International Horizons Property Investment Blog

Flying tourism picking up in Dominican Republic

internationalhorizons — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:28:45 +0000

By Alton K. Marsh. Source: AOPA Aviation Summit

Dominican Republic tourism officials have worked for years to attract pilots to tour their country by air, and efforts are finally paying off. The government had designated Caribbean Flying Adventures to lead tours and provide information.

View of the Terminal Two departure lounge at Punta Cana International Airport, Dominican Republic. Photo Credit Christopher Cooper

“For private aviation, it is a paradise,” said Jim Parker of Caribbean Flying tours. Flying physicians, pilot clubs, and private tour groups have brought their planes to the country. There have been seven guided tours this year. For two people wishing to travel six days, five nights, the tour plus food and hotels is $1,100. The next tour is planned for February. Tours are limited to aircraft with the same or better performance of a Cessna 172.

Dominican Republic officials are proud of a decree in 2008 by President Leonel Fernandez to eliminate all fees. In the past there were high fees to park, to file flight plans, and for other services. In some cases outright bribes were required several years ago. The country has recognized that and taken steps to eliminate all fees of any kind. “It is now hassle free,” Parker said. In particular, officials were touting the destinations of Puerta Plata and the resort of Punta Cana, which they compared to Cancun, Mexico.

Pilots may not be aware, officials said, that they can fly from Miami to the Dominican Republic and never be more than 10 minutes from land, and will talk to Miami Center until within 100 miles of the country. The officials said 150 commercial airlines serve the country, delivering 9.4 million people per year to an island with 75,000 hotel rooms and 29 golf courses.

International Horizons has a range of properties for sale in the new property hotspot – the South West of the Dominican Republic. This area of the Dominican will provide investments and holiday homes for investors looking for a more upmarket & exclusive Dominican Republic. Currently we have Land for investment as part of a Joint Venture, properties for sale including Apartments & Villas

International Horizons now has property for sale in Atlanta Georgia USA

internationalhorizons — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:33:30 +0000

Atlanta, Georgia – USA

New Area Launched

Price : $34,900
Bedrooms: 3 Bedroom house

Ranch/Bungalow style property sold ‘as is’, rental return = $800/month

Atlanta has been ranked the number 1 recession proof city in America and It hosts the greatest number of Fortune 500 companies in the US and even has the fastest growing number of millionaires in USA! Metro Atlanta is big and growing. Florida weather without the cost and crowds!

Properties in Michigan:-

NEW PROPERTY Studebaker Street – Warren, 3 bed 1.5 baths $28,900 ‘as is’ or $37,800 renovated & tenant in place, rental = $750/month
Flanders Ave $14,500 for sale as is
Chalmers Ave, Warren $29,900 2 Bed Bungalow for sale renovated & tenant in place, rental = $650/month
Somerset Ave $38,500 3 Bed, 1 Bath Detached House for sale renovated & tenant in place, rental = $700/month
Mitchelldale Avenue $44,900 4Bed, 2 bath Detached House for sale renovated & tenant in place, rental = 850/month

You will notice returns of around 22-28% gross (12-16% NET)… compare this to a “normal” market, where average returns are 3-6% and no wonder these bargains are being snapped up by investors from all over the world at present. There’s no better place to buy great value investment property at the moment than America. There is a queue of prospective renters for such properties and these detached, freehold houses pay between $650-950 rental return per month.

We guarantee a tenant will be placed into the property (if required) and we do not ask for the final payment until a tenancy agreement has been signed. We have links with a rental/property management companies and they have a long list of tenants waiting to be placed into these kinds of properties. They vet clients, ensure they are credit checked and ensure there is a deposit and tenancy agreement (normally 12 months) in place.

These are turn-key investments that require little input from the investor, as full assistance is offered throughout the buying, renovating and renting.

We cannot stress how much of a bargain these properties are, they are only so cheap due to the current US economic climate. The properties are sourced direct from banks in the US, clear of any debt, renovated and place a tenant (if required). The US government has written off huge mortgages on these houses so the banks are clearing their books however prices have started to rise over the last 4 months. This is a perfect time to buy and you will not find a better investment product anywhere else in the world. The situation will not last long so we must stress this to interested purchasers.

Please note if you would rather purchase “as is” and arrange your own renovation etc. please let us know and we can provide “as is” prices. Discounts are offered for bulk buys.

If you would like more information, have any questions about any of the above properties, please do not hesitate to contact us

America’s Top 10 Recession-Proof Cities To Retire In

internationalhorizons — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:17:03 +0000

Zack O’Malley Greenburg, 10.15.09, 06:00 PM EDT Source: Forbes

These affordable metro areas offer sunny weather, jobs and rosy economic outlooks.

The Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., metro area–which includes Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties–has gained a reputation as a mecca for retirees. The south Florida sun shines on scores of condos that jut like vertical cruise ships from the emerald-tinged shoreline. Near the most luxurious of these residences, golf courses dot the landscape, poolside sunbathers enjoy the company of other seniors and gourmet meals are available via room service.

Yet Miami isn’t quite the paradise it’s thought to be. Thanks in part to a battered real estate market and high housing costs, it ranks 29th on our list of America’s recession-proof places to retire, well behind top-ranked Atlanta. Our list, compiled by crunching seven sets of statistics from sunny days to median home price, reveals that Atlanta has many trends working in its favor–low cost of living, plenty of sun and housing that is affordable and projected to rise in value over the next five years.

“Atlanta is the financial and industrial center of the South,” says Eduardo Martinez, senior economist at Moody’s Economy.com. “With companies like Delta and Home Depot, it’s home to more and more international business.”

To form our list, we looked at the country’s 40 largest metropolitan statistical areas and measured them for: current median home price and five-year projected home price from Moody’s Economy.com, median monthly housing expense from the Census Bureau, cost of living index from the Council for Community and Economic Research, median income for householders over age 65 from the Census Bureau, five-year job growth outlook from Moody’s Economy.com and, since every retiree should get some sunshine in their golden years, we included sunny day statistics from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

1. Atlanta, Georgia (foreclosure properties for sale located in sought after middle class areas in Atlanta)

2. Dallas, Texas

3. Tampa, Florida

4. Houston, texas

5. St. Louis, Missouri

6. Austin, Texas

7. Las Vegas, Nevada

8. Phoenix, Arizona

9. Kansas City, Missouri

10 San Antonio, Texas

USA property buy ‘as is’ or renovated & tenant in place

internationalhorizons — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:00:06 +0000

Studebaker Street, Warren, Michigan. This property can be purchased for $28,900 ‘as is’ or you can pay an extra $8900 for the property to be brought up to code and tenanted. 3 Bed Detached House. Freehold property in sought after area just outside Detroit. Bank valuation $74,500. If purchased renovated & tenant in place Return Gross (Net = 14.15%) 23.81%. Read more….

Budget airline announces 22 new routes

internationalhorizons — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:31:56 +0000

Source: Global Edge

Budget airline easyJet has announced 22 new European routes which come into effect in November as part of its new winter schedule.

A number of overseas property destinations are set to benefit from the extra footfall including The Canary Islands and Italy, both with three new routes and Egypt with two extra routes. Other beneficiaries include Cyprus, Israel, Portugal, France and Morocco.

The new routes to be introduced this winter are:
•   Manchester to Marrakech
•   Liverpool to Fuerteventura
•   Lyon to Nantes
•   Rome Fiumicino to Lamezia
•   Rome Fiumicino to Amsterdam
•   Rome Fiumicino to Lisbon
•   Madrid to Amsterdam
•   London Gatwick to Porto
•   London Luton to Tel Aviv
•   Liverpool to Lanzarote (Arrecife)
•   London Luton to Sharm El Sheikh
•   London Stansted to Fuerteventura
•   London Luton to Paphos ( Cyprus)
•   London Gatwick to Agadir
•   Manchester to Copenhagen
•   Manchester to Munich
•   Geneva to Copenhagen
•   Geneva to Sharm El Sheikh
•   Geneva to Toulouse
•   Edinburgh to Lyon
•   Lyon to Brussels
•   London Gatwick to Hamburg

Emirates unveils major expansion across Asia Pacific

internationalhorizons — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:20:44 +0000

Capacity enhancements to Bangkok, Sydney, Manila and Jakarta

Thursday, November 05, 2009. Source: Daily Travel News

In a major expansion spanning two months, Emirates will advance its footprint in Asia Pacific with planned capacity enhancements to Bangkok, Sydney, Manila and Jakarta. Starting December 2009, Emirates will introduce a fourth daily service to Bangkok, a third daily service to Sydney, two additional flights to Manila and one additional service to Jakarta.

17 flights per week will be added between December 2009 and January 2010, representing 13 % growth in seat capacity. Post increase, the airline’s operation in Asia Pacific will escalate to 187 flights per week.

Richard Jewsbury, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Far East and Australasia said: “The Middle East is one of the few regions that continues to record steady traffic growth, demonstrated by an 8% expansion in passenger demand since the beginning of the year. At the same time, Asian markets are rebounding with reports of resurgent traffic at key airports in the region. We are confident of seeing a recovery soon and are introducing additional capacity to serve the increasing demand.”

Echoing this positive sentiment, Dubai International Airport reported its fourth consecutive month of double-digit passenger growth in September 2009, with a 35% jump in traffic from Asia. Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport also roared ahead with 22.4% year-on-year growth.

