Own a piece of paradise, make a sound investment and be part of a like-minded community:

A year and a half ago, I invested in Barefoot, a friend’s company building an eco-resort in Belize. Barefoot specialises in creating, building and managing very distinctive, mid-level luxury resort communities that are socially responsible and environmentally friendly. Members are educated and international young professionals (as well as some successful serial entrepreneurs and a UK MP…).
This year, they are launching a new resort in Palawan, Philippines. The offer has just been launched and closes May 31st (first come is first served on property selection):
1. You’ll need US$100,000 of capital to invest over 4 years.
2. The proposed cash return is 42% on the original capital investment (over the four year Investment Period);
3. Plus, allocation of an improved parcel of land;
4. Plus, construction and fittings for a ready-to-rent villa which can be further customised and then used, rented out or sold.
5. Rental income is likely to start at US$10k per annum (US$250 per night), of which approximately 80% is returned to the owner.
If you are just considering your return on capital employed: The best case scenario is $1 = $3.92 in four years. The worst case is US$142,000 in cash and an appreciating asset.
If you are thinking rental returns, you still are promised a cash sum of US$142,000 after year 4 plus ownership of the ready-to-rent island villa. These will rent at US$250 – $450 per night and depending on how often you use it, rental income is estimated to start at $10,000 per annum of which 80% is returned directly to the owner. The all-inclusive annual fees are low (approximately $2,500) and if you do not rent your property in any given year (keep it as a private home), the charges are discounted.
No debt funding is used for the project and investors retain a claim on all company assets (the island, equipment, materials and cash) until the investment is a success. The management team also defer their own profit-related rewards until the investors are paid. The investment capital is employed through a Limited Liability Corporation meaning that all investors are responsible for their own tax declarations - the company will not deduct tax at source nor declare assets or income on behalf of the beneficiary.
Above all, you’ll do your bit for sustainable development and own a beautiful villa on a tropical island.
You can learn more about the project by viewing this online presentation:
http://www.barefootinvestments.com/docs/is...ew_barefoot.pdf

Or by visiting their website : www.barefootinvestments.com.

Of course, you can contact me directly for the full pack or more information (please look at the online presentation and their website first).

Joel
joelcere@hotmail.com

Remove (NOSPAM)

I'm A Fool With Borrowed Money, Were do i sign up?

I have an "investment pack" which is more information about the resort, investment memorandum and so on. If you email me, I'll send it to you. It's a zip file with 4 PDFs document. If you are interested or have further questions, I'll put you in touch with the team.

Joel

He was being sarcastic...

what is the point in these meaningless sarcastic comments?
if someone has a look at the investment package and wants to input some constructive criticism then that is fair enough - but why try and knock someone without actually having a look at the details of what they are offering?

Does anybody know if this is a scam ?

it is not a scam - I have actually been looking into this opportunity for the past couple of weeks - I have not yet made a decision - however dont take my word for it - do your own research ...

It's not a scam (everyone gets so paranoid these days...). It's a friend of mine who set up this company a while ago. This is their second development. I invested in the first one and I am helping im finding buyers for the second one.

thought i would move this discussion to the appropriate thread

Rondy - please tell us more about what you know of Barefoots Belize project - you feel their properties are overpriced?

You can find land in Cayo district for $5000/acre. Then you can build a proper house.

Or you are only interested in eco-tourism? then maybe go to Long Caye Belize.

Rondy - I am not really interested in the alternative product as I have no intention of going to Belize - i am only interested in the competance of Barefoot as a company and if you have any insight in this respect then please let us all know

Do you actually know the details of what Barefoot are doing in Belize? or their prices?

It seems uou are not comparing like with like here - Barefoot are creating a fully managed resort community with infrastructure, facilities etc - this is not the same as buying a plot of land and building your own private home

I read about it some time ago but I forgot all the details. At that moment it looked expensive.

They looked competent. If money is not an issue and you want their type of product, go ahead.

Rondy I can buy a plot of land in Bahamas for $3000 and build a house but this is not the same as owning property within a resort.

I do not think you can find land in Bahamas for $3000. Show me the advertisement for that.

Then, the deals I was talking about were in a resort.

They are not as big as your Saidia but they are still resorts.

Joel

Please give us more info about how your investment in the Belize project has gone - have you already made a return there? Are you investing in the second project as well?

