Archive for the ‘Property Advice’ Category
How to get in front of the best property deals
Sunday, February 28th, 2010What’s the one thing, the trump card secret of successful real estate investing in Nicaragua?
Getting in front of the right opportunities.
The right opportunity may mean a motivated seller. It may mean a developer who is pulling out all the stops to woo buyers. It may mean a breaking, first-in opportunity. And it will always mean a great property.
We’re seeing two trends in the Nicaragua real estate market right now. The first is buyers with more negotiating leverage than they have had in years. The second is sellers contacting us with tremendous deals on properties they have for sale.
The next step is obvious. We’re putting buyer and seller together in our brand new 3 day Your Future Now tours.
Click for more information and the dates.
Free Real Estate Tours with Coldwell Banker
Sunday, August 16th, 2009
Our Your Future Now property tours have been so successful that we’re adding more dates between November 2009 and February 2010 – to coincide with Nicaragua’s traditional high season.
The tours take place over 3 days, we co-ordinate everything from your airport pick-up to hotel accommodations during your visit to the country and you won’t have to pay a cent over the three days. Learn more.
That’s right, we cover all your in-country expenses, with no obligation whatsoever.
Here are the new dates:*
- November 13-15th 2009
- December 4-6th 2009
- December 11-13th 2009
- February 12-14th 2010 – Special focus on Green real estate developments.
- February 26-28th 2010
Benefits from joining Your Future Now property tours:
Cut great real estate deals on exceptional properties – Remember many of the deals we’ll be showing you are released specially for the tour. It’s the perfect way to leverage the current buyer’s market.
See more properties that you could on your own – Our tours are jam-packed and intensive. They’re designed to make the most of your most precious commodity: your time. We keep the tours small so that we can offer you a personalized experience.
Build your own network of experts, legal advisors and analysts – We’ve opened up our contact book giving you face-to-face access to the best investment and legal brains in the country. On tour we will also educate you on the process involved with purchasing property as a foreigner and the ins and outs of Title Insurance
Experience first hand how you can live a luxury lifestyle for less – Nicaragua has the cheapest cost of living in Central America. We’ll show you how you can live like a rockstar on a bare bones budget.
See for yourself opportunities for personal and business development – Whether you are downshifting or embarking on a new businesses abroad, the opportunities are vast and yours for the taking.
Leverage the Coldwell Banker experience – We’ve run dozens of real estate tours and helped hundreds of investors purchase in Nicaragua. Our tours are the result of the many years of experience that Coldwell Banker has in finding the best investment and lifestyle buys in the country.
Interested? Please complete this form for more details.
Getting in early by investing in Nicaragua real estate
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009Critical to any successful real estate investment is the question of timing. Ideally, you want to get in early, before the rest of the world catches on to a new purchasing destination. Ten or fifteen years ago, you could describe Costa Rica or Belize as an ‘early-in’ investment destination. Today they welcome millions of people from all corners of the earth and property values have risen significantly over the years. Right now, many commentators are calling Nicaragua the ‘early in’ investment destination for the region, set to follow a similar growth trend as Costa Rica or Belize.
Comparison shopping
The key indicator to look at to determine where a market lies along a development curve is the cost of property. Problem is, it can be hard to get hold of comparative market statistics in Central America, particularly in areas where there is no functioning MLS.
So we turned to Reveal Real Estate, a market research organization focusing on international real estate in Central America. They have aggregated listing prices from real estate developments and master planned communities in Nicaragua, Belize, Costa Rica and Panama and put this information online. The chart below shows their analysis of median price per square foot for houses in 2008 across the four countries.
Nicaragua emerges as the lowest cost property destination across all categories, and second cheapest (after Panama) for ocean view houses. The 2009 data, which has just been released for Nicaragua and Panama real estate, backs this up with Nicaragua emerging as a cheaper investment destination across all property types. Costa Rica real estate and Belize property data will soon be released so we’ll run the comparison when it is available.
And it’s not just property values that are paving the way for early-in property investors, Nicaragua has the lowest cost of living in Central America. (Calculated using implied Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) conversion rate from the IMF.)
