Photograph by Dennis West of Direct Photographics
Home All-Stars: Great Distances
January 1, 2006
South of Puerto Vallarta, Webster says, “along the Costa Alegre, you have
other bastions of wealth, exclusivity and fantasy fulfillment: Las Alamandas, Costa Careyes, El Tamarindo and eventually Isla Navidad.”; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
The patio of a home in Guanajuato. Photograph by Ricardo Vidargas, Courtesy of Webster Enterprises. (Click image to enlarge)
The Mexican government has recently changed some of its real estate
legislation, making it easier for foreigners to buy and develop land. Benefiting
tremendously from these relaxed mandates is Los Cabos corridor, on the Baja Peninsula. “It
has experienced phenomenal growth in the last 10 to 20 years; some prices have
doubled over the last three years,” says Webster. In addition, development is now spreading north to the capital city of La Paz, where ambitious luxury
communities like Paraiso del Mar and Marina CostaBaja are taking shape.
If you can tear yourself away from the beach, look to hacienda-rich San Miguel de Allende, notes Webster. “It has a colonial atmosphere and beautiful countryside,” he says, “and from Houston or Dallas you can fly there in about two hours door to door.”
New Zealand
Yes, new zealand has always seemed far away, but suddenly that is part of its appeal. “Internet, cheap air travel, terrorism and an aging population have
all increased demand for remote bolt holes in the Southern Hemisphere,” says
Geoffrey McRae of Bayleys Real Estate. Throughout the verdant country, the costs of
coastal and “lifestyle” properties have risen phenomenally over the past few years–especially properties near cities that boast spectacular views or
rural characteristics.; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
A private tennis court on Waiheke Island near Auckland. Photograph by Cliff Shaeffer. (Click image to enlarge)
Waterfront properties outsell everything else. Waiheke Island, just outside Auckland, has shown some of the most startling increases in value, according
to Nicholas Chidley, also of Bayleys Real Estate. The median price there
increased 96 percent between late 2002 and March 2004, from NZ$225,000 to NZ$444,000 ($156,800 to $309,400). And despite a drop last year, waterfront properties
in Auckland and its suburbs, on the Coromandel Peninsula in the Bay of Plenty
and in the winery center of Hawkes Bay, have maintained or increased their value as
of late.
On the South Island, most of the real estate action has centered in Nelson/Marlborough, Queenstown and Central Otago–known for its
mountain-meets-lake scenery, world-class ski runs, backcountry heli-skiing, boating and
fishing–where median prices rose 40 percent in both 2003 and 2004.; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Maison des Chevaux, a home on Arana Point that recently sold for $4.1 mil. Photograph by Bruce Clarke. (Click image to enlarge)
For foreign buyers, “there are isolated mainland or island purchases available around the country,” says Simon Hartley, business reporter of the Otago Daily Times, “with many homestead-style refurbished houses with 100-year-old grounds periodically on the market, priced anywhere from NZ$1 million to NZ$4 million ($687,000 to $2,747,000).
advertisement
