Renting in Turks and Caicos

Having blogged some time ago about Cathryn’s villas and townhomes in Leeward, I just wanted to reiterate their desirability for comfort, space and all that she provides for a wonderful stay here.
She is getting bookings now for the new season so now is the time to make one for yourself and the family so you will not be disappointed.
She has offered a discount to those wishing to hire her huge villas for more than a month so why not break free and really relax and get to know us?
One of her long term town homes will be available for rent as of the end of October so to all those on island or coming to take up employment, get in quick..
I am finding that people call and say, “There is a lot to rent long term but they are not upto the standard and quality I am looking for”.
This is NOT true of Cathyrn’s homes which is why they are not empty for long.
As I am giving you the heads up, act today….
Visit her website http://www.pelicannest.tc/
Or contact me direct as I would be happy to help you..and it’s FREE!
649 242 1714 or  jan@caribbeanhomefinder.net 

Here is my website - do visit! www.caribbeanhomefinder.net

Moving countries - following that dream.. you can do it too..

As my mother-in-law said to me on my wedding day, thirty something years ago , “Life with Rowland will never be dull’”.
How right she was…but to be fair the beginning of August starting off badly was not something I could credit or blame him for..and now the weekend is here, things have calmed down.

In a nutshell, my car decided to go on strike each morning just when I needed to go to an appointment or important meeting. It must have been the shock of being cleaned and waxed by my own fair hand last weekend.

I needed to check on on listing I have on my website, Villa Roi Soleil, and on the way, I practised my rally driving skills. As I approached a small hill , a truck was approaching down the middle of it.
Fortunately, I drive a large four wheel drive Nissan, so she came into her own as I veered to miss the truck ,swung across the road, spun round and ended up in the bushes on the opposite side of the road,with two flat tyres and a dented wing. I was fine except I have a For sale sign in the window and just thought ” I’ll have to drop the price now”.
It was 6p.m. Luckily a truck load of construction workers pulled up, jumped out, pushed and jigged the car and after a hefty tip and lots of my business cards distributed ( they wanted to buy the car!)they went on their merry way.

With two flats, I needed to make a call to Mackey, the tyreman. He said he’d send a couple of guys and whilst I waited for them, several workers stopped to check and see if I was ok.
I had my doubts that help would arrive BUT they did and with all the gear.

We often think that life here is inefficient and laid back ( and that’s what we like)but actually No, I can’t say it is with that sort of service.

I forgot to mention that our tenants next door had reported no air conditioning working which meant an engineer had to replace the thermostat ( I had tried to fix it myself). Again, all done within a morning, with a cheery smile and another invoice.
They also reported no hot water. Things come in threes don’t they?

As we live overlooking the marina where the Music Fest took place, (Lionel Ritchie was fab) we all have been surviving on four hours sleep each night as the main crowd puller didn’t get on stage till 2pm.
All good fun until one morning we woke ,blurry eyed to see a torrent of water cascading over the balcony from under the door of the one bed apartment.When our tenants came out they were paddling! We all set about sweeping whilst Rowland looked for the stop cock. The water heater was the culprit so again another service engineer friend turned out to deal with it and soon enough, one new water heater and another invoice appeared.

So that was the beginning of the week.
It got better though, as some good friends asked me to sell their beautiful penthouse apartment and others gave me parcels of beachfront land on Middle Caicos to sell and I was published on Caribpro.com ( thanks to Susan) which has brought me all sorts of e mails from others wanting to change their lifestyles.

So what does next week hold I wonder? It’s always busier and more fun that I could imagine.

For now, I am going to contemplate my navel ( as they say) and sit on the beach for a couple of hours; I get many of my ideas there and it sets my energy levels high ready for the whatever comes my way next week.

Just hope the invoices are a thing of the past, the penthouse is sold ,one investor buys all 40 acres on Middle Caicos and my car is happier. I’ll let you know.

What my lady has had posted…….

