Monday, August 18, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
James Wyatt explores the hidden Costa in Spain
Little known though is Barcelona’s southern airport Reus, which rather like Londons Stansted airport, is actually a long way from its supposed ‘local’ city. This is a bonus in Reus’s case. Not only is Reus a nice little place to pick up some last minute typical Spanish food and nick-nacs to take home, it is truly the best gateway to the unknown Costa Azahar – some miles south.
Many years ago, the Spanish equivilant of our airport authority, started opening military airport bases for civilian activities. In time, these have become passenger airports. The Costas are neatly covered with an airport at neat intervals. Except in Castellon. This spot between Barcelona and Valencia has no airport at all. Reus, some way south of Barcelona has bought the distance down a bit, but there is still a yawning gap on the map. Hence this is an area that has very few Brits buying property, as it is a good hour from the airport (Reus one way, and a bit longer to Valencia). If you want the real Spain, this can be a great bonus. Known as the ‘Orange Blossom Coast’, this 70 mile stretch of coast will be shaken up in 2010 by the opening of the new airport at Vilnova. Given approval recently by the Madrid Government, the airport will initially open with a modest 2,700 metre runway which is long enough for some EasyJet and Ryanair type jets, but there is permission for a huge extension of a further 4,000 metres which will allow intercontinental planes to use the airport. And yet the whole areas is easily accessed top to bottom by the marvellous AP7 motorway which will take you north to France in a couple of hours or south to the booming City of Valencia in just over an hour. Valencia has held the Americas Cup recently and will repeat that extravaganza shortly. It will also host a round the roads Formula 1 race on the 24th August.
For now, this remains one of the few coastal strips in Spain where buying property – even in a rotten market – can only be good in the long run. The area is rich in history, has a low cost of living, and is wonderful for fabulous beaches whether you want to keep your clothes on or take then off!
A recent visit had me in film land. Peniscola is where El Cid was filmed. It is a pretty headland and surrounded by orange and olive groves and endless fig trees – which makes it about as Spanish as you can get in surroundings. The backdrop of the dramatic mountains gives the perfect frame to encapsulate the whole picture. Not far away is the picture postcard hilltop town of Morella, clearly a Virginia Water honeymoon destination as I know of at least houses of the same name. The castle at the top of the hill has dramatic views which at over 1000m high, I suppose it should.
I should also mention Benicarlo and Vinaros in passing. Both have something for everyone and in particular have a great Spanish feel.
In Sant Jordi, the enormous Aldea Golf at Nova Panoramica resort has one of the best local golf courses. The approach is dramatic, with the road widing up and crossing an ancient gorge. The course is designed by Berhard Langer (his only course in Spain) and run by the posh Sotogrande group. This is a 600 acre facility used for training by professionals, and yet is friendly enough for golfing fools like me. This is where Bancaja Habitat are constructing 1, 2, and 3 bed homes which are ideal as holiday homes or for an investment. Prices are incredibly reasonable – from £92,500 to £145,000. I was very impressed with the lifestyle too – an great clubhouse where you can buy the latest gear and then have a wonderful meal of the highest quality whilst overlooking the golf course with its dramatic mountainous backdrop. The shopping mall will provide everything for day to day needs although the local towns are well worth visiting. The professional golf players on site are brilliant – they should be, having had all sorts of well known pro’s visit to use the top class practise facilities – it isn’t often that you get to practise off grass rather than mats.
I could have quite happily stayed at Aldea Golf resort, but it’s always good to try other local courses, and there are a couple. Club de Golf Costa Azahar and Club Campo del Mediterraneo nearby will give a good work-out.
This is a great spot for the kids too with miles of empty and stunning beaches and if you need a theme park fix, Port Aventura up the road is a Spanish attempt at Disneyland.
This is an area beloved by the Spanish – and for good reasons too – there aren’t many Brits! Take a look before it changes too much.
James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt International based in Wentworth, Virginia Water. Tel: 01344 843000
Monday, July 7, 2008
Florida Golf Property
Florida Golf Property
With over 60 million people visiting Florida each year, it is not surprising that the ‘Sunshine State’ is the world’s favourite holiday destination. Florida’s centre has the highest concentration of amusement parks anywhere in the world, but with its large number of golf courses and more than 100 natural lakes, it is easy for residents and visitors to distract themselves from the hustle and bustle of Disney World et al.All year around year, the keen golfers will find the golf courses in South Florida open and challenging. Usually half the year (May to October) the golf courses are hardly ever crowded. So you can pick your tee time and be assured of a leisurely round.
Also, many of the private courses are open to the public during these months. Throughout Florida there are more than 1,000 courses available catering to every level of player.
Barton Wyatt offers luxury golf property in Florida; especially at Reunion Resort:
Located on 2,300 acres of rolling terrain, 25 minutes southwest of Orlando, Reunion Resort & Club of Orlando is often described as "a new breed of family Resort". You will enjoy an unprecedented complete lifestyle, with engaging activities and luxury for the entire family. The epic vision begins with three signature golf courses from renowned designers Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus. Reunion owners and members can also choose from an array of amenities including two grand resort clubhouses, tennis courts and a superb spa and fitness centre. The Villas Condominiums are located within walking distance to Reunion’s Water Park, the shops and restaurants at Reunion Square. As it continues to grow, this area of Reunion will truly be the HUB of activity. All Villa units are 3-bedroom 3-bath condominiums. With the exchange rate at 2.02 (the highest since July 1981) this is an amazing time to get involved! For a limited time only, if you purchase a condo in The Villas at Reunion Square, Ginn Reunion will lease back the unit for two years at $5,000 a month! This is guaranteed income for two whole years while the property continues to mature - with virtually no money out of pocket!!! Contact us for more details.
