National Colony Realty

Let the colours of red and white be a reminder of why you should show love and gratitude on a daily basis at all times. Not just to that special man or woman in your life, but to everyone.

Let Coco Bistro or Parallel 23 Restaurant at the Regent Palms be the romantic setting for your Valentines dinner with sparkling ciders and live music.

Let your back yard be the set up for an encouraging evening with family and friends, dressed in red and white to celebrate love and friendship.

Let your imagination bring out the creative side in you as you show love one to another today.

. . . . . Happy Valentines Day from National Colony Realty . . . . .

It is good to know that the Turks & Caicos Islands Government has reduced the stamp duty on real estate as well as to give the purchaser the opportunity to pay over a 4 year period in equal installments until the stamp duty is paid in full.

However, if you are taking out a mortgage with one of the banks in Turks & Caicos Islands, for instance with CIBC First Caribbean International Bank, you would be required to make your stamp duty payment upfront at the closing of the real estate purchase, before you are given freehold title to your property. The reason for this is because, if you have an outstanding balance on stamp duty, then TCIG would have the rights to put the first charge on your register, where the bank will be second which means that the bank will have first preference if for any reason your payments goes in default. - NB: If you require to pay your stamp duty in installments please check with your bank in the case of a purchase by mortgage.

But if you are not using the bank and making a cash transaction, you are free to make stamp duty payments in installments.

Contributed by Vernica Delancy

There are many trades that our grandparents use to engage in that are not practiced as much as when they were alive. It seems as if this generation does not have the need for these trades because of the prosperity in the islands, and the improvement in technology. Now a days, some people would not be seen cooking on a coal stove as we would say we are in the twentieth century and above things like that.  But we have to recognize that all of these primitive things make up our history and culture in these Turks & Caicos Islands.

Thankfully, some of the elder folks still exists and has continuted with the culture of the islands. As my mom and grandmother always tell me, there will come a time that every one would have to go back to doing these sought of things that we do not want to do, such as going in the field, going fishing for a living and making your own coal for cooking.

Just this week, I saw a family member preparing to make a ‘coal kill’ as it is called. She carefully arranged the pieces of wood in a square sequence, filling it with dry leaves through to help with the pieces of green wood that may be in the kill (as sometimes the wood have not been dried enough). She then placed dirt on top of it leaving a small area open which is called the mouth, which is left open to light when finished. The last step is placing green branches around the kill also to help in stopping the smoke from escaping. The mouth is then lit, and the coal is left to make for approximately 2 days depending on how much wood was used.

Today is the day for opening the coal kill and packing them up for future use.

In my opinion the best barbecue is done on coal, the best potato bread, and also homnie with conch. You see why we have to get back to the basics?

Contributed by Vernica Delancy

SPACIOUS, PRIVATE, WELL MAINTAINED, TASTEFULLY DECORATED HOMES IN LEEWARD

A number of TCREA agents have come together to host an upcoming OPEN HOUSE in the LEEWARD area with their listings for sale on the canal.

These homes range in the price from $825,000 to 2 million. Exceptionally well maintained,  some with gated entrances and furniture included.

This is the perfect opportunity to view some of the private homes that this prestige area of Leeward  has to offer. Other Realtors as well as aspiring purchasers are welcomed.

Take a sneak peak at some additional photos of one of the properties that will be featured at the open house on this upcoming Thursday, 9 February 2012 from 3:00 t0 5:00 p.m.

Contributed by Vernica Delancy

Touring the North West Point Resort in Turks & Caicos Islands today with other agents in the TCREA Association was a refreshing experience for me as a Real Estate Agent. Just walking around the property and experiencing the peace and quiet, and enjoying the tropical breeze from the beach reminded me why I always enjoyed a visit to the resort. Because most of the time you are dealing with customers who want to be in a central location, and a location with shops, restaurants, night clubs, grocery stores and the likes which is evident in the Grace Bay Area, you sometimes forget about what else is out there.

The North West Point Resort is located on the North West end of the island, and is some 15 minutes away from Down Town and even a Grace Bay, but it has its good points as well. For instance, at the North West Point Resort is one of the only resorts on island that you can find some of the most reasonable prices in terms of condos. You will find prices on a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom at $250,000,  to $350,000 with beautiful ocean views.  The Resort is also right on the beach, has a pool and on site restaurant.

Even though the North West Point Resort is the perfect purchase for a retirement couple who wants to be away from the hustle and bustle of the island, I feel like this condo can also be the perfect short term hide away for Newely weds, honeymooners, and even business persons who needs some down time away from work.

What do you have to loose? set up an appointment with National Colony Realty and let us introduce you to the condo development of North West Point Resort.

Contributed by Vernica Delancy

New to the market is an Ocean View and Canal front property, situated on some 0.97 acres of land that is centrally located in the Discovery Bay area. To elaborate a bit more this property has 100 feet of canal frontage, 140 feet of paved road frontage, plus magacifient ocean views of the South Shore, and neighbouring canal system without the need to build a second level home. Possibilities of breath taking ocean breeze as the property is also elevated. A wonderful area with panaromic views perfect for your dwelling home.

Find further information about this property by clicking here.

On Sunday, 29 January 2012, Yahoo featured Beaches Turks & Caicos as being among the top ten All-Inclusive Resorts in the world. This is positive news for Turks & Caicos Islands as it brings recognition to our beautiful by nature island, and will encourage individuals to come and see our beautiful shores and see the many things we have to offer.

For more details on this article click here.

Contributed by Vernica Delancy

One of the joys of selling real estate is the friendships that you create. Because purchasing a piece of real estate is a big investment for most people, it gives the realtor and the customer time to build some what of a relationship that can often create great friendships. Because I am a people’s person creating lasting friendships is one of the good things that I enjoy about this job as a Real Estate Agent.

There are many other enjoyable things about Real Estate like making dreams come through, or being a part of a purchase that can bring development and jobs to a country to name a few, but sometimes you have to find that one thing that you most enjoy about a job so that you can keep performing with happiness in order to stay on top of your game and remain professional with your service.

Why not tap into the good things about your job, and share it with us at National Colony Realty.

Contributed by Vernica Delancy

Best priced canal front land, with more than 150ft of canal frontage and 170ft of road frontage located in the residential community of Long Bay Hills. This canal front property has up to 25ft of elevations and consists of 1.734 acres of land. A perfect choice for that boating enthusiast as this property is a short distance to the ocean.

Low tide in the are is roughly 4ft while high tide is approximately 6ft.  

Click here for additional information and photos of this well priced must have canal lot.

Contributed by Vernica Delancy.

Direct flights to Turks & Caicos are available from these cities: *

1. New York ……. 3 hours
2. Boston ……. 3 hrs, 15 mins
3. Newark ……. 3 hours
4. Charlotte ……. 3 hours
5. Miami …… 1 hr, 15 mins
6. Toronto ……. 3 hrs, 30 mins
7. London ……. 12 hours

Some flights are seasonal. Check with individual airlines for availability.

Contributed by Vernica Delancy