As my mother-in-law said to me on my wedding day, thirty something years ago , “Life with Rowland will never be dull’”. How right she was…but to be fair the beginning of August starting off badly was not something I could credit or blame him for..and now the weekend is here, things have calmed down. In a nutshell, my car decided to go on strike each morning just when I needed to go to an appointment or important meeting. It must have been the shock of being cleaned and waxed by my own fair hand last weekend. I needed to check on on listing I have on my website, Villa Roi Soleil, and on the way, I practised my rally driving skills. As I approached a small hill , a truck was approaching down the middle of it. Fortunately, I drive a large four wheel drive Nissan, so she came into her own as I veered to miss the truck ,swung across the road, spun round and ended up in the bushes on the opposite side of the road,with two flat tyres and a dented wing. I was fine except I have a For sale sign in the window and just thought ” I’ll have to drop the price now”. It was 6p.m. Luckily a truck load of construction workers pulled up, jumped out, pushed and jigged the car and after a hefty tip and lots of my business cards distributed ( they wanted to buy the car!)they went on their merry way. With two flats, I needed to make a call to Mackey, the tyreman. He said he’d send a couple of guys and whilst I waited for them, several workers stopped to check and see if I was ok. I had my doubts that help would arrive BUT they did and with all the gear. We often think that life here is inefficient and laid back ( and that’s what we like)but actually No, I can’t say it is with that sort of service. I forgot to mention that our tenants next door had reported no air conditioning working which meant an engineer had to replace the thermostat ( I had tried to fix it myself). Again, all done within a morning, with a cheery smile and another invoice. They also reported no hot water. Things come in threes don’t they? As we live overlooking the marina where the Music Fest took place, (Lionel Ritchie was fab) we all have been surviving on four hours sleep each night as the main crowd puller didn’t get on stage till 2pm. All good fun until one morning we woke ,blurry eyed to see a torrent of water cascading over the balcony from under the door of the one bed apartment.When our tenants came out they were paddling! We all set about sweeping whilst Rowland looked for the stop cock. The water heater was the culprit so again another service engineer friend turned out to deal with it and soon enough, one new water heater and another invoice appeared. So that was the beginning of the week. It got better though, as some good friends asked me to sell their beautiful penthouse apartment and others gave me parcels of beachfront land on Middle Caicos to sell and I was published on Caribpro.com ( thanks to Susan) which has brought me all sorts of e mails from others wanting to change their lifestyles. So what does next week hold I wonder? It’s always busier and more fun that I could imagine. For now, I am going to contemplate my navel ( as they say) and sit on the beach for a couple of hours; I get many of my ideas there and it sets my energy levels high ready for the whatever comes my way next week. Just hope the invoices are a thing of the past, the penthouse is sold ,one investor buys all 40 acres on Middle Caicos and my car is happier. I’ll let you know.

Land for Sale in Turks and Caicos

Jul 26, 2008

LAND FOR SALE IN TURKS AND CAICOS

It is always pleasing to receive enquiries about property here in Turks and Caicos, especially from people reading my website from far away places…

I had an e mail late the other night from a gentleman who has land to sell in North Caicos.
Now this was welcomed as I do not have a listing over there.

It is a short boat ride away and when my husband and I have house guests we always put a trip to North on the “What you must do list”

We drive ten minutes from home to the dock at Leeward and take the boat over. It’s a great fun ride. Some passengers are resident on North and go to Provo for provisions once a week. Others are tourists who wish to explore outside their immediate locations.

When we arrive at the impressive new marina in North there is a car waiting for us and off we go exploring all the tracks, usually arriving at the newly built causeway over to Middle Caicos. That’s a sight to behold.
It’s like being part of the movie “I am Legend”; you are all alone with a highway in front of you. Get out of the car and take pictures of the expansive views of road and vegetation as huge pelicans soar overhead.

North Caicos also boasts a new airport proving that infrastructure of these other islands is making headway.In turn investors are looking at North as the next Providenciales.

Consequently, land prices have escalated.
The stamp duty on islands other than Provo, is much lower, to encourage investors over there.