James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt International based in Wentworth, Virginia Water. Tel: 01344 843000
Friday, June 27, 2008
Diary of an International Estate Agent - Viva Las Vegas
Dreaming of huge wins on the roulette tables and life changing poker hands, about 50 UK agents were delegates at the American National Association of Realtors (NAR) annual convention – this year in Las Vegas, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the NAR.
‘Sin City’ and ‘Estate Agents’ don’t make very good bedfellows, but with some 30,000 delegates from all over the World, the NAR has to use towns with gazillions of hotel beds and very large convention centres. Las Vegas fits the bill perfectly. A convention of this size is considered quite small in the US. Welcome to American where bigger very definitely means better (to them anyway).
A day on the plane, 4,500 miles and 8 time zones later, Las Vegas hits you like an over-excited teenager. Everything is in your face – constantly, coaxing you to play 24 hours a day. Sleep seems an irrelevant nuisance.
It’s been 10 years since I last visited, and the City has changed out of all recognition. Not much remains as I remember it. The New York New York hotel which I saw being constructed is billed as being reopened, after remodeling, refitted and updating – in just 10 years. Las Vegas comes to life at night with all the incredible lights and displays of erupting volcanoes, dancing fountains and so on. During the day, it looks tired and a bit miserable, like most of the people walking the streets after a long night getting smashed and losing their shirt on the roulette tables or mesmeric fruit machines.
There was great excitement within hours of arriving. The Stardust hotel was to be blown up that night, (to make way for another new 5,000 room hotel). Not something you see every day, so we struggled through to 2am to see and hear the quite incredibly loud firework display – clearly noise isn’t a problem given that everyone is still awake! – followed by a dramatic countdown and the explosion itself.
The building collapsed like the proverbial pack of cards just 200 metres away from us and we were soon engulfed by the cloud dust that raced towards us rather like the TV footage of 9/11, fortunately without the tragedy.
Gondolas in Vegas!
The Sands convention centre adjoins the Venetian Hotel, which, as the name suggests, take its cue from the watery Italian City. I’ve never seen roulette tables in Venice, but this hotel has genuine Venetian gondolas with real Italian gondoliers who, with a wistful sigh, will sing ‘O sole mio’ or “the Cornetto song” as you might know it!
My hotel is next to the convention centre but it still takes a 15 minute walk to get to the conference. The UK attendees who made the trip this year were given an endless list of lectures and talks to attend. Whilst the American way of selling property differs from ours, there are many common factors.
We speak the same language which helps, and we want to make money too, as well as sharing business tips, leadership skills amongst other matters.
Building international relations
On Tuesday evening, the NAEA, together with our friends from similar associations in New Zealand and Australia, held a drinks party as they had done last year in New Orleans. Last year’s success had clearly filtered back amongst other associations as there were infiltrators from Holland, France, South Africa, Spain and even a chap from Argentina. National flags adorned the walls, with top marks going to Peter Bolton King for noticing that the Union Jack was upside down. He must have paid attention in cub scouts.
Another early start the next morning. My cheap hotel corridor is strewn with hundreds of calling cards offering all manner of pastimes all for the same curious price of sixty nine dollars. The discount beer bar is still doing a roaring trade in the casino, and the tables are full of glazed-eyed punters. It is 7.30am.
One of the great attractions of NAR is the well organised networking opportunities with specific countries. There is particularly good representation from South America and the Caribbean in the International 2nd Home and Resort Pavilion and they are overly keen to do business without realising that the UK market for high rise apartments in the kidnapping quarter of Bogota is limited.
The Expo is vast. Row after row of stands offering everything from cheesy business cards with your photo on to supposedly high-tech ‘for sale’ boards illuminated by a couple of torches.
There are plenty of competitions to enter with prizes including holidays, Cadillac cars and Las Vegas sized piles of cash. Celebrities too. Sugar Ray Leonard, the ex world Champion and Olympic champion boxer made an appearance, although what for, and what the connection was with NAR remains a mystery.
Peter Knight of Phoenix plc has become something of a regular speaker at the NAR conventions, and this year his talk on ‘Profiting from International Sales’ had him on stage belting out an enthralling talk like a well rehearsed Elvis stage show for an hour and a half.
NAEA Chief Executive honoured
Later that day, old timer Bill Cosby took the stage in front of 6,000 delegates to keep us all amused before the International evening black tie dinner. Attended by several hundred, including our President Stewart Lilly and NAEA International chairman Ian Tonge, the highlight of the evening was a special award as an Honorary CIPS Designee presented to Peter Bolton King by the NAR for his fantastic efforts in promoting business links between our associations.
John Mike (a long term friend of the NAEA) who as the NAR’s presidential liaison officer to the UK was similarly recognised. The dancing to a great live band went on late into the night.The next NAR convention is in Orlando in November this year. Details from www.realtor.org Tickets go on sale first week in May.
James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt International based in Wentworth, Virginia Water. Tel: 01344 843000
‘Sin City’ and ‘Estate Agents’ don’t make very good bedfellows, but with some 30,000 delegates from all over the World, the NAR has to use towns with gazillions of hotel beds and very large convention centres. Las Vegas fits the bill perfectly. A convention of this size is considered quite small in the US. Welcome to American where bigger very definitely means better (to them anyway).
A day on the plane, 4,500 miles and 8 time zones later, Las Vegas hits you like an over-excited teenager. Everything is in your face – constantly, coaxing you to play 24 hours a day. Sleep seems an irrelevant nuisance.
