Roatan Real Estate

Honduran president Mel Zelaya was arrested today after he continued to defy the Honduran Supreme Court and the National Congress rulings that his proposed referendum to change the constitution to extend presidential terms, was illegal.

President Zelaya was taken to an airbase outside the city and several hours later was flown to Costa Rica. The Honduran Supreme Court said it had ordered the removal of the president, who had been due to leave office next January. Honduras has appointed the Congressional  President, Roberto Micheletti as acting head of state. Mr Micheletti is a member of Mr Zelaya’s own party but an opponent of the deposed leader.

The bottom line is that the democratic process in Honduras is working very well. Local Roatan residents have voiced their thankfulness, on several social networks, that the government followed the constitution and has preserved the democratic process in Honduras. For those that have real estate and other investments in Roatan or Honduras, this event is further assurance that your investments here are safe and positioned to grow.

Enjoy Life, Philip

Hello, it has been almost exactly one year since I last wrote about golf becoming available on Roatan. Since that time the Pristine Bay Resort and Black Pearl Golf Course have progressed at a pace that is unmatched by any other project on the island. The developer announced this month that the new condominiums overlooking the golf course and the ocean are now available to purchase. The floor plans were released with the announcement and after taking a look at them I think they are spectacular. For details and pricing you can send me an email: Philip@RoatanLiving.com

Today Perry Dye announced that work on the course is ahead of schedule and barring any weather delays there will be 6-9 holes open for play by November. He continued stating that all of the irrigation system has been insalled and work has begun on sprigging the fairways. Also that the frist green has been planted at hole 11.

A group visiting Pristine Bay this week and was so excited about the possibility of golf this fall they were asking for tee times!  If golf is your preferred way to relax come on down check out the Greens and the Blues,  Black Pearl Golf Course and the Pristine Bay Resort.

Enjoy Life, Philip

Hello, if you have been waiting for some extra incentive to plan a visit to Roatan, this is it. Thanks to my broker I am able to offer a FREE week of accommodations on Roatan to those people interested in buying real estate here. There is no cost to you and no obligation to buy anything. The benefit comes when you choose to buy property on Roatan.

Enrollment is easy just let me know at any point before you arrive or anytime during your stay on Roatan that you want to participate in the “Buyers Stay Free” program and when we close on your purchase you will get a check for the cost of your hotel room. So if you have been thinking about buying one of the great properties on Roatan there is no better time than the present.

If you would like help making reservations on the island for some discounted rooms or for information on flights email me: Philip@RoatanLiving.com and I will be glad to help.

Enjoy Life, Philip

Hello, I wanted to let all my readers know about my new video blog that I have created. It is called the Roatan Living Channel and my intent is to bring you interesting videos about a variety of things on Roatan. Some episodes may be about tourist activities and restaurants while others may be on special events like the fishing tournament or pirate festival.

Currently you will find a couple of videos posted, one on the Mayan Princess and another on Parrot Tree. If there is something you would like to see me broadcast on my channel send me an email, Philip@RoatanLiving.com with your suggestion and I will do my best to get it posted.

Enjoy Life, Philip

Starting on June 12th TACA will re-start flights from Miami to Roatan with very competitive prices. The prices will start at $400.00 round trip Miami to Roatan. TACA will be testing this strategy for several months to determine if there is enough traffic to support the flights.

Some of you may not be familiar with  TACA if you don’t fly in the Caribbean or Central and South America frequently but they are well established and have a very modern fleet of planes. Other U.S. cities TACA serves are Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and Washington DC.

Of course Continental and Delta will continue to serve Roatan with direct non-stop flights from Houston and Atalanta respectively. Hope to see you on Roatan sometime soon.

