Luxury Real Estate

By Carl Peralta of 77 Great Estates

Fractional real estate developments are cropping up around the globe, selling partial ownership of luxury residences. Here’s what you need to know before you buy.

Fractional Residences Explained

If you’ve been in the market for a vacation home in the past few years, you’ve undoubtedly heard about fractional residences. This new upscale spin on the tired timeshare offers shared, deeded ownership of luxury homes in some of the world’s most popular resort areas.

Fractional ownership promises five-star amenities and services, access to prime recreation—from golf to skiing to fly-fishing—and above all, the chance to own a multimillion-dollar residence, or at least part of one, for a lot less than the cost of whole ownership.

Why buy?

A share in a fractional residence is deeded real estate ownership that you can sell or pass down to your children, just as with a traditional real estate holding. The factors that distinguish fractionals from timeshares are not only a high level of luxury—and cost—but also greater access to the property, though these factors vary from fractional to fractional.

One notable perk of fractional ownership is that it reduces the hassles inherent in owning a vacation home—the management company takes care of maintenance and security. That means you won’t need to worry about closing the pool for the winter or hiring someone to look in on your home while you’re away.

As an added draw, most fractional developments offer an extensive suite of concierge services. Ski passes delivered to your door, a stocked refrigerator upon arrival and even help with your travel arrangements are all par for the course.

Where to Buy

Fractional residences are available in just about any area that’s popular with second homeowners:

• Golf resorts, including Scottsdale, Ariz., and La Quinta, Calif. • Ski areas, including Colorado’s Aspen, Telluride and Snowmass • Beach resorts, including Cabo San Lucas (on the tip of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula), St. Thomas and the coast of South Africa • International destinations, including Italy, France and Dubai

Just as with buying a vacation home, location can also affect resale value. Beachfront trumps oceanside. Ski-in/ski-out tops a drive to the slopes.

With fractional ownership, you can buy into an expensive real estate market at a fraction of the cost of whole ownership. Take Aspen, for example. In mid-2008, more than half of all houses and condominiums for sale in this tony ski town had asking prices topping $3 million. The way into Aspen for under a million bucks (other than a fixer-upper condo with a kitchen from the 1970s) is fractional ownership, with options available from St. Regis and Ritz-Carlton, among others. Fractionals can also help you buy in a market where there isn’t much new construction, like Calistoga in California’s Napa Valley.

Is the brand name worth it?

Another consideration is whether to go with an established brand – like St. Regis Residence Club, Ritz-Carlton Club, Fairmont Heritage Place or Timbers Collection – or a one-off development.

Big names offer consistency and a certain level of quality control, and sometimes offer extras like discounts on hotel rooms in their network, or last-minute stays in unreserved fractional units for a nominal fee. The flip side of the coin is that the bigger brands often go for condo communities over freestanding residences or cottages, and may lack some of the local charm of their independent counterparts.

The biggest perk of joining established brands is that they typically have developments in multiple locations. Owners can participate in an exchange program that allows them to swap weeks at their main location for time at residences in other communities. These programs are often based on complicated points systems that don’t operate at a one-to-one exchange rate.

Guaranteed Use & Reservations

Depending on the development, a buyer can get 4, 6, 8 or more weeks a year of guaranteed use. The size of your share will determine how much access you have to the property, so be sure the share isn’t too small—or large—for your needs. Some owners buy multiple shares to increase their number of vacation weeks.

Getting the home you want

The key question is, can you actually reserve the home when you want it, year after year? Landing reservations during sought-after holiday weeks can be particularly challenging at fractional developments in ski communities, for example, where the prime vacation period lasts only a few months.

Before you buy, be sure you understand how the development allocates reservations, particularly during peak travel times. For example, a development may:

• Provide 1 week during the prime season that remains the same each year, with additional days that can be booked throughout the year • Limit the number of weeks that can be used in the winter or summer months • Rotate reservation priorities among owners. For example, each year, a different owner has the opportunity to book the week between Christmas and New Year’s.

If units are already operational, talk with other owners about their success in booking vacations during the busiest seasons.

Cost Considerations

It’s not exactly a state secret that the sum of a home’s fractional shares exceeds its total value. Why the premium? Developers say selling a single residence to multiple owners leads to higher costs for sales, management and the resort itself. To guard against overpaying for a particular fractional unit, expand your research to other fractional communities in the area, as well as the resale market.

