Coldwell Banker Islands Blog

BVAirways, Inc. has received final British Virgin Islands’ government certification and approvals to begin providing scheduled airline service based out of Tortola-Beef Island Airport under the trade name BVI Airways.

BVI Airways anticipates beginning scheduled service in late February 2010. Pending their receiving landing rights and approvals at the destination airports, BVI Airways will provide service between the BVI and the gateway airports on St. Maarten and Antigua utilizing the pressurized and air conditioned BAe Systems Jetstream 32 jet-prop airliner. As a continuation of its Tortola – St Maarten flights, BVI Airways also plans to provide service between Dominica and St Maarten.

BVAirways Chief Operating Officer, Scott DeLacy commented, “In addition to our fares, our competitive edge will be schedules convenient for connecting to the major European airlines’ flights – no more day long waits at the airport. Not only will our service provide greater travel opportunities to the people of the BVI, but we also expect to have a very positive impact on the BVI economy by increasing the amount of airline seats for tourism into the BVI and making the trip to the BVI more attractive to tourists by the convenience of our schedule.”

BVAirways, Inc., a BVI corporation, was founded in 2009 for the sole purpose of creating an airline based in the British Virgin Islands. BVI Airways’ executive management has nearly 50 years of airline operational experience between them.

(resource: CaribbeanNetNews)

Both Aruba and Curacao have big oil refineries spewing tons of pollutants across the blue Caribbean skies.

The Tera Kora and Playa Kanoa wind farms in Curacao, for example, will soon put out a combined 30 megawatts of clean power, and Aruba also is building a 30 megawatt wind farm. These will be a great legacy for future generations of residents of two islands where steady trade winds makes alternative energy projects like these a natural fit.

Aruba has announced that work has begun on the island’s $90 million renewable energy project. Construction had broken ground in late-June at Vader Piet, the eastern part of the island, which has been designated as the location of 10 giant wind turbines with a potential of generating a total of 30 megawatts of renewable energy. This project is an investment by the Danish company, VESTAS, which in turn will sell electricity to WEB Aruba NV, the island’s water and power company.

This project is one of many recent upgrades in Aruba ’s effort to be less dependent on fossil fuels, to lessen the increasing demand on the local plant, and to help preserve and protect the island’s environment.

The wind turbines are expected to generate an estimated 18 megawatts total based on the flow of the island’s constant trade winds. The project is scheduled to be completed in December 2009 and work is already under way with the necessary lines being set in place, running from Vader Piet all the way to WEB Aruba ’s headquarters in Balashi.

WEB Aruba has also put online the first Seawater Reverse Osmosis water plant generating 8,000 tons per day at a rate of 75 percent efficiency compared to the previous system.

The company continues to face Aruba ’s needs and the challenges with state of the art facilities and equipment, latest technological advances, highly qualified personnel, and continuous improvement of service, efficiency and reliability of its operations. During the last decade, WEB Aruba has invested approximately $250 million to upgrade, modernize, and expand its water production and electricity generation.

Although sales in the Bahamas’ second home market were soft last year, the decline
was not nearly as bad as anticipated, according to Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham.
So it’s good to know that while big business was unfortunately particularly vulnerable to the global downturn, private Bahamas real estate sales went ahead, albeit at a slower pace.
Mr. Ingraham noted that second home sales in the Bahamas islands of Nassau, Abaco and Grand Bahama were the most resilient.
It’s expected that the second home and rental market will improve along with the US economy.
Investments in other areas of the Bahamas will also have a positive affect on the demand for Bahamas real estate.
A number of large international companies have been given the green light to open corporate headquarters, sales offices and training facilities in the Bahamas.
This includes Swiss watchmaker Rolex (Caribbean), which has received permission to locate its watch making and repair training centre in Nassau, Bahamas.
Also, Oldcastle Building Products (Caribbean) is to locate its sales office for the region and North America to Nassau.
And Brimac Environmental Group received approval to transfer its corporate headquarters to the Bahamas.
In Exuma, the opening of the new luxury 183 room Sandals Resort has
created jobs for 300 Bahamians.
The nearby Grand Isle Resort and Spa, with its magnificent golf and ocean-front villa-only beach resort of luxury villas and penthouses, is poised to benefit.
In Andros, the small boutique Tiamo Resort is set to be relaunched on Andros Island the upscale Delphi Club in South Abaco scheduled to open in April.
The multi-million dollar luxury golf and marina resort, Albany, in south
western Nassau is moving ahead.
And the $75 million first phase of the Caves Heights condo development
on beautiful West Bay St in Nassau is almost complete.
Mr. Ingraham is hopeful that a number of stalled tourism will kick back into life this year.
And so, while Bahamas real estate has been impacted by the worldwide recession, the economic engine, although sluggish, is still chugging along.

