Roatan

-Market 'Feel' ­PMA

Things here are pretty optimistic and no doubt that a "PMA", Positive
Mental Attitude, is a very important factor. The world economy and the
political situation dampened the enthusiasm that was prevalent here for the
past decade, but overall most people here are pretty upbeat. It is pretty
hard not to be actually. The sand is still white, water is still aqua blue,
the weather is warm and sunny, the people are still as friendly as ever and
economically the island will do well this coming year. The losses that were
experienced due to the economic and political situation this year will fade.
You only need to look at the expansion of the Royal Caribbean cruise ship
dock and the opening, on November 20th this year, of the new Carnival Cruise
Line port to see how life can spring right back to normal.

The mid-island "Pristine Bay" Development will have a Pete Dye designed 18
hole golf course in full operation by mid 2010, (9 holes completed by years
end- '09). The developers of this project have two successful projects under
their belt (the latest is the Antigua Country Club in Guatemala). They will
have a company called Lancaster Group handling their property management.
Lancaster is a high-end, boutique Hotel Management company. (Both mentioned
businesses can be found online). They have 350+ full time people working
there daily on construction and golf course maintenance.

Carnival Cruise lines will open their new $67 million Port mid island this
November and Royal Caribbean is in the process of investing $30 million on
the expansion of the Coxen Hole Location. The Carnival project started
construction AFTER last Fall's "economic" crisis. By next season they are
projecting up to 6,000 cruise visitors a day seasonally. Carnival Corp. is
the largest cruise company in the world running seven different cruise ship
lines, one of which is Carnival. Their new ships have a cost that exceeds
One Billion dollars with over $250 million in "kitchen ware" alone.

Basically the above means hundreds of thousands of visitors who, like many
that come here, will fall in love with the place. Then you have the Pristine
Bay Development with the new Black Pearl Dye Design Gold Course. No layoffs
there. They are full speed ahead with over 350 people working there daily.
You can swing your clubs there by the end of the year and the week before
Easter will be the Grand Opening Celebration. I know that wherever it is you
are now, some of this may sound like pretty small potatoes. For the sleepy
little island of Roatan, however, it is news that economically is all
positive for the people on the island.

Labels: foreign country adventures, Real Estate Investment, Roatan/Retirement/Real Estate Investment/Off Shore Baby Boomers/Caribbean, Second homes, tax haven

-Timing is Everything!
Last summer I announced that Roatan Real Estate would start a new program,
the “Discovery Investment Tour”. These are a great option for people who
wonder if this island is the right place for them. People who are
considering a vacation home, or maybe a retirement residence or maybe just
for an investment. These tours are a very positive way for you to spend a
great week on a tropical island, be part of a group of people who are also
wondering if this is the place for them and have a complete package of
information and qualified experts to answer any question you may have. This
type of tour has experts from all venues; an Attorney, Title Insurance
Personnel, Ex-Pats who have made the move before you, an Accountant, and
others. No pressure, no stress, just a great time on a tropical island for
you to get every question answered.

Well as luck would have it, we scheduled one soon after the economic trauma
worldwide. Obviously not much we could do with that one except maybe plan
another. We did and wham, political events. We canceled. Well now it is time
to plan ahead. They say third time is the charm. February 22, 2009 is the
date we have set for the next one. It basically is the perfect time of the
year for this. Winter is brutal north of the Mason/Dixon line, the holidays
are over, it is absolutely gorgeous here. Add in that Valentines Day is the
week before and we are set for the PERFECT time of the year for this.

We basically arrange everything for you on this end except the flight. You
will have complete freedom to enjoy and learn. Go here for an overview of
the tour - http://roatan-realestate.com/roatan-investment-tours.php If
you have questions feel free to contact us at realty-inquiries@roatan-realestate.com Plan ahead folks, this is the perfect trip at the perfect time of year. What is the worst case scenario a great week on a tropical island basking in the sun and getting away from the winter? Sounds pretty good to my. How about you?

Labels: Caribbean Islands, Honduras, Real Estate Investment, retirement Homes, Roatan, Roatan/Retirement/Caribbean, Tropical Caribbean - Roatan Bay Islands

-Cruz'n to the Island
Over the past +/- ten years there has been considerable discussion among people on the island regarding the cruise ship industry and it¹s place and future on the island. Many on the island depend on the ships as sources of income, the government enjoys the tax revenues and many who have never heard of Roatan are now able to visit our beautiful island.

The new cruise ship dock/facility in Dixon Cove, (AKA Mahogany Bay), is coming along very quickly and seems like it will be ready to go for the upcoming season. This second international cruise ship port will be a Carnival Cruise Lines location and will be self-contained, with a beach facility, many activities and shopping galore. It looks like it will be a first class facility that will provide island visitors with a pleasant visit to this beautiful island. The newly designed and remodeled port in Coxen Hole, (Royal Caribbean), will start the expansion of the docking facilities this fall (projected October start), which will allow the tendering of multiple ships. Both of these facilities are very nice and will change the island for decades.

Bottom line is that Roatan will be a much busier place. A place that despite the economics of much of the world or a political crossroads, will still continue to grow and be a great place to retire, invest or vacation. Companies of this large size do not put tens of million of dollars into a location if they do not think the island has a lot to offer. They are investing heavily.

Labels: Baby Boomer Investment South of the Border, Pristine Bay and the Pete Dye Black Pearl Gold Course, Roatan, Roatan/Retirement/Caribbean

There is no doubt that markets in many places in much of the world the real estate industry would label as “Buyer Markets”. Roatan to a great degree is no different in that there no doubt are some of the best deals available for many years. Many Sellers are in a “buy and hold” pattern, meaning they have their properties for sale but are holding fast to the price points, whereas other Sellers are far more motivated. For years developers have been hard liners in regard to their price points. More and more are developing programs that allow more flexible offers or programs for financing which in many instances are not happening very easily in the U.S. the quality is just as great as it always been. Infinity Bay now has a 5.5% interest rate program on purchases with 50% down and Keyhole Bay is saying “bring me a contract” –

For those who are not familiar you really should visit the links above. Keyhole Bay is a top of the line quality operation a short walk from West Bay Beach that is the perfect place for a retirement or second home situation. It has the lowest price per square foot of the top end projects and has historically had a great reputation for delivering some of the most beautiful and well built units on the island.
http://www.roatan-realestate.com/listing.php?id=390">http://www.roatan-realestate.com/listing.php?id=390 >

Infinity is a Hotel/Condo operation that is not only a top of the line operation but also the absolutely perfect place for vacations if you are a beach lovers. Infinity Bay is on the Famous West Bay Beach. (AKA Tabyana) as in this article
http://www.roatan-realestate.com/listing.php?id=427">http://www.roatan-realestate.com/listing.php?id=427 >

Another recent visitor wrote this and posted it online……
http://www.jacksonnjonline.com/2009/09/16/the-hidden-gem-of-honduras/

Labels: Caribbean Vacations, Golf Pete Dye Course, Roatan, Roatan/Retirement/Caribbean