I invested in the Belizean project a year-ish ago. Mostly because I knew the management (one was an ex-colleague), Belize seemed like a market ripe for growth through tourism and I liked their commitment to sustainable development. In short, I could make a nice ROI and doing some good. The first phase of the Belizean project is near completion (most of the infrastructure is there now and the environmental assessment impact is about to end). So far the land has doubled in value so I am quite pleased with it. Next steps will be for me to build a small villa for rent as part of the development.
The project in Palawan is more upmarket and I cannot afford it unfortunately (not yet). If I had available cash, I would definitely go for it. I know the region for having lived in South-East Asia and it is beautiful.

Hope that helps.

Joel

i am very interested in this development, although at the same time it appears to have huge amounts of risk associated with it.

could you please give me some answers to the attached questions?

1. I understand the $100k investment will give you an equity share in the resort. I presume therefore that any over runs to costs will need to be made up by the investors?

2. Can you let me know high level numbers for cost estimates for the resort?

ie - Land Purchase
- Infrastructure (water, electricity, sewage treatment)
- Build costs for villas
- Costs for developing facilities, restaurants, etc
- Other costs such as landscaping.

I am concerned that 30 investors putting in $100k is $3m which doesn't sound like alot to develop from scratch a private island. I would be scared that the investment would turn into a black hole with investors being exposed to virtually unlimited risks.



but if you can convince me that the costs will come within the budget, then i would be very intested in investing.

Thanks.

I have an information pack that I can email you. I will include contacts for the team as well as they will be better placed than me to give you details about costs. My email address is on my profile, send me your contacts and I will send you the docs + contacts by reply.

Cheers

Joel

Exactly my conclusion. £1.5m to get a mid luxury resort built - you pay this for one villa some places let alone a whole island to boot!

I have a feel the resort will cost far more than the directors think.

Secondly there is inadequate detail about the 'villas'. I would want exact details / pics of the proposed units which I guess are from kits.

Thirdly I dont like the fact one director lives in N Ireland and one is a globe trotter and the company will be governed by St Kitts law. To much opaqueness for investors. I would want a lot more controls in place to ensure these directors cant dissapear into the mists with my money. I prefer increased Tax exposure in return for far greater investor security - ie governed by English company law etc.

Would also want some kind of financial oversight by a London based lawyer that would be responsible for ensuring funds are released only for bonafide purchases and not say $2m transfered to some bloke in the Philippines who for all we know is in cahoots with the UK directors to 'dissapear' with money. This would have a cost implication but better to spend a little more to be safe eh.

I share these concerns, but I haven't ruled it out. I'm particularly interested to see a full cost break down, find out more about the units being built and see evidience that properties sold off-plan will fetch in the region of $200k.

I too have looked at this one in great detail. On paper it looks great...however I agree with Dogbox......£1.5m for a whole island?? The details on the villas are very vague......vagueness is something I do not like when I am parting with my cash!

Hmm.....perhaps I'll kick myself on this one......but I'm just not convinced they can deliver what they promise on £1.5m alone?? Would we have to keep ploughing in money to get it off the ground?? Would we have to cut our losses and realise it's half baked at the 11th hour??

Hello,

Just to clarify here: This is not to buy an island, it is to build a resort on an island.

Joel

I am now confused. I assume that to develop a resort on an island you first have to buy it?

My understanding is that it is $1.5m to buy island (approx) and further $1.5m to start developing it, buy and build the first 30 or so units.

From what I can see $1.5m for an island is realistic.

Sorry, I doublechecked with the team: They are buying an entire island in the Palawan REGION. Palawan is also the name of the largest island in the region. So it is not to buy Palawan island but an island in the Palawan archipelago.

I realise Joelcere - $1.5m for whole of Palawan would be the deal of the century! Not knowing where the island will be adds an extra unknown and increases the risk, but that's the way it has to be with these things. If they were to say which island they had their eye on it would likely increase the price they have to pay for it.

Hi, board -

First things first - I'm a member of the Barefoot Investment team. We have had a few enquiries that quoted this messageboard, so it feels only right to come and have a look. A cautious thanks to Joel for spreading the word in this way...

Some of the comments have been very interesting - if only we could get the entire island of Palawan for $1.5m! There are roughly 1,000 islands in that region, beautiful, mature and some large, some the size of a football pitch. Most are untitled and not appropriate for us, some are titled but with question marks, the rest have been our focus over the past year. For an intrepid company with time and resources, Palawan is an incredible choice - new airports coming online, developer incentives for eco-tourism, superb workforce and some of the most stunning natural views that you can find. That's why we are there.

Although we make our money from developing property, we invest it and share it quite differently to other developers that we know. If people are bored of hearing us go on about the business, we stop at 'eco-developer', if they have more interest, we describe ourselves as a blend of ethical management, socially responsible investment and sustainable development.

