Survivor involves two “tribes” competing against each-other for rewards and immunity. The last remaining contestant wins US$1 million dollars in prize money. The Survivor crew will be here for several weeks as they are filming two episodes of the show in San Juan del Sur.

San Juan del Sur is buzzing and it’s practically impossible to get a hotel room. A typical series of Survivor airs in over 100 countries and is seen by around 15 million Americans per week. So that’s 15 million Americans learning about Nicaragua and San Juan del Sur.

San Juan del Sur is already the top tourism hotspot on the coast of Nicaragua. And with Survivor, it’s status on the world tourism map will only increase.

We’re running real estate tours in the San Juan del Sur region in June and July showcasing the best deals in the country. Check out this page for more details.

Right now, visitors to San Juan del Sur can only reach the shore by a local boat. The new plans being discussed with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise association include a new dock so that passengers can disembark directly at the port. The facilities at the port itself would also be improved with “restaurants, souvenir stores and other attractions” according to the press release.

“This project will represent a very significant investment, the decision has been made to initiate the design of the development as soon as possible which will transform the port into one of Central America’s most attractive sites” expressed Mario Salinas.

Property investors and developers in San Juan del Sur are excited by the news. It’s not hard to understand why. Improved infrastructure and more visitors are good for real estate values and rental occupancy rates.

60 cruise ships visit Nicaragua on average between the months of October and May. This is up 62% from 2007. INTUR and the Government hope to bring this number to 100.

The Government continues to take steps to attract tourism to Nicaragua and raise awareness of the country as an investment destination. In the last months we reported on improvements to the residency and retirement scheme, the new Coastal law regulating development on the coast and a recent promotion trip to the American Association of Retired Person’s (AARP) event in Las Vegas aimed at attracting retirees to invest in real estate. This initiative with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association is another to add to the list.

We’d love you to visit Nicaragua and see the progress being made for yourself. Join us on one of our free real estate tours and get to see the country up-close and in person. On tour we visit the best real estate deals in the country over an intensive three days. One of the stops is San Juan del Sur, the key real estate hub on the Pacific coast, and we will be sure to point out any visiting cruise ships…

Click here to learn more about our Nicaragua real estate tours.

Nicaragua was well represented. Around a dozen real estate developers attended together with ProNicaragua, the investment promotion agency, and INTUR, the National Tourism Board.

The event was a great success according to the developers who attended. They were able to showcase opportunities for Nicaragua real estate investment as well as share insights on living in Nicaragua, its cultural life and key tourism attractions.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization that helps people over 50 improve their quality of life. With 35 million members in all 50 states it has become one of the nation’s largest membership organizations for people over 50.

So, for developers wanting to attract the boomer generation to Nicaragua, the event was the right place to be.

Roll on Orlando@50 Sept 30 – October 2, 2010.

Well, 2008 has been an interesting year. The big headline is, of course, the global financial crisis. Things are looking very volatile out there. But, at the same time, we’re remembering that hard times can be the best times for creativity, opportunity and change.

We’re seeing this in our client base. More and more people are looking for a plan-B for their retirement and investments. They’re considering expanding their horizons beyond the US and looking hard at places like Nicaragua where they can live in luxury, but for far less than is possible at home – even during what could be a long global downturn.

For us, 2008 was a year filled with Choose Nicaragua property tours, a focus on affordable vacation homes and a strong upsurge in green real estate developments across the country. It was also the year the earthship was built on the rolling hills south of San Juan del Sur.

A flight to quality…

In 2009, we predict a flight to quality for Nicaragua real estate. Investment activity will trend towards well-planned developments with good locations, quality products and a master plan that delivers against end-user requirements. The real estate developments that have only done well in the past due to speculation rather than the quality of their product will likely suffer.