It’s been 10 years since I last visited, and the City has changed out of all recognition. Not much remains as I remember it. The New York New York hotel which I saw being constructed is billed as being reopened, after remodeling, refitted and updating – in just 10 years. Las Vegas comes to life at night with all the incredible lights and displays of erupting volcanoes, dancing fountains and so on. During the day, it looks tired and a bit miserable, like most of the people walking the streets after a long night getting smashed and losing their shirt on the roulette tables or mesmeric fruit machines.
There was great excitement within hours of arriving. The Stardust hotel was to be blown up that night, (to make way for another new 5,000 room hotel). Not something you see every day, so we struggled through to 2am to see and hear the quite incredibly loud firework display – clearly noise isn’t a problem given that everyone is still awake! – followed by a dramatic countdown and the explosion itself.
The building collapsed like the proverbial pack of cards just 200 metres away from us and we were soon engulfed by the cloud dust that raced towards us rather like the TV footage of 9/11, fortunately without the tragedy.
Gondolas in Vegas!
The Sands convention centre adjoins the Venetian Hotel, which, as the name suggests, take its cue from the watery Italian City. I’ve never seen roulette tables in Venice, but this hotel has genuine Venetian gondolas with real Italian gondoliers who, with a wistful sigh, will sing ‘O sole mio’ or “the Cornetto song” as you might know it!
My hotel is next to the convention centre but it still takes a 15 minute walk to get to the conference. The UK attendees who made the trip this year were given an endless list of lectures and talks to attend. Whilst the American way of selling property differs from ours, there are many common factors.
We speak the same language which helps, and we want to make money too, as well as sharing business tips, leadership skills amongst other matters.
Building international relations
On Tuesday evening, the NAEA, together with our friends from similar associations in New Zealand and Australia, held a drinks party as they had done last year in New Orleans. Last year’s success had clearly filtered back amongst other associations as there were infiltrators from Holland, France, South Africa, Spain and even a chap from Argentina. National flags adorned the walls, with top marks going to Peter Bolton King for noticing that the Union Jack was upside down. He must have paid attention in cub scouts.
Another early start the next morning. My cheap hotel corridor is strewn with hundreds of calling cards offering all manner of pastimes all for the same curious price of sixty nine dollars. The discount beer bar is still doing a roaring trade in the casino, and the tables are full of glazed-eyed punters. It is 7.30am.
One of the great attractions of NAR is the well organised networking opportunities with specific countries. There is particularly good representation from South America and the Caribbean in the International 2nd Home and Resort Pavilion and they are overly keen to do business without realising that the UK market for high rise apartments in the kidnapping quarter of Bogota is limited.
The Expo is vast. Row after row of stands offering everything from cheesy business cards with your photo on to supposedly high-tech ‘for sale’ boards illuminated by a couple of torches.
There are plenty of competitions to enter with prizes including holidays, Cadillac cars and Las Vegas sized piles of cash. Celebrities too. Sugar Ray Leonard, the ex world Champion and Olympic champion boxer made an appearance, although what for, and what the connection was with NAR remains a mystery.
Peter Knight of Phoenix plc has become something of a regular speaker at the NAR conventions, and this year his talk on ‘Profiting from International Sales’ had him on stage belting out an enthralling talk like a well rehearsed Elvis stage show for an hour and a half.
NAEA Chief Executive honoured
Later that day, old timer Bill Cosby took the stage in front of 6,000 delegates to keep us all amused before the International evening black tie dinner. Attended by several hundred, including our President Stewart Lilly and NAEA International chairman Ian Tonge, the highlight of the evening was a special award as an Honorary CIPS Designee presented to Peter Bolton King by the NAR for his fantastic efforts in promoting business links between our associations.
John Mike (a long term friend of the NAEA) who as the NAR’s presidential liaison officer to the UK was similarly recognised. The dancing to a great live band went on late into the night.The next NAR convention is in Orlando in November this year. Details from www.realtor.org Tickets go on sale first week in May.
James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt International based in Wentworth, Virginia Water. Tel: 01344 843000
The Diary of a Global Estate Agent - Air travel, guilt free
Chapter 8
Carbon emissions are big news at the moment. There seems to be a story in the papers every other day about some royal flying off here or there to pick up an eco award. Recently there have been threats to increase the tax paid by frequent flyers, as if last years hike in ‘departure’ tax wasn’t bad enough.
It is a growing irritation for the likes of me and thousands of Brits who choose to live or holiday abroad. Now there is no way I will stop flying either on business or for pleasure, so I’m getting into carbon offset payments. It’s guilt money I suppose. I fly, I pay, and someone plants a few
trees or something. So everything’s OK then! The Government approved Pure Trust helps me travel completely guilt free. So off I went to Pisa.
Wednesday
This is a day trip, but with business out of the way, I make time to skip up to the top of the leaning tower. A uniquely disastrous Italian building job. Quite why it hasn’t fallen over is anyone’s guess, but British engineers have in recent years managed to tilt it back a bit, and it supposedly has another 300 years left in it.
There’s not much else in Pisa, so I drive over to nearby Lucca for lunch. It’s a lovely little Roman walled city with lots of oddities such as the 150 foot tall Torre dei Guinigi with fully grown oak trees at the top.
Thursday and Friday
In Brussels for a meeting of Agents selling Pueblo Don Thomas (PDT) in La Gomera, Canary Islands. PDT is headed up by the lovely Brigitte Gypen. Agents from Holland, Belgium, Spain, Germany as well as Dominik Haendly from Chestertons in London (and me!) meet up at the Airport Crown Plaza hotel to collaborate on ideas to boost sales.
La Gomera is a volcanic speck of an island next to Tenerife in the Canary Islands. It is a wonderful scenic place. Small, no traffic, few tourists, a simple way of life. It’s even got a rain forest. Problem is that it takes a while to get there. 4 hour flight, then ferry, then taxi, or flight and private plane hop, or of course private plane all the way! There is also the small issue of price. These properties start at €400,000 and head on up to over €1m.
