TJ's BuyRoatan.com Blog

U.S. Housing market slows

Always affected from afar, Roatan's property market continues to show steady and real growth and shows no sign of slowing down.  Especially now, in light of recent housing market slow downs in the USA.... more people will be looking to put their investments elsewhere...and owning a piece of Paradise on a tropical island is looking better than ever...

From our legal department...

This important information applies to anyone buying or selling property in Honduras.  You heard it first right here...  on December 16, 2005 the Honduran Congress enacted a new Notarial Law which became applicable as of the date of its publication in the official newspaper “

La Gaceta.”  Well, it's now applicable...

Seeing Red may be a good thing

2006 has brought some changes...new Government for Honduras...Liberals (red party) have been elected and take power in a couple of weeks...

 

Sharing similar ideology with the Democrats in the USA, the Honduran Liberal party is very much "for the people".  This is great for bringing much needed reforms to the country and should help out the less fortunate even more so.  Taxation, land ownership, healthcare, education, and security will all be addressed. New laws put into effect, old laws modified and some completely tossed out, will be the focus of this administration over the next 4 years...

 

Roatan earmarked for growth

Seems that wherever you go on this island, you see homes, condos and building lots being developed. According to the Roatan Municipality, building permits are way up over this period last year and they predict no slow down in the near future.

New developments offering stable and secure investment possibilities are popping up everywhere on Roatan….not just in the popular tourist areas anymore.

One such project, located in the heart of West End,

Developers eyes on Roatan!

For those who need the meat...here it is....The recent actions of the Honduran Government to implement some needed development strategies have caused a stir in the Real Estate industry here on the Islands. Many changes to the building setbacks on the beachfront, height restrictions, land use, and density issues have been clarified and guidelines are now available for would-be developers and landowners.

Even more flights to Roatan

One of my very great friends and client, Joe Anderson from Florida came across this interesting article from BUSINESS WEEK ONLINE, January 9, 2006 which states, in part, the following:

The Beach Less Traveled

These Central American spots offer adventure, nature -- and plenty of sun, too...

Officially, winter has just gotten started, but the early cold and snow make it feel like it's been around for months already. You're surely going to need a warm-weather getaway before the crocuses bloom.

It's not too late to arrange such a trip, but it may take some work and imagination. Some popular warm-weather destinations, in particular large swaths of Mexico's Caribbean coast, were ravaged during hurricane season and have only limited ability to welcome guests. Still, "if you are willing to be flexible, you can get a great deal and maybe discover somewhere new and exciting," says Amy Ziff, editor-at-large at Travelocity, the online travel site owned by Sabre Holdings (TSG ).

If you were thinking Cancun, just keep heading south -- way south, to Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, and Honduras. These countries share many of the attributes that make Mexico so popular: sun-drenched beaches, coral reefs (the world's second-largest barrier reef stretches from Cancún to Honduras), Mayan ruins, proximity to the U.S., and good value. There are also rain forests, cloud forests, exotic wildlife, and volcanoes -- without the crowds of Cancún.


Some of the region's least discovered beaches edge the long Caribbean coastlines of Nicaragua and Honduras. La Ceiba, a colorful city in Honduras, is a jumping-off point for the mostly English-speaking Bay Islands, which attract about 30,000 visitors annually. One sign of the area's growing popularity: Continental Airlines (CAL ) is expanding service from one day a week to seven from Houston to Roatan, the largest of the Bay Islands, once a haunt of pirates.

There are 11 weeks of winter left. That leaves plenty of time to arrange a warm weather escape. And, with so many options, you may want to get a jump on planning next year's trip as well.

This, if correct, will certainly bring down airfares to/from Roatan as well as bring in further competition.  Usually, when one airline makes a move, others soon follow.  Get ready for the RE boom....