As with Belize (and other areas of interest), our resort community developments are funded, developed and managed with creativity and a bit of innovation that we put to work for investors, the community, our business and future resort guests. The comments about development costs are spot on - it would be VERY hard for a traditional development company to do much with the funds we raise from private investors, but then, our overheads are largely stripped from each project and we bring plenty of resources to the table that are not charged to a specific venture. What you are left with then, is capital that goes to improving the asset(s), not paying us consulting fees for example. Besides, we take ALL of our own rewards on the back end, after investors are satisfied and the venture is stable. There is a lot of homework and due diligence in a project such as this and we work with good people to make it happen (HSBC and PWC for example).

Another difference between us and others (as far as I know!), is that our projects are designed with investors at the outset - the rewards, the timeframes, the locations; these are all a collaboration. It makes sense to us - investors like us are looking for certain types of deals and as people, we enjoy certain types of projects over others. As a company, we try and bring this together and customise a project that works for us all financially and in terms of personal interest - then, we spread the word and bring in some other like minds. It's not rocket science and it is a bit more fun that our funds usually bring (unless you are a geek about managed funds, anyone?).

Dogbox, your comment "I dont like the fact one director lives in N Ireland..." is valid enough (although Northern Ireland is a great place to live and own property, plus the nature of our business requires globe-trotting...). Many investors are risk-averse and keep investments local - others like to take advantage of legitimate tax efficient vehicles for their overseas investments. For this project, that was one of the criteria from the outset. Also, there are no restrictions on the advisors/lawyers that our members use - we have a very transparent structure and have always encouraged interested parties to seek advice (in fact, we have got a few new members from advisors in the past). Nevis is a reputable jurisdiction and it allows investors to take control over their reporting and tax according to UK practice (or the US for our US members), rather than be saddled with unfamiliar regulations. There is no liability attached to an investor in a Nevis company, just to the management team - so it's also better than forming a local limited company in many situations.

If you have any questions, comments or criticisms do get in touch - we can't answer detailed questions about a specific investment on here but we're a friendly bunch and workaholics too. We'll also be releasing the more traditional discounted off-plans sales later in the year through some of the UK's best property investment specialists.

Best, Matt

PS We have interested parties for a few projects in other regions - if you'd like to be involved in a custom project for 2008, take a look at the site and register your interest if any of the countries appeal to you... www.barefootinvestments.com

PPS Rondy made a comment about a project in Belize - I can't respond to that as I think he is mixing us up with someone else (there are a lot of "Barefoot's" in tropical areas which is why our actual projects are never called Barefoot. He is also thinking of eco as a socks & sandals type of environment; More Sandals or Six Senses actually, but then its a new market and some people still think organic, oil alternatives, fair trade and climate change is for treehuggers only.

Is anyone still considering this investment?

If the returns come in as they are forecasting, it will be a spectacular investment.

Put in $100k and in 2-4 years you get back $142k + you will have the villa you have purchased, which will be worth between $150 and $250k depending on how the market moves.

It is just a pity that this is such a small developer as i don't feel comfortable handing over such a large amoutn of cash to a small handful of people I don't know.

could this be a scam? what safegaurds could i use to protect myself from being ripped off? would an escrow account help? any advice would be very welcome.

I really like this one and I think its fairly safe, afterall investors will be shareholders with access to Bank statments etc.
I know these islands - Ive been twice and it really is the most spectaculour place Ive been.

The bit I struggle with is the sleepless nights as a lot could go wrong. Im impressed with the key personel, they seem very very sharp and intelligent as well as thorough and forward looking.

They do need however to firm up the property design.

I was also slightly concerned as to whether this could turn into a money pit, for example if water collection / extraction proved more difficult than expected.

Changing global weather patterns and rising sea levels would also have to be factored into the risk / reward blend.

Very tempting, very exciting but fairly complex. Mmmmmmmm

Thanks for the continued interest in the our venture. We are due to close this one in a week or so and forums such as this do help us refine our offer for future investments.

A couple of things that may be interesting to posters:

- About escrow accounts: we looked long and hard at escrow for this offer; since the deal is really a private equity investment (with a property investment approach), the capital is put to good use immediately and it's not usual for shares to be paid via escrow (since you get what you pay for immediately). Besides, with a project that moves as fast as this, as soon as the funds are in escrow, they would be drawn upon to improve the asset and move the project along. Also, the fees for escrow are pretty high for a lean programme such as ours - I admit we could offer investors the choice for an additional fee, but since many of them were not too worried, we decided to have one offer for all and ditch escrow in favour of quick activity and transparency.

