Accommodation in Belize: scams you should look out for

nevernevernever NEVER put up any cash until you see a good title for the property.

1* ALWAYS USE A QUALIFIED BELIZE ATTORNEY to research property title, hold escrow payments, and file new title - never shortcut this step even if real estate agent says she can save you money;

2* Visit Belize first before you commit to buy property, and spend 3-4 days in each section of Belize;

3* Visit in both wet season and dry seasons;

4* If you follow step 1*, you will avoid most scam possibilities

We have purchased a property not far from Hopkins and Dangriga and will be travelling down again in November for a month to begin our construction project.  Am having a difficult time finding a decent place to stay in the vicinity for that month and then again in Feb + Mar 2020  Looking for something in the $1,000/mo price range if possible that is clean, has wifi, kitchen area and AC in bedroom.
Can anyone steer me to a place like that?  TIA!

Philagree,
Your difficulty will be to find a place that does not want you to sign a lease for at least 6 months. That said, I think your best bet is to plan for a hotel stay for a few days, check with 2 or 3 realtors (such as RE/MAX) to see what they can show you in rental properties. Inland in Cayo, you can find nice 2-3 bedroom houses for USD $500-600/month. You may have to pay more on the coast, plus an extra amount for the short term lease.
You might even find a small place that would make sense to go ahead and just get a 6-month lease on, and only have to deal with the search one time
Best wishes,
Gordon

There may be big differences between buying an actual house and buying raw land. 
I cannot stress how important it is to have a local attorney conduct a title search and have any deposits secured in escrow by reputable attorneys.  The 1st property we fell in love with - a 110acre piece of paradise with a mile of riverfront in Stann Creek - cost us $3,000 USD and 6-months to conduct a full title search.  The result was the attorneys recommending we walk away from the property because the assumed owners trying to sell the property were not the "legal" owner because 2 generations back - the oldest surviving son (not the seller's side of the family tree) had ownership rights to the property.  Apparently there are over a dozen of surviving members of both sides of this family and most could not be located.  If we would have purchased this land - we most likely would have been stuck in court for years with no leverage and lost the land and $.
We have since purchased our 65-acres - cleared title - and as always - pay your taxes and if not in-country - pay someone locally to keep poachers and squatters off so they cannot make any claim to the land down the road.
So....  keep deposits in escrow with local attorneys and pay for extensive title search.  Property listings and transactions in Belize is like the old Wild West and Homestead days here in US - not a lot of rules and plenty of folks looking to take advantage of the eager and unaware.  It's funny, but most of the disreputable people we ran across are not local Belizeans, but Canadian, US or Brit ex-pats that know how to lure in unsuspecting buyers.

I would look in the Hopkins area, and you might want to consider Air B&B or VRBO or similar. You may be able to find some reasonably priced properties that way, if you are not in the country to look for yourself. You can check the classified listings here and on other sites as well.

Hi,
Could you recommend a real estate company and attorney to use in the San Pedro area? TIA

If you PM me, I can give you that info. 

karenjoe, we are also looking to come down in Nov 2020 to look at place to rent long-term and then possibly buy or rent for a longer length of time.  our target is the beginning of 2021, so we are needing a sublet or short stay place for Nov.  got any recommendations?  also9 want the names/contacts for real estate agents who are trustworthy and have been in BLZ for many years to help us find a long term rental. 
we are VERY active in our 60's, and easy to adapt to new places--retired marine officer and his army brat wife.  we LOVE to travel, and our family motto is GO Before You Go.
how difficult is it to find places with aircon?
our permanent needs are 2+ bedrooms and 2+ baths, with some kind of outdoor space, i.e. patio or balcony. 
any help or suggestions you can provide are greatly appreciated.  we would love to hook up with an ex pat couple (well, not THAT kind of hook-up...) who might guide us.
our private email is el underscore colby at yahoo dot com.
thank you!!

karenjoe, we are also looking to come down in Nov 2020 to look at place to rent long-term and then possibly buy or rent for a longer length of time.  our target is the beginning of 2021, so we are needing a sublet or short stay place for Nov.  got any recommendations?  also9 want the names/contacts for real estate agents who are trustworthy and have been in BLZ for many years to help us find a long term rental. 
we are VERY active in our 60's, and easy to adapt to new places--retired marine officer and his army brat wife.  we LOVE to travel, and our family motto is GO Before You Go.
how difficult is it to find places with aircon?
our permanent needs are 2+ bedrooms and 2+ baths, with some kind of outdoor space, i.e. patio or balcony. 
any help or suggestions you can provide are greatly appreciated.  we would love to hook up with an ex pat couple (well, not THAT kind of hook-up...) who might guide us.
our private email is el underscore colby at yahoo dot com.
thank you!!

I can PM you with some information. We are not going in Nov now, secondary to Belize travel restrictions - they may be lifted before early Nov, but I can't take that chance, as I need the ability to rent a vehicle while there. You might re-consider as well, as going before full reopening will severely limit your ability to explore.