Introducing Songbird Meadows Subdivision conveniently located off Songbird Drive off Ashton Reid Drive on Cayman Brac. Large oversized lots feature level land and fertile soil, some with mature fruit trees. A 50 ft elevation makes your dream home high and dry! Commit to build in 2 years and pay no stamp duty! Plus enjoy the benefits of the Brac’s duty free concession on building supplies. We have several lots now shown on our Coldwell Banker site, ranging from $56,100 to $75,700.

Visit our Coldwell Banker Listing pages for more details and photos.

We are pleased to announce that one of our Coldwell Banker agents represented the seller for the first recorded closed sale in the Turks & Caicos for 2010. The Royal West Indies Resort beachfront suite sold with a record setting price per square ft of $856.

The agent writes, “I was looking forward to seeing a time when buyers returned to purchase lifestyle investments. Well it seems I didn’t have to wait long! If the very first deal of the year is any gauge, we are in for some great times in TCI.

“[With this sale] I’m reminded that investors buy for all sorts of reasons – the best reason is to make themselves and their families happy….and TCI offers a great environment for the lifestyle asset buyer.

“Experienced real estate investors know that the best way to view property is over the medium to long term. So, as soon as the momentum builds, we are likely to see sales activity return to a buoyant level - a level more in line with the fantastic real estate product on offer here.”

Congratulations to our Coldwell Banker agent, Nathan G. Smith. He, and all of our experienced, friendly agents are ready to help you find or sell a Turks and Caicos property.

The Royal Clipper cruise ship returns to Nevis. The Star Clipper was once a scheduled vessel during the island’s cruise season, however its last visit to Nevis was in 2006.

The Star Clipper has three ships within its fleet: the Royal Clipper with a capacity of 228 passengers, the Star Clipper-180 passengers, and the Star Flyer with a passenger capacity of 170. All three have now been scheduled to call on Nevis during the 2010 / 2011 cruise season.

The Royal Clipper will visit Nevis every other Tuesday until the end of the cruise season, when the ship will return to the Mediterranean until November.

Captain Nadolynsky indicated that the guests on board the Royal Clipper loved Nevis because of it tranquil nature, rich historical heritage, and the island’s Rain Forest.

(resource: NevisPages)

Spring will soon be here, the traditional time for weddings and romance. Here is some information on getting married on St Kitts. First, it’s easy - no residency required. Second, The Justice of the Peace may assess a fee. Third, you only need a license ($200 XCD) and the following documents:

*A valid passport or photo ID.
*Original or certified copy of Birth Certificate.
*If you have never been married before, an Affidavit confirming single status.
*If divorced, a decree absolute (an original or certified copy showing court’s stamp or seal) must be presented.
*If widowed, a copy of the death certificate of the deceased spouse must be presented.

Religious Details:

*If a catholic priest is to perform the ceremony:
Couple must receive marriage counselling sessions from their parish priest and submit the required Catholic documents. A letter must come from the couple’s resident priest verifying that they are unmarried and that they have received the necessary instructions. All Catholic weddings take place in the church.
*If an Anglican or other minister of religion is to perform the ceremony:
*It is recommended that a letter be brought from the couple’s resident minister verifying that they are known and unmarried.