For the discounted off-plan releases later in the year, you can expect the usual escrow and staged-payments used elsewhere - it's standard practice for the agents we work with. We use HSBC and Price Waterhouse Coopers for advising on structures and appropriate facilities during the early-stage (which we manage directly).

- About property design: we do have full architectural drawings and specifications for 30 variations on a single property design. However, the final configuration is subject to our final master plan. That is the main reason we have held back from being very specific about the ready to rent accommodation that comes with each investment. Also, the investment should be judged on the potential returns, this includes ownership of a class of property, but not a specific property. In hindsight, we perhaps should be selling the designs and configurations a lot harder, but we really expected most investors to buy-in and then put the property on the market at a later stage. In that scenario, the property type isn't as important as our assumption on the re-sale price.

- About global warming: We only have to look at what is happening in the Maldives to see the effects rising see levels (and poor construction methods) will have in the near term. We chose Palawan simply because it has such mature islands - tops of volcanoes, lush forest and a 90% intact coral reef. We spent 2 years looking at Honduras and Belize before and simply couldn't reconcile a few things: prices (inflated), land type (low level sandbanks) and development issues (mangrove clearing, dredging to build beaches). Fortunately, the Philippines rolled out some interesting incentives for eco-developers plus we had been working on a way to buy property legitimately and securely in Asia - the timing was good. These island will be some of the last ones standing without a doubt (East Anglia will go first!).

As for the other comments about risk - I can 100% say that this is not a scam. If it was I think we would probably want to add a few 000's to the budget to enable us to escape the wrath of quite a few of our close contacts! Besides, you would know where to find us. In all seriousness though, for this project and others, we always recommend seeking advice and we will continue to be open and approachable as a team. More than that we cannot do. Later projects may be structured differently - we take our cues from investors when planning them - but the more formal and protected the structure, the more expensive and immobile the project (usually). We believe that we have struck a good balance that enables us to move fast, retain flexibility (required in emerging locations) and still offer a robust operating structure that investors can relate to. Keep in mind, our approach is based on our own desires as investors - to create deals rather than wait for them to come along, and to get involved at the earliest possible stage, rather than at the usual off-plan stage.

Even for those who have not been comfortable with the risk involved in the early-stage, there will still be opportunities to get involved. Later in the year through a few reputable agents, we will offer "pre-planning discounted off-plan" (mouthful!) and retail off-plan sales will be released next year. Both are priced under market value in order to ensure quick occupancy. Why? The sooner we sell-out, the sooner investors can exit and the resort can operate without the disruption of building.

** QUICK UPDATE **

As we still get a few visitors to our website from this thread, I thought an update and a photo might be of use to new comers.

Barefoot Investments have successfully concluded the first phase of this project and will be releasing a number of chic eco-residences through our two UK agents Q3 of this year (you can pre-register on our site, or via our page on the Move Channel). The property we acquired (as per the promises made) is simply stunning - 124 acres of lush rainforest, fringed with sandy coves, dramatic cliffs and caves, a huge crescent shaped beach and some of the most spectacular marine life you can find - Dolphins, corals, Manatees and Whale Sharks to name a few. Seed investors now have their initial capital secured by a very saleable asset. Some are even braving the elements (warm sea water and an ever-present sun) to see the development in person.

My thanks to all of those who expressed support for our ecologically and socially responsible investment; our resort management company, Cacao Resorts will I am sure, look forward to welcoming you to Palawan's pre-eminent eco-resort in 2010.

Later this year, we will release a new early-stage opportunity, although I admit that we will be a little stricter in how the offer information is shared with potential investors (sorry board!). You can always visit our site (new version due for launch in April) and register your interest or comments there.

Matt

Click to view attachment
(credit: C. Morrison http://private-islands.blogspot.com/)

Personally I am not convinced.

I recently met some people on holiday who had visited Belize. We spoke of Investment opportunities and they mentioned that this project is apparently not going well. The project is unfinished and currently sitting idle.

This Company has moved on to a project in the Philippines which is currently being pre-sold on the Internet.

Until They can demonstrate that their Belize project is completed and that all of the Belize Investors have had their money repaid, with interest.....I wouldn't touch it, or any of the other projects they are offering.

Maybe they could produce pictures of the completed Belize Project and proof that the investors involved, received
all of the investment returns they expected from this project ?

As for Joel saying his investment has doubled in Value ? Well, it's only worth what you can sell it for ...so please tell me Joel, how much did you sell your Investment land in the Belize Project for ?

Ok Matt, Is this Matt Morrison of Barefoot Investments ? First the link to Cacao Resorts doesn't seem to work , which seems a little strange and in addition, I also note that one of your addresses for Barefoot Investments (Northern Ireland), is actually an accommodation address at a Business Center, which also seems a little strange for a company that's asking for 1.5M + ?

