Coldwell Banker Islands Blog

Many people dream about owning a second home in the Bahamas. This couple made it a reality.
Watch video
Joe and Melissa Debes fell hard for the Bahamas after taking a month’s cruise through the islands in 2008.
Joe, an engineer at Silicon Labs in Austin, Texas, and Melissa, a senior exec at Advanced Micro Devices, wanted a place to escape from their fast paced lives; a place where their families could get together and enjoy each other.
“This place was really a perfect place for all our families,” said Joe.
Melissa’s sister introduced the couple to the Bahamas 10 years ago. But of all the islands, it was Abaco the couple fell for the most.
New Plymouth is a small island a short ferry ride from the Abaco mainland. The village is dotted with quaint New England style cottages in soft pastels.
Green Turtle Cay is an island of powder white sand beaches, dive spots and secret coves waiting to be explored.
The Debes went house hunting with our broker in Green Turtle Cay, Chris Farrington
They found Villa Pasha, a beautiful home on the beach painted hibiscus pink. (Hibiscus is our beautiful native flowers). Villa Pasha’s a Colonial style home with balconies capturing magnificent views of the Sea of Abaco.
It’s not too casual, not too formal. It’s comfy and it’s home.
For the Debes, their three children, siblings, nephews and nieces, Villa Pasha’s become the favourite gathering place.
‘It’s a great place to escape,” says Joe. It’s got all the amenities you can want, such as internet and phones.
But in Joe’s words, “you can turn it off and listen to the beach.”
The sound of the sea in its different moods is one of the most soothing things in the world.

1. Price it just below the current market.
2. Create demand for your home, a bidding environment, so Buyers will compete for the purchase.
3. Avoid the sale environment, where Buyers will offer below market value.
4. Study the recent sales in the neighborhood ^ NOT what the list/offer price was, but the sale price (your Coldwell Banker realtor can provide this detailed analysis).
5. Spend the time to visit homes for sale, go to Open Houses, talk to the owners and find out how many Buyers have visited their property and what comments they heard.
6. Put your paperwork in order: copies of your trust and deed, survey, inspection when you purchased, then complete the seller’s disclosure ^ having these available will save you time and effort when you go into escrow and need to meet deadlines.
7. Know your Home Facts: type of roof, warranty, termite inspections, warranty, square footage, size of lanai and garage, is the property wheelchair accessible, plus any details necessary to successfully answer Buyer questions.
8. Consider a pre-offer inspection so you can knowledgeably discuss what possible concerns Buyers may have.
9. Prepare your home for sale ^ this is crucial! Presentation ^ or Staging, as it is called now, is key to making Buyers feel comfortable and ready to make an offer.
10. You will be moving anyway, so now is the time to get rid of extra furniture, have the garage sale, and pack up enough stuff to make the home appear spacious, clean, and ready for a new owner.
11. Look at your property through the eyes of a Buyer ^ be critical, then fix the negatives.
12. What will they see? Dirt? A house that needs to be painted? Clutter? Yard tools? Laundry? Clean it up!
13. What will they smell? Pets? Diapers? Last night’s dinner? Mold? Stale tobacco? Deodorize and sanitize! (More Buyers are repelled by odors than feedback through the other senses.)
14. What will they hear? Dogs barking? Loud music? Kids fighting? Turn it down!
15. Remember: the way you live in your home is not the way to sell your home!
16. Depersonalize your property. Buyers want to imagine themselves in the home, not you.
17. Clear high-traffic areas of excess furniture. This will maximize space and make it easier for Buyers to view your home.
18. Highlight key features in each room, accessorize with color and light.
19. Get lost during showings, that means you and your pets and children. Let your Coldwell Banker Realtor show the home.
20. Get rid of the emotional attachment you have to the property. You won’t be an effective negotiator if you can’t set aside your emotions.
21. Fix the little things, leaking faucets, loose toilets, squeaking hinges, burned out bulbs. If you present too many deferred maintenance items, Buyers will wonder what else is wrong they don’t see or hear.
22. Make your house or condo livable. Unless Buyers are looking for a “fixer” they don’t want to spend the first month repairing and cleaning their “new” home.
23. Be realistic. If you don’t have a million-dollar view and location, you home won’t sell for a million dollars.
24. Be ready to negotiate and compromise. Give the buyers something they want, and they may give you a better price.
25. Consider the offer as a whole, not just price ^ terms, time to close, financial strength of Buyers, inclusions like appliances ^ these all affect the net value to you in the sale of your property.
26. Listen to your Coldwell Banker Realtor. You hired her or him for their professional experience. Use it.

