Roatan & Utila Real Estate & Island News February ’18

Roatan & Utila Real Estate & Island News February ’18

-A New and Exclusive Selling Tool: RealtyHive.com 
-Ladies Luncheon 
-West Bay International Medical Clinic 
-Roatan Scholarship Fund for Young Women 
-Love Utila? 
-Too Young to Quit and Too Old Not to Seek a Second or Third Life? 
-Garifuna Days 
-Cayos Cochinos

New RE/MAX Exclusive Buyers and Sellers Tool 
We’re excited to announce our new affiliation with RealtyHive.com to bring global exposure to our agents and properties! This partnership provides great tools for our agents, sellers, and buyers including RealtyHive’s exclusive Event Marketing–with no costs for services to the Sellers.

RealtyHive is an international web based marketing tool used to sell properties. This is an exclusive program to RE/MAX here in the Bay Islands. It takes clients who want their best chance at selling property to use their “Event Marketing” to promote and find buyers for perspective sellers. If you are a buyer or seller and want additional information on this new and exclusive option, hit reply and I will send it to you.

Our first auction on RealtyHive is March 28th, and this is the link for the site. As I receive these updates I will send them out to those who are interested: 
https://www.realtyhive.com/mainsearch/advanced/SortBy=HighestPrice&ListingType=Auction&Country=HN

I will communicate this via our V.I.P. Investment Club. If you are not connected to the V.I.P. Club, click here to connect. https://www.roatan-realtor.com/real-estate-investment-club/

RealtyHive adds to our RE/MAX arsenal of obtaining both buyers and sellers. Besides our top ranking real estate site that is packed with properties, useful information in the All You Need To Know video series, buyers FAQ’s and seller information, we auto load our properties to the RE/MAX Caribbean and Central America site, the RE/MAX Global site and the National Association of REALTORs international site.

If you are a seller of buyer RE/MAX is the place to be!

RE/MAX “Doing more from Sale to Sold”.

Ladies Luncheon 
Once a month, the ladies of Roatan have lunch together. This is purely a social occasion for women from all over the island to visit, catch up, and meet newcomers to the island. This past month there were about 65 ladies in attendance. They talk, laugh, and experience food from a variety of restaurants. This month the women met at Ibagari Boutique Hotel between West End and West Bay. The setting is lush and exotic, and the building and decor are modern, whimsical, and eclectic. The food was a perfect accent for the lovely hotel. Beautiful presentation and great flavors. Visiting or moving to Roatan? Join us! Professional REALTOR – Annie Marie Miles ajanulis@yahoo.com

Now Open in West Bay International Medical Clinic Facility 
A new medical clinic is now open in West Bay. This long needed facility opened January 16th, and we are thrilled to have medical care so close to the most visited part of the island. The clinic is directly across the street from West Bay Mall, (and our second RE/MAX location). Peace of mind is a good thing!

Roatan Scholarship Fund for Young Women 
The Roatan Scholarship Fund’s mission is to help empower native Bay Island girls and women through access to higher education by offering high school (10-12th grade) and university scholarships to poor, academically qualified, young girls and women. An alarming number of girls and women on the Bay Islands do not graduate high school nor do they attend university. As a result, island women are finding themselves locked out of decent paying jobs, thus continuing the generational poverty cycle. The Roatan Scholarship Fund’s goal is to minimize this inequality and help build brighter future for our native communities.

Will you be on the island February 10th? An upcoming Carnival Masquerade Ball will be held in benefit of the Roatan Scholarship Fund at the Jackson Mansion, French Harbour from 8pm-2am. Cost to attend is $50 per person or $595 for a table of 12. This is a Masquerade Party (masks provided). Tickets available at the following locations: 
The Beauty Shop- Mega Plaza, French Harbor 
The Shop- Coconut Plaza, Coxen Hole 
Tirza’s Touch Boutique, West End 
RE/MAX- Jackson Plaza, Mount Pleasant 
RE/MAX- West Bay Mall

Love Utila? 
They would love to have you and would appreciate your consideration in an ambulance fundraiser. 
Help make your next trip there safer and more memorable………… 
https://www.gofundme.com/Utila-ambulance-fundraiser

Too Young to Quit Working and Too Old and Bored Not to Seek a Second or Third Life?

In my parents’ generation (WWII), the northern United States was far more populated than the southern United States. When it came time to retire (usually after 30-40 years for the same employer), most people went to the “Promised Lands” of Florida or Arizona. My generation seems to have started expanding those boundaries to go off shore in considerable numbers and not there are thousands every year that are becoming residents in foreign countries while keeping their U.S. or Canadian Citizenships. Some people come to play golf, fish, dive, and stay warm. Others have children that are not yet married or in college and decide to start a second or third life for themselves by starting a business here.

About 40% of the inquires we get are from people who want to make a full-time move to the Bay Islands. In the past couple of years we have had people from all professions move to the island including a web master, a professional massage therapy specialist, a car technician, a construction contractor, and our latest clients, Alan and Cathy Resch.

Dr. Alan Resch is a chiropractor who trained in the United States and comes to island with 32 years of experience in activator and impulse adjusting. His office is located in French Harbor above Bojangles’, and he is now accepting new patients. Please call 9914-5888 or 9528-1444 to schedule an appointment. You can also stay connected with him by liking his Facebook page, Roatan Chiropractic and Bodywork. Watch for the grand opening of his office in two to three weeks.

Questions on Residencies? Here is the place to get the answers – https://www.residencyhonduras.com/

Garifuna Days 
The Garifuna people celebrate their heritage on April 12th. Most of the festivities take place in Punta Gorda, which is one of Roatan’s oldest settlements. Festivities are usually scheduled on the Sunday closest to April 12th. Today Punta Gorda is a protected and historic area. Property in Punta Gorda cannot be sold outside of the Garifuna community. The Garifuna arrived in 1797, and they settled in Punta Gorda, which is located on the northeastern coastline of Roatan. The celebrations go on for the entire day. The formalities begin with a ritualistic reenactment of the Garifuna’s arrival on Roatan. Locals dress the part and ride into Punta Gorda on small boats and make landfall. The reenactment quickly turns festive with beating drums, live tribal music, lots of food, and a traditional drink called, Gifity. If you’re on Roatan during these dates, you don’t want to miss these celebrations.

Cayos Cochinos 
There is a group of islands about 22+ miles off the shore of Roatan and approximately 15 miles from the coast of Utila called Cayos Cochinos (Hog Islands). If you are looking for a little adventure, you may want to plan a day trip there. For over 20 years, these islands were under the supervision of the Smithsonian. The islands have a very small population, and on one of the islands, there are native islanders who still live in bamboo and thatch homes. The snorkeling and diving is very clear. If this sparks your interest, check out a short video on this link – 
https://www.roatan-realestate.com/photo-gallery/ . Scroll down to the Cayos section and let Realtor Julie Shigetomi (realestateinutila@gmail.com) give you an overview. It’s a great life experience. You are not at the end of the earth, but you can see it from there.