Can you clarify the returns Investors have made on the Belize project that you were involved in and if it has actually been completed ?

Prophet, let me try and respond to your post as best I can. However, as you are new to this site and have only posted two items (both related to this topic), I hope that I'm not responding to someone who has an ulterior motive to begin with.

Your first comments focus on the success (or not) of our project in BZ. It's no secret that our development, and others, have been impacted by a public enquiry in to land sales within Belize. This is an activity which we wholly support - although it is frustrating! Developers and officials who are able to avoid compliance or gain unfair benefits distort the market and make it harder for legitimate operators like us to succeed, and harder for buyers/sellers to have confidence in the country. Fortunately, that government activity is drawing to a close and the results should benefit anyone with property in BZ and those who have avoided the country until now due to the issues with purchase security and reliable planning systems.

You can read the latest information from the country's main news website here (May 23, 2008) : Channel 5 news article

You will see one of the main points is: "It was pointed out by Lands Commissioner Noreen Fairweather that in all but the most egregious cases, the aim is to cure the defects and complete the intended transactions." and further, that, "...the investigation of the extent and magnitude of irregularities in the Land Registry and National Estate sections that occurred in the months leading up to February 2008 should be completed by the end of this month".

The status of our project is favourable but you can't expect me to publish a private general update to an anonymous poster can you? Perhaps you can contact us in person if you feel that you have a right to know the answer to a specific question. Otherwise you could be anyone.

--

You also made a comment about us moving on to another project in the Philippines. That is true (and the topic of this post), and I hope is seen as a positive activity by all of our investors, partners and employees. We have several projects planned for the next 12 months and believe that any company worth it's salt should be able to maintain momentum even if it faces hurdles that are outside of it's control. Having other active projects does not mean we spend any less time on an earlier project, quite the opposite: it ensures that the business can retain staff, continue lobbying and wield more weight when dealing with government officials who are desperately seeking inward investment from growth companies such as ours.

For the record, we share many investors across all of our projects, and continue to receive support for future projects. We never accept investors who are not sophisticated nor unable to weather the storms of property development in emerging economies. There are many opportunities closer to home for the risk-averse - although even markets on our doorstep, Spain for example, have an endless string of scandals, and problems. For us, we love countries like BZ because of the many attractions, and the potential for growth and rental yields due to the significant eco-tourism market. Yes there are risks as I've covered above - yet if an investor understands the risks, agrees to seek above-average returns, and has a management company who is doing everything in it's power to protect their investment - what more could you ask for?

--

Penultimately, you refer to our address in the UK being merely an accommodation address: I'm not sure where this information comes from or why it is relevant? Our contact information is comprehensively available on our website (new one to launch shortly) and all investors and partners have access to a wide variety of contact information, for the UK, the US, BZ and Asia. We even issue copies of the managers' passports and home address. Again, this information is available to all of those who need it - general contact information is available on our website.

--

Finally, we are not asking for 1.5m+ - this is a very old post which no longer applies (and was never our doing to start with). We reply as a courtesy to new readers only, not as a way to solicit investors or keep the general public up-to-speed with our adventures in eco-tourism and sustainable development.

Best.

I've been to Belize & believe me, I can find far better places to invest that that place. I was there January 08. I would check whose going to be stopping off and/or going there before I invested in it. Good luck. You will need it!!

[quote name='matto_uk' date='May 24 2008, 03:30 PM' post='1134347']
Prophet, let me try and respond to your post as best I can. However, as you are new to this site and have only posted two items (both related to this topic), I hope that I'm not responding to someone who has an ulterior motive to begin with.

Not sure what you mean by this? We are an established Investment Company, with substantial funds to Invest in Companies that can demonstrate positive, historical returns to Investors in succesfully completed and well-managed Projects. We receive numerous Investment Opportunities, Including many that are from people and companies with poor (if any) track records. We happened upon your ‘Topic’ whilst looking for ‘Overseas Investment Opportunities and decided to post a few questions.

Your first comments focus on the success (or not) of our project in BZ. It's no secret that our development, and others, have been impacted by a public enquiry in to land sales within Belize. This is an activity which we wholly support - although it is frustrating! Developers and officials who are able to avoid compliance or gain unfair benefits distort the market and make it harder for legitimate operators like us to succeed, and harder for buyers/sellers to have confidence in the country. Fortunately, that government activity is drawing to a close and the results should benefit anyone with property in BZ and those who have avoided the country until now due to the issues with purchase security and reliable planning systems.