The resort overlooks a picture postcard pretty golf course sloping down to the cliffs with a view of the ocean from every hole. It is owned by Norwegian shipping tycoon Fred Olsen who has significant shipping interests in the Canary Islands.
Personally, I can rave about La Gomera as an Island – but it gets tainted with the Tenerife ‘fish & chips & 10 pints of lager’ brush. We share ideas with each other and discuss different marketing methods. It is amazingly useful and very interesting to hear of the variety of marketing methods used around Europe (ours are far superior!). Tongues and ideas loosen during lunch as the wine does its trick. All too soon the call of the evening dinner party I have to get to makes me run for the airport.
Monday
The totally awful rain and hurricane type gusting wind on the drive to Gatwick remind me of one of the few perks in the job – it will soon undoubtedly be sunny and warm where I am headed to. Get to Almeria in Spain. Bummer, it’s cloudy and windy.
The lunar landscape of the Parque Natural Cabo de Gata in this area has a stark beauty about it with smooth wavy rock forms have silver green hues and pale copper bands. Good enough for John Wayne to have used it for some of his dreadful cowboy films. In contrast the craggy coastline has a wildness about it that belies the fact that this is a tourist area. Johnny Depp and his Pirates of the Caribbean filmed here.
45 minutes up the coast and I’m at Playa Macenas, a new golf, hotel, beachfront resort near Mojacar. New beachfront golf is unusual which makes this development special. It’s well under way and the first occupiers will be in later next year. There is also a large beachfront hotel being built and a smart Clubhouse. The beach itself is shortly to undergo a bit of Michael Jackson type surgery. The sand is too dark apparently, so the local council is importing white sand from Saudi Arabia! After a stomach churning ride around the hilly building site with Sally Tallant of developer MedGroup, we go back to their beachfront offices and take a look at the DVD of the project and to discuss the exhibition we are holding for them.
Back to my hotel which is a reincarnation of Stalag Luft and appears to have been built in the 1960s. Then I spot the foundation stone: built 2001. Terrifyingly awful all round.
Tuesday
I head off to see Desert Springs golf resort. On the way I pass hundreds of disused cave houses which are part of the scenery in this area from the silver mining days. Staggeringly I also passed a brand new cave house in the middle of construction. Yours, Mr Fred Flintstone for just £60,000. No heating required as your cave will naturally maintain 18 degrees all year round.
Further up the road near Cuevas del Almanzora is a stark reminder of the water issues Spain has. The local dam was finished in 1991 and was the backdrop for the rowing events at the Barcelona Olympics a year later. It is huge – hundreds of metres high. But it is also empty.
Desert Springs is a bit like Disneyland – the buildings don’t quite look real and are painted in incredibly garish colours. Lots of cacti supposedly give the desert feel to this grown-up theme park, and yet the golf course grass is such a vivid colour, they must come out at night to spray it green. With villas in the€500,000 to €1.5m range, this is a resort for the rich. With the airport over an hour away, I’m left wondering about the priceless mantra of ‘location, location, location’.
On my way back to the airport, I stop for a bite to eat in a beach town, only to find that it is a large naturist town – the whole lot! A whole town of people walking around starkers, doing their shopping, sitting at the bar, sunning themselves on the beach. This is suddenly an attractive proposition. Maybe a sandwich and a drink next to a blonde page 3 image of heaven only wearing a pair of high-heels?
Sadly not. It’s too cold, and anyway all the locals are knackered old retired Germans who clothes are very much in evidence today. Might have to revisit though…
James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt International based in Wentworth, Virginia Water. Tel: 01344 843000
Carbon emissions are big news at the moment. There seems to be a story in the papers every other day about some royal flying off here or there to pick up an eco award. Recently there have been threats to increase the tax paid by frequent flyers, as if last years hike in ‘departure’ tax wasn’t bad enough.
It is a growing irritation for the likes of me and thousands of Brits who choose to live or holiday abroad. Now there is no way I will stop flying either on business or for pleasure, so I’m getting into carbon offset payments. It’s guilt money I suppose. I fly, I pay, and someone plants a few
trees or something. So everything’s OK then! The Government approved Pure Trust helps me travel completely guilt free. So off I went to Pisa.
Wednesday
This is a day trip, but with business out of the way, I make time to skip up to the top of the leaning tower. A uniquely disastrous Italian building job. Quite why it hasn’t fallen over is anyone’s guess, but British engineers have in recent years managed to tilt it back a bit, and it supposedly has another 300 years left in it.
There’s not much else in Pisa, so I drive over to nearby Lucca for lunch. It’s a lovely little Roman walled city with lots of oddities such as the 150 foot tall Torre dei Guinigi with fully grown oak trees at the top.
Thursday and Friday
In Brussels for a meeting of Agents selling Pueblo Don Thomas (PDT) in La Gomera, Canary Islands. PDT is headed up by the lovely Brigitte Gypen. Agents from Holland, Belgium, Spain, Germany as well as Dominik Haendly from Chestertons in London (and me!) meet up at the Airport Crown Plaza hotel to collaborate on ideas to boost sales.
La Gomera is a volcanic speck of an island next to Tenerife in the Canary Islands. It is a wonderful scenic place. Small, no traffic, few tourists, a simple way of life. It’s even got a rain forest. Problem is that it takes a while to get there. 4 hour flight, then ferry, then taxi, or flight and private plane hop, or of course private plane all the way! There is also the small issue of price. These properties start at €400,000 and head on up to over €1m.