Keep in mind that buying a share of a fractional residence requires more than just the initial outlay. Annual dues—which can easily stretch beyond $10,000—cover things like daily housekeeping, property upkeep, management fees and even property taxes.

One way to evaluate the total cost of fractional ownership is through a simple cost-per-night analysis that looks at how the annual dues break out on a nightly basis over the course of a year. To figure cost per night, divide the annual dues by the number of nights your share includes. Then compare this rate with the nightly rate at a five-star hotel in the area.

Preconstruction precaution

For buyers interested in projects that haven’t yet broken ground, there is another concern in these tough economic times—will the development ever open its doors? While buyers who get in early don’t risk losing their deposit, they do risk having those dollars tied up in a non-interest-bearing account that may never yield a real estate development.

You may want to hold off until the bulldozers arrive. It may be worth risking a slight price increase to avoid having a $50,000 deposit locked into a project that may never get farther than those colorful mockups on the sales room floor.

Resales are unproven

If you’re looking at a unit in a development that’s completed construction, research the resale market. It can take years for a development to completely sell its entire developer inventory, but even if that initial stock hasn’t sold out, there may be units for resale listed by local brokers.

Sample fractional resale listings in Aspen

• Fractionals at the Ritz-Carlton Club, Aspen Highlands have asking prices of $184,000 to $575,000. • Fractionals at the Hyatt Grand Aspen carry price tags ranging from $125,000 to $2,450,000. • Resales at the St. Regis Residence Club, a community that sold out of its developer inventory, currently run from $170,000 to $1.2 million. Its fractional units initially sold from $350,000 to $1.5 million a share.

These numbers illustrate two important points:

• There are deals to be had on fractionals in the resale market • Fractionals are not a proven investment. Fractionals do not always appreciate at the same rate as traditional real estate investments. It’s wise to look at a fractional as a lifestyle purchase, not a financial investment. You should be buying because you love the property, not because you expect to turn a profit.

Behind the Numbers

Due Diligence Questions

- "Do Good With Your Vacation Home" Program assists Charities and Non-Profits throughout the United States -

By Michael McFadden of The Society

Denver, Colo. (May 6, 2009) — Vacation home rentals in Florida, southern California, the Hamptons and the Riviera Maya provided by VacationHomesForCharity.org were auctioned off with proceeds benefiting charities throughout the United States enhancing their fundraising goals during this period of economic uncertainty.

On Thursday, April 30^th, The Jeremy Bloom Wish of a Lifetime Foundation recently profiled in the New York Times conducted a silent auction for two unique vacation home rentals. Desert Luxury Rentals generously provided Casa Santa Rosa, a most inviting 4 bedroom vacation residence with private pool and spa located in desert enclave of La Quinta, California. In addition, Akumal Villas the premier luxury vacation rental company serving the Riviera Maya charitably donated Villa La Mision a charming Mexican hacienda style home on the Riviera Maya providing the winning bidder with a premier vacation residence of six bedrooms within walking distance of the Puerto Aventuras marina.

The weekend prior, Boulder, Colorado based Attention Homes auctioned off the beautiful “Sea Spray” beachfront home located in Manasota Key, Florida providing a land-locked bidder the opportunity to enjoy the tranquil waters of the Florida Gulf Coast.

“With the economic downturn charities must incorporate creative fundraising opportunities to generate donations.” Said Michael McFadden, Co-Founder of The Society adding “VacationHomesForCharity, the philanthropy of The Society is honored to partner with the finest vacation home rental companies making available vacation home rental opportunities gratis to charities to supplement and enhance opportunities concerning donations and fundraising activities.”

Since Fall 2008, VacationHomesForCharity.org has generated $85,000+ in donations associated with their “Do Good With Your Vacation Home” program. The program is not limited to charities in the Denver metro area. During April, 2009, charitable organizations from California to New York have benefited.

On April 24^th, a one-week visit to a premier vacation residence in the world-famous beach community of East Hampton, NY provided by the premier architectural firm, Eisner Design was auctioned off for the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation annual fund-raiser in Times Square, New York City. The winning bidder, a Los Angeles resident desired to tryout the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

VacationHomesForCharity.org, the philanthropy of Lakewood, Colorado based The Society for Leisure Enthusiasts has donated multiple vacation home visits to enhance fundraising opportunities

About Vacation Homes for Charity:

www.VacationHomesforCharity.org, the philanthropy of www.TheSociety.com was developed to allow owners and managers of vacation rental homes to “give-back to those less fortunate”. With the average vacation residence vacant 300+ nights per annum, Vacation Homes for Charity has been able to convert those unused nights into a program concerning fundraising for various charitable and non-profit organizations. Owners and managers may choose a specific affiliation for their donation or VacationHomesforCharity.org can provide a list of charities and non-profits requesting assistance.