So, we’re bringing in the new year with a weekend event at one of the best quality developments in the country. On 17th-18th January there’s a chance to familiarize yourself with the in’s and out’s of buying property overseas, and savor the culture, activities and lifestyle here in Nicaragua. We’ll shine the light on a range of surprisingly affordable golf front, ocean view and beach front vacation offerings in one of the most beautiful parts of the country. Click here to learn more.

With very best wishes for 2009 from the Coldwell Banker Nicaragua team.

The Central American Tourism & Hotel Investment Exchange (CATHIE) will be held at the Crown Plaza in Managua, Nicaragua on March 24-26 2009. The conference will showcase tourism and hospitality projects from across the region. The major tourism and investment promotion agencies will be present, and judging by the last CATHIE event, we anticipate quite a bit of deal-making.

Brooke Rundle

Scoring another first for the region, she’s also been working hand-in-hand with developer Tim Kelly on building an Earthship – an innovative green home built almost entirely out of recycled materials.

A green real estate momentum is rapidly building here in Nicaragua. Just last month, the Association of Nicaraguan Investors and Developers (ANID) hosted its first green real estate seminar in Managua. The turnout was huge and the excitement contagious.

Reporter Blake Schmidt was at the event and wrote an article for the Nica Times on what he heard. It was there that he met Brooke Rundle and learned about our green real estate tours showcasing the very best in green investment opportunities in the country.

Lauren Stocker finds more than surfing waves on her trip to San Juan del Sur, a coastal town in Nicaragua earlier this year. Much more.

Her article featured in the Malibu lifestyle magazine takes us away from the tourist streets to the community of El Carizal. There she’s handed the keys to the Earthship…

“While getting on the plane to Nicaragua, I knew I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I liked that idea. I was ready to see what was waiting for me on the other side. I knew absolutely nothing of Earthships before I made my trip. It was just some “thing” I heard they were building down there.“

She was in good hands with developer Tim Kelly and Brooke Rundle, the first certified Eco-broker in Nicaragua. Brooke is also hosting the first dedicated green real estate tours to the country with Coldwell Banker. And, yes, the Earthship is featured.

Check out the article and Lauren’s mesmerizing photo journal. The photo of the bay of San Juan del Sur at the top of this post is one of them.

Can real estate investors “do well” while “doing good”? Can local communities in Nicaragua benefit from the massive growth in real estate investing in the country? Is there a sweet spot where charitable initiatives increase investment return and social welfare at the same time?

These thorny questions get at the heart of what responsible property investing is all about. Investing that creates value in society and the environment while at the same time being financially profitable. This is the sort of “win–win” situation that everyone likes to be part of.

Community REfund, an initiative launched in 2007, is offering the simple solution to achieving just that. The REfund model encourages every participant in a real estate transaction to contribute funds at the time of closing. There are at least 5 participants in a standard transaction: the buyer, the seller, the real estate agent, the title insurance company and the legal firm. Add a bit of peer pressure and you have all the ingredients for a powerful funding mechanism.

“As a foreigner who both benefits and contributes to the rapid real estate development of Nicaragua, I believe it is my responsibility to support programs which serve to provide opportunities for the mutual advancement among local communities.” Brooke Rundle, Coldwell Banker Nicaragua Real Estate.

“We are proud to offer our services pro-bono to Community REfund, an initiative vital to the long term sustainability of Nicaragua’s real estate and tourism sector.” Terencio Garcia, Managing Partner, Garcia & Bodan.

To ensure that contributions make a real difference on the ground, Community REfund has two main programs – the Savings Start program supporting small business owners and micro-enterprise development and Community Bridge targeting community led projects in key real estate investing areas.

At the heart of these programs is an asset based approach to alleviating poverty and encouraging community development. Assets such as an education, a property or a successful business increase self sufficiency on an individual and family level, while adding to the economic stability of the community in general. This thinking links logically back to the REfund funding driver – a real estate transaction – fundamentally, an asset building activity in itself.