The resort overlooks a picture postcard pretty golf course sloping down to the cliffs with a view of the ocean from every hole. It is owned by Norwegian shipping tycoon Fred Olsen who has significant shipping interests in the Canary Islands.
Personally, I can rave about La Gomera as an Island – but it gets tainted with the Tenerife ‘fish & chips & 10 pints of lager’ brush. We share ideas with each other and discuss different marketing methods. It is amazingly useful and very interesting to hear of the variety of marketing methods used around Europe (ours are far superior!). Tongues and ideas loosen during lunch as the wine does its trick. All too soon the call of the evening dinner party I have to get to makes me run for the airport.
Monday
The totally awful rain and hurricane type gusting wind on the drive to Gatwick remind me of one of the few perks in the job – it will soon undoubtedly be sunny and warm where I am headed to. Get to Almeria in Spain. Bummer, it’s cloudy and windy.
The lunar landscape of the Parque Natural Cabo de Gata in this area has a stark beauty about it with smooth wavy rock forms have silver green hues and pale copper bands. Good enough for John Wayne to have used it for some of his dreadful cowboy films. In contrast the craggy coastline has a wildness about it that belies the fact that this is a tourist area. Johnny Depp and his Pirates of the Caribbean filmed here.
45 minutes up the coast and I’m at Playa Macenas, a new golf, hotel, beachfront resort near Mojacar. New beachfront golf is unusual which makes this development special. It’s well under way and the first occupiers will be in later next year. There is also a large beachfront hotel being built and a smart Clubhouse. The beach itself is shortly to undergo a bit of Michael Jackson type surgery. The sand is too dark apparently, so the local council is importing white sand from Saudi Arabia! After a stomach churning ride around the hilly building site with Sally Tallant of developer MedGroup, we go back to their beachfront offices and take a look at the DVD of the project and to discuss the exhibition we are holding for them.
Back to my hotel which is a reincarnation of Stalag Luft and appears to have been built in the 1960s. Then I spot the foundation stone: built 2001. Terrifyingly awful all round.
Tuesday
I head off to see Desert Springs golf resort. On the way I pass hundreds of disused cave houses which are part of the scenery in this area from the silver mining days. Staggeringly I also passed a brand new cave house in the middle of construction. Yours, Mr Fred Flintstone for just £60,000. No heating required as your cave will naturally maintain 18 degrees all year round.
Further up the road near Cuevas del Almanzora is a stark reminder of the water issues Spain has. The local dam was finished in 1991 and was the backdrop for the rowing events at the Barcelona Olympics a year later. It is huge – hundreds of metres high. But it is also empty.
Desert Springs is a bit like Disneyland – the buildings don’t quite look real and are painted in incredibly garish colours. Lots of cacti supposedly give the desert feel to this grown-up theme park, and yet the golf course grass is such a vivid colour, they must come out at night to spray it green. With villas in the€500,000 to €1.5m range, this is a resort for the rich. With the airport over an hour away, I’m left wondering about the priceless mantra of ‘location, location, location’.
On my way back to the airport, I stop for a bite to eat in a beach town, only to find that it is a large naturist town – the whole lot! A whole town of people walking around starkers, doing their shopping, sitting at the bar, sunning themselves on the beach. This is suddenly an attractive proposition. Maybe a sandwich and a drink next to a blonde page 3 image of heaven only wearing a pair of high-heels?
Sadly not. It’s too cold, and anyway all the locals are knackered old retired Germans who clothes are very much in evidence today. Might have to revisit though…
James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt International based in Wentworth, Virginia Water. Tel: 01344 843000
Thursday, June 19, 2008
The Diary of a Global Estate Agent (and a brush with the law)
Chapter 7
I’ve had a large number of calls and messages from a number of (clearly bored pre-Christmas) Agents wanting to know if they can have my job. On occasions, you are welcome to my alarm clock at 4am. On the other hand, I don’t fancy swapping a nice Caribbean beach (whilst working
naturally) for Preston or Middlesborough. Even though I’m sure they are jolly nice places! I’ve also been asked countless times where I go on holiday what with spending a fair amount of time traveling. Well, you nosey lot, generally anywhere I haven’t been before. I like visiting European cities for short breaks with lots of culture – particularly the unusual Eastern European destinations. Longer holidays are spent with a good book by a pool, and the children in kids club…
2006 was left behind with a crazy trail of 87 flights and over 100,000 miles of travel. Friends
frequently gasp – “you’ll be able to use all those airmiles to take the kids on holiday”. Sadly not, low cost airlines like to reward your patronage with ever less legroom (or am I still growing?) and ever tighter schedules to stick to. Easy winner of last years travel low point was a Stansted to Birmingham diversion at 1am, with my car not very conveniently still at Stansted.
So, New Years Resolution – travel a bit less. Like most New Years resolutions, I found it hard. I became irritable and developed a nervous twitch. 9 days in, I got on a plane to Portugal.
Monday
I’m staying in the pretty fishing town of Tavira in a carbuncle hotel – modern, functional, 4 stars and mine for a laughable £10.19 a night (and that included the taxes!). Breakfast is included too, so after filling up and taking a few bits and bobs for a lunch on the go, I head off down the Algarve coast. A worrying warning light on my titchy little hire car goes on and off all the way to Vilamoura. I meet up with Alan Ellis who is marketing a fab new apartment complex at the Victoria Clube de Golfe where the Portugal Masters will be held on the Arnold Palmer course for the next three years. Posh flats from 500,000 upwards seem good value. A quick dash half an hour down the motorway, and that pesky warning light is now on all the time. It’s red and exactly like the one in my Mercedes which warns you of the imminent death of the engine. Sod it, it’s a hire car and I have a tight schedule. I arrive at Amendoeira Resort being built by Oceanico to see progress. I hadn’t seen this since last August and the golf courses are formed and
building underway. Not much time, so on to a meeting at Parque de Floresta located towards the Eastern end of the Algarve. This established resort is still building new properties after 10 years of gradual development, and there’s plenty to come. A good meeting with Ewa Petersson from their marketing department.