About The Society:

www.TheSociety.com provides vacation home owners, estate managers and vacation rental firms the most complete marketing support targeting qualified luxury oriented business and consumer clients. The Global Bundle, the premier offering of TheSociety.com provides affiliates the most complete online marketing product targeting the affluent demographic distributing property advertisements and messaging to RobbReportCollection.com, LuxuryRealEstate.com, duPontRegistry.com, HomeAway.com and other premier exclusive web sites.

By Kieran Kelly of Cluttons Barbados

The England and Manchester United star and wife Coleen have decided on the Caribbean mansion after recommendations from a number for celebrity friends who have also purchased a luxury home at Royal Westmoreland, Barbados. Many English newspapers have reported that Royal Westmoreland has owners such as Wayne & Coleen Rooney, Joe Calzaghe, Ian Woosnam, Gary Lineker, Ashley & Cheryl Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Steve McLaren, Mike Gatting, Ant & Dec, Michael Vaughan, Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, to name only a few of the more well known.

Wayne and wife Coleen chose their property — on the exclusive golfing estate in Barbados — from architect’s drawings. It has seven bedrooms, a cinema, swimming pool, Jacuzzi and a gym designed by Wayne. In addition Wayne, 23, and Coleen, 22, are installing a £35,000 security system before moving in on the 750-acre Royal Westmoreland Estate.

The villa overlooks a golf course and celebrities’ hideaway "Mullin’s Beach" on the Platinum West Coast of the island.

Kieran Kelly, Chairman of Cluttons Barbados, www.cluttonsbarbados.com, exclusive agents for Royal Westmoreland, was unable to comment, however did confirm that Royal Westmoreland is a very popular golfing estate for celebrities. Many of our clients are extremely wealthy or of celebrity status and Barbados and especially Royal Westmoreland is a "safe haven" to escape from the paparazzi and enjoy the luxuries related to owning a multi million pound home on one of the best golfing estates in the world. It is fantastic that Royal Westmoreland has proven so popular as the resort owner and developer John Morphet has invested heavily to ensure his owners have the finest homes, championship golf course, facilities, security and amenities. Cluttons Barbados is extremely proud to be involved with the property sales of Royal Westmoreland.

By Mike McFadden of The Society

Congratulations Kim Fritz!!!! Kim has won a 5-night getaway to Villa Las Olas in Cabo, compliments of Lifestyle Villas. Kim mentioned she will taking her family along and extending an invitation to her best friend and family. Thanks to some very creative writing that caught the eyes of our judging panel, Kim explained she attempts to master her daily 3-ring circus; work, home, and family.

“I try to keep the plates spinning, the lions fed, and the clowns in order…”.

Congrats Again Kim & Family and Have Fun!!

Thank you to all the other contestants from week 1 and remember we have 9 more homes to giveaway and your registration puts you right back in the mix for next week when we giveaway the magnificent Lone Eagle in Keystone, Colorado donated by our Luxe Alliance member Summit Cove Rentals … AND the pot is sweetened this next week thanks to our new preferred vendor The Luggage Club. They have extended a $500 gift certificate to the winner toward luggage and/or equipment shipping to Keystone!! How great is that, no hassle travel!!!

If you haven’t registered, do so now at www.thesociety.com/giveaway or extend an invite to your friends and family!!!

Finally, a sincere thank you to Mom Central and Lifestyle Villas. Without great partners like these none of this would be possible

By Yalile Alpízar Alfaro of Costa Rica Luxury Estates

Vacation Rental homes in Costa Rica are currently in high demand and have become an essential for those wanting to experience a different and unique vacation in this tropical country. Launching our new website www.costaricaluxuryvacationrentals.com, we offer and promote million dollar homes available to rent to our qualified clients on a weekly and monthly basis. We present great selections to satisfy individuals with high standards of living; these homes will provide them the luxury they are accustomed to in their own countries. Unlike many crowded hotels during vacation, our clients will be enjoying the advantages and benefits of privacy and comfort at the highest level at the million dollar vacation rental home. A number of these homes are for sale, giving the option for a potential buyer to enjoy the property for a period of time, before making the decision of owning the home.