It’s a buyers market in Nicaragua
Right now it’s a buyers market in Nicaragua. The country is not immune to the global economic crisis. Developers are offering incentives and there have been some price reductions. But what’s clear is that Nicaragua is not experiencing the double digit declines we’re accustomed to seeing in headlines across the globe.
As noted by Reveal Real Estate, the key reason for this is the low levels of lender-mediated activity in the Nicaragua property market. With most property purchases being made in cash, foreclosures are very rare.
A second factor is the emergence of a new type of ‘lifestyle investor.’ These are buyers who are seeing their chances of retiring in, say, Florida unwind but they’re not ready to give up on the lifestyle they had planned for their retirement. So they’re looking at countries like Nicaragua where the real estate is cheaper and, crucially, the cost of living more affordable. And they’re getting in early by investing in Nicaragua real estate.
Nicaragua’s National Assembly approves Coastal Law
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009It’s been a long time coming … but worth the wait. The newly approved Coastal Law provides a solid framework for managing the development of Nicaragua’s coastline and puts in place strong measures for protecting private property ownership. Reactions from the development community have been postive and commentators have noted that the new law is likely to stimulate development in the country. Good news for those interested in the Nicaraguan real estate market.
Cutting great deals on exceptional properties
Friday, February 6th, 2009We know that the actual process of buying real estate in Nicaragua is fairly straightforward. But understanding how to leverage the current buyer’s market and cut great deals on exceptional properties is more difficult.
And that’s exactly what we will be doing on our Your Future Now real estate tours in March.
We’ve run the numbers, done the math, interviewed and ranked property developments across the country against 7 Opportunity Factors. We’ve ensured that the tour only showcases market leaders with strong brands, delivering quality products that are already outperforming their competitors:
Learn more about our 7 Opportunity Factors and Your Future Now tours in March 2009.
Your Future Now will run on March 13-15, 2009 and again on March 20-22, 2009. If your preferred date is full, we’ll try our hardest to accommodate you on the alternative tour date.
No question, Your Future Now is a highly efficient way to get a handle on this market. And remember, we’re covering all on-the-ground expenses for three days. All you need to do is book your air ticket to Managua. We’ll take care of the rest.
A private tour of the finest real estate in Nicaragua – with the Choose Nicaragua developers.
Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
Following the tremendous success of the Choose Nicaragua tours in February, we are delighted to announce three new April tour dates.
Join us in April for the same insider access to the top places in Nicaragua to live and invest.
That is not a glib marketing statement – these market leaders represent the finest properties and investment opportunities across the country as a whole. We at Coldwell Banker Nicaragua have been working in-country long enough to know the difference between quality and hype.
Here’s some feedback from the February 25-27 Choose Nicaragua tour:
“The ‘Choose Nicaragua Tour’ exceeded all our expectations! With so many quality and diverse developments represented by professional and sincere agents from Coldwell Banker. The no pressure, informative approach made it a trip to remember, highlighted for us with new friendships and a new vacation / investment property. Many thanks to Ashley, Brooke & Sam from Coldwell Banker and all the developers who shared their vision of Nicaragua with us.” Pat & Kim Hamson, Alberta, Canada.
The properties we show you on tour appeal to both head and heart. You’ll first connect on an emotional level, then you’ll run the numbers, as we have done, and see the hard logic of the investment.
Click here to learn more about the tour
We urge you to make your arrangements right away to take advantage of the special offers from the Choose Nicaragua developers. The special prices, as with all good things, must come to an end. They will only be available for participants on the private tour visiting the country before April 30th 2008.
The Choose Nicaragua tours will run on the following dates: Friday April 4 to Sunday April 6; Friday April 18 to Sunday April 20 and Friday April 25 to Sunday April 27.
We look forward to being your host in beautiful Nicaragua.
News on Guacalito, Nicaragua, Real Estate
Monday, August 27th, 2007Just when everyone seemed to think that the Pellas Group was going to land-bank the property at Guacalito until sometime around 2011, it was announced in La Prensa, one of Nicaragua’s major Spanish languange newspapers, that they are going forward with a $350m development.
I suspected something might be afoot as I was recently there and saw a jet-ranger helicopter departing. I chatted a bit with security personnel who were on-site at the time in an effort to learn who the visitors were. The guard had never seen any of them before with the exception of the person who was appointed to manage the land for the time being.