Enjoy Life, Philip

On Thursday morning at 2:24 a major earthquake rolled through Roatan Honduras and surrounding countries for approximately 20 seconds. The magnitude and duration of the Roatan earthquake surpasses the October 1989 earthquake in northern California which I also experienced. The big difference, the damage that occurred during the quake. As you probably remember in northern California there were over pass collapses, bridge failures, buildings crumbling and numerous fatalities. Here in Roatan there were no fatalities, no building collapses and almost no damage.

I talked with several people on Thursday, the day after the quake, and the worst damage anyone had heard of was some water tanks that had shifted resulting in some broken pipes. Earthquake straps on water heaters are not required here, perhaps they should be.

Even though things were a bit disorganized, we had our previously planned Realtors tour Thursday morning during which we viewed 15 homes that are on the market. None of them had any damage not even a broken glass! At my house there were a couple of picture frames and some bottles of salsa that broke as they fell off their perches, but otherwise no damage.

I think the lack of damage to homes here is a testament to the quality of construction that has been achieved. I spoke with a representative of Parrot Tree Plantation to get an update on damage there and he reported, no damage at all. The same is true for the Mayan Princess on West Bay beach. It is no coincidence that the architects that designed Parrot Tree Plantation and the Mayan Princess Beach Resort used the California earthquake standards as their design standard and it certainly paid off.

If you have plans to visit Roatan and are interested in property we will be announcing our new “Buyers Stay Free” program next month. Check our web site regularly for the details.
Enjoy Life, Philip

Hello, I want to start by apologizing for taking so long between blog entries. Interest in Roatan real estate has definitely increased since 2008 and the consequence of that is less time to blog. The latest news regarding developments here is the completion of the Parrot Tree Plantation pool.

This pool is the most beautiful pool on the island. It is has water falls, multiple fountains, two levels with an infinity edge and even a water slide for the kids. The hotel has been renting for a few months and plans are underway for an official opening later this month.

If you would like more information on Parrot Tree Plantation or other Roatan Properties please send me an email.

Enjoy Life, Philip

The holidays are almost behind us and the activity on the island during this time has been huge! The hotels were full, the restaurants were packed and everyone I talked with was having a wonderful time. The weather even cooperated and provided mild temperatures and dry days.

I was blessed to have my family together on Roatan for Christmas. We did many of the normal tourist things like the Iguana Farm, Glass Bottom Boat and lots of wonderful holiday food.

Here’s wishing everyone on this Blue Planet health, happiness and a much improved New Year!

Enjoy Life! Philip

If you are interested in an investment in Roatan but are unsure about buying property at this time perhaps you should consider mortgages. In todays uncertain financial markets where can you find an investment that guarantees a 10% return over 10 years?

Parrot Tree Plantation is currently offering exactly that! A fantastic investment opportunity that will provide you with excellent monthly income, outstanding security in the investment and fully guaranteed by Parrot Tree Plantation.  There are several types of mortgages available to purchase. All of them can be duly registered and recorded with the Honduran Government. The mortgages are secured by Parrot Tree Plantation Condominiums in 30% and 50% equity positions and range in value from $145,000 to $170,000. As an example if you invested $150,000 in one of the 10% APR, 10 year term mortgages you would have a monthly income of $1,982.26 and the total interest income at the end of the term would be $87,871.33.

If you would like to discuss this, or other financial investment options on Roatan please send me an email.

Enjoy Life, Philip

Thanks to a new company on Roatan visitors to my web site can take interactive virtual walk-through tours of the real estate listings shown. If you are viewing listings from the MLS look in the photo section for the tours. These tours have been available throughout the world for several years and now they are here as well. As you browse through my web site be sure to look for this Icon.

When you see the Icon click on it and you will begin your tour of the property. The tour will automatically move from one room to the next without any interaction from you OR you can interact with the tour by selecting any of the special “Hot Spots” which will move you immediately to that location. Have fun with this new feature and let me know if you like it.

Enjoy Life, Philip

If you would like to see virtual tours of various locations on Roatan you can go to www.Roatan-Virtual-Tours.com