Coldwell Banker Islands Blog

The European Union has agreed to grant $646,000 to the Blue Iguana Recovery Programme to help bring them back from the brink of extinction.

But the funds have strings attached. “Under the terms of the grant we are obliged to raise and spend (either in cash terms or in donated goods and services that can be valued in cash terms) a matching amount that represents the local contribution to the project,” said the Programme’s director, Fred Burton. He also said the majority of the funds will be spent on building a visitor center. Funds will also go toward a small challenge fund toward protected land purchase, education and awareness work, and steps towards long-term financial self-sustainability.

As explained by CompassCayman, “In December 2007 the European Commission signed a financing agreement with the Turks and Caicos Islands, providing for a grant to support fulfilling its international environmental agreements. The initiative focuses on developing sustainable and low-impact tourism products that can be combined with education in Cayman, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the British Virgin Islands.

“Last year Cayman’s government committed to protecting almost 200 acres of Crown land on Grand Cayman’s eastern interior, via a 99-year peppercorn lease to the National Trust. The Cayman Islands portion of the grant, brokered through the Cabinet Office, will assist the Blue Iguana Recovery Programme in relocating from the Botanic Park to the leased area.”

Burton is hopeful the project will be successful. He said, “If we can fit all these pieces together we are in sight of being able to say we have saved the Grand Cayman Blue Iguana from extinction - in a way that offers a long-term future for the Blues and their unique habitat.”

Oualie Beach Resort is a spacious, beachfront, ecologically sensitive, 3 star Nevis hotel with only 32 rooms located right on a coconut lined beach.

ROOMS

The rooms are scattered along the beach in single and two storey Caribbean style cottages and are equipped with a/c; ceiling fan; cable TV; hairdryer; choice of king, queen or two double beds; fridge/minibar; and private bathroom with bath amenities. High speed wireless internet access is available FREE everywhere including on the beach. There is a complimentary guest internet access computer for those that leave their laptops behind.

ACTIVITIES

On site activities include beachfront dining; spa treatments; scuba; snorkeling; mountain bikes; windsurfing; sailing; game fishing; island tours; car rentals and forest hikes. Nearby activities include golf; tennis; and horse back riding.

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY

Oualie Beach Resort is still the only green globe certified tourism product on St Kitts and Nevis and is deeply committed to sustainable tourism practices. These range from electricity and water saving techniques to community development.

Visit Oualie Beach to find specials and reservation information.

The construction of Christophe Harbour’s mega-yacht marina is officially underway, highlighting the latest step in the development of the luxury tourist resort and residences on the southeast peninsula of St. Kitts.

Prime Minister Denzil Douglas made the “first dig” and then addressed the guests, “This project is a perfect demonstration of the development model that my Government has promoted, which is based upon a careful mix of foreign direct investment and local entrepreneurial vision. On one hand, we have Christophe Harbour ^ a foreign-owned luxury resort development, combined with the input of local contractors and sub-contractors, which will yield unquestioned benefits to all local businesses, workers and families involved. It is this model that has the greatest potential to inject capital into our economy while generating local entrepreneurial activity and jobs for those directly and indirectly employed by this project.”

St Kitts Marine Works, a local St Kitts company, has been contracted to implement phase one of the marina development project, which includes excavation of the mega-yacht basin in the 32-acre “Little” Salt Pond and the creation of 42 new harbor front villa lots in the “Greater Salt Pond.” The lots will be created from the excavation, the first nine of which are scheduled to be available for sale this April. The channel from the harbor to Ballast Bay in the nearby Caribbean Sea will be opened upon the completion of this phase of the marina construction, which will bring the harbor to the 20-foot depth needed to accommodate mega-yachts.

Upon its completion in about 14 months, the marina will be the centerpiece of the Christophe Harbour development, offering mega-yacht berths, provisioning and services, and a commercial marina village with restaurants and shops. Twelve mega-yacht slips have been released for pre-sale and reservations have been taken on seven slips to date, ranging from 100-200 feet in length. Real estate investment opportunities are also currently available, with private residence sites and some one-bedroom beach or hillside bungalows.

Work continues on other components of the Christophe Harbour development, including the Tom Fazio designed 18-hole championship golf course. Christophe Harbour is already operating The 5 Star ‘Beach House’ restaurant at Turtle Beach, an earlier phase of the development which opened in 2008.

The Christophe Harbour development is approved for St Kitts’ Economic Citizenship Program, in which persons who make a minimum real estate investment of US$350,000 in an approved project on island are entitled to apply for Citizenship in the Federation.

For more information, read CaribbeanNetNews. Contact our Coldwell Banker office for details on the real estate opportunities.