You can read the latest information from the country's main news website here (May 23, 2008) : Channel 5 news article

A very brief article that doesn’t appear to say anything about your own Company's Investment in Belize.

You will see one of the main points is: "It was pointed out by Lands Commissioner Noreen Fairweather that in all but the most egregious cases, the aim is to cure the defects and complete the intended transactions." and further, that, "...the investigation of the extent and magnitude of irregularities in the Land Registry and National Estate sections that occurred in the months leading up to February 2008 should be completed by the end of this month".

The status of our project is favourable but you can't expect me to publish a private general update to an anonymous poster can you?

Actually, I find it strange that you are not prepared to post this information, if it is positive and provides an update to the progress and completion of your current project in Belize.
If you were seeking Investors for another project, wouldn’t they naturally ask about the success or failiure of other Projects you have managed, or are still managing?

Perhaps you can contact us in person if you feel that you have a right to know the answer to a specific question. Otherwise you could be anyone.

Strange again. This is a public forum. I don’t have a ‘right’ to any answers but it is certainly very strange that you are not ‘open’ about this information. Particularly if your projects have been as succesful as you say they are.

You also made a comment about us moving on to another project in the Philippines. That is true (and the topic of this post), and I hope is seen as a positive activity by all of our investors, partners and employees. We have several projects planned for the next 12 months and believe that any company worth it's salt should be able to maintain momentum even if it faces hurdles that are outside of it's control. Having other active projects does not mean we spend any less time on an earlier project, quite the opposite: it ensures that the business can retain staff, continue lobbying and wield more weight when dealing with government officials who are desperately seeking inward investment from growth companies such as ours.

This is a good reply and I fully agree, may I ask what other projects your company has completed and what Historical returns your Investors have made on your Projects? I imagine that they have not made any returns on the Belize project, if it is not yet completed. How long has this project taken to date and how long have your Belize Investors had their funds Invested in this project ?


For the record, we share many investors across all of our projects, and continue to receive support for future projects. We never accept investors who are not sophisticated nor unable to weather the storms of property development in emerging economies. There are many opportunities closer to home for the risk-averse - although even markets on our doorstep, Spain for example, have an endless string of scandals, and problems. For us, we love countries like BZ because of the many attractions, and the potential for growth and rental yields due to the significant eco-tourism market. Yes there are risks as I've covered above - yet if an investor understands the risks, agrees to seek above-average returns, and has a management company who is doing everything in it's power to protect their investment - what more could you ask for?

Well, as a very established Development and Investment Company, we would always achieve a return on our Investment, provided by a succesful, motivated, professional management Team. It is difficult to see from your postings and Company website, what returns any of your Investors have made, although you do appear to talk about ‘potential’ profits, not historical ones.

Penultimately, you refer to our address in the UK being merely an accommodation address: I'm not sure where this information comes from or why it is relevant?

We saw it on your Company website ‘Barefoot Investments’. It is relevant, because it helps to establish Corporate credibility. Interestingly, I notice that since I mentioned this information in my post, it has now been removed from your website, which is also strange

Our contact information is comprehensively available on our website (new one to launch shortly) and all investors and partners have access to a wide variety of contact information, for the UK, the US, BZ and Asia. We even issue copies of the managers' passports and home address. Again, this information is available to all of those who need it - general contact information is available on our website.


Finally, we are not asking for 1.5m+ - this is a very old post which no longer applies (and was never our doing to start with). We reply as a courtesy to new readers only, not as a way to solicit investors or keep the general public up-to-speed with our adventures in eco-tourism and sustainable development.

Thank you for the reply. However, contrary to your statement, It appears from earlier posts on this thread, by yourself and a Joelcere that this site is used to solicit Investment for your company. If you are not looking for 1,5M+, how much are you looking for ?
Please note, that if you are a genuine, established company, with a proven successful track record and can demonstrate historical returns to Investors of the level you indicate, then you would have the results from earlier projects available to openly demonstrate to potential Investors, how successful you are. All I am asking for, is to provide it on this Forum, if you are able to.

Prophet or Prophet1, if you are a genuine "very established Development and Investment Company with a successful (SIC), motivated, professional management Team", please feel free to contact us directly or post your own contact details, website & project profiles here. After all, you are suggesting we are remiss by not "showing you ours", therefore I am confident you would not object to returning the favour for the benefit of all readers.

The aim of my posting on this forum was initially to respond to some general questions about our Palawan project after an independent party posted information. It wasn't our idea, we are not soliciting funds online, nor are we promoting any particular project herein - and we won't in future either. I've already stated that in earlier posts. It is not our intention to have a detailed discussion about any specific project, especially not with an anonymous poster who has only contributed twice, only on our postings, and who seems to have a commercial/competing interest rather than a personal one…. This is not defensive, this is logical from my point of view.

