We spoke to Virginia Krohn from South Texas. She’s a real estate agent and serial entrepreneur. Virginia and her husband built two vacation rental properties in Belize. They moved here over 30 years ago! And are now voting citizens of Belize. In this chat, Virginia describes her journey with building the rental properties and a time in Belize when there were no filing cabinets nor computers.
Wrobel & Co: How did you come up with the idea of creating Belizean Reef Suites?
Virginia Krohn: When we were in our forties we grew tired of the everyday grind of small business in the states. It was a lot of work and not much fun so since we had to work we wanted a business that we could enjoy. What we wanted most was to live on the beach. To be able to live on the beach we had to have a tourism business so that it would provide fun and an income. It did not take long to discover that we were not going to pull that off in the states. It costs too much to buy or build and then even if you got that far the property taxes and other taxes would have seriously affected your profit. So, in the mid 80’s we went searching through Central America and found Belize. We could afford the property and it was everything we wanted. We could live on the beach and have vacation rentals that provided an income with a stream of interesting things to do like swimming, snorkeling, diving, fishing, and more.
W & C: Describe a couple of obstacles that you faced in building Belizean Reef Suites. Was it easier back then to start a business?
Krohn: I think the biggest obstacles we faced when we started was realizing that we had to pick one of the builders on the town board for our builder so that we could finally get the permit to build. When we did get the permit we also got the best builder we could have ever hoped for. He built our project on time and on budget. The second biggest obstacle was getting building supplies. The cement, sand, and gravel had to come from the mainland. At the time there were no barges so we had to use the little mahogany sailboats. Lucky for us the builder handled all of those arrangements so it was easy for us. It was also difficult getting good windows and plumbing items like toilets and sinks as things were limited in the hardware stores. Today they are all readily available in Belize City and Spanish Lookout.
I think it is easier to start a business today than back then because there are more local experienced craftsmen available. And of course, construction equipment and building materials are much more available also.
A view at Villa Cayo Belize
W & C: After that, you built Villa Cayo in San Ignacio. How would you describe the process of purchasing the land in one word? And why?
Krohn: LUCKY! We drove by a property that we liked and saw a sign that had been pulled up and turned over. Sure enough when we looked it was a real estate sign. The property was in a location we liked and the price was in our budget and it was still available. We had saved up the cash so purchasing was easy.
W & C: Is there anything you would’ve done differently?
Krohn: We could not find a builder that we liked or could afford in the Cayo area at that time so we just hired crews and built it ourselves. I would not recommend that to anyone unless you have some experience in construction and we did. We loved our builder in San Pedro and hoped for one here in Cayo but was not that lucky. Today there are a number of builders in Cayo that I would have used at that time.
W & C: On the Villa Cayo website, you said:
When we first moved here, Belize was a third-world country. Now it is a developing country…..with more utilities being installed, the paving of roads, bigger and better supplied grocery and hardware stores, not to mention computerization in government offices.
As a law firm, we help plenty of people like you deal with the legalities of purchasing property so we completely understand what you mean by “computerization in government offices.” But for some of our readers who may not understand, can you please expand on this?
Krohn: As far as computerization in Belize goes this is what it was like In the very beginning. When we went to Belmopan for help with a strata plan we were working on and stepped into the offices there were stacks of file folders on the floor up to 6 feet high. No filing cabinets and no computers. When you said you were checking on the progress of so and so……..they would make a slight attempt to find it and then say “it looks like that paperwork may be lost. Could you please re-submit?” It did not matter if you had been asked to give the original documents when that file was submitted or not, that file was just lost. So I would definitely say that you are better off letting an attorney handle whatever you are doing, even today. You may find someone who says they can do it for a few hundred dollars and think you are ok but it may come back and bite you a few years down the road. So I would definitely recommend using a lawyer.
W & C: Can you describe what your life was like in Texas before moving to Belize?
Krohn: In Texas, we had a small restaurant in downtown Kerrville. We were only open from 11am to 2pm which gave us enough time to work on our miniature carousels. My husband built the carousel and I carved the characters and did the artwork for the carousel. They were almost 36” across and sold for $25,000USD each. It would have been wonderful but we found they took too long to build and the collectibles market crashed. We had only sold three before we gave up.
W & C: You and your husband have lived in Belize for 30 years! Can you name the biggest change you’ve seen?
