Residency Questions…Electricity Issues…Cold Pina Coladas…the "Next Roatan"…and More News from Honduras

Here’s your final update from last weekend’s Live and Invest in Honduras Conference in La Ceiba, hosted by IL’s local representatives Ron and Janine Goben.

Dear International Living Reader,

Day Two of our Live and Invest in Honduras Conference opened to a beautiful Caribbean morning with the sea in front of the hotel gently lapping the beach. The cloud forest behind the hotel promised afternoon rain showers…the mountains were highlighted by patches of clouds…and the blue sky directly overhead was brilliant and clear.

One of the national newspapers, La Prensa, sent a reporter to cover this day’s proceedings. Her focus was on how people coming to Honduras feel about the environment. (The Honduras government is intent on preserving the natural environment and culture.)

Our first speaker this morning was Gio Tugliani, an attorney specializing in Honduran residency matters. The questions poured. How much does it cost? Where do we start the process? What types of residencies are available? Do I need to be a resident to own property? Gio answered them all…and more.

This second day of our conference focused mostly on real estate. Jim and Cindy Jones from neighboring Guanaja--the second of this country’s Bay Islands, east of Roatan--shared a wealth of information about the beautiful island that they live on. Though it is without roads (by design), Guanaja is one island to keep on your radar screen. With a five-star resort on the horizon, and abundant spring water, Jim believes that Guanaja is on its way to becoming the next Roatan.

Marci Wiersma and Alex Poirier from About Roatan Realty, Bill Orr with Roatan Realty, and Jeff Kuken representing Roatan Life Real Estate provided a wealth of information about the biggest island. Each speaker shared his/her story of how they came to settle on Roatan: Jeff came to the island to open a movie theater, but ended up buying a small hotel and later adding real estate…Bill wanted to simply relax and enjoy the good life…Marcy wanted to live on a hill overlooking the beautiful Caribbean sea…Alex wanted to escape from the hustle and bustle of the U.S. Between all four, we were presented with a wide variety of properties currently for sale on the island.

Jeff Theken, from the Utila office of Roatan Realty, talked about that small island. Used to be that Utila turned off all electricity at midnight. Today, islanders are serviced 24 hours a day, but all houses are equipped with a control panel providing information about peak hours and usage. There are no paper bills. When your meter shows three zeros on the gauge, the electricity goes off. To prevent this, you have to pre-purchase hours.

Jeff shared beautiful pictures of the island and talked about whale sharks--the biggest creatures in the sea--which are often spotted here (they are harmless, and a big attraction for tourists who like to swim with them). Jeff was asked if he’d done this…and was he afraid? Yes…and yes--after all, it’s a really big fish…

Dan Taylor, an environmental engineer and the owner of Keyhole Bay--a mixed-use project on Roatan--spoke about his beautiful development. When putting in the road on this 20-acre parcel, they only cut down one tree--the rest were transplanted. (Dan even brought a chart to show how the trees were doing.) To protect the land, much of the digging was done by hand, rather than machine.

Expat Steve Carrington, an IL reader, spoke about his experience in moving to La Ceiba with his wife, Sandra. Steve has lived in La Ceiba for seven years and is well known in the community as El Guapo ("The Handsome").

Next up were Rafael and Oscar, two young men from the Central American Spanish School in La Ceiba. Though it was their first public presentation, these guys really stole the show—there wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd!

The final presentation of the day came from Arlie Thompson, one of two insurance agents on Roatan. Arlie walked everyone through the insurance needs of an islander and covered which types of insurance are available and the cost involved.

Activities continued into the evening as attendees boarded a bus to the town of La Ceiba for a quick city tour before dinner. At El Guapo’s restaurant, guests found themselves torn between typico (Honduran) food and a selection from the varied menu of seafood and other delicacies. We were treated to a fashion show, performed by some cute local children, and several attendees purchased some clothes to take home. Karaoke was also offered…though our crowd was less willing to get involved in that! As we took our seats on the bus, satiated and tired, one attendee said "This has been a great experience…far better than I ever anticipated."

And on to Day Three…

After two information-packed days, several attendees--now more aware of what part of Honduras was best suited to their needs--headed off to explore various destinations and property developments.

