National Colony Realty

My summary on restrictive covenants is that it imposes limitations on the use of a lot/s to control and maintain the upkeep of the area.

For example, a restriction might be as follows (a) all homes must be complete within 2 years of start of construction. This would be aimed at preventing many unfinished homes from making the area an eyesore and devaluing the existing properties in the development/area. Or (b) no heavy machinery is allowed on the property for an extended period of time – to prevent purchasers from turning a residential area into a commercial business area where they store heavy equipment for rental purposes etc.

There are many restrictive covenants that can run with a piece of land or area, some are not as complex as others. Before saying no completely, view the restrictions and see if they are favourable to your purchasing objectives and make your decision from there as sometimes purchasing in an area with protective covenants is better than none at all.

Richmond Hills Commons (RHC) is a residential area that has covenants and is a wonderful area for building a dwelling home. There are persons who has already built their dwelling home and is satisfied with the covenants.

The Turks and Caicos Budget address for 2009/2010 was given on 21 April 2010, in which it was stated that ”with immediate effect new stamp duty bands and rates are to be introduced, … For example, properties less than $500,000 will attract a charge of just 4% on Providenciales (2% on Grand Turk, Salt Cay and other less developed islands) rising to 10% for properties over 3 million. In addition, purchasers will be able to choose to spread their stamp duty liability over 4 years or elect to pay in full on registration of their property with a discount of 10%.”

Currently stamp duty is $9.75% on Providenciales and 5% on the other islands, therefore, the proposed stamp duty reduction should provide a much needed boost to the real estate sector in the country.

While the world was celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, members of the Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association (TCHTA) were also celebrating by taking the streets with a clean up campaign for the second year. Last year approximately 700 bags of garbage were collected from the various sections on the island, and the support was overwhelming. This year we saw the same efforts being shown, everyone working together to help maintain the islands reputation as an unspoiled piece of paradise.

North and Middle Caicos are the quiet islands of the Turks and Caicos chain. They all have small community areas with just a hand full of people living in each area, especially in Middle Caicos. The island comprise of mostly native restaurants and guest houses, and you can find many elderly folks living on the islands who have chosen not to migrate to the more developed island of Providenciales and Grand Turk as they enjoy living in a peaceful and carefree atmosphere.

Even though the island is home to a community setting, North and Middle have upgraded paved roads to make commuting easy and relaxing as possible while sightseeing the older built homes and the large areas of undeveloped land on the islands.

Developers have began creating new subdivisions to attract more people to the islands, and more so to give others the experience of a place away from the hustle and bustle of city life that Middle and North Caicos has to offer. The ride from Provo to North is only a 30 minutes ride on the ferry, and you can rent a car for the day and explore and experience the islands for yourself.

Vernica

Alexander Graham Bell has nothing on Turks and Caicos Islands!  In my boss’ early years here (circa 1966) they were without all of the modern conveniences that we enjoy, so can you imagine what it must have been like when the first phone showed up?  It was a one of a kind party line that eveyone shared…mind you there were only a small handful of folks using the novelty item so there was no line up at the phone booth!

Today we have land lines, cell phones, high speed internet, HDTV and more.  You can contact LIME to get all the latest gadgets they have in their inventory but I must admit, it would have been kind of neat to have experienced what they did back then.

Karen Shaw

New beginning

Having kids can change your world in so many different ways. For example, I now find myself watching cartoons that I never thought I would ever watch in my life time. I am at work and sometimes find myself singing songs from Wounder Pets etc. and today, got my blog idea from Nick Jr.’s team “Spring has sprung”.

Indeed Spring has Sprung in the TCI. When you look around you can see a birth of new trees, and old trees with many new leaves. Most recently I also found the birth of a new bird in one of our neighbouring trees. The land is beautiful in my opinion, and gives you a refreshing feeling of new life and a new beginning. There are many things happening in the country at this time, and I am hoping that this season will bring new life and hope for many.

Vernica

What words do you think of when you hear “ice cream”?  Does the word delicious come to mind? 
For a while I did not take the kids for ice cream, until last week Saturday, I took them to Island Scoop, located in Grace Bay.  During our visit we found it to be very kids friendly, many exciting toys and play area for kids.  But most of all many range of ice cream flavors to choose from, along with coffee, and smoothies. They have flavors for the most adventurous person out there.  Everything made in Island Scope, so it worth asking if there is anything new to try.

Malinda Jolly

JoJo is a unique Atlantic Bottlenose dolphin who has been living and playing in the shallow waters of the Turks and Caicos Islands in the West Indies since 1980. He is one of the few dolphins around the world who voluntarily interacts with human beings in his own natural habitat.  The friendly dolphin has become a powerful symbol for nature conservation in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Sparsely populated and so far unspoiled, the islands and their turquoise waters are a unique haven for wildlife. Marine Turtles, migrating whales, schools of wild dolphins and a variety of rare birds are found in the area. Much loved by the islanders, the government has proclaimed JoJo a National Treasure, with a specially appointed warden to protect him.

Malinda Jolly

March 1st is fast approaching. This is the time for the National Cancer Society family fair day. A day of fun and games for the family. There will be Sesame Street Characters, Hula Hoops, Bouncing castle, native dishes which includes baked breads etc. Local talents and DJ. It sounds like an exciting day already. And also you can purchase a raffle ticket with interesting prises as well as indoor and out door plants.

This is another day of volunteering that I am looking forward too. Even though at NCR we donate a portion of our real estate sales to the NCS, the agents in the office still like to get their hands dirty by participating in each event that the society puts on.

Vernica