Bangkok
Emirates’ fourth daily service to Bangkok comes into effect on 2nd December operated by a state-of-the-art Boeing 777-300 in a three class configuration (12 First, 42 Business and 310 Economy Class seats). The flights will support Thailand’s economic recovery by boosting tourist arrivals from Dubai and the larger Middle East – a region the Tourism Authority of Thailand has consistently targeted through multi-million dollar programmes including the recent ‘Jump to Amazing Thailand’ campaign. The extension of visa fees exemption for Thailand until March 2010 is expected to generate more tourist traffic which will be served by Emirates’ additional flights.

Cargo will also receive an impetus. Thai exporters of electronic parts, cosmetic products, pharmaceuticals and perishables, and importers of automotive and machine parts, medical equipment, chemicals and chilled foodstuff stand to benefit from the additional 161 tonnes of capacity introduced per week per direction on the route.

Sydney
Starting 2nd December, the Australian city of Sydney will receive its third-daily Emirates flight on Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays and Sundays. The service will be stepped up to cover Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays with effect from 2nd January 2010, bringing Emirates’ weekly capacity to 70 flights. The expansion reflects yet another commitment by Emirates in Australia.

The flight’s departure from Sydney has been timed to offer ‘same day service’ to Europe – one of Australia’s key outbound markets. The eagerly-anticipated service presents Sydneysiders with the opportunity to have breakfast in Sydney, lunch in Dubai and dinner in Europe.

The additional services combined with Emirates’ recent interline agreement with Virgin Blue (offering convenient domestic connections within Australia) means enhanced access for Middle East passengers travelling Down Under, as well as for Australians travelling to Dubai and beyond.

Manila
In December Emirates will enhance its existing EK 332 service to Manila to include Thursdays, and EK 334 to include Mondays. Post expansion the operation will grow from 12 flights a week to 14 flights or a double-daily service on every day of the week. The additional flights will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft offering 42 Business and 400 Economy Class seats, as well as 16.7 tonnes of cargo capacity. Filipinos will benefit from the increased access to global markets, as will the country’s exporters of aircraft parts, computer parts, electronic components, handicrafts and perishables. The extra flights will also facilitate seamless import of personal and household goods, perfume products, medical equipment and automotive parts into Manila.

Jakarta
The Indonesian capital city will receive an additional Emirates service with effect from 6th December, bringing its total operation to 11 flights per week. The service will operate to Jakarta every Sunday, returning to Dubai the following day. The ultra-modern Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a two-class configuration of 42 Business and 400 Economy will be used. The additional frequency will enhance connectivity for Indonesia’s business and leisure community travelling to Europe, as well as for inbound Middle East tourists visiting the archipelago. The 16.7 tonnes cargo capacity on the flight will facilitate export of fruit, fish, textiles and computer parts.

Don’t miss out – 100% mortgages on Vallee D’Aulnes coming to an end

internationalhorizons — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:20:38 +0000

Vallee d’Aulnes, France

100% Mortgages coming to an end, act now to avoid disappointment

Current prices from : 145,648 Euros
Bedrooms: 1 Bed & 2 Bed Apartments and 3 Bed houses
Finance: 100% LTV Mortgages subject to status
Guaranteed: 5.5% Leaseback p.a, 6% cash back, 2% res fee refunded.

100% mortgages on Vallee D’Aulnes are coming to an end. Reserve now to take advantage of this option.

Due to the large uptake of the 100% mortgages on Vallee D’Aulnes and Belleme the lending bank are changing their policy. As from 1st January the loan to value will be 90%.

This means that for any new purchasers that want to take advantage of the 100% mortgage certain paperwork has to be in place by 21st November.

If you are considering purchasing an unit, it is important that you reserve within the next few days.

Latest News on France

Flaxby has appointed Troon Golf & Cricketer Michael Vaughan

internationalhorizons — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:09:52 +0000

The Developer of the Flaxby Country Club has appointed Troon Golf, the leader in upscale golf course management, to run and remodel the Flaxby Country Club course.

This will enable the Flaxby Country Club to become one of the premier golf clubs and leisure venues in the UK and bid for the biggest events in the sport.

The Developers Managing Director explained: “Troon run some of the best courses in the world and we are delighted to have them on the team to drive the Flaxby forward. We will be working with them over the coming years to remodel the course and create a unique golfing experience.”

“With their expertise there is nothing stopping us bringing top events to Yorkshire.”

The five-star hotel will include more than 300 rooms, helipads, three restaurants and a luxury spa complex positioned on nearly 300 acres of rolling North Yorkshire countryside and set around the existing 27 hole golf course.

The development, which is expected to be completed in 2011, will offer unrivalled luxury with individual rooms being sold to investors for a guaranteed return.