Your Ceremony can be held in your hotel, in a church of your choice, among historic ruins, in a scenic island spot with panoramic view - or, of course, on the beach.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

Consider St Kitts or Nevis for your Spring 2010 Wedding, and check with our hotels. Many offer specials.

(resource: StKitts Tourism)

The Government of Premier Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal remains committed to modernizing the three airports on Tortola, Virgin Gorda and Anegada. When the Taddy Bay Aerodrome on Virgin Gorda was closed last week, plans were well on the way for the construction of a new airport on the island.

Air Safety Support International, ASSI, the Governor’s designated aviation regulator, confirmed the closure of the airport to commercial aircraft movements. ASSI said the Aerodrome Certificate for the airport was no longer valid because the British Virgin Islands Airport Authority has not maintained compliance with all the safety conditions of the certificate. ASSI said this action was precipitated by the additional risks posed to the flying public by a new building development within the airport’s protected areas.

Minister for Communications and Works Honourable Julian Fraser RA stated, “your Government is prepared to do whatever is necessary to facilitate the swift and sustained reopening of this important facility. We regard the Virgin Gorda airport as critical to our economy, businesses, residents and our status as a modern destination.”

(resource: BVINews)

This beautiful home is located in Pavia Country Club, one of the more desirable neighborhoods on Aruba. The home includes a completely landscaped garden, swimming pool, garage, laundry room, back porch, quality kitchen, dining/ living room, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The total constructed area is 156 m2 / 1679 sq/ft on 639 m2 / 6878 sq/ft of property land. Asking $365,150.

Visit our Coldwell Banker Listing page for more photos and features.

Your house is For Sale and you have been marketing it. All of a sudden you get an offer. The questions start racing through your mind. Do you accept it as is? Do you counter the offer? Is a better offer around the corner? Which points should you negotiate?

The best time to decide on what kind of offer you will accept is before you even put the property on the market. This isn’t as easy as it seems. There are a lot of decisions to make besides price. Everything in real estate is negotiable. People may want you to pay some of the closing costs, they may want some repairs done, they want a new roof installed before closing, they may want to rent back for a couple of months before closing.

Decide what is most important to you:
* Do you need a certain amount of cash? It is a good idea to discuss the sale with your financial advisor. In many cases, the cash you get from selling your personal residence may be tax free. This may be an important factor in deciding what kind of offer you will accept.
* Do you need the money from your house for a down payment on another property? Decide how much you have to get from the sale of your house, so you can structure a counter offer around your cash needs.

When an offer is presented do your best to find out what is most important to the buyers:
* They may be asking for many concessions, but one or two will be most important, and the others just bargaining points.
* They may be asking for a new roof but may be just as happy with a lower sales price.
* Be sure and obtain a pre-qualification letter from any buyer. You want to know that the party who is making an offer will actually be able to get a loan for the property.

Unless someone made you a full price cash offer, it is always a good idea to counter the offer. If someone made a serious offer on your house, there is always room for negotiating. Your house stays on the market until you accept an offer. By negotiating you buy yourself time for someone else to make a second offer.

But there is no need to get greedy. If you are happy with an offer by all means accept it. If your house has been on the market for a long time, you may happy to just see an offer. But if the house is new on the market, you may be able to get a better offer while negotiations are still taking place with that first buyer.

Buyers will make the offer with a deadline for acceptance. Wait until near the end of the deadline to make a counteroffer. This way you do not look anxious and, again, it gives you time in case another offer comes in. There is nothing like competition between two people who are interested in a house to help drive the purchase price up.

If you determine the price you will accept before selling the house, and use some negotiating tactics when offers come, you will make sure you get the top dollar for your house when it is time to sell.

Your Coldwell Banker agent is trained in negotiating and how to get the best price for your home. Give us a call.