So the gentlemen from far away has land in Kew, North Caicos, to sell.

He has two separate lots, inland and very reasonably priced for this country.

One is 0.49 acres for only $40,000. It has road frontage too.

I think this would be a great investment for someone wanting to put their money to good use

Clients I know have bought several lots in North and Middle and waiting for future development to push prices up.

So if you are thinking of investing for the future, here is an opportunity and I know my far away gentleman, would welcome prospective buyers.
It’s not on my website as this deal is only available for the next two weeks.
So call me if interested and I can send you details via e mail.

Jan@caribbeanhomefinder.net
              649 242 1714       

Grace Bay Town Homes For Sale

Monday was the Queen’s official birthday and so it is deemed a public holiday. As a Brit, I am rather embarrassed to confess that I had forgotten, so I had set up appointments all day and wondered why people were telling me they were out in their boats!

On the other hand, Scott, owner and developer, graciously met my client and me on Monday. He even smiled a warm welcome as I apologised for taking him away from the family fun.

I had seen the sign to Grace Bay Town Homes as they are positioned in a prominent tourist area but away from the main street. I have driven past the entrance many times so exploring where the track led to added to the surprise.

There are only nineteen 1,645 sq ft two bed two and half bath homes with two swimming pools and lush landscaping, with Grace Bay Beach being an easy one block walk away.

I was impressed with the amount of storage space and my client thought they were beautifully presented with granite work tops,maple cabinets, crown mouldings, 9 ft ceilings, name brand appliances, central air and the list goes on…

As Scott and Dana live on site and have sold to friends, it seems that this community will be well cared for and owners can expect a good return for their money whether they are buying to rent out or to live in themselves.

There are a few left so contact me for details and I will be happy to help.
jan@caribbeanhomefinder.net or (649) 242 1714

Just a thought for you British ladies.

A very good friend of ours from UK asked to come and stay for a second time in the year. She had enjoyed herself so much in the summer that instead of going to Europe skiing in the New year, she opted for the sun in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
She is a very successful business woman who owns her own recruitment company and recently went through a divorce after twenty years of marriage…anyhow, I was thinking about her and several other women of independent means who I know well, who have found themselves on their own and feeling low because the children have grown and flown the nest.
The good news is that she is beginning to do things that she would never have done in her past life, like travel long distances alone to visit us.
Before going into real estate, I wondered if ladies alone for whatever reason, knew about this island and if they felt confident to travel here,they would realise what a friendly, fun place it is;somewhere where they could be themselves for a while or even find themselves!I think my friend is a great advertisement for the place and it cheers me to see how happy she is when she is here.
Turks and Caicos Islands is an overseas British dependent territory with the American dollar and British road rules.
When my friend returned here for her New Year holiday, she was greeted by all our friends like a long lost family member and soon slotted straight back into our social life (which was hectic being holiday time).She forgot to feel sorry for herself and I forgot she had to go home and earn a living!
She called me last night and said she was coming back again in the summer and bringing her sons to learn to dive. I think it’s about time she bit the bullet and bought her own place!
So the conclusion is that being alone and coming here for a break is a good idea. Even better is buying your own little place to escape to, but for the time being, why not come over and check it out?We have beautiful hotels and villas to rent, restaurants to suit every palate, safe beaches with no beach vendors, lots of people who will give you a warm welcome and it’s English speaking so forget the phrase book.
Call me when you are arriving just to say Hi and that you got this brilliant idea from my blog!!You won’t regret it…see you soon
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Yes, I was there last night

Yes, I was there, of course, last night at the weekly ritual of Sharkbite, here in Turtle Cove. For that avid reader who can’t get away from my blog, they will not know possibly of this favourite watering hole of mine, where one can catch up with the local gossip and of course, have a beer or two. Its interesting how the weekly crowd changes from each week…this week it was really busy for a good few hours….

Well, for me, its ginger ale now, as I have discovered that several bottles of the falling down water do give me a headache.. so have decided to take the fizzy route for a bit….

hmmm….