By Todd Cutter

Breathtaking beaches, stunning rainforests teeming with wildlife, pristine waterfalls, lakes, and rivers, along with endless activities ranging from adrenaline-boosting eco-adventures to soothing relaxation in some of the worlds premier resorts are just a few of the reasons why Costa Rica has become a Mecca for vacationers, retirees and investors from the world over. Costa Rica’s stunning natural beauty and abundance of wildlife are matched only by the warmhearted and peace-loving people who call this paradise home.

The unique combination of tropical rainforests, stunning beaches, active volcanoes, world-class surfing, an array of adventure activities,  some of the world's most breathtaking rivers, waterfalls, and other dazzling natural phenomenon have made Costa Rica an ideal location for travelers from all walks of life, looking to rediscover the natural wonders which inspire us all. In recent years, Costa Rica has also become increasingly well-known for its investment potential, stable democracy, inexpensive cost of living, first-class health-care system, and overall lifestyle it can offer the international community.

With an environment of enormous potential, Costa Rica has investors, retirees, as well as vacationers from all over the globe flocking to seize on the opportunities to own their own piece of this tropical paradise. Whether you are looking for a vacation getaway for you family, a rental property offering secure annual returns and appreciation, or the retirement spot of your dreams, Costa Rica offers the answer.

Finding a more complete destination is nearly impossible. To have such a spectacular natural backdrop, without sacrificing a peaceful and stable democracy, tremendous investment potential, a fantastic health care system, booming tourism, and an ever-expanding infrastructure makes Costa Rica a truly unique destination for investors, vacationers and retirees alike.


Editor’s Note:
Todd Cutter is a real-estate agent with 2Costa Rica Real Estate, a member of Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate. Originally from Birmingham, Ala., Cutter came to Costa Rica in 1998 after graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in Spanish for International Business. Upon his arrival, he founded an online travel business. Although his travel business is still in operation today, he sold the business to dedicate all of his time and energy to 2Costa Rica Real Estate. He specializes in large development parcels, hotel development and marketing programs for developer partners. Another LuxuryRealEstate.com member has submitted content to the Luxury Real Estate Blog. This is wonderful. That’s a lot of praise for Costa Rica! I’ve been hearing quite a bit about great investments to be found in that beautiful country. Maybe that would be a good place to seek your new luxury home.

By Jim Walberg
From his blog: Caribbean Fractionals Expanding To Botany Bay Resort!

St. Thomas, USVI is the location, and the former Preserve At Botany Bay is the spot!

Caribbean fractionals continue to be THE real estate choice of thousands of Caribbean buyers. Last week David Burden – founder and CEO of Timbers Resorts – announced that the ultra-luxury resort located on the western tip of St. Thomas will be managed by the international hospitality management group – Jumeirah Group, which is a member of Dubai Holding. This announcement was made at the signing ceremony with Gerald Lawless, Executive Chairman of Jumeirah (Remember my past article about the Virgin Islands fractional market?).

“We selected Jumeirah as the ideal hotel company to partner with at this unprecedented resort on the secluded western tip of St. Thomas,” remarked David Burden. “Based on their internationally renowned hotel experience in luxury service, they will be a perfect match for our discerning owners and resort guests.”

Jumeirah Botany Bay Resort is one of the true world-class luxury resorts which include mashed-potato sand beaches, private coves to explore, protected coral reefs and a nature conservancy, ultra-fine dining, a beach club as well as a Talise Wellness Spa.

Jumeirah Group will manage the five-star luxury hotel of 84 rooms, spread over nine tropical buildings in a very secluded setting on St. Thomas’ western shores. Scheduled to open in 2011, the 400-acre resort will also include 30 fractional residences, 30 whole-ownership villas and 20 grand estates. These full-service residences will be managed by Jumeirah Living, combining the luxury of a prestige hotel with all the privacy and comforts of your home away from home.

Jumeirah Group is also in the midst of ultra-luxury resort developments in Phuket, Shanghai, Argentina, Mallorca, London, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Jordan, among others. “We are impressed by Timbers Resorts’ commitment to responsible development and the care with which they intend to develop this protected enclave,” said Gerald Lawless, Executive Chairman of the Jumeirah Group. “With its secluded location in a tropical environment, the Jumeirah Botany Bay Resort will be true to our ‘STAY DIFFERENT’ promise.”

