November Newsletter
Island Greetings from the Bay Islands of Roatan and Utila!
The holiday season is upon us, and I want to wish each of you a fantastic time of giving thanks.
Life goes very quickly, a blink of an eye actually. My children are grown, and they have children. My wife, Nancy, and I recently celebrated our 15th year on the island, and life here has certainly been enjoyable. Like everywhere, island living has its challenges, but our life’s adventure has been one that I wish everyone could experience. To have the privilege of living in another country on a tropical island will be memory our family will never forget.
Missing Newsletters?
Some of you may not have received a newsletter in the last 3-4 months. Apparently, the service I use to distribute our newsletter changed Internet servers and that led to about 20% of our readers not receiving the newsletter and instead registering as “bounced” email. If this is the first newsletter you have received in months, and you want to catch up, click on the link listed below. Sorry about that! Technology can be tricky, and I am a real estate guy who does the best I can with it!
Click right here https://www.roatan-realestate.com/newsletters/
Last minute cancelation = space for you!
For those who are thinking of making a big real estate decision, the Discovery and Investment Tour may be something to consider. This link will give you all the information you need regarding our annual event. February is a great time to get out of cold.
Click here for more info http://roatanbayisland.com/discovery-investment-tours/
Due to the limited amount of space on the Discovery and Investment Tour, we originally sold out. In fact, just last week, I put “SOLD OUT” above the link on our website. However, last week we received a last minute cancelation. So if you are interested in the tour, now is the time to act.
Increase in airline prices
It seems the airlines have decided to use routes to Roatan as a profit center as the prices to travel to the island have recently been high.
A helpful tool I use to find low airfare is Airfare Watch Dog: Get you airfare bargain-sign up here http://www.airfarewatchdog.com
If you put in your favorite city to travel from and to RTB (Roatan) or SAP (San Pedro), you will receive an email when fares are low. In the last thirty days, I have seen reasonable prices for travel from San Francisco, Denver, Atlanta and Chicago on American, United, and Delta.
There have been communications with various island entities to Southwest Airlines who have recently added routes in the Caribbean and Central America. It has also been rumored that Southwest is considering adding a route to Roatan for 2017, which would be a real plus with their low cost programs. If you get a chance, drop Southwest an email and let them know you would like to see a route added to the island.
There is also a new airline servicing Ft. Lauderdale. It is called IBC AIR, and it can be found at flyibcair.com. This airline is very new, and I have little specific information, but I would have to presume additional information can be found on their site or by calling 954-834-1700. Flights on IBC start on December 13th.
The plus side of high airfares to the island is that we have not yet been discovered by the masses and that is a good thing for real estate prices on land. As the Bay Islands increase in popularity, airfares go down, and property values go up. Make 2016 your year!
New ferry service, Utila Dream
Recently, the island of Utila has added a new ferry service, Utila Dream. It officially commenced operations on November 1, 2015, and it is sailing twice daily between Utila and La Ceiba. The Utila Dream is a newly built, catamaran hull, twin-engine boat with a 250 passenger capacity. Its capacity is 3-4 times greater than that of the existing Utila Princess ferry.
The current schedule is:
Utila to La Ceiba departs 6:25 AM,
La Ceiba to Utila departs 9:30 AM,
Utila to La Ceiba departs 2:00 PM,
La Ceiba to Utila departs 4:00 PM.
This schedule is essentially identical to that of the Utila Princess ferry, which at this time continues in operation. The Utila Dream departs Utila from the Municipal Dock in the center of town (same as the Utila Princess) and from the La Ceiba Muelle de Cabotaje (next to the Utila Princess dock). In La Ceiba, the Utila Dream dock is a two-minute walk from the Roatan ferry dock.
Link: Check them out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Utila-Dream-Ferry-906225839472459/
It is also rumored that the Utila Dream will operate an Utila-Roatan route three times a week during the tourist high season.
Medical Service for Utila
Mark Smith, one of our RE/MAX Bay Islands Agents on Utila, also asked me to mention there in Utila an AirEvac International service for those in need of medical attention.
Check them out here http://airevacinternational.com/
RENTALS- If you are planning a trip here and are confused regarding where to stay just drop us a line. Surfing web pages basically can be done but overall it maybe confusing. We can handle sorting out that confusion to give you a clearer picture of the where, what and even get it booked for you. Email us with questions or concerns and we will be happy to help.
Let’s take a look at some of the real estate
Last month, I mentioned a new development RE/MAX will be representing which is underway on the island. Right now, we are marketing the lots they have to offer, and as things progress, value-priced hilltop and hillside homes will come into play.
These will be modest residences that will be up to about +/- 1500 square feet max and will have price points from $89,000 to $149,000.