The red warning light gets to me, so I stop at a garage, open the bonnet and stare incomprehensively into the space in front of me. I check the lawn mower engines oil and water, and look for the inevitably missing manual. All seems fine, but it is quite clear that this car is going to expire. It a long way back to the hotel, so top speed all the way. I stop at the airport to moan to Europcar about my pile of trash and the red ‘death’ light. “That car always does that mate! Don’t worry about it”. Quite bizarrely, the red light disappears soon after and never comes back on…
Tuesday
He shouted something Portuguese at me. Clearly the policeman wanted me to step out of the car for a chat. Then he shouted something at me again. What to say? I only know the Portuguese
for “can I have a beer please” which, in my current predicament, wasn’t likely to go down very well. Mobile phone use in the car is a serious offence in Portugal as I was finding out. After an immense amount of paperwork by three police officers and a trip to the cash machine, I’m set free by Mr Grumpy Cop.
The delightful Agnieszka Lutz greets me at the Monte Rei resort. She thinks my 120 fine is good value – it can be up to 600. We drive round the emerging resort and look over the fantastic new Clubhouse which opens soon. Lunch is outside near the beach in the sunshine, which is a contrast
to the weather a home. The Missus calls me to say the hurricane type winds have ripped the roof off our new garden shed. Hey ho – what can I do!
Just over the border into Spain is the Fadesa resort of Costa Esuri. I nip into the vast aircraft hanger sized showroom and then take a look over the resort to check on progress. The Spanish really know how to speed build, no doubt about it.
Wednesday
A night at home, before a morning flight to Murcia in Spain. Originally the land of Oranges, lemons, almonds, artichokes, broccoli, and now the land of cranes, new holiday homes and new golf courses. This is Spain’s latest version of the Wild West.
Our client puts us up at a brand new 5 star Intercontinental Hotel. It is a marked improvement on Monday’s hotel! The bathroom goodies are so good, they’re worth pinching to take home.
Thursday
Our driver for the day is Pepe, who treats his great big people wagon like a racing car. We survive 250 km of macho loony driving and squeeze in seeing 5 Polaris resorts. The price point is incredibly attractive at these resorts. 120,000 buys a 2 bedroom apartment within a golf and
leisure community. I didn’t meet any owners who could moan about any aspect of the development.
Then on to La Manga, now owned by the Spanish company Med Group. This former British owned golf resort has been a favourite winter training destination for years with football clubs, tennis players and cricket teams. Now it is having a spruce up. There’s some interesting investment property for about 400,000 which will interest some of our buyers. Half an hour inland, and we are at Hacienda del Alamo, heavily promoted in the press, and a great spot to end a busy day.
Friday
A beautiful cloudless day, but it’s suddenly turned bitterly freezing cold, and we shiver for an hour on a golf buggy seeing over the resort. The distant mountains provide a wonderful backdrop.
Then on to Lorca resort high in the hills near the town of Lorca. I gather Lorca town worth seeing, but as usual we are chasing the clock. The resort has just started construction, and has a couple of interesting oddities including a miniature bullring and an iron ore mine. Somehow, we have a buyer who specifically wants to buy in this very location so our Agency agreement is quickly concluded!
Cutting it fine, we head back to the airport – my New Years Resolution in tatters…
James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt International based in Wentworth, Virginia Water. Tel: 01344 843000
I’ve had a large number of calls and messages from a number of (clearly bored pre-Christmas) Agents wanting to know if they can have my job. On occasions, you are welcome to my alarm clock at 4am. On the other hand, I don’t fancy swapping a nice Caribbean beach (whilst working
naturally) for Preston or Middlesborough. Even though I’m sure they are jolly nice places! I’ve also been asked countless times where I go on holiday what with spending a fair amount of time traveling. Well, you nosey lot, generally anywhere I haven’t been before. I like visiting European cities for short breaks with lots of culture – particularly the unusual Eastern European destinations. Longer holidays are spent with a good book by a pool, and the children in kids club…
2006 was left behind with a crazy trail of 87 flights and over 100,000 miles of travel. Friends
frequently gasp – “you’ll be able to use all those airmiles to take the kids on holiday”. Sadly not, low cost airlines like to reward your patronage with ever less legroom (or am I still growing?) and ever tighter schedules to stick to. Easy winner of last years travel low point was a Stansted to Birmingham diversion at 1am, with my car not very conveniently still at Stansted.
So, New Years Resolution – travel a bit less. Like most New Years resolutions, I found it hard. I became irritable and developed a nervous twitch. 9 days in, I got on a plane to Portugal.
Monday
I’m staying in the pretty fishing town of Tavira in a carbuncle hotel – modern, functional, 4 stars and mine for a laughable £10.19 a night (and that included the taxes!). Breakfast is included too, so after filling up and taking a few bits and bobs for a lunch on the go, I head off down the Algarve coast. A worrying warning light on my titchy little hire car goes on and off all the way to Vilamoura. I meet up with Alan Ellis who is marketing a fab new apartment complex at the Victoria Clube de Golfe where the Portugal Masters will be held on the Arnold Palmer course for the next three years. Posh flats from 500,000 upwards seem good value. A quick dash half an hour down the motorway, and that pesky warning light is now on all the time. It’s red and exactly like the one in my Mercedes which warns you of the imminent death of the engine. Sod it, it’s a hire car and I have a tight schedule. I arrive at Amendoeira Resort being built by Oceanico to see progress. I hadn’t seen this since last August and the golf courses are formed and
building underway. Not much time, so on to a meeting at Parque de Floresta located towards the Eastern end of the Algarve. This established resort is still building new properties after 10 years of gradual development, and there’s plenty to come. A good meeting with Ewa Petersson from their marketing department.