Avalon is one of Cayman’s luxurious and highly sought after locations. This is a spectacular 3 bed, 3 bath suite on the exclusive top floor. Located on perfect powder white sand 7 Mile beach. Finished with very nice fixtures and finishes. Can provide excellent rental income if desired. Very attractive executive tropical interior decor in a very well managed and well maintained complex. Amenities include pool, tennis, indoor parking garage, and health center. Asking $1,949,000.

The Avalon Condominiums are located on the broadest and most beautiful 300 feet of Seven Mile Beach. Orginally built in 1995 by Brian Butler, the complex consists of 3 buildings, all ocean front with 3 floors connected by an elevator.

Each building houses a total of nine 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom villas. Each is individually owned and of the 27 total units, 18 are currently available for rental. Each villa is similar in design and has recently been updated to feature Corian or granite countertops in the kitchen and bath areas. Avalon has also recently completed a total exterior renovation, including landscaping throughout the property and a state of the art pool filtration system.

Visit our Coldwell Banker Listing page for more details, and the Avalon web site.

The Somerset Resort on Grace Bay is now offering Mad About Lobsters, every Tuesday night. 649-946-5900 for reservations.

In addition to the Somerset, chefs here are famous for their spiny lobster dishes—cooked in nearly every style imaginable.

Lobster season, which runs from August 1 to March 31, is strictly enforced. We locals are serious about protecting this prized resource - it’s on our flag.

Another fun Grace Bay event this time of year is the Grace Bay Market, held the 2nd Saturday of every month. Local products and produce from the TCI are sold at vendor stands, and each month a portion of the proceeds is donated to a local charity. Held 10 am - 3pm at Graceway Gourmet in Grace Bay.

If you are visiting our islands, be sure and enjoy these festivities, and stop by our Coldwell Banker office while you are here.

The new Scrub Island resort is scheduled for a Feb. 11 opening, offering another boater-friendly private-island resort to the British Virgin Islands. Scrub Island will feature 26 guest rooms, 26 suites, a 53-slip marina, spa, health club, restaurants, dive shop, and more.

The island is located just off of Tortola and close to the Beef Island airport. Introductory room rates start at $399 per night, including breakfast. Here is a write-up in About.com on Scrub Island Resort:

“This is a spectacular resort –- or will be when it’s done. We visited in mid-July 2009 when hundreds of workers were scrambling over this rocky island to create, by Jan. 1, the British Virgin Islands’ first new private resort in more than 15 years. A few model rooms were ready and they were magnificent. The guest rooms and gorgeous villas will dot 230 previously undeveloped acres — many on towering hills facing the ocean.

“Pros:
*Phenomenal location overlooking Little and Great Camanoe Islands
*Amenities include GPS guest phones for ordering food and drinks on the beach
*Isolated One Shoe Bar, named for the footwear that workers occasionally found washed up on shore
*Marina with deep-water berths available for long term or transient docking

“Cons:
*Price may be high for some; after April 30, 2010 opening promotion ends, rooms start at $650

“Scrub Island is a free five-minute boat ride from Trellis Bay on Tortola, and its marina is the closest to the North Drop, a treasure trove for blue marlin anglers that’s only 13 miles away. Eventually, there will be four sugar-sand beaches around the island, which is comprised of a smaller section containing the resort proper and connected by a thin strip of land to Big Scrub, which is open for private ownership with 50 house lots permitted from 1.5 to seven acres.”

Visit Scrub Island for rates and reservations, and enjoy their Virtual Tour.

This luxurious one bedroom condo with ocean view is located on the third floor. Across from the Oceania residences resort, you will find the beautiful white sand Eagle beach. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to own a beach front condominium and enjoy some unforgettable times and beautiful sunsets on Aruba. Oceania will cater to all you leisure and business needs, with an on-site tennis court, fitness center, spa, business center, children’s play room and many more amenities. Great opportunity, perfect for vacation rental. Listed at $445,000.

Visit our Coldwell Banker Listing page for details and photos.

Beautiful .48 acre lot in Savannah’s most desirable neighborhood. Attractively priced for a quick sale at $158,600. Underground utilities already in place. Average 7′ above sea level. Close to Country Side Shopping Village.

Visit our Coldwell Banker Listing page to ask for more information.

Can a Realtor really help you sell your house more quickly? Is it worth paying the commission to have a Realtor sell your home? If you decide to use a Realtor how do you decide on the best one for you? Find out in this special report.

Selling your home can be one of the most profitable sales you ever make in your life. But one of the most important decisions can be deciding whether to sell the house yourself or use a realtor to help market the property for you.

Let’s take a look the main benefit of selling your house yourself: you don’t have to pay a realtor’s commission, which is usually between 6-8% of the sale price. This can be a huge chunk of money. On a $200,000 sale that comes out to $12,000 in a sale with a 6% commission rate.