Many people dream about owning a second home in the Bahamas. This couple made it a reality.
Watch video
Joe and Melissa Debes fell hard for the Bahamas after taking a month’s cruise through the islands in 2008.
Joe, an engineer at Silicon Labs in Austin, Texas, and Melissa, a senior exec at Advanced Micro Devices, wanted a place to escape from their fast paced lives; a place where their families could get together and enjoy each other.
“This place was really a perfect place for all our families,” said Joe.
Melissa’s sister introduced the couple to the Bahamas 10 years ago. But of all the islands, it was Abaco the couple fell for the most.
New Plymouth is a small island a short ferry ride from the Abaco mainland. The village is dotted with quaint New England style cottages in soft pastels.
Green Turtle Cay is an island of powder white sand beaches, dive spots and secret coves waiting to be explored.
The Debes went house hunting with our broker in Green Turtle Cay, Chris Farrington
They found Villa Pasha, a beautiful home on the beach painted hibiscus pink. (Hibiscus is our beautiful native flowers). Villa Pasha’s a Colonial style home with balconies capturing magnificent views of the Sea of Abaco.
It’s not too casual, not too formal. It’s comfy and it’s home.
For the Debes, their three children, siblings, nephews and nieces, Villa Pasha’s become the favourite gathering place.
‘It’s a great place to escape,” says Joe. It’s got all the amenities you can want, such as internet and phones.
But in Joe’s words, “you can turn it off and listen to the beach.”
The sound of the sea in its different moods is one of the most soothing things in the world.

What an opportunity. Exceptional location for any type of Marine Commercial venture on Grand Cayman. Rare but flexible zoning allows for a variety of marine uses. This is 1.55 acres of waterfront property zoned Marine Commercial. Located in the Morgan’s Harbour area of West Bay with 375 feet of North Sound frontage, this site can accommodate anything which could be built for customary marine use such as docks, marinas, yachting, boat chartering, restaurants, scuba diving headquarters, etc. The property is level, and completely undeveloped in its natural state. Great location for retail shopping /restaurant/boating complex. Poised for development. Nearby to the new Dolphin tourist facility nearing completion. Asking $2,550,000.

Visit our Coldwell Banker Listing page for details.

The richest prize in Cayman cycling will be up for grabs at the first Reefathlon time trial. The contest is on 27 September at the Reef Resort in East End.

The event will feature a 19^mile time trial starting and finishing at the Reef Resort in East End. However, the event aims to be about much more than just the race itself. Tom McCallum, manager of the Reef Resort, has put together special accommodation packages for locals as well as travel and accommodation packages for visitors from the United States in order to tempt participants to make a weekend of it. The event will also serve as a platform to raise money for the Cayman Islands Cancer Society and showcase the Reef Resort’s green initiatives.

According to Gary Clarke, president of the Cayman Islands Cycling Association, the event holds a lot of promise. “I think the Reefathlon is an exciting addition to the cycling events held on island. Certainly, the race incentives will attract participation from overseas and help to promote Cayman as an alternate cycling destination,” he said.

McCallum hopes that this will be the first of many such events, and hopes to establish the Reef and Cayman in general as a popular getaway for cyclists in the region. Race entry will include a race T^shirt, water bottle, post race refreshments as well as a donation to the Cayman Islands Cancer Society.

(resource: CayCompass)

Westjet has just announced huge discounts on numerous winter packages booked through their website - starting this weekend through mid December. Departing cities such as Toronto, Edmonton, and Ottawa are featured, trips to the Turks & Caicos Islands as well as several other Caribbean destinations start at around $1200 Canadian for 7 nights, flight included.

The participating hotels on Providenciales are Gansevoort, Royal West Indies, The Sands, Comfort Suites, Ocean Club and Ocean Club West and Villa Del Mar.

For more information visit WestJet’s website.

As in all of the Caribbean, outdoor activities take front and center when you visit one of the islands, and St Kitts and Nevis are no exception. The abundance of sunlight, clear blue ocean, and tropical weather will lure even the most dedicated couch potato outside. Here are some ideas.

1. Try renting a horse. There are miles of sandy beaches and dense rain forests to explore. Guided tours can be arranged or you can rent through the hotels. Several horse races are part of the lifestyle. Indian Castle racetrack in Nevis is one of the only tracks in the world that the horses run clockwise instead of counter clockwise.

2. Scuba diving. Did we mention the clear water? Explore the many shipwrecks with equipment from your hotel or rent from local companies. Supplies on Nevis are more limited than on St. Kitts.

3. Try hiking. You can wind through the rain forests to emerge at massive dorman volcanoes. Enjoy the scenery from a higher view, and feel the dense tropical air. Guides and equipment are available through the hotels. There are a few mountains that are climbable on both St. Kitts and Nevis, and some companies offer guided day hikes and day climbing adventures.

4. Yes, there are 3 golf courses. There is an 18-hole championship course on Nevis, plus an 18-hole international championship course and a 9-hole course on St. Kitts. Two are owned and maintained by hotels, Marriott Royal Resort and Four Seasons Resort. They have amazing views of the mountains and the blue sea.