“We are excited to partner with The Developer on what is sure to become one of the most spectacular golf facilities in the region,” stated Bruce Glasco, Troon Golf’s senior vice president & managing director, Europe, Africa & Middle East. “We are confident that combining The Flaxby Country Club’s new luxury amenities with the skill and experience of Troon golf will result in a high level of success for the entire development.”

The resort will also feature conference facilities, nature trails and a 24-hour driving range. The course currently features more than 18,000 newly-planted trees and several lakes. The par 72 18-hole course is nearly 7,000 yards from the championship tees and offers tee positions for all skill levels as well. The club also includes a new nine-hole, par 35 academy course.

The existing 27 holes, in a classically beautiful Yorkshire landscape will be the subject of a major renovation and capital investment in order to provide a complimentary five star golf experience for hotel guests and local golfers alike. Currently world class golf architects are competing for the work on this very special site with a brief to upgrade the existing courses to a standard that will allow The Flaxby to become a household name amongst golfers when considering the great British courses and one that will allows it to be a contender to host the Ryder Cup and European Tour events on the men’s and ladies professional tours.

The Developer has ambitious plans to host the leading golf events in the world at the Flaxby Country Club including the Ryder Cup in 2022 and the Solheim Cup in 2015. The Yorkshire Tourist Board and Yorkshire Forward are partnering these bids that will put golf in Yorkshire firmly on the map.

Former England Cricket Captain, and new board member, Michael Vaughan will help to spearhead these bids as the firm’s Head of Corporate Leisure.

Lee Westwood makes base at Flaxby Country Resort

internationalhorizons — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:54:10 +0000

Westwood makes base at Flaxby Country Resort

The Developer of the Flaxby Country Resort have entered into an exciting partnership with Ryder Cup legend Lee Westwood.

The owners of the £100 million Flaxby Country Resort have announced that Westwood will redesign the 27-hole Yorkshire course, set up an Academy and become the course professional in 2011.

The Developers Managing Director said: “Lee is a fantastic ambassador for golf and so we are delighted with his involvement at the Flaxby Country Resort. He is a Ryder Cup legend and will be involved in bringing the biggest events in the sport to the course.”

The Academy will be for all abilities – from budding Lee Westwoods to the many local schools that currently use the facilities on a weekly basis.

The Owners are developing the Troon Golf-run course into a luxury resort that will feature bars, restaurants, a luxury spa and gym, boutiques and 300 rooms – set in 283 acres of rolling countryside.

Located between York and Harrogate, the course has been open since 2005 and already has nearly 700 members. The course was originally designed by David Hemstock.

Lee Westwood explained: “This is a great opportunity to help improve the Flaxby course and bring it up to the highest standards to host the best golf events in the world. Putting in a permanent academy will also be a great base for me and I look forward to the Resort developing around it. I admire the vision and ambition of The Developer and have no doubts the Flaxby will be an international destination for golf, leisure and business travel.

“The course just needs a bit of tweaking to make it one of the best in the country and the facilities around it will be magnificent.”

The Developers Head of Corporate Leisure, former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan, was instrumental in brokering the deal between Lee’s management team ISM and the Developer.

Westwood was so impressed with the Developer’s vision for the site that he bought a room at the Flaxby Country Resort. All 300 rooms are being sold to investors with over 70% sold so far. Prices range from £199,500 to £700,000 and offer guaranteed returns.

Work is due to start on the hotel later this year with completion in mid 2011, when Lee will become touring professional for the Flaxby Country Resort.

Lee Westwood will be working in conjunction with leading golf designer Cabell Robinson for the redesign of the Flaxby. Cabell Robinson has designed some of the leading courses in Southern Europe.

The Developer has very high ambitions for the course and will be bidding for the Solheim Cup in 2015 and is also in talks to bring other major events to the course in partnership with Yorkshire Forward and Welcome to Yorkshire.

Flaxby new investment opportunity – minimum 6% guaranteed return

internationalhorizons — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:19:01 +0000

We have a new deal on Flaxby 5* Golf & Spa Country Club in the UK

Prices from £199,950

Hotel Suites located between Harrogate and York in North Yorkshire.

50% of room income not less than 6% for first 10 years with expected yields of 11% plus interest on deposit.

New “secure 6 for 10″ model will benefit from the core lease offering the 50/50 income split and personal usage but will also benefit from a minimum 6% guarantee for 10 years. For example if in year one the 50/50 split generates only 5% return to you, the investor, you will still get 6%. However if in year 2 the 50/50 split calculates a 10% return you would benefit from this 10%.

70% LTV non status mortgage

SIPP Compliable

Reliable & well known names involved: Wates Construction, Troon Golf, Lee Westwood, Elemis Spa, Michelin Star Chef…

Deposit insurance protected by Zurich

Read more about Flaxby country Resort