The green agenda is one of the most important issues or “waves” of the day.  History tells us that it’s the truly great investors, in any field, who learn how to identify, respect and leverage waves such as this one.   

Greg McAdoo, Partner at Sequoia Capital a venture capital firm that has invested in Cisco, Google, Apple, Yahoo, PayPal, YouTube and many others, uses a surfing metaphor:  “A great surfer could not exist without a great wave.”  Surfers realize that they can’t change the direction of the wave but the best ones pick the right surfboard, and the right moment to ride the wave somewhere special.

A tipping point

We’re reaching a tipping point - where a critical mass of people understand that green investing is the most competitive thing they can do.   Here in Nicaragua, we’re still at the beginning of this green trend. But if you want to know where things are headed, just stand on the southern coast of Nicaragua and look south.

You’ll see Costa Rica pointing far out to sea - the text book example of investors putting their money into “eco-sensitive”, “earth friendly”, “low impact”, “green” real estate.

A special three day private tour with innovative insider access

We’ve designed a three day, dedicated green real estate tour where we showcase five remarkable projects painted in different shades of green and all offering the kind of investment and lifestyle opportunities smart buyers want to be a part of.   Rock solid projects where you can invest in a way that helps produce a healthy, livable world for you and your family.

 We think you’ll like what you see.

That’s why we’ll cover all in-country expenses over the three days, with no obligation whatsoever.

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She describes restoration projects on two of the most prestigious residential properties in the colonial city. 

Granada is one of the first cities Spain founded in the New World in 1524.  We invite you to tour its very walk-able historic center and experience its traditional colonial architecture first hand.

It’s one of the gems of Central America. 

“Granada - the city in the south of Nicaragua, not its namesake on the other side of the Atlantic - is, in spite of its relative obscurity, one of the gems of Central America, with its fine churches and elegantly proportioned porticoes, a volcano rising raggedly above it and Lake Nicaragua shimmering at its feet.”  Read the whole article.

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The Earthship will be featured on our Green Real Estate tours planned for later this year.  We’re going to focus exclusively on environmentally conscious and socially responsible real estate developments.

Tour participants will get an inside track on everything from sustainable housing communities constructed of all recycled materials to off-grid hacienda style home lots.  

Click here for more information on our eco-tours.

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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 real estate investing in Nicaragua an engine for community development and social and financial stability.

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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.

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Today we started compacting the floors.

It looks like we’ll be laying tiles, but we have received various ideas from local builders on the best method for laying them. Ideas range from concrete slabs to laying them into the clay earth to everything in between.

There’s no rush, so we’ll be moving on to other areas of the building as we investigate local methods.

The trusses are being reset to 2′, previously spaced for 4′, the second tire (formed) window has been set, and the site has received a preliminary cleaning as all of the surplus tires have been stacked and accounted for.

They will be used to build new Earthships as the passion for green real estate in Nicaragua grows.

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New hands on the worksite today. Eric and Minya are on their way from the Panama Canal to the USA via the Pan American Highway…on bicycles. 

We met them yesterday on the way to Managua when we stopped for Breakfast at Chepe Chu, a little truckstop café on the road between Rivas and Nandaime.

After some story swapping, they decided they would take a couple days down to view our green building project before continuing.

They are very welcome at the worksite.

Check out the form work for the round window in the photo above (the tire will be removed once the cement dries).

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Fractional real estate is broadly defined as vacation real estate sold in intervals of more than one week and less than whole ownership.  It sits alongside destination clubs, condo hotels, timeshare and private residence clubs on the spectrum of real estate models being used in the second home and vacation market. 

Despite being new to the market here, Nicaragua has an advantage over Mexico (where fractionals are booming) when it comes to the legal basis of fractional ownership.  With a simpler legal system and an environment where foreigners can own land with fee simple title, fractional offerings are set to flourish. 

Hassle free absentee landownership

For investors not equipped or not willing to be absentee landlords, fractionals offer a compelling proposition.  It is often not a matter of being unable to afford a vacation home, but a case of not wanting the hassle and expense of maintaining a home 52 weeks of the year when they are likely to occupy it only for two or three weeks each year.   

We know of a number of developers in Nicaragua planning fractional products.  All part of a wider trend towards mixed use offerings in the vacation real estate world. 

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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.

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