David Kafka is a retired firefighter and landscaper from Charleston, S.C. that moved to Belize in 2010 after falling in love with the people, culture, food, and lifestyle in the early 2000s. He started at the bottom as an assistant with RE/MAX and worked his way up to a countrywide franchisee with 3 offices and over 19 agents throughout the whole country. He is an avid investor in Belize and offers passive investments to those wanting to come alongside him here. He enjoys educating those interested in buying, living, and or moving to Belize.
Why did you choose Real Estate?
When I knew I wanted to move to Belize, I was too young to retire and I was selling everything in the middle of the 2008 real estate crash. I also recognized my current skillset wouldn’t work, which was driving a fire truck, and I couldn’t take a job away from a Belizean. I had always liked real estate, and I saw a lot of shady real estate agents doing very well for themself and so I figured let me try that. If shady people can do it then someone with a lot of ethics and morals should be able to crush it. So, I started that path of learning the market, the rules, and the laws. Then started at the bottom as an assistant and worked my way up to one of the top RE/MAX agents in the Caribbean and Central America.
How did you get to where you are today?
Pretty simple: determination, hard work, and support from my family. And always, I mean always, put the client first above anything.
What is one of your favorite client stories?
I have 2 and I’ll let you pick, or we can share both. The first is turning a prospect into a client, then a buyer, then a friend, and a coworker. The second is for an older retired couple to thank me so much for being honest with them. I told them my market is not good for them and they shouldn’t buy.
What is your biggest success story to date?
I guess it's sticking to it for over 13 years and taking my profits and buying real assets. I am my best client.
What makes your market unique?
Wow, where to start?
Belize is the only English-speaking country in Latin America and one of the best outdoor water sports destinations in the world. It has jungles, all kinds of trails, and the 2nd largest reef in the world so there's also world-class diving and all types of fishing, and if you like to fly fish, you can catch the grand slam which is catching a permit, tarpon, and bonefish all in the same day! The weather is beautiful at about 84 degrees on average year-round, and can’t forget about the blue hole, one of the best zoos I have ever been to. Then last but not least, the food and people which make it great. Affordable financing is not here yet, so, plenty of opportunities to buy before it comes in and prices go up.
David Kafka is the exclusive agent representing the Belize real estate market as a member of the Haute Residence Real Estate Network. View all of his listings here.
