Roatan Real Estate Experts
Since March 16 2020, when we went into lock-down due to COVID-19, so many of the things we thought to be infallible have proven anything but. The steady annual ebb and flow of the Roatan tourism economy: high-season, low-season, mid-season, disappeared overnight. Things we took for granted disappeared in a split second and we had to adjust to a new normal in which the only constant is change and the future is difficult to predict.
In early November, Honduras was hit by Hurricane Eta, bringing devastating winds, flooding, and mudslides to many regions on the mainland. While we did receive heavy rain and lost phone service and internet for a couple of days, Roatan was luckily spared from most of Eta’s wrath.
The mainland is struggling to recover. Dozens of bridges were washed away and some regions experienced catastrophic flooding and winds in excess of 130mph. The San Pedro Sula airport still remains closed, as it was heavily damaged by flooding.
Unfortunately, Hurricane Iota, a category 5 storm is on a path towards Honduras. If it continues its anticipated course, the additional rainfall and winds will be a worst-case scenario for the already heavily flooded mainland.
If you’re able to donate to the relief effort on the mainland, below is a link to a GoFundMe fundraiser:
If you’re currently on Roatan, there are a number of local businesses that are collecting household goods and non-perishable food items to send over on the ferry.
2020 has been an intense hurricane season – and has even gone into the overflow Greek alphabet for naming. Thankfully, overall on Roatan, we are incredibly blessed to be below the hurricane belt and rarely experience a direct hurricane hit. Hurricanes and safety are a concern for many individuals considering buying property in Roatan, and many people have chosen to live or retire on Roatan versus other Caribbean islands because of our history of minimal hurricanes. With Hurricane Iota looming, we are once again lucky to not be in her direct path, however, we are under a tropical storm advisory.
In October, 9 land lots under $159,000 were sold as well as 10 homes. The breakdown of home prices sold last month was:
| Price Range | Homes Sold |
| 90,000 – 99,000 | 1 |
| 120,000 – 139,000 | 2 |
| 180,000 – 199,000 | 1 |
| 250,000 – 299,000 | 1 |
| 300,000 – 399,000 | 3 |
| 400,000 – 499,000 | 1 |
| 500,000 + | 1 |
There are more flights scheduled to arrive on the island. American Airlines has been flying to Roatan from Miami since August and now United has resumed flights from Houston. A new charter flight from Minneapolis on Sun Country Airlines will have weekly flights from mid-December to the end of March. Unfortunately, most of the Canadian charter flights have been canceled for the 2020/2021 season, however, there is still some hope that West Jet may resume in February from Toronto.
As always, if there are any real estate questions we can assist you with, please reach out to us at any time.
The latest from the RER Blog: What is Classic Caribbean Style?
New Listing Alert: Las Sirenas condo in West Bay!
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When it comes to characterizing the look and feel of a region, architecture has always played an elemental role. Different areas of the world display different architectural aesthetics which contribute to their unique identities. From the temples of the Far East to the brickwork of Europe to the bungalows of California, buildings play a distinguishing function in each area’s style.
Recently, we started seeing our island start to slowly come back to life, with American Airlines resuming operations in late August and the Utila and Galaxy Wave ferries following shortly afterwards. Curfew hours are easing up and restaurants and hotels are beginning to open their doors again, prepared with stringent biosecurity measures to ensure the safety of their guests.
Our island is beginning to host events again, modified to incorporate proper social distancing measures. On September 27th, there was a road bike race hosted by Roatan Point to Point 2020 that raised funds for the island’s COVID center via fundraising from the 180 cyclists that participated. Roatan’s famous International Fishing Tournament, normally held in September, will take place the 8th – 11th of October, celebrating 20 years of hosting the most anticipated sport fishing event of the year. If you can’t make it to the tournament this time, make sure to follow along the excitement on social media.
September was a busy month for real estate in our ‘new normal’, with several properties going under contract. The Residential market saw the closing of 9 properties in the following price ranges:
Price Range: Sales:
60,000-69,000 1
100,000-119,000 2
140,000-159,000 1
160,000-179,999 1
200,000-249,999 4
There was also one land sale closed with an additional 12 land listings and 19 residential listings added to the market. Right now, there are some diverse offerings along with some extremely affordable price points for buyers to take advantage of. The affordability of Roatan and motivation of some sellers to won’t last long!
If you’re hesitant about traveling to Roatan to purchase real estate, it is certainly possible to still buy a home or land sight unseen and our team will guide you every step of the way. Our latest blog has a few helpful tips for a few factors that you should be aware of should you consider this route.
Above all, we hope that you and your family are safe and healthy. We hope to see you return to our island soon.
Should you have any questions about Roatan real estate, please reach out to our team.
With the current global pandemic, you may be considering purchasing a home in Roatan sight unseen. If so, there are several common mistakes that you could make. However, once you know what to look out for, you’re more likely to avoid them. When buying a home sight unseen, it is essential to hire an experienced, local real estate agent with a rock-solid reputation. With a good Roatan real estate agent, you’ll be able to avoid these mistakes.
If you spent most of your life residing outside a coastal hurricane area, you may not have heard about hurricane straps before. But on our little Caribbean island, these simple connectors are very important to make sure your contractor includes when building your home. While we are quite blessed with being below the hurricane belt and receiving very few severe storms, high winds and bad weather are always a possibility. Ensuring that the walls, roof systems, and foundation of your home are properly tied together is just common sense, especially after you have spent the time to find your perfect slice of Roatan island real estate for your homesite.
Mahogany Bay Cruise Port
Dixon Cove, Roatan