Timbers Resorts is a world-class developer that we have enjoyed working with in serving our client’s needs. The Timbers Collection is a group of small, private, luxury resort properties in the world’s most sought-after ski, golf, beach and scenic countryside locations. They include One Steamboat Place in Steamboat Springs, Colorado; Botany Bay Resort on St. Thomas in the USVI; Castello di Casole in Tuscany, Italy; The Rocks Luxury Residence Club in Scottsdale, Arizona; Esperanza Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; The Timbers Club in Snowmass, Colorado; and there latest is The Orchard at The Carneros Inn in Napa Valley.

For further information regarding Botany Bay Resort, or any other of the Jumeirah and Timbers Collection, contact me today! We are standing ready to serve any of your luxury real estate needs around the world! I look forward to speaking with you soon.


Editor’s Note:
Jim Walberg is the co-Broker/Owner of The Bay Area Team, the most-successful team at Keller Williams Realty-Danville. He is also a member of the global Luxury Real Estate network. Jim is an exceptional blogger, as you can see by visiting his blogs, East Bay Real Estate and Caribbean Islands Realty, and reading his great blog entries like the one above. He is the master of fractionals and other luxury homes in the Bay Area and the Caribbean, and he always has a lot of great opportunities to share. Hmm… Botany Bay. You know what that reminds me of? Call me crazy, but Botany Bay brings to mind Khan Noonien Singh, the famous villain in one of my favorite films of all time, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. As Khan would say: Ah, Jim Walberg… my old friend. Do you know the proverb that says vacations are a dish best served warm? It is very warm and pleasant… in the Caribbean! Feel free to nerd out in the Comments section if you know what I’m talking about.

By Cynthia Naumes

New York was fantastic! I’ve been kicking the idea around to go to New York after I declined to join my boyfriend in Boston for one of his conferences. Each time I heard commercials about “saying goodbye” to the coliseum I felt a strong sense of sadness.

The last time I was in New York the Yankees were away and it has been on my “bucket list” to get there to see a game. It was now or never so at 1 o’clock on Saturday I booked a flight to New York, went online and bought a game ticket, then proceeded to get a hotel the miles from the stadium. By 5:30 I was on a plane arriving at 8 o’clock the next morning. It was a blast. I hooked up with two police officers, a luxury home builder and his wife from Scottsdale, a purse sergeant – born and raised in the Bronx – and his girlfriend a travel agent and a couple other people.

The two officers and I hung out, then met back up with the group (amazingly, because there were so many people) in line and the builder had four extra free tickets... up from the third base FOUR ROWS UP!!!! Oh my gosh, it was amazing.

No stadium chair. But great memories!


Editor’s Note:
Cynthia Naumes is a Real Estate Broker with RE/MAX Realty Group, a member of Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate in Medford, Ore. She specializes in marketing luxury properties and rural ranches and farms in Southern Oregon. What an exciting trip! New York City is quite a special location because of its rich American history. If you would like to come and see this vibrant city with a group of fellow luxury brokers, Luxury Real Estate is offering a Post-Conference Networking Trip to New York City immediately after the 13th Annual Fall Conference in Philadelphia. Be sure to check it out! It’s sad to see the end of an era as Yankee Stadium will soon be demolished and replaced. What a great idea to put together a bucket list and do the things we are afraid of doing because we think there’s no time or they’re too difficult. I try to live my life so that I am prepared to die at any moment because I know that I have treated others with kindness and honesty and I am on the right path leading to constant improvement. I do as much good as possible so that I won’t have regrets about failing to do the most important things in life.

By Robert Lockard

I don’t have a whole lot of time today, but I just wanted to share an interesting CNN article entitled “The staycation effect: 5 reasons to travel now.” Because people have been very wise with their money this summer and have not gone on as many vacations, right now is a great time to take a vacation. Many hotels and luxury resorts are offering special discounts to entice people to get out of their homes and into a luxury community.

As soon as I saw this story I thought of Andrew Harper. They’re the experts on luxury hotels and travel, and they’ve posted some great blog entries in the Luxury Real Estate Blog on scoring free hotel upgrades and 10 places in the U.S. to see before you die. Plus, I just finished writing a City Spotlight on Nassau, Bahamas for the winter 2009 issue of LuxuryRealEstate.com Magazine. That definitely seems like an excellent getaway in the Caribbean. I can’t wait until the magazine comes out so you can read my fun take on the islands.