Krohn: The biggest change we have seen in Belize both on the islands and the mainland in 30 years is less trash everywhere and more professionally trained employees from the waiters in restaurants to secretaries in offices.
W & C: Was it difficult making the decision to move to Belize permanently? Why or why not?
Krohn: It was not difficult to move to Belize because it was exciting. Belize is “wildly civilized” which makes you feel “alive” not to mention having a business here is more profitable than in the states. Except for leaving family the rest is a “no brainer”. Since we are only two hours from Houston and there is the internet, it’s not like we left the planet.
W & C: You were a real estate agent in Texas. What are the major differences as it relates to real estate transactions in Texas and Belize?
Krohn: In the states everything is multiple listings. Any agent working for any company can sell a property. I like working as a buyers agent here which is basically the same thing because it helps the buyer by navigating through each company with the same agent. It is easier to build trust in the system if the people during the process remain the same.
W & C: As a real estate agent in Belize, which places are most in-demand in Belize, and why?
Krohn: Right now the real estate most in demand is raw land. People want to get away from the crowds and get back to nature.
W & C: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your business?
Krohn: Our business stopped immediately when the pandemic hit Belize. We had guests and we were under construction on two additional villas. The employees for the vacation rentals and the construction immediately lost their jobs and of course, we lost our income. I would have never in my wildest dreams thought something like this could happen anywhere in the world. I would now highly recommend to anyone to always have two streams of income at all times to counter possibilities like this. This is one time being older paid off for us as we had our social security income to buy “rice and beans”.
W & C: Favourite drink in Belize?
Krohn: I have my favorite drink in the Spanish Lookout at “My Coffee”. It is a virgin piña colada made with fresh fruit and cream. Really good!
W & C: Favourite animal in Belize?
Krohn: I have a bunch of favorite animals in Belize but my favorite would be a “Kinkajou” and they are in our trees at night. Also called locally “nightwalker” and they love coconuts. “Nightwalker” sounds so mysterious!
W & C: Favourite time in Belize and why?
Krohn: My favorite time in Belize would be November. It is just before the high season for tourists and everything is so lush and green.
W & C: Where is your favorite place in Belize?
Krohn: My favorite place in Belize is the Cayo Mountains. Full of birds, wildlife, and the most amazing plants and bugs.
W & C: Where can people go to learn more about you and what you do?
Krohn: People can always come to visit us at Villa Cayo and check out our unique Caribbean Contemporary design. We have our own website villacayobelize.com and are of course on Facebook. I also have two videos out on Youtube “Ten reasons to buy in Belize” and “Ten reasons NOT to buy in Belize”.
W & C: What should people expect when they visit Villa Cayo? What’s the main thing that Villa Cayo has to offer for its guests?
Krohn: Villa Cayo has many types of birds to see including the Toucan, Aracari, and the laughing Falcon just to name a few. 65 types of birds were seen and photographed right here on our 12 acres by one of our guests. We also have lush gardens full of tropical flowers and a hammock to rest in. Inside the luxurious guest suites there is A/C, a fully equipped kitchen, and Cable TV loaded with free movies. The suites have huge windows so that you never lose sight of the amazing Maya mountains and our landscaped grounds.
W & C: Can you elaborate on your interactions with Wrobel & Co., and more specifically, our managing partner Ryan Wrobel? Do you feel that our office has anything to offer your clients/guests?
Krohn: I have probably known Ryan for about 10 years and watched his client base and office grow. He is a great one to call if you have any questions to do with property law or if you need escrow services. He does all the regular things like writing wills and contracts but he is also knowledgeable about international law. So if you are an Expat and have questions about investing or retiring in Belize set up an appointment and get to know Ryan as he will quickly become your trusted “go-to” for just about anything.
W & C: What are some of the amazing things living in Belize has afforded you?
Krohn: Belize has given us the amazing life we were looking for, not once but twice over 30 years. Belize has given us a more “nature-based” life instead of endlessly looking for materialistic satisfaction. It has also given us profitable businesses and employees that have become our family away from home.
Interested in retiring or relocating to Belize as Virginia did? Contact Wrobel & Co, Attorneys-at-Law, and we’ll get you started on your Belize retirement or relocation journey today.
To learn more about retirement in Belize, visit our Belize Retirement FAQ page here.
This information was provided as a courtesy of Wrobel & Co. Attorneys-at-law. It is intended to inform, not to advise. No one should try to interpret or apply any law without the assistance of legal counsel. Please click here for the full disclaimer.