For the record, we may post general updates on our business on this discussion thread (and others) as long as it adds to the thread and isn't a purely promotional post; also, as long as it doesn't impact on the privacy of our investors, nor on the activities of our project teams. We are in business after all, and the development business is competitive. We will also (as individuals) continue to use web forums as a way to talk about investment areas we know something about, or are interested in - but never as a way to promote our business, just as a way to discuss interesting topics with like minds.

My final note has really got to be this:

1. Any 3rd-party or investor who works with us receives full-disclosure, personal contact with the entire management team and a down-to-earth approach to communications BEFORE they commit. For our agents, and professional partners such as Ernst & Young and HSBC, we are compelled to do this - as an ethical business, we are happy to comply.

2. Investors have right of site access throughout the project life-cycle (and many of them have taken us up on that offer).

3. Any investment project overseas, especially in developing markets, will come with risk. To-date, none of the risks we have faced have been insurmountable, and none of our projects have fatal flaws. As one poster mentions above - countries such as Belize are not suited to everyone. The poster above you feels they have better opportunities elsewhere, and we feel that Belize has abundant attractions to encourage tourism growth and is slowly improving many of the conditions required for stable investment. It depends on your investment profile, attitude to risk, and knowledge of the specific market - you are a bear, we are more bullish about some places.

4. If you don't know the answers to some of your questions, without being unfair, it's simply because whoever you are, you are not in the loop. We are not looking for a "very established Development and Investment Company with a successful (SIC)" and neither are we attempting to solicit investors via this post. I'm pretty sure that the readers of this board know zero about you, your business, your projects or your investors - why would we?

5. If your intention is to post a general critique of our business or our projects, then you are free to share your opinion regardless of whether we agree or not. Most readers on here would assume that you have direct and provable expertise/experience to support your claims, and are not merely attempting to smear one company whilst your own "Development and Investment Company" is working on a competing project; and on behalf of our business (and the website T&Cs), I would expect any opinion you publish to be true, provable, reasonable and not defamatory.

Because this forum is full of numpties and chicken sh!ts. It is full of pessimists who have never had the b@lls to invest their money and spend all their time slagging off investors instead.
Look at the main forum for example. Hundreds upon hundreds of idiots who sit there sitting, hoping and praying for a housing crash?Why?Because they are jealous that they never had the b@lls to take a risk in life. wish they would grow up.

To all serious investors.Ignore the rest of the idiots and do what you feel is right.

Hello Matt_UK
In Reply:



We are a very established and experienced Company, with a proven track record of successful Investments and developments. There is little point in supplying you with this Information, as we will most certainly NOT be offering our funds to Barefoot Investments, or be Investing in Belize, or Palawan. I have not suggested that you are ‘remiss’ but that it is ‘strange’ that you do not include your contact details and have even removed them from your web site , after I mentioned it . We have contacted other Investment Companies on this web site, asking for the same Information that we asked you for, which they have readily supplied, via a link to their websites. This Information has been readily available for all to see.



Well if you read these posts, you will see that they are all trying to promote your projects: Joelcere Apr 19 2007, 08:46 PM - Joelcere Apr 20 2007, 09:17 AM - JoelcereApr 20 2007, 02:27 PM - Joelcere Apr 28 2007, 06:16 PM
Joelcere Apr 29 2007, 01:43 PM - matto_uk May 11 2007, 02:39 PM
matto_uk May 18 2007, 12:11 PM - matto_uk Mar 18 2008, 06:57 PM

Both I and other members of our team, have posted on other subject topics but yours is the only one that has been unable to answer the questions we have asked. We have no Commercial/Competing Interest (not sure how you came to this conclusion) but initially found Joel’s post of interest and thought we would ask for further information.



[b]This is interesting but you have still been unable to demonstrate that you have any knowledge ‘about investment areas we know something about’? You are either unable to, or cannot, demonstrate having a ‘successful track record’ or previous ‘successful projects’. Other Companies we have contacted on this website have been able to demonstrate both. Of course, we will both agree, that a website with information on it, actually demonstrates nothing. [/b]


We asked Joel (on this forum) to show how he has been able to double his Capital Investment in your Belize Project. Interestingly he hasn’t replied, although we do note, that he has been ‘selling’ your project on this Forum. Despite our research, it has not been possible to discover anyone who has made a substantial (42% claimed) return from your Belize project, which it appears, remains uncompleted.