I wish I had more time to talk about this topic, but I highly recommend reading the whole CNN article. It’s quite concise and informative. Enjoy!

Editor’s Note:
Robert Lockard is the Public Relations & Media Specialist with Luxury Real Estate. I am Robert. I create all of Luxury Real Estate’s newsletters, write the editorials in LuxuryRealEstate.com Magazine and much more. I had mixed feelings about writing this blog entry today. I just don't know if it's super appropriate to share on September 11, when feelings of melancholy and seriousness should prevail in my heart. I hope you don't mind.

By Jim Walberg
From his blog: Palmetto Bay Resort in Belize Continues To Feature “Green Development”

This boutique luxury resort on the Placentia Peninsula is a trendsetter when it comes to its “Green Features”!

Palmetto Bay Resort is one of the leaders of “green” Caribbean developments in Belize. This luxury resort has integrated into its design certain features that other developers are watching closely. Palmetto Bay Resort has carefully considered its impact on the environment from the earliest planning stages of its development. Some of the features they have implemented are:

- Geothermal cooling and heating technology.

- Solar power for outside illumination – pathways, water features, landscaping and the beach.

- Grey-water systems to recycle water.

- LED lighting that will reduce energy costs by as much as 80 percent.

- Indigenous species of plants, including fruit trees, in the landscaping.

- Cisterns to catch and store rain water and act as a renewable water supply for the saline pool, water features and landscaping.

- Strategically implemented wind power.

This gated project has plans for around 120 full-ownership condominiums. The initial phase that has just been released has 36 whole-ownership Caribbean beachfront condos starting in the low $300,000s US and they are currently the most sought-after resort luxury real estate for sale in Belize. It is just a short two-hour flight from Houston or Miami to Belize where there are no restrictions on foreign ownership of property or capital gains tax. This is a project you may want to put on your list for your piece of paradise! They even just announced a fly-in package for people who want to seriously consider this as their next tropical home.

OK… so how is this for a description of what Palmetto Bay Resort has created? As you walk into your Caribbean condo you first notice a wraparound veranda overlooking the turquoise-blue Caribbean Sea. What I immediately do is dump my watch and find my bathing suit. The temperature is around 85 degrees Fahrenheit with a delightful warm breeze, and I then head to mashed-potato coral sand. Then the stress really starts because a decision needs to made: sunbathe; snorkel, SCUBA dive; drink… because thirst is a dangerous thing; read; nap; eat; schedule a jungle tour checking out how many Toucans I can spot, and many more choices to consider. Here is the fun part – I get to do it ALL! My first task is to take out the cold beer in the fridge and head to a lounge waiting for me on the beach. All the rest of the remaining choices will show up in their proper order… actually, there is no proper order. This mindset is the way I get to “Caribbean Time” as fast as possible.

Here is more good news for those you intrigued about buying luxury property in Belize. Belize has made owning real estate very simple and easy with some of the most advantageous offshore investment legislation in the world. The official language in Belize is English, and the legal system is based on English common law. Belize has no capital gains tax, no inheritance, estate or probate taxes and no restrictions on foreign ownership of property. The ease of air travel to Belize from the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. is effortless compared to many of your choices for other tropical destinations.

Finally… you will discover a country of diversity! It has a very wide variety of ethnic backgrounds that live together in a marvelous melting pot, each adding to the cultural color of the next. Belizeans are some of the friendliest people in the world. They are a cross-pollination of cultures – ancient Mayan people, Spanish, British, African roots, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Lebanese and Indian influences, AND the official language is still English. This is one of the special Caribbean destinations that you will want to put on your “must-see” list. Let me know if you want more information about my favorite spots. Until next time… fair winds!


Editor’s Note:
Jim Walberg is the co-Broker/Owner of The Bay Area Team, the most-successful team at Keller Williams Realty-Danville. He is also a member of the global LuxuryRealEstate.com network. Jim is an exceptional blogger, as you can see by visiting his blogs, East Bay Real Estate and Caribbean Islands Realty, and reading his great blog entries like the one above. He is the master of fractionals and other luxury homes in the Bay Area and the Caribbean, and he always has a lot of great opportunities to share. Jim always has many awesome opportunities to share. He’s a great blogger, and I always learn a lot when I read his work. I just finished writing an editorial for the winter 2009 issue of LuxuryRealEstate.com Magazine on “green” luxury homes. It was a very educational experience, and I’m glad to see these properties becoming popular as energy prices increase dramatically.