HGChristie's Bahamas Real Estate Review Newsletter

Star Island Sunset

Real Estate Review
Everything You Need to Know About Real Estate in the Bahamas

Issue 2009-05

JUNE 2009

GREEN ISSUE Leaf Small Leaf

June 2009 at HGChristie

This month's newsletter has a "Green" theme. Our feature article is on the new STAR Island Development, a private island community that will be completely "Green" but will also be exclusive and luxurious. Also, one of our agents has received a "Green" designation, so read more about that below. As always, we have our HGC Updates to let you know what's happening with our company. Also, check out the photos of our booth from the Bahamas Real Estate Expo. We also have some tips on our blog on how you can make your lifestyle more eco-friendly.

We hope you enjoy all the great information we've included and that you find it useful.

Johnsig
John Christie
H.G. Christie Ltd.

Feature:

STAR Island
The Bahamas' First Completely Green Luxury Resort Development

STAR Island

STAR Island, a 35-acre private island resort community is now under development and is receiving press coverage by international media such as ABCNews.com, Forbes.com, and Travel + Leisure magazine. This phenomenal new community will be exclusive and luxurious. STAR Island Beaches Private homesites will be oceanfront and some will even feature private boat slips or beach frontage. There will be picturesque green spaces and nature preserve for those seeking a pristine island location. For those wanting the ultimate in modern luxury, planned amenities include: a boutique hotel, clubhouse, spa & fitness center, a bayside restaurant, food market, 50-slip marina, and island concierges to cater to your every whim.

This is all enough to make this new development just off of Harbour Island a hot property, but STAR Island is making itself truly spectacular and creating a pure paradise that will be the first completely 'Green' luxury resort development in the Bahamas.

STAR, which stands for Sustainable Terrain And Resources, will be entirely energy independent and will use such technologies as solar, wind, hydro, and bio-fuels to create a guilt-free eco-destination. Buildings here will have Photo Voltaic Energy Generating Roof Panels, will harvest rain water, and have cooling and heating supplied by Ground Coupled Heat Pumps. Even the building orientations will maximize on the environment.

Buying property on stunning STAR Island will allow you to enjoy a luxe modern lifestyle on an exclusive private island that has perfect year round weather, is surrounded by gorgeous waters abundant with sealife, all in perfect harmony with your surroundings.

STAR Island Views

Rhonda Waton Become the 1st 'Green' Agent in the Bahamas!

Ms. Waton Completes Courses and Becomes the First Local Agent to Receive NAR Green Designation

Rhonda Waton, out of our H.G. Christie office in Eleuthera, has become the first real estate agent in The Bahamas to complete the courses for, and be awarded with, the Green Designation from the National Association of REALTORSŽ (NAR). This program was designed to provide real estate professionals with an advanced knowledge on green building practices and green property features. According to the National Association of REALTORSŽ, this "mark of distinction tells customers and clients that [she] is a career-focused professional now knowledgeable in the field of sustainable real estate."

Rhonda Waton's new Green Designation comes at an opportune time, as H.G. Christie is now the exclusive agency representing STAR Island, the first completely 'Green' private island resort community in The Bahamas. Ms. Waton spoke on her choice to gain this designation saying, "The world is demanding the movement towards preservation of our planet and understanding the true meaning of 'Green' is crucial. I wanted to have a deeper understanding of what it really meant and how I can be effective in business and personal life to make a difference." She went on to say, "the Green Designation offers H.G. Christie clients an agent that they can be confident has a baseline understanding of what is Green about their home and what can help to make it Green and, of course, offering STAR Island the most knowledgeable agent in the Bahamas on what is Green."

John Christie, Vice President of H.G. Christie Ltd., had this to say of Ms. Waton, "I think it is wonderfully proactive for one of our agents to undertake the courses needed to gain this designation. This also highlights H.G. Christie's commitment to being Green, and to being considerate of the beautiful environment that surrounds us, preserving it for future generations."

We congratulate Ms. Waton on her new designation, and we are proud to have an agent in our company who is as dedicated as we are to constant self-betterment and bringing the best to our clients!