This would be a bare minimum requirement for our Company to Invest in any project and we would actually expect a clear and transparent disclosure of all the accounts. In addition, regular meetings, updates and progress Information, with scheduled site visits. I presume that your Investors receive this .

This is interesting, as we have already asked you, if any of them (your Projects) have been successful and if so , what returns have your Inventors made, over what period of time? .You refuse to answer, which you will understand, creates serious doubt. Obviously, had earlier projects been successful, why would you not wish to advertise the fact, either here, or on your own website?


Actually you are ‘attempting to solicit investors via this post’ as we have shown on the posts we provide links to. In addition, you say ‘We are not looking for a "very established Development and Investment Company with a successful (SIC)" and yet in an earlier post you say ‘We never accept investors who are not sophisticated nor unable to weather the storms of property development in emerging economies.’ Do you want ‘Sophisticated Investors’ or don’t you ?




We are actually making no ‘claims’ unlike your Company. We seek no Investors ‘Sophisticated’ or otherwise and we are not ‘attempting to smear one company whilst your own "Development and Investment Company" is working on a competing project’
This is amazingly defensive. However, as you have made the accusation, please can you demonstrate for everyone on this Forum, which ‘competing Project’ we are working on?
I for one would be very pleased to see it!

Maybe you know something about the company that I am a Director of, that I do not? In any event, I find your defensive answers and inability to supply the very basic Investment information requested, a concern , which is why we will definitely not be offering you our hard earned funds.

I am not sure who Anthony_7 is but he is not a member of our team.

Who are the customers?
What's the value proposition to the customer?
How will they coping with rising airfares, and a likely global recession?

DrBubb- rather than let your questions hang in there with no answer, I'll address them briefly with a nod towards my earlier posts - this is an old topic that was started by an independent 3rd-party; it's not a way for Barefoot to solicit business or even discuss specific projects.

The value prop for customers can range from the financial to the personal, and often different customer groups will respond to more than one aspect at a time. Many guests - the reason why any resort can exist - are obviously attracted to less-developed, more pristine locations due to the lack of crowds, the pioneering spirit, the natural wonders, diving, sailing, Mayan temples. Some people want to vacation in concrete Cancun or Dubai, many do not.

Investors in less-developed destinations may find it a higher risk venture - the easier it is to develop in a country, the more likely you are to find over-development and arguably, less attractive returns. So for some customers, the investors in this case, the value prop is higher returns for what they deem to be an acceptable risk. Some may also be attracted to specific things that we offer as a company - like a commitment to sustainable development and eco-aware construction, or our choice of locations, or perhaps our promise of unrestricted owner-use and lower (reasonable) service fees.

The rising airfares and recession questions are two which I think everyone is discussing right now! Certainly it is likely to make off-plan options more competitive in some markets, and many tourist destinations (especially at the lower end) will quite possibly see a large reduction in numbers. Re-selling is likely to be harder if credit is unavailable. The trend for overseas travel and home purchasing abroad still seems to be a positive one though, and in Asia (where we have one active project and one project planned) there is an increasing demand for smart property investments and no conclusive signs of a recession, although this could be largely masked by the Olympic and China's growth. Having said that, Australia is seeing a commodities boom at the moment and is therefore feeling a lot more optimistic than perhaps the US is right now.

Personally I feel very bullish about growth opportunities in Asia and the potential for increasing tourism, especially in the mid-luxury and eco-tourism sector.

Long-haul travel to eco-resorts is doomed/already declining for these stark and irrefutable reasons:

1. collapse in consumer demand (no spare cash due to increased cost of living, declining wages and no MEW any more) from the bulk of potential guests;

2. lack of spare cash to pay for the air fares and/or the flight carbon offsetting;

3. gradual withdrawal of airlines from less busy routes - getting to Belize or the Phillipine will become even more tortuos and expensive than it ever has been from anywhere outside the immediate locale

4. the 2 countries' local tourism markets (for Belize this is central/S America and for Phillipines this is SE Asia) which could get there without long-haul travel, if they have the money when the global slowdown hits their own economiesm generally have diddly-squat interest in anything of an eco or environmentally friendly nature for their vacatational needs

So anyone investing in these projects would be as doomed to fail as if they opened a Bar in Jeddah to cater for visitors to Meccah, IMO - the collapse of eco-tourism is already happening in my region, overseas eco-travel was something that was only sustainable when first world people who "care" (or wish to assuage theie eco-guilt) have money. From now on, only eco-resorts INSIDE first world countries will fare well, largely from their own domestic tourists - not many pi**-poor Belizians will be beating a path to rent these properties I might wager