Coldwell Banker Islands Blog

Home purchasers can frequently tell immediately if the home they are viewing does not suit their tastes or needs - but what goes on when they are torn between a number of options? Sometimes, purchasing a home is not as easy as finding a person’s dream property. Home purchasers may need to choose from a few different houses, and in this case it helps to use a skilled realtor to breakdown the positives and negatives of each. Here are some factors home buyers should keep in mind when going through this process.

Compare maintenance, utility and tax costs

Two houses which are similar in price may vary greatly in secondary costs. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports that it is important that you request that the vendor provides past bills and property tax obligations for your perusal, because this can help the new potential home buyer work out how much they will pay for these costs. Home sellers could also have the ability to give some concept of what it really costs to maintain the home regularly. Based on Freddie Mac, maintenance costs should average between 1 and 3 percent of the home’s value every year.

Which will retain its value better?

Numerous factors determine how a homes value is calculated, including its location, condition and the value of surrounding properties. Freddie Mac reports a realtor can usually provide information on the way a particular home’s value has changed through the years, providing a rough idea on how well it’ll retain its value within the a long term. Home purchasers may finish up selecting one property over another if it seems to retain its value better.

Weigh specific qualities

Beyond financial matters, home purchasers might want to compare each home’s features and amenities one last time. Based on Liberty Mutual, it will help to consider each home’s security features and construction quality. Furthermore, NAR reports it may be useful to check each property’s neighborhood and find out which may fit their desires and requirements best. Ultimately, Freddie Mac reports these qualities can impact how well the home keeps its value with time, and realtors can offer appreciation-related understanding to assist home purchasers break the tie.

The hunt for a new home can be a hard job as everyone wants all aspects of the property to be perfect and to meet their every need. Quite often buyers will allow their heart to rule their head when on viewings, so these factors above are good to bare in mind as they will assist the purchasers to choose their new home in a practical and sensible manner.

Come to the Bahamas…to Cool Down!

A former staff member living in Toronto wrote to say the predicted high in that frozen part of the world is 100F today.
But with humidity, it should feel like 120F.
Yikes!
So we thought we’d tell our friends up north that the wacky temps are just another reason to invest in real estate in the beautiful Bahamas.
Right now, the weatherman’s predicting a high of 91. Hot? Heck, yes! But the islands of the Bahamas are bathed by the soothing trade winds and we don’t have the high rises that trap the heat and make everything so miserable.
And the refreshing, crystal clear Atlantic’s everywhere around us. So while the Bahamas is a great place to escape the brutal cold of winter, it also offers a welcoming respite from the sledgehammer heat in the north.
There are lots of great real estate offerings, including gorgeous seaside homes, throughout the Bahamas islands.

This lovely two-storey plantation-style home is located high in the secluded, quiet, and beautiful Hamilton Estate, on the slopes of Nevis Peak at an elevation of about 750ft. The area is well-watered, with resulting lush green vegetation, loaded with mangoes, oranges, and other tropical delights.

Price:$695,000

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Perched just above the beach amid lavish hillside gardens, Equinox House overlooks one of the most dramatic seascapes in the Caribbean and is only a short stroll from beautiful Long Bay Beach. This exquisite mediterranean style villa is thoughtfully nestled around an open air courtyard and swimming pool.

Price:$2,200,000

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Designed by internationally-renowned architect Yianni Skordas, Capanna Lussa combines simplicity and elegance to create a sophisticated island retreat. The house wraps around a central atrium and is masterfully positioned to take advantage of the breathtaking views down the harbour.

Price:$8,900,000

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This is a stunning newly built two story villa across the street from the Boca Catalina beach. This property features a landscaped garden, full air conditioning as well as a swimming pool and on the ground floor it includes a front covered patio, entrance, living room, dining room, granite topped european kitchen with ice maker and dumb waiter, TV room, garage, laundry room/storage, two bedrooms (one with walk in closet)/with fully marble tiled bathrooms, covered side porch, covered back patio with BBQ area, studio apartment with bathroom and two stair cases to the first floor.

