Archive for May, 2010

Looking for a Roatan Architect and Builder?

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

Hello,
As I show homes and land to clients here in Roatan there are many questions they ask about buying real estate, renovating an existing home or building a new one. One of the toughest questions I get asked is: “Do you know an architect and contractor that will do a good job?” Until this year I always answered that question with a question: “Will you be here to oversee the job?” However based on some recent experiences I have changed my response and can now recommend both an architect and a builder that work well on Roatan.

The architect I can endorse is Ana Gallo from Austin Texas. She has already designed five homes on Roatan and has re-designed several more existing homes to better fit the owners needs. Her professional education was completed in the U.S. and her client base is primarily there as well.

Palmetto Bay Plantation Home Design on Roatan

Palmetto Bay Plantation Home Roatan MLS#10-157

This makes design discussions and planning, flow much more smoothly for everyone. When it comes time to start construction, being a Central American native and bi-lingual ensures that everyone involved understands what needs to be done to complete the house as designed. The “McDonald” house pictured above is one of her latest creations. This home is currently available for $1.5M. It is located on the beach in Palmetto Bay Plantation and is a beautiful example of the design standards and excellence she maintains. You can see samples of all of her work at AnaGallo.com.

I am also very excited that I can now recommend a builder on Roatan. This resource has been a difficult one to identify due to the high expectations that most real estate buyers bring to the home building project. However Hugo Coello is definitely the builder that can meet those expectations. Hugo has built several homes on Roatan in some of the nicest developments on the island. These homes were built to very high standards and completed in a timely manor. The “McDonald” home pictured above was built by Hugo.

These two professionals have collaborated on more than one home on Roatan with stellar results and I look forward to seeing their next projects.

Enjoy Life, Philip

Bargains on Honduras Property

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

Hello,

From my chair on the beach here is West Bay it looks like Roatan Real Estate has started to recover from the world wide recession. First quarter sales were below average when compared to previous years but we are half way through the second quarter of 2010 and sales have definitely begun to recover.  Honduras property sales through the Century 21 office have shown a cyclic trend over the last 10 years between land purchases and home/condo purchases.  Currently we are in a home/condo portion of the cycle and bargains on residences are quickly being sold. So where are the good deals now?

Many who bought residential lots at the peak of the “land purchase” phase are finding it hard to sell their land in this “home purchase” phase.  So if you are looking for a deal take a look a land and lots for sale.

For example lot 11 in Marbella Beach Resort is a .4 acre lot with 110 feet of white sand beach. This lot is on the market at $340,000 which is $100,000 below the sale price of a neighboring lot sold 3 years ago! This is only one example of the type of bargains to be found in Roatan Real Estate.

Send me an email if you would like more information on this lot or any other properties you have seen on the web.

Enjoy Life, Philip