The red warning light gets to me, so I stop at a garage, open the bonnet and stare incomprehensively into the space in front of me. I check the lawn mower engines oil and water, and look for the inevitably missing manual. All seems fine, but it is quite clear that this car is going to expire. It a long way back to the hotel, so top speed all the way. I stop at the airport to moan to Europcar about my pile of trash and the red ‘death’ light. “That car always does that mate! Don’t worry about it”. Quite bizarrely, the red light disappears soon after and never comes back on…
Tuesday
He shouted something Portuguese at me. Clearly the policeman wanted me to step out of the car for a chat. Then he shouted something at me again. What to say? I only know the Portuguese
for “can I have a beer please” which, in my current predicament, wasn’t likely to go down very well. Mobile phone use in the car is a serious offence in Portugal as I was finding out. After an immense amount of paperwork by three police officers and a trip to the cash machine, I’m set free by Mr Grumpy Cop.
The delightful Agnieszka Lutz greets me at the Monte Rei resort. She thinks my 120 fine is good value – it can be up to 600. We drive round the emerging resort and look over the fantastic new Clubhouse which opens soon. Lunch is outside near the beach in the sunshine, which is a contrast
to the weather a home. The Missus calls me to say the hurricane type winds have ripped the roof off our new garden shed. Hey ho – what can I do!
Just over the border into Spain is the Fadesa resort of Costa Esuri. I nip into the vast aircraft hanger sized showroom and then take a look over the resort to check on progress. The Spanish really know how to speed build, no doubt about it.
Wednesday
A night at home, before a morning flight to Murcia in Spain. Originally the land of Oranges, lemons, almonds, artichokes, broccoli, and now the land of cranes, new holiday homes and new golf courses. This is Spain’s latest version of the Wild West.
Our client puts us up at a brand new 5 star Intercontinental Hotel. It is a marked improvement on Monday’s hotel! The bathroom goodies are so good, they’re worth pinching to take home.
Thursday
Our driver for the day is Pepe, who treats his great big people wagon like a racing car. We survive 250 km of macho loony driving and squeeze in seeing 5 Polaris resorts. The price point is incredibly attractive at these resorts. 120,000 buys a 2 bedroom apartment within a golf and
leisure community. I didn’t meet any owners who could moan about any aspect of the development.
Then on to La Manga, now owned by the Spanish company Med Group. This former British owned golf resort has been a favourite winter training destination for years with football clubs, tennis players and cricket teams. Now it is having a spruce up. There’s some interesting investment property for about 400,000 which will interest some of our buyers. Half an hour inland, and we are at Hacienda del Alamo, heavily promoted in the press, and a great spot to end a busy day.
Friday
A beautiful cloudless day, but it’s suddenly turned bitterly freezing cold, and we shiver for an hour on a golf buggy seeing over the resort. The distant mountains provide a wonderful backdrop.
Then on to Lorca resort high in the hills near the town of Lorca. I gather Lorca town worth seeing, but as usual we are chasing the clock. The resort has just started construction, and has a couple of interesting oddities including a miniature bullring and an iron ore mine. Somehow, we have a buyer who specifically wants to buy in this very location so our Agency agreement is quickly concluded!
Cutting it fine, we head back to the airport – my New Years Resolution in tatters…
James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt International based in Wentworth, Virginia Water. Tel: 01344 843000
The Diary of a Global Estate Agent
Most of you don’t know me from Adam, so I’ll put you in the picture very briefly. I started out as an Estate Agent in 1984 working for Mann & Co. in Walton-on-Thames before a short foray into London with Chestertons (to see how the posh lot sold houses). Joining the family firm in 1987, I thought I would sell houses until the cows came home and ate the grass off my grave. How wrong I was – my brother joined the firm and left no space for me as he was a much better salesman. So I became a lettings ‘lady’ and expanded that side of the business. Always wanting a challenge, I restarted the overseas department we had before the UK property crash of 1990.
Monday
I’m on a Gulf Air plane that I boarded yesterday evening, heading for Muscat in Oman. My eyeballs have trouble focusing at 2.30 GMT when breakfast is served. It is 5.30am Oman time,
and we land 90 minutes later. It is exactly 100 degrees already. A blast of hot air as we get off the plane is rather nice – a real reminder that I am somewhere totally different to the rain and coolish weather I left in London.
I’m picked up by my host for the day and she takes me back to their sumptuous house nearby. They are one of our clients and have impeccable royal connections in Oman. Breakfast is served by a servant and I keep quiet about this being the second breakie of the day….well, there was four hours in between the two!
I am in Oman for the day to get a brief overview of the increasingly busy International sales market which is hotting up and likely to boom any minute. Some would say it already is. A business meeting with local experts is followed by several hours touring the amazingly beautiful craggy coastline to see future developments sites in and around Muscat. Then it’s back to the
airport for the quick hop to Dubai where I find my luggage has been lost……
Tuesday
Having driven an hour across the desert to the Sultanate of Ras Al Khaimah last night, I then had to go shopping for a change of clothes for tomorrow and toiletries. I now realise that I should have tried the shirt on. It doesn’t fit and I resemble the Michelin man. Good news is that my bag has been found. First I have a meeting at Al Hamra Village which we are marketing. It is impressive and several showhouses are already completed on the 600 acre resort. The 18 hole golf course is taking shape and the first green shoots of grass are appearing – and this is the desert! After looking over the properties we stop off at the development’s 5* hotel for a drink and giggle at the strangely coloured holiday makers sitting in 110 degree of sun.