Price:$2,700,000

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Buddies bar and restaurant on the Frigate Bay Strip seemed to be the ultimate party spot this weekend, as the venue managed a full house both Friday and Saturday night.
On Friday night Ziggy’s Bar managed its usual big crowd, while a number of the other bars had small gatherings. However further down the beach Buddies was giving Ziggy’s a run with the crowd, as both venues were packed and lively.
On the country side of the island, G-Spot’s Feel Good Fridaz once again kept Sandy Point  awake with music and excitement as three ‘country DJ’s’ were entertaining patrons from dusk till dawn.
At the recently re-opened So-Be Bay Beach Bar and Lounge, formerly Lime Bar, was the much anticipated Angie’s 5th Annual Birthday Bash, which turned out to be a disappointment for many.
A few patrons also expressed their disappointment at not getting the chance to ‘Jess Back’ and ‘Settle Dun Pon It’ with the Grand Masters Band, as they did not get the time because, some moments after 3:00 am. it was announced that the event was over, although the organizers possessed a permit to party until 6:00 am.
Never the less, the night did not go to waste, as some yards away down at the Frigate Bay Strip, Buddies was in full swing for Curlyn’s Birthday Bash. The event had a full to capacity crowd, and although the open atmosphere of the venue did not help to add any coolness to the sweating bodies on the inside, that did not matter, as patrons continued to have the time of their life with DJ Yardy, who pelted out hits one after the other until around 5:00 am.
Sunday seemed to be extremely quiet, with the Frigate Bay Strip being the only place with entertainment. Here it was that another entertainment weekend came to an end.

Source:www.sknvibes.com

Two technical interns from the University of Portsmouth, England, are in the Territory for five weeks working along with the Department of Disaster Management.
The Interns, Stephen Mountford and Scott Turnbull will spend their time here in the Virgin Islands assessing and mapping variations in social vulnerability in Road Town and undertaking flood hazard mapping, evacuation and mitigation planning of Tortola, Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda and Anegada.
The Director of the Department of Disaster Management (DDM), Sharleen DaBreo said, “We are pleased to be able to accommodate these interns who will be able to provide us with detailed structural information on social vulnerability aspects, as well as the vulnerabilities of buildings susceptible to floods, tsunamis and storm surge.” Stephen Mountford, a Geography student at the University of Portsmouth is focusing his research on highlighting the most socially vulnerable areas in the Virgin Islands, which will be used to assist the DDM in focusing their disaster mitigation efforts on the areas which need it most. Whilst Scott Turnbull, who has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Geological Hazards will be concentrating on the flood hazard mapping, evacuation and mitigation planning aspects. His final project will consist of detailed maps of the hazardous areas that may flood during a time of intense rainfall showing areas of high, medium to the lowest vulnerable areas. Both students are currently pursuing post graduate degrees in Crisis and Disaster Management.
This is the second year that the DDM has hosted students from the University of Portsmouth.

Source:bvinews.com

Two technical interns from the University of Portsmouth, England, are in the Territory for five weeks working along with the Department of Disaster Management.
The Interns, Stephen Mountford and Scott Turnbull will spend their time here in the Virgin Islands assessing and mapping variations in social vulnerability in Road Town and undertaking flood hazard mapping, evacuation and mitigation planning of Tortola, Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda and Anegada.
The Director of the Department of Disaster Management (DDM), Sharleen DaBreo said, “We are pleased to be able to accommodate these interns who will be able to provide us with detailed structural information on social vulnerability aspects, as well as the vulnerabilities of buildings susceptible to floods, tsunamis and storm surge.” Stephen Mountford, a Geography student at the University of Portsmouth is focusing his research on highlighting the most socially vulnerable areas in the Virgin Islands, which will be used to assist the DDM in focusing their disaster mitigation efforts on the areas which need it most. Whilst Scott Turnbull, who has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Geological Hazards will be concentrating on the flood hazard mapping, evacuation and mitigation planning aspects. His final project will consist of detailed maps of the hazardous areas that may flood during a time of intense rainfall showing areas of high, medium to the lowest vulnerable areas. Both students are currently pursuing post graduate degrees in Crisis and Disaster Management.
This is the second year that the DDM has hosted students from the University of Portsmouth.

Source:bvinews.com

Last January, with the support of ATA, the Ministry of Tourism and the Airport, Frans Ponson organized a Drag-racing event which attracted a great deal of international attention. On Monday, Minister of Tourism recognized Aruban Drag-racer, Frans Ponson, for his invaluable contribution to the tourism promotion of Aruba through his sport of Drag-racing.
As a result of the small investment made for that event in January, the efforts of this young Aruban resulted in capturing the attention of the international press who traveled to Aruba to cover the event. Three respectable magazines of the automotive world promoted Aruba as a result of their coverage of the event.
The Minister decided to give special recognition to Ponson for his professional organization of the Drag-race event and for the many people who visited Aruba for this event.
Frans Ponson in return thanked Minister Oduber for his cooperation and the cooperation of all the government departments who contributed to making the event a success. Frans Ponson highlighted some of the Magazines in which Aruba was promoted. Many of these had front page articles while others carried an almost 10 page review of the Aruba Drag-race event. “Wherever I went, people were talking about Aruba reported Frans Ponson…I am very happy and grateful for the support I received from everyone concerned.