We had some super new yachts in the marina this week. Must be possibly something to do with the fishing tournament scheduled for next week. We get this wonderfull fishing boats come in, all with fridges and showers and all the toys that make deep sea fishing such a trial. Just checked out the website of this tournament.. very posh… do I really live there and overlook this.. yes I do…. lucky me!….

Must have a chat with Carol and see if I can get a link to Syb’s website… seems a good spot to be seen for others..

Think I have finally got my head around this blogging lark and look forward to seeing if there really is anyone out there in cyberspace - are you there?………

The best deal I have seen is at WEST BAY CLUB

I often drive past the impressive front entrance of the newly opened condominium resort called the West Bay Club so Lisa of Connolly Zahm offered to show me round today.

It’s located in the quiet westerly end of Grace Bay so no worries about having enough beach to yourself.

All the apartments face the sea and have direct access to the Grace Bay Beach where you could walk for miles if you were that way inclined. The beach sun loungers were more alluring for me.

There is a fitness centre and spa near the pool and a poolside eatery which includes an owners’ lounge with TV and continental breakfast.

Each condo owner has the use of basement storage. My husband would be happy as his jeep hard top and numerous tool boxes are always needing a home.

As she escorted me around, it was noticeable how light and airy and spacious it all felt.

Most apartments come fully furnished which is included in the price except the three bed three and half bath penthouse and there is only one of those left.

The two beds have the lock out facility so one part can be rented as a separate dwelling while you use the other or the whole lot can be open as a two bedroom. The lock out is a suite equipped with mini kitchen and separate entrance; a clever design.

One of the last units I viewed was a two bed,two bath 1,401 sq ft corner one on the ground floor.
It’s slightly smaller that the other two beds and has not got the lock out facility but for $699,000 as opposed to 1,860 sq ft for $949,000, I was ready to get the cheque book out.

Apart from the price, I also liked the fact that it had its own little walkway to the beach and as its a corner one, no-one would need to venture past your outdoor seating area. which overlooks the beach.
Coupled with a rental return if wanted, not much less than the higher priced two bed, I thought it was a very good investment all round.

Don’t forget the stamp duty reduction from 9.75% to 6% till the end of June.

We met some vacationers in the elevator ( a lift to me) who said that they were thoroughly enjoying their stay and had had a sleepless night working out which one of the remaining units they would like to buy.

I could have told them but I kept it a secret!!

Get in touch with me if you wish to discuss real estate ( or even just to chat)
649 242 1714 or e mail me jan@caribbeanhomefinder.net or Jan.Anchor@tciway.tc

Its all very clever this technology….

Checking on how these new systems work, I discoverd that my photos in Picasa were automatically accessed by this blog software and all of a sudden I could pop up some of the millions of photos that I have taken here in Turks and Caicos…I like the idea that I can link as well to wherever I want…not that anyone will read this…. but we shall see.

However, thought I would link some photos of a new whizzo island that is starting to really swing now.. that being Ambergris Cay….

It has its own international airport now, which is a bit of a first in the Caribbean, and those that want and can, are able to fly directly to this spot on the Earth and chill out.

There going to be a bit of bash in the immedatiate future for the formal opening of this new faciltiy, not that I have an invite, but the thought is there - from me anyhow..

Here’s a photo to peruse. It’s not much to look at really and does not show what this island is all about, but worth clicking on this link, and you can see more. It you fancy bulding your own home on a private island, then this could be the place for you.

There I was… minding my own business….

Just sitting on my balcony, I looked up, only to see this super yacht slip gently into the harbour here in Turtle Cove, Providenciales.
A great sight to see first thing and I always wonder who is on board. A number of these lovely boats are charters from Florida, and sometimes a whole crowd of friends have all chipped in together to enjoy the fun. We have a huge mega yacht in last year which was registered in London, and sat here for three months or so. It was one of those yachts that is propelled by blowing the water rather than using a propella…. quite amazing. A nice sight to wake up to.