corozal Town are the mounds of Cerros, the first Maya coastal trading center. Cerros is considered one of the most important late pre-classic Maya sites because it represented the first experiment with kingship in the Maya world. Cerros was important as a coastal trading center and expressed new forms of art and architecture that proved to be crucial for the classic Maya art and architecture. The remains include a number of temples, plazas, ball-courts, canals, and minor structures. Cerros’ tallest temple rises 21 meters above the plaza floor. The most interesting artifacts so far discovered are the five jade head pendants.

Santa Rita Maya Ruin in Corozal

Within Corozal Town can be found another Maya ruin from the fourteenth century AD. Known as Santa Rita, the pyramid site sits atop the remains of a Maya city that dominated the area for more than 2000 years. This site was important during the late Post-Classic Period and was occupied up to the time of the time of Spanish contact in the 1500’s. The largest building in the central core of Santa Rita has been excavated and consolidated, and open to the public. Archaeological excavations there have shown Santa Rita to be the ancient province of Chetumal, where a large part of the Post-Classic civilization once thrived at the time of the first Spanish attempt to conquer the Yucatec Mayas in the early 16th century. Burial sites rich in jewelry and artifacts have recently been unearthed there.

A sight worth seeing is the vibrant mural in the Town Hall. Painted by the Belizean-Mexican artist Manuel Villamore, it surrealistically depicts the rich history of Corozal.