HGC Update:

Top Producing Agent Sits Down with Company Directors
Elbert Thompson meets with Real Estate Leaders to Gain Insight and Increase Knowledge

Elbert Thompson and HGC Directors

Elbert Thompson, H.G. Christie's 2008 Top Producing Agent for Nassau, is seen here on his way to a luncheon with H.G. Christie Directors, William (Peter) McP. Christie and John Christie. Recognizing the current challenges that face the real estate market around the globe, Mr. Thompson seized this time to gain deeper insights and increased knowledge gleaned from the experience and success of the President and Vice President of H.G. Christie. Remaining optimistic that the market will rebound in the future, Mr. Thompson strongly believes that success will be for those that have used the quiet times to prepare for emerging market demands.

Highlights of the Bahamas Real Estate Expo 2009

For Those of You Unable to Attend, Here's a Quick Glimpse of HGC's Presence at the Expo:

Booth Entrance View of Booth

Booth at Expo

We also had some great presentations which we hosted in the seminar rooms:

David Sklar Jason Kinsale Neil Aberle

STAR Island The Balmoral The Crossing

Eleuthera Prospect Ridge, Nassau Marsh Harbour, Abaco

Upcoming Events:

Don't Miss These Exciting Events!

Bahamas Real Estate Association (BREA) 50th Anniversary Black-Tie Gala
- Venue: Atlantis Resort & Casino, Crown Ballroom
- Cocktails: 7:00pm - 8:00pm
- Gala: 8:00pm - 12:00am
- Tickets: $150.00
- Sir Harold G. Christie will be honoured as the founder of the Bahamas Real Estate Association

Featured Rentals:
Abaco	New Providence
AR10595 "Flamingo Villas" on Hope Town harbour 2 bedrooms $2,500/week	JR00011 Townhouse near the beach on Paradise Island 2 bedrooms $1,700/month

Our Blog:
Horizons
10 Tips to Go Green (& Save Green!)

Here are some of our favorite, and easiest, ways to make your lifestyle more eco-friendly this summer.

Go Energy Efficient: Use energy-efficient appliances like Energy Star certified washers, dryers, water heaters and more. These use less energy (10%-50% less than regular appliances) which is good for the environment and your wallet. Also, you can make sure to unplug appliances and electronics when they're not in use, they can still be sucking electricity even though they're not on.
Let There Be Light: Another quick fix is to replace burnt out lightbulbs with Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLs) - these use 66% less energy and last 10x longer!

To see the full text and for more information on this and other topics visit us at our blog - Horizons.

HGChristie Office Directory

NASSAU	Head Office: Millar's Court P.O. Box N-8164 Nassau, Bahamas Phone: (242) 322-1041 Fax: (242) 326-5642 sales@hgchristie.com
ABACO	Abaco Main Office: P.O. Box AB-20106 Marsh Harbour Abaco, Bahamas Phone: (242) 367-5454 Fax: (242) 367-5452 abaco@hgchristie.com Hope Town/Elbow Cay Abaco, Bahamas Phone: (242) 366-0700 Fax: (242) 366-0701 hopetown@hgchristie.com
ELEUTHERA	Eleuthera Main Office: P.O. Box EL-25148 Governor's Harbour Phone: (242) 332-3404 Fax: (242) 332-3406 eleuthera@hgchristie.com Windermere Island Eleuthera, Bahamas Phone: (242) 334-2298 Fax: (242) 334-2818 windermere@hgchristie.com
EXUMA	P.O. Box EX-29122 George Town, Exuma, Bahamas Phone: (242) 336-2274 Fax: (242) 336-2272 exuma@hgchristie.com
GRAND BAHAMA	P.O. Box F-42498/#360 The Mall Drive (Opposite International Bazaar) Freeport, Grand Bahama Phone: (242) 351-8501 Fax: (242) 351-7491 grandbahama@hgchristie.com
TURKS & CAICOS	P.O. Box 264 Providenciales Turks & Caicos Islands Phone: (649) 231-2110 Fax: (649) 342-1522 sales@hgchristie.com