If you buy one of the lots, which start at only $23,500, you will get a $10,000.00 credit towards the purchase of one of the homes. There will be various 2 and 3 BR designs to choose from. These will be located mid-island near anything you want or need and just a short drive from the development, which is mid-island.
These homes should fit the bill for a portion of the market demand in that the prices will be very reasonable, (the top choice home, furnished, turnkey all the way down to knives, forks, spoons, and even a small solar heating system, will still be priced below the $200K mark. I will keep you posted as things happen.
I have started on information for this with floor plans, generating discounts to buyers at local stores, and even property management so you can rent it out and have all your bills paid when you are not here.
Here is the link for the home sites. Stay tuned for additional info, and if you have not already and you are interested in a separate mail list, let me know and as I receive info from the developer.
Check it out here – https://www.roatan-realestate.com/idx/French-Harbor-Main-Road-near-Fantasy-Is-Roatan-mls_15-432
Fixer Upper 2 bed 1 1/2 bath on 0.40 acres
NEW LISTING!
https://www.roatan-realestate.com/idx/French-Cay-Fixer-Upper-Home-Roatan-mls_15-426
1 bed 1 bath home + Guest House on 0.92 acres
Very Large Lot https://www.roatan-realestate.com/idx/Plus-Guest-House-Brick-Bay-1-Bed-1-Bath-Home-Roatan-mls_14-370
2 Bed 1 bath home + Guest House on 0.82 Acres
Check it out here https://www.roatan-realestate.com/idx/First-Bigh-1-Bed-1-Bath-Guest-House-2-Bed-1-Bath-Main-House-Roatan-mls_15-229
East End, Modern Design Home, 2 bed 2 bath, Ocean Views
Brand New https://www.roatan-realestate.com/idx/Design-Home-Ocean-Hills-2-Bedroom-2-Bath-Modern-Roatan-mls_15-219
Lot # 133 Ocean View Home Site, Parrot Tree
Check it out here https://www.roatan-realestate.com/idx/Parrot-Tree-Plantation-Lot-133-Hillside-Roatan-mls_15-378
Very nice lot on the main road with considerable depth, frontage and elevation. All at a very nice price- Nice lot -Great Value https://www.roatan-realestate.com/idx/Multi-Purp-Com-or-Res-Bargain-68-Main-Rd-Frontage-Roatan-mls_15-478
MOTIVATED SELLER- Already at almost half what was paid! Looking for that premium home site in a premium community at a huge discounted price. Yes, this is the one!
Great Deal-Motivated Seller https://www.roatan-realestate.com/idx/Large-Hm-Site-near-water-Lawson-Rock-1B-Roatan-mls_15-69
Massive views near the Lawson Rock planned premier planned community
Check it out here https://www.roatan-realestate.com/idx/Wesley-Heights-Wesley-Heights-Lot-V-1-Roatan-mls_15-488
Luxurious Keyhole Bay Condo –
Check it out here https://www.roatan-realestate.com/idx/West-Bay-Road-Keyhole-Bay-Condo-8-2A-Roatan-mls_15-232
Estate sized Lawson Rock home site! Price recently reduced-
Check it out here https://www.roatan-realestate.com/idx/38-Lawson-Rock-Roatan-mls_15-12
5 Bedrooms total – Live and/or rent -Utila – only $154K
Check it out here – https://www.roatan-realestate.com/idx/3-beds-2-rental-rooms-174K-Sandy-Bay-Large-Home-Utila-mls_14-399
Useful Links-
If you are using a tablet, iPad, or phone, you may wish to add this to your favorites or bookmarks in order to have our MLS on your portable device:
Mobile MLS http://mymobile.flexmls.com/BayIslandsRealEstate
This is the MLS on either a laptop of desktop computer – MLS http://link.flexmls.com/oq9ggfooh53,2
Discovery & Investment Tour
This link will give you all the information you may wish regarding our annual event. February is a great time to get out of cold.
Discovery Tour http://roatanbayisland.com/discovery-investment-tours/
This link will get you to in general information about investing with an IRA Sep/401K and financing, and Residency – https://www.roatan-realestate.com/roatan-investing/
This Buyers information page has a great FAQ section for people who have decided to pull the trigger or maybe helpful for a newbie:
Buyers Guide – https://www.roatan-realestate.com/roatan-buyers/
If you are a Facebook fan, please “like” us: https://www.facebook.com/RoatanRemax?ref=settings
Link-
New to the island? Take a few minutes and take our Geography Tour. Geography Webinar. Get familiar with the island see it here- https://youtu.be/LPXHZ_dSPF4
CH Municipal web site + their FB site http://thenewroatan.com
