AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Environment Grand Belizean Estates, Too Good to be True

Hi i hope that someone can give me some advice on purchasing a piece of land that is being sold by Grand Belizean Estates
cost is $8075 per plot on Ambergris Caye.

is this a good deal,
if so cheap is there a problem. to good to be true

Is this the only good value land on the caye or is there lots from other people for sale

i look forward to you reply thanks

You know what they say....if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Search here for info on Grand Belizean Estates. You will find out way more then you want to know!

If it sounds too good to be true... then you should check it out for yourself (as the original poster is trying to do). Reading the testimonials on your website, Barbara, could lead one to conclude that your services are "too good to be true" by all the positive comments, but I accept that those are evidence of people being very satisfied with the services you provide, rather than assume the worst about your services.

Every Sunday, GBE offers a beach BBQ and "Discovery Trip" for any and all who want to come and see the lots and the subdivision for themselves, rather than rely on message board armchair quarterbacks. Over 100 people have accepted the invitation over the last three weekends alone, resulting in well over 100 lots under contract for purchase by those who came, and saw, with their own two eyes.

To answer the original post, there is a lot of land for sale, and a lot of good value land on Ambergris Caye.

But since you are asking specifically about GBE here are some testimonials from several people who made their own educated informed decisions after seeing the land for themselves.

Iornwarrior: Ask for owner referrals you can speak to yourself, and ask for photos of the specific lots you are interested in. If at all possible, come and see for yourself before you make any final buying decision. That way you are sure of what you are getting.

Juan,
still waiting for you to answer the question about why Grand Belizean Estates did not conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment as required by Law.

Barb's testimonials are from people who have received services in full (like me - 2002). testimonials for her services are written AFTER she does what she said she would, services completed to full satisfaction of the client, & the quality of these services proven.

testimonials from anyone, from any development, sitting on a piece of sand with nothing on it, or seeing one in person, for that matter, tells me nothing but that it exists as a piece of sand. if the end product does not exist, its not a testimonial - it's just speculation.

pre-construction developments are cheap because - like most $-making investments - there is an amount of risk involved. anyone can say anything, but you don't really know what you get until its done. it may turn out to be the greatest thing since sliced bread...but then again, maybe not so much. but since NO ONE has a completed house in that sub-div at this very minute- with or without all the claimed amenities - you really won't know if its paradise, hell, or somewhere in between till its completed.

When you purchase a vacant parcel of land, and that land has been surveyed, and the Deed of Conveyance have been issued, you have received services in full. Three of these testimonials were written well after people had purchased their lots and were coming back to the subdivision to see how much progress has taken place since they purchased. The fourth was expressed by someone who just picked out their lot.

There people are getting exactly what they have paid for, and exactly what they saw before they had purchased. A beautiful vacant lot on high ground measuring 60' x 75' (minimum).

Their testimonials ARE about the end product. They purchased vacant land.

When you or anybody else, purchases a vacant lot in Habaneros, Robles, Mata Grande, Basil Jones, Ambergris Bay, Caribbean Coves, Boca Ciega, Club Caribbean, etc., etc. you are buying a piece of sand with nothing on it. It's not speculation...it's vacant land. You got exactly what was described and what you paid for. You are getting the end product in such a case and that does allow for a testimonial - and not just speculation.

You can be in any subdivision on this island and depending on what your neighbor builds or how they act, it can be paradise, misery, or somewhere in between. And there is no guarantee it will stay that way even once its completed. Remember, the difference between "protective covenants" and "restrictive covenants" is whether you are the person whose car is up on blocks in the front yard (in which case they are restrictive) or you are the neighbor living next door to some one whose car is up on blocks (in which case covenants are protective).

Don't begrudge someone from giving a testimonial about how happy they are about their purchase of land, with that land being "as-is", as it stands today, and with the hope that owning that land offers to them to have an affordable home on Ambergris Caye in the future. The end product is affordable vacant lots of land, and they do exist, and the testimonials offered are just as informative as yours, or any other on Barb's site. If lot owners in GBE weren't happy with what they have gotten for the money they wouldn't be referring so many friends, co-workers and family members to come and see the lots for themselves.

But equally don't read too much into it either.

What is the elevation of this High ground. From what I can tell it looks like swamp.

the best thing to do is to take a free ride up there on sunday and check it out for yourself. i`m presuming you haven`t been there so you really can`t tell what it is

Brandon C: Average elevation is 5'-10' above sea level. Bring your GPS to verify. (Not all GPS have elevation, the Garmin eTrex is a very good one that does do elevation.) The highest elevations I've found are 15' to 18' above sea level. (Pull up Google Earth and zoom in on the same area and you will see the same elevations as noted above.)

Currie52: You summed it up best. Take a free trip and see for yourself.

Here are two aerial photos (April 2010) with partial subdivision map overlay for scale. Shaded green areas are open space/park areas. I didn't finish the second photo, but between the two you can identify any block of lots within the subdivision so when you are on foot with a subdivision map in hand you can see any area of the subdivision and know where you are.