The commission is usually split between two realtors and their brokers. Sellers’ agents list the property and get half the commission. The buyer’s agent also gets half of the commission. The seller of the property is actually paying both of these commissions out of the proceeds of the sale.

Keep in mind that most home buyers today use a buyer’s agent, so you will end up paying 3-4% of the sale price to the buyer’s realtor, even if you sell the house yourself without an agent.

In addition to commission considerations, decide how much free time you have to show and market the property, and answer phone calls. Also, are you knowledgeable about selling houses and writing contracts and negotiating? You may enjoy the home selling process and want to take care of the sale yourself, but if you don’t have the time, energy, and expertise you should consider listing the house with a realtor.

Now, let’s discuss the main benefit from listing your house with a realtor: your property goes straight into the multiple listing service (MLS). The MLS is the resource that every Realtor in the nation uses first to find properties for sale.

Once a property is listed in the MLS, every buyer’s agent has access to the information. Most buyers agents check the MLS at least daily, to keep current on properties that may fit their client’s needs.

Other benefits of using a realtor include better negotiating skills, knowledge of the local real estate laws, and experience both in writing contracts and following an escrow through to closing. Most realtors also are marketing experts, and can make suggestions to increase the desirability of your house or some ways to increase the value.

If you decide to use a realtor, there are some important questions to ask when interviewing agents for the job. Remember that although they are the professional, you are still the one hiring them and paying their “salary.” Make sure you get all your questions answered to your satisfaction before signing the listing contract.

Ask how many houses they have sold in the past 12 months. Find out how long they have been an agent. Find out what they generally charge for commission. Ask for a copy of their marketing plan. What web sites do they have? How do they attract buyers? More than 75% of all buyers use the internet for their home search.

Weigh the pros and cons. It’s one of the most important decisions you will make in your investment portfolio during your lifetime. Be honest with yourself about how much time you can spend and the level of your expertise. If you decide to list with a realtor, find one you trust who will work hard for you, be ethical, and honest with all parties in the sale.

Give one of our Coldwell Banker agents a call today.

Can a Realtor really help you sell your house more quickly? Is it worth paying the commission to have a Realtor sell your home? If you decide to use a Realtor how do you decide on the best one for you? Find out in this special report.

Selling your home can be one of the most profitable sales you ever make in your life. But one of the most important decisions can be deciding whether to sell the house yourself or use a realtor to help market the property for you.

Let’s take a look the main benefit of selling your house yourself: you don’t have to pay a realtor’s commission, which is usually between 6-8% of the sale price. This can be a huge chunk of money. On a $200,000 sale that comes out to $12,000 in a sale with a 6% commission rate.

The commission is usually split between two realtors and their brokers. Sellers’ agents list the property and get half the commission. The buyer’s agent also gets half of the commission. The seller of the property is actually paying both of these commissions out of the proceeds of the sale.

Keep in mind that most home buyers today use a buyer’s agent, so you will end up paying 3-4% of the sale price to the buyer’s realtor, even if you sell the house yourself without an agent.

In addition to commission considerations, decide how much free time you have to show and market the property, and answer phone calls. Also, are you knowledgeable about selling houses and writing contracts and negotiating? You may enjoy the home selling process and want to take care of the sale yourself, but if you don’t have the time, energy, and expertise you should consider listing the house with a realtor.

Now, let’s discuss the main benefit from listing your house with a realtor: your property goes straight into the multiple listing service (MLS). The MLS is the resource that every Realtor in the nation uses first to find properties for sale.

Once a property is listed in the MLS, every buyer’s agent has access to the information. Most buyers agents check the MLS at least daily, to keep current on properties that may fit their client’s needs.

Other benefits of using a realtor include better negotiating skills, knowledge of the local real estate laws, and experience both in writing contracts and following an escrow through to closing. Most realtors also are marketing experts, and can make suggestions to increase the desirability of your house or some ways to increase the value.

If you decide to use a realtor, there are some important questions to ask when interviewing agents for the job. Remember that although they are the professional, you are still the one hiring them and paying their “salary.” Make sure you get all your questions answered to your satisfaction before signing the listing contract.

Ask how many houses they have sold in the past 12 months. Find out how long they have been an agent. Find out what they generally charge for commission. Ask for a copy of their marketing plan. What web sites do they have? How do they attract buyers? More than 75% of all buyers use the internet for their home search.

Weigh the pros and cons. It’s one of the most important decisions you will make in your investment portfolio during your lifetime. Be honest with yourself about how much time you can spend and the level of your expertise. If you decide to list with a realtor, find one you trust who will work hard for you, be ethical, and honest with all parties in the sale.

Give one of our Coldwell Banker agents a call today.