Those who stayed behind heard from Christian Wing, the developer of Villa Elena--a successful Golf and Country Club in the mountains around the capital city of Tegucigalpa. People were surprised to learn that a real country club, with all the normal amenities, is available in Honduras--and at a fraction of the cost of U.S. clubs. The pictures were breathtaking, and the cost of living and buying property there astonishing. For example, you can own a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home in the club, within walking distance of the golf course and clubhouse, for around $173,200. Christian provided a breakdown of a typical monthly budget, based on his family’s costs--including golf club dues, monthly expenses for utilities, HOA fees, cable and Internet, and maid service. In all, it comes to about $630.

Next up was Mitch Cummins, the owner of Paradise Computers on Roatan, and Internet representative for Globalnet, the most popular ISP in Honduras. His presentation and accompanying handouts were informative and educational, and we all learned something of the intricacies of global technology.

Next we heard from Bud and Linda Bradford, owners of Honduras Shores Plantation and Tela Beach Club--a gated community which includes the beach club and a residential area with building lots just steps from the beach in the beautiful Bay of Tela. Lots are selling from $38,900, and you can choose to build a home from existing plans, or from your own design. (Whatever you decide, the Bradfords can help with construction.) Homes are available for under $200,000, and there is also an opportunity to invest in a new hotel or other commercial plans. Four attendees arranged to visit this development--and accept Bud and Linda’s gracious offer to host them for an overnight stay.

Hal Sorrenti, no stranger to IL folks who have bought property in both the Bay Islands and in Nicaragua, gave an invaluable presentation on what questions to ask yourself when planning a new home…and what to be prepared with when meeting with your architect and builder.

Clay Donnelly spoke about Roatan Air Services, a charter service based on Roatan, offering inter-island passage, island tours, and emergency evacuation to the mainland for ambulatory persons. This kind of personal service, tailored to each need, is an asset to the Bay Islands. The company also runs a weekly mail service to and from the U.S., which is far superior to the ones offered by the shipping companies. Its latest addition is the delivery of U.S. newspapers…a welcome service that was launched last month.

Our hostess for the conference, Dayanara Estrada, one of the operators of Palma Real Resort, told us about the villas they are offering in conjunction with the resort. The concrete-built villas--two- or three-bedroom, with two baths, full air-conditioning, and all appliances (including washer and dryer)--are on offer from $65,000 to $93,500.

Janine gave an informative presentation on health care in Honduras and the excellent facilities which are available at very low cost. This is an important part of your decision process when considering moving to another country.

The final presentation--a focus on Honduran lifestyle--came from Nancy Agnew. Nancy is a Colorado native, who moved to Roatan with her husband a few years ago, after reading about the island in IL’s print issue. After buying a small resort, the couple decided they didn’t want to be hosts every day…but enjoy the relaxed lifestyle by the beach. Nancy, however, is not one to sit still for long, and being a compassionate person, found a way to occupy her time and give to the community at the same time. She started Littlest Angels, a non-profit project to help at-risk babies and their mothers. She quietly told stories and showed photos of some of the babies whose lives she has saved, and successfully either returned to the birth mother, or found loving homes for. Nancy finished her presentation by explaining that there is so much to do on Roatan, and so much to give to the community, that it’s hard to imagine anyone being bored here.

Moving to another country means joining another culture, not focusing on taking from it, and that theme resounded throughout our conference.

Our finale was an evening of music and dance provided by a local Garifuna group. These young, energetic people danced and sang until the stage literally rocked. They invited members of our group to join them in dance on the stage, which evolved into a competition between the genders, and got livelier as the pina coladas flowed! Several IL folks shook and gyrated in ways they never have before--perhaps the most memorable was Ron, our IL host and representative, who led the male gender to victory-- though this was loudly disputed by the females present!

With everyone exhausted and happy, the evening wound to a close. Pamela Eslinger, one of the more active dance "volunteers," bade us good night and vowed to return, hopefully as a neighbor. Our first Live and Invest in Honduras Conference was a resounding success and we eagerly look forward to the next one….

Ron and Janine Goben
For International Living in Honduras

* To find out more about living in Honduras, sign up for IL’s newest free e-letter, Postcards from Honduras, here.

Important Note: In the interest of full disclosure, we want you to know that International Living receives commissions from About Roatan Real Estate, Roatan Realty, Roatan Life Realty, Central American Real Estate Brokers, Keyhole Bay, Villa Elena, Honduras Shores Plantation, Palma Real Villas, Tugliani & Tugliani, and Garcia & Bodan.