“The Association of Nicaraguan Investors and Developers has chosen Community REfund to be its core charitable program. We encourage our members to support the program to ensure that local communities benefit from real estate development activity.” Tuey Murdock, Board Member, Association of Nicaraguan Investors and Developers (ANID) and First American Title Services, Nicaragua.

Community REfund joins well established social responsibility programs active in Nicaragua such as the Fundación A. Jean Brugger, part of Pelican Eyes…Piedras y Olas, a luxury resort in San Juan del Sur and the Nica Dev fund run by Donn Wilson, real estate developer and social entrepreneur.

“If we can get responsible property investing right in Nicaragua, at this stage in the property development cycle, we’ll be creating a foundation for long term value not only for real estate investments but for local communities and society at large.” Chris Berry, Pelican Eyes…Piedras y Olas and Fundación A. Jean Brugger.

The smart thing to do as well as the right thing to do

Jon Thompson, Program Director at Community REfund (and director of Communidad Connect which oversees the mechanics of both Savings Start and Community Bridge) has an excitement about the initiative that is contagious. In the Monthly REfund newsletter, he reports that Community REfund has already begun to make a difference in San Juan del Sur. A community well has been constructed in Bernardino and water filters have been installed throughout the rural countryside. The Savings Start program is now opening up registration to its first 15 local micro entrepreneurs.

“Community REfund is a great initiative which gives investors, realtors and developers the opportunity to make a difference in the local community. I think it is important that the people living and investing in Nicaragua give back. I try and stress this to my clients.” Zach Lunin, Aurora Beachfront Realty.

With support from across the Nicaraguan real estate investment community, from brokers, to developers to investors, Community REfund is poised to make a big difference to the lives of local communities in Nicaragua. There is much more information on the initiative at www.communityrefund.org Have a browse through the site, link to it, spread the word, get involved, and help make investment property in Nicaragua an engine for community development and social and financial stability.

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition 2008 is on the newsstands. And Nicaragua is one of the locations for the photo shoot.

With over 230 million page views already at SI.com, since the edition launch on February 12th, Nicaragua is gaining widespread exposure. Eric Ames over at NuWire Investor notices that some of the photos are taken near San Juan del Sur on Nicaragua’s Pacific coast.

The shoot locations are stunning and showcase some of Nicaragua’s best beaches which, slowly but surely, are finding their place on the worldwide tourism map.

And the Nicaragua real estate cycle starts again. It all starts with a vacation, then turns into a compelling reason to buy.

And people are blogging about Earthships and the logic of green building. Here are some of the best blogs and posts citing Earthships in Canada, throughout Europe, Australia and of course Taos, New Mexico where it all started.

• The first Earthship to be built in England was Earthship Brighton, on the south coast. The Guardian covered the story and it looks like more Earthships are to follow on a prime development site overlooking the Brighton Marina.
• We hear from treehugger how the Earthship concept crossed the English channel to Normandy, France.
• In September last year the CNN described Earthships as future-proof buildings in an article covering the Earthships of New Mexico.
• True to their strap-line “inspired people creating positive change,” EcoSpace Conscious Community are helping spread the word about these houses made out of tires.
• Over at off-grid-net we hear news of Earthships in Spain, Portugal, Greece and Ireland.
• Another plug about the logic of recycling what is normally garbage and making it into a home courtesy of fudgeforbreakfast in the spirit of making a difference.
• Hat tip to Our Earthship for charting a journey towards sustainable living.
• Windmill power and Earthships just might be “the wave of the future” according to Windmills To Power your Home.
• And Paradoxes of Whole Living talks about the New Mexico Earthship work and links to photos of a Canadian example.
• A list like this wouldn’t be complete without a link out to Earthship Biotecture, the group who started it all and a resource for all things Earthship.

What about back here in Nicaragua?

Nicaragua real estate. Going green?

The logic of Earthships and green building is also catching on here in Nicaragua.

With the building of the first Nicaraguan Earthship well underway, we think we are witnessing the start of a green movement in Nicaragua real estate.