Needless to say, there was a reason a very expensive helicopter arrived with 6 passengers. I think we now know the reason. There are a few lots for sale there at the time which I think are a bargain at the moment.
Guacalito also features on our Nicaragua Surf Vacation tours. The reason: It’s got a great barreling left that breaks off a point on the north of Manzanillo beach.
True beachfront property is highly sought after at Hacienda Iguana in Nicaragua
Saturday, July 7th, 2007Investors and visitors who look for beaches with breathtaking beauty are attracted to Iguana
We are pleased to announce an opportunity for true pristine beachfront – a 1 acre property where you can step right onto the sand of one of Nicaragua’s finest beaches. A completed golf course; the Colorado surf break -the most famous in the country- flaming red sunsets and access to all the amenities at Hacienda Iguana beach resort complete the picture perfectly.
Beaches, surfing and golf – a magnetic combination
Beachfront property in Nicaragua has shown to appreciate at a faster rate than ocean-view property. Combine this with some of the best surfing on the planet; the fastest growing real estate development in the country and a completed golf course … the result – a great investment option and lifestyle buy.
Everything’s up-and-running already
Right now, development along Nicaragua’s south Pacific Coast is booming. This is great news for the buyer looking to move into a first-rate community where everything’s up and running. At Iguana you don’t have to wait for amenities to arrive. You can enjoy them right now.
For more information click here.
Nicaragua is rapidly coming under the spotlight of those seeking a tax efficient country in which to live, an affordable country in which to retire and a place of outstanding natural beauty to revel in. The boomers have not yet arrived in mass – but they will. The demographics are set for growth. The lure for titled, fee simple property where you can walk right onto the beach, is strong – there are entire sites devoted to the coverage of beachfront property – and what is on offer here will continue to attract the highest demand when compared with other property categories.
This 1 acre property, with fee simple title is exclusively listed with Coldwell Banker and combines 2 separately deeded 1/2 acre properties. The asking price is $360,000. And the beach here is simply stunning. Wide, long and sweeping and framed by two dramatic headlands that turn pink at sunset. Check out the photo below.
Contact us here for more information.
The surf breaks at Iguana are featured on the Surf Nicaragua vacation packages offered by Awiderview.
Seven Steps to Nicaraguan Property Success
Friday, June 8th, 2007Buying property and investing in Nicaragua is easier than you might think but there are still a few rules you should stick too.
We hope you find our seven tips to remember useful. Happy investing!
1. Work out what market is right for you and focus there. In this respect there is little difference with property investment anywhere. A bigger gamble can reap larger profits but here your gamble might mean buying off the beaten track with few amenities.If other speculators catch up with you then your investment will accumulate.
2. Don’t believe the hype. In most developed countries what you read is, by law, what you get. In Nicaragua you need to find advisers you can trust and don’t be fooled by anybody’s spin. There is no comeback if you’re taken in by the hype and exaggeration. Buyer beware. Check your info from as many sources as you can.
3. Understand the link between tourism and real estate. You want a good investment – then check out where tourism is growing because real estate prices will follow. But if you just want a holiday home, in the truest sense of the word, find property in an established resort. Rental returns will be highest that way too.
4. Choose a good attorney. Gain an understanding of the local expertise. English speaking is obviously good, if you struggle with the Spanish. But you also have to know that they will commit to regular communications with you. Some real estate developers will try and persuade you to use their team for property purchasing. Our advice? Get independent legal advice at least to review the contract.
5.Make title insurance non negotiable. It might be bureaucratic and cumbersome but we recommend taking out title insurance for all property purchases in Nicaragua. Seeking it will also ensure that you attorney digs a little deeper into the title history of your property and follows a set of criteria for its reporting. Make sure you seek out well-established title insurance companies with good local track records.
6. Don’t assume you can finance your purchase. You might find it very hard to get a loan here and even harder to get competitive rates.
7. Give something back. You are buying into a community. At every level it is in your interest to give back and to help that community prosper. What you give is up to you: employment, your time or resources. It’s also a great way to make friends and to be accepted.
