Last week was the 14^th Annual Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference in Bachelor Gulch, Colorado.  The headquarters of the conference was at the Ritz Carlton.  Membership in this organization is by invitation-only.  Jim Walberg and Caribbean Islands Realty were invited to join this prestigious international real estate group in 2007.  The Fall conference is the annual event which allows for the member-Brokers to gather at luxury locations in the United States to exchange ideas that are creating the best results in their various marketplaces.  Jim Walberg was a guest presenter at the conference for the fifth straight conference. Read the rest of this entry »

Coastweeks is the what the locals in the USVI call International Coastal Cleanup (YouTube) week.  It starts September 19^th and the USVI’s are getting ready for a week’s of hard and dirty work – but much needed.  During that week you will find students, various organizations, business groups, and an army of people who will be heading to the beaches of the USVI to pick up and categorize the garbage they find.  Organized beach clean-ups will run through September and October.

At last year’s Coastweeks there were 1,400 volunteers on St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix who picked up 18,600 pounds of trash from 43 miles of beaches!  St. Thomas won the prize for the most garbage, if anyone would really want that prize – 12,275 pounds of trash.  St. John was second with 3,000 pounds of trash, and St. Croix was third with 2,035 of trash.  The environment has no winners when our citizens are creating such a mess of Mother Nature’s playground.  This is in the same category of contributing to the well being of the earth as the USVI Waste Management Authority contract to create alternative energy in the USVI from trash. Read the rest of this entry »

Jim Walberg’s  friend, Tom, just completed a move to the Caribbean this month.  Over the past ten years there have been several of Jim’s friends who he has assisted with the transition from the Mainland to the Islands.  The results have been a mixed bag.  Each had surprises and disappointments.  All of them have had adventures of a life time.  One of the biggest hurdles has been changing the pace of their daily lives.  It is unbelievable the length of our “To Do Lists”, and supposed amenities that we seem to require back on the mainland.

Tom showed up in St. Thomas on August 11^th after selling all he didn’t want to bring with him to St. Thomas.  He ended a successful career in the world of home mortgages and decided it was time to act out a life long dream.  Six months ago Tom and I started exploring what it would be like to completely change his life and move to the Caribbean.  Tom decided he wanted a job in St. Thomas in order to accelerate his entrance into a completely different life.  Below are some of the keys that I shared with Tom regarding what it takes to move to Paradise.  After you review my suggestions, I welcome any of your experiences. Read the rest of this entry »

There are 25 Caribbean countries that Jim Walberg  follows relating to their real estate economic trends.  The trends he follows includes Caribbean fractionals, villas, townhomes and condos.  In spite of the current global economic crisis there are international real estate markets that are still thriving.  Remember, all real estate is local.  Four of the locations in the Caribbean that are thriving are the Dominican Republic,  Belize, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Dominica.  There is an amazing amount of cash that continues to sit on the sidelines waiting for smart values in the world of international real estate.  The Caribbean is one of those locations where the cash is being spent.  Read the rest of this entry »

Old guys  are still surfing – promise!  Jim Walberg  just discovered that Roy’s Cabana  has re-launched their board shorts and surfing apparel after 25 years.  Roy and Dody Colburn’s son, Tom Colburn, now heads the re-launching of the company his parents started in 1952.  It is now based in Cardiff, California  near San Diego with the surfing apparel available in the Caribbean by going on-line.  The Caribbean surfing community will love the clothing Roy’s is now ready to deliver!

Most of you know that I grew up in Redondo Beach  and surfed all through the 1950’s and 1960’s before I discovered the Caribbean in 1975.  Growing up, Roy’s was my board shorts for over 20 years.  Roy’s started as a motel and café that was just across the road from the beach in Santa Monica.   Roy and Dody Colburn began their business in 1948 by serving meals all day and evening at the café next to their motel next to the beach.  As the surfing community of Southern California started to grow in Santa Monica they began hanging out at Roy’s Café when they were not in the water, lathering themselves with Baby Oil for the darkest tan possible, and playing volleyball.  Read the rest of this entry »

There are possibilities of hurricanes every year in the Caribbean, it is just a matter of when which islands they will hit. If your mind-set is OK about living in a region of the world with the possibility of hurricanes, then the time to buy is during hurricane season – July through October.  This is the “slow time” for Caribbean real estate, and it is the time when the smart international bargain hunters show up.

In my 30+ years of experiencing the Caribbean during July through October I have never experienced a hurricane while on-island or sailing   That is not to say they are storms to be taken lightly, but I would rather deal with a hurricane than an earthquake.  Hurricane warnings are so sophisticated that you are given several weeks to watch the storm’s progress as you decide what to do about you and your property.  There is no warning about an earthquake.  Can you believe that we live and have real estate offices in both of these parts of the world?  We wouldn’t change a thing! Read the rest of this entry »

The first week of January 2009 the Virgin Island Water & Power Authority  made a commitment to begin moving away from the use of fossil fuel as it’s only means of energy.  The long awaited agreement was signed this week with Denver-based Alpine Energy Group  to build waste-to-energy facilities on St. Thomas and St. Croix.

This project has been a long awaited event that will now use USVI waste and convert it into energy for the islands.  Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority  has also contracted Alpine Energy Group to reduce the Territory’s two landfills that are bursting at the seams.  Both of these critical contracts are for 20 years.

“The project clearly demonstrates that two government agencies can really work together and reach a turning point from which they can both move into the future as they responsibly are guardians of our natural resources.”  Gov. John deJongh Jr.  said during the press conference. Read the rest of this entry »

Fractional ownership of property in the Caribbean is the most popular method of owning your piece of Paradise – from Aruba to the Mayan Riviera  in Mexico.  A new fractional opportunity in the Dominican Republic has just been announced.

One of the most beautiful and exclusive privately owned luxury villas in the Dominican Republic  is now offering the opportunity to purchase a 1/10^th share of Villa Castellamonte, which allows them five weeks of enjoyment in the DR.  You know I am a fan of fractional ownership.  It is a way for people to enjoy their slice of Paradise without having to fully own the property.  There are some “potholes” to avoid with developments that are promoting that they have fractional ownership opportunities, when, in fact, it is not true.  So, it is a “Buyer Beware” for people investigating a fractional ownership anywhere in the world. Read the rest of this entry »

For the past two years the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute on St. Croix has been selected by the National Geographic Geotourism Challenge as a Top Ten Finalist out of 611 entrants from around the world.  The VISFI is located on more than 100 acres in the rain forest of St. Croix.

The mission of VISFI is: To provide a working educational farm enterprise that integrates sustainability in education, environment, and community through quality instruction in Agroecology and related fields.  The National Geographic Geotourism Challenge promotes innovations that benefit local communities and cultural landscapes in tourist destinations. The 2009 theme is “The Power of Place: Sustaining the Future of Destinations.” Read the rest of this entry »

One of the truths about real estate is that all real estate is local.  The world news continues to report each day the demise of real estate because of the world’s credit meltdown, however there are always real estate locations that are still thriving.  The Caribbean fractionals are one of those locations.

I am constantly looking for the best opportunities in the Caribbean for people to secure their slice of Paradise.  For the last several years the real estate product that has represented half or more of the sales has been fractionals.  If you recall, almost ten years ago the Ritz Carlton in Red Hook,  St. Thomas, was one of the first to test the market of fractional deeded ownership as a method to own real estate with several other partners.  It was a huge success.  Below are six more Caribbean islands to consider for your slice of Paradise by purchasing a fraction of the property instead of the owning it all yourself. Read the rest of this entry »