5. Want to be a history buff? On Nevis, there are many historical buildings, houses and plantations to explore. In the Center of Main Street is Memorial Square, in honor of the men who served in the Great War of 1914-1918. On Chapel Street, the Charlestown Methodist Church still stands, built in 1844. Go south from Charlestown to Fort Charles, which the British built in 1690. It was remodeled in 1783 and again in 1790. For something more unusual, Butler’s Village in Nevis has a haunted house called the Eden Brown Estate. When walking around the grounds, it’s said that you can see a bride weeping.

6. Gambling. Frigate Bay has a casino, and there are several bars and nightclubs that offer food, dancing, and karaoke throughout the islands.

These are just an appetizer to the visitor opportunities offered by St. Kitts and Nevis. We hope this will convince you to give our islands a visit soon, and top by our Coldwell Banker office to chat while you are here.

(resource: In2Town.co.uk)

The Aruba Donkey Sanctuary, established 11 years ago, gave the island animals a loving home and has erased years of maltreatment. The Aruban donkey was once essential to islanders’ transportation, and has been a resident for 500 years, ever since the Spanish introduced them as a form of transportation.

When cars and buses became commonplace on this arid Caribbean isle, the donkeys, who had numbered close to 1,000 in the early 1900s, were rendered redundant. Many locals set their donkeys free or sold them to the circus where they were butchered for tiger food. The government resorted to shooting stray donkeys until by the 1970s there were only 20 left. Ramon Boekhoudt and Mervine Kock, local islanders, decided to open a donkey sanctuary in 1997.

“We were compelled to try and help the donkeys after seeing them killed by cars and people, maltreated, poisoned and left to die tied under a tree without water and food,” Boekhoudt says.

In the region of Santa Lucia on donated land, they created a refuge of 15,000 square metres where the donkeys could live out their days happily and safely. Today volunteers care for some 60-odd donkeys. There are still approximately 100 donkeys wandering wild in Aruba.

The Aruba Donkey Sanctuary hosts school groups and tourists. Its goal is to educate the public about these sweet natured creatures, and in the process, reduce animal maltreatment.

Read more at Canada.com. Visit the Sanctuary web site for details, and to learn how you can help their efforts.

As reported in the SMN Network, Regional Jet Express has announced jet service starting October 18th, when the company will become the only jet operator in the Caribbean.

Regional Jet Express’ Fairchild Dornier 328 jets will serve Dominica, Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, St. Croix and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. Regional Jet Express will add Cuba and Haiti to this list of island destinations in the future, using non-U.S. registered aircraft for these two countries.

The Fairchild Dornier 328 jet is the world’s first 32-seat regional jet, and was adapted from Dornier’s 328 turbo-propeller plane. The fuel-efficient, wide body twin turbofan-powered Fairchild Dornier 328 jet features:

* A spacious cabin that offers two seats on one side and one on the other, and ample cabin height (headroom) of 6 feet, two inches

• A whisper quiet ride unlike noisy turbo-propeller planes that fly in the Caribbean region

• Cutting-edge technology that allows the 328 jet to climb fast (3,690 feet per minute) and land on short runways; its state-of-the-art cockpit has the same instrumentation as a Boeing 777

• A seating capacity of 32 to 34

• An upper altitudinal limit (flight ceiling) of 35,000 feet

• A high-winged design that enables excellent views because the wings and engines are positioned above the windows

The Wyoming-based Regional Jet Express will have a satellite office in St. Croix, USVI. Contact the Regional Jet Express call centre at 1-767 440-7184 Monday through Thursday from 8:00a.m. to 8:00p.m., and Friday through Sunday from 7:00a.m. to 3:00 p.m for flight/reservations information.

Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa is presenting a Sunshine & Paradise at Half the Price Sale that entices travellers to experience the brand’s flagship resort on the island’s best beach. The offer invites guests to book the resort’s best deal and enjoy 50 percent off regular rates during high season. Sale rates begin at USD $225 per night in a guest-room and exclusive Plaza Club accommodations begin at USD $329.50 based on double occupancy. The special high-season offer applies to bookings made Sept. 11 - 21, 2009, for travel from Jan. 3 through April 10, 2010.

The 40 rooms and suites in the Plaza Club are among the most luxurious accommodations on the island and offer the highest level of personalized service in Aruba. Located on the seventh and eighth floors of the Aruba Tower, Plaza Club guests have access to the exclusive Plaza Club Lounge featuring complimentary continental breakfast, afternoon tea and an evening cocktail hour with premium brands and hors d’oeuvres. The top-floor Plaza Club offers comfortable seating and Internet service, as well as a library with books and DVDs.

The Sunshine & Paradise at Half the Price Sale at Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino and Spa can be booked through Radisson Hotels & Resorts by calling (800) 333-3333, visiting www.radisson.com/aruba or through a travel professional.

(resource: Aruba.com)