Back across the desert and pick up luggage from the airport before dashing to the other site of Dubai for a meeting with Nakheel – you might not know the name but you’ve probably seen The Palm development which they are building.
The site visit was an interesting experience in how to remain looking interested when looking at several miles of sand and nothing else. A painful two hour car trip back to the airport (the traffic in Dubai is dreadful) and a flight on to Bahrain.
Wednesday
I’m staying with friends here and having not seen them for a year, we have a lot of catching up to do. Inevitably, property comes into the conversation. Bahrain, like the rest of the Middle East is going through a manic building race, with it’s eye on the Financial Services Office market. After going through the 200 emails I have, it’s off to the Property Arabia Exhibition. The stands are impressive and I chat to existing clients about their products and reassure them of BW International’s efforts. Bahrain is not a major market for UK buyers and I have to be in my best ‘schmoozing’ mode. It’s not a big exhibition, so I’m finished by mid afternoon and go for a swim. At 5pm we go to a local hotel for a property wine and cheese reception which goes on all evening. Interesting to see that those from other nearby countries where alcohol is banned, seem to be getting a bit giggly!
Thursday
Oh dear, I shouldn’t have had those last 4 glasses. The searing heat makes the situation twice as bad. I travel down to see Riffa Views Golf Resort. This is an unusual development as there is an existing golf course and the development is being built around that. In their wisdom, the planners are actually rebuilding half of the golf course which has hugely upset existing members. Then on to a huge 20 square km land reclamation development called Durrat Al Bahrain which has 12 Islands and 12 miles of beaches. Formula 1 whiz Jenson Button has bought a home there.
Hopefully BW International can work with the developer.
Friday
Spend the day on the plane back to London writing reports and planning next weeks work schedule. I catch a movie and a few zzzz’s. My wife is at Heathrow which is lovely, and we get home half an hour before our four weekend guests arrive. Thank goodness there is a bank holiday on Monday!
James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt International based in Wentworth, Virginia Water. Tel: 01344 843000
Monday
I’m on a Gulf Air plane that I boarded yesterday evening, heading for Muscat in Oman. My eyeballs have trouble focusing at 2.30 GMT when breakfast is served. It is 5.30am Oman time,
and we land 90 minutes later. It is exactly 100 degrees already. A blast of hot air as we get off the plane is rather nice – a real reminder that I am somewhere totally different to the rain and coolish weather I left in London.
I’m picked up by my host for the day and she takes me back to their sumptuous house nearby. They are one of our clients and have impeccable royal connections in Oman. Breakfast is served by a servant and I keep quiet about this being the second breakie of the day….well, there was four hours in between the two!
I am in Oman for the day to get a brief overview of the increasingly busy International sales market which is hotting up and likely to boom any minute. Some would say it already is. A business meeting with local experts is followed by several hours touring the amazingly beautiful craggy coastline to see future developments sites in and around Muscat. Then it’s back to the
airport for the quick hop to Dubai where I find my luggage has been lost……
Tuesday
Having driven an hour across the desert to the Sultanate of Ras Al Khaimah last night, I then had to go shopping for a change of clothes for tomorrow and toiletries. I now realise that I should have tried the shirt on. It doesn’t fit and I resemble the Michelin man. Good news is that my bag has been found. First I have a meeting at Al Hamra Village which we are marketing. It is impressive and several showhouses are already completed on the 600 acre resort. The 18 hole golf course is taking shape and the first green shoots of grass are appearing – and this is the desert! After looking over the properties we stop off at the development’s 5* hotel for a drink and giggle at the strangely coloured holiday makers sitting in 110 degree of sun.
Back across the desert and pick up luggage from the airport before dashing to the other site of Dubai for a meeting with Nakheel – you might not know the name but you’ve probably seen The Palm development which they are building.
The site visit was an interesting experience in how to remain looking interested when looking at several miles of sand and nothing else. A painful two hour car trip back to the airport (the traffic in Dubai is dreadful) and a flight on to Bahrain.
Wednesday
I’m staying with friends here and having not seen them for a year, we have a lot of catching up to do. Inevitably, property comes into the conversation. Bahrain, like the rest of the Middle East is going through a manic building race, with it’s eye on the Financial Services Office market. After going through the 200 emails I have, it’s off to the Property Arabia Exhibition. The stands are impressive and I chat to existing clients about their products and reassure them of BW International’s efforts. Bahrain is not a major market for UK buyers and I have to be in my best ‘schmoozing’ mode. It’s not a big exhibition, so I’m finished by mid afternoon and go for a swim. At 5pm we go to a local hotel for a property wine and cheese reception which goes on all evening. Interesting to see that those from other nearby countries where alcohol is banned, seem to be getting a bit giggly!
Thursday
Oh dear, I shouldn’t have had those last 4 glasses. The searing heat makes the situation twice as bad. I travel down to see Riffa Views Golf Resort. This is an unusual development as there is an existing golf course and the development is being built around that. In their wisdom, the planners are actually rebuilding half of the golf course which has hugely upset existing members. Then on to a huge 20 square km land reclamation development called Durrat Al Bahrain which has 12 Islands and 12 miles of beaches. Formula 1 whiz Jenson Button has bought a home there.
Hopefully BW International can work with the developer.
Friday
Spend the day on the plane back to London writing reports and planning next weeks work schedule. I catch a movie and a few zzzz’s. My wife is at Heathrow which is lovely, and we get home half an hour before our four weekend guests arrive. Thank goodness there is a bank holiday on Monday!
James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt International based in Wentworth, Virginia Water. Tel: 01344 843000
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