High Marks for Cape Verde

The Heritage Foundation (a Washington DC Think Tank) and WSJ Index of Economic Freedom Report for 2009 was released earlier this month. It came as no surprise that Cape Verde continues on the rise. Although its best mark was in the category of Monetary Freedom where Cape Verde scored a whopping 76.9, where it really did exceptionally well was in the category of Property Rights, scoring an awesome 70.00 points, where the overall (179 countries) average was 44.0. An added bonus is that Cape Verde came in ahead of some of its main competitors when it comes to attracting European investment in second homes abroad and residential tourism – Poland, Greece, Egypt and Tunisia.

An Investment for your Investment

Make sure you dont just have a second home abroad, but a LUXURY second home abroad - take a look at the must have!

Birds of Cape Verde 3 - Common Starling (Sturnus Vulgaris)

The encyclopaedia Britannica describes the Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) as a 20-centimetre (8-inch) chunky iridescent black bird with a long sharp bill. It was introduced from Europe and Asia to most parts of the world (with the exception of South America). Other sources add that the tail is short and square, the body is stocky, and the wings are short, broad-based, and pointed. Immature starlings are gray-brown above, paler below with some white on the throat and belly, and a brown bill. As you walk about Ponta Bicuda you should listen out for a series of musical whistles they use, as well other notes which have been described as coarse, harsh and squeaky. But be ware as they are masterful at imitating the calls of other birds, such as the bobwhite, killdeer, eastern wood pewee, and eastern meadowlark. Starlings typically do not hop but walk.

Lisboa Travel Market - January 21 - 25 2009

If you happen to be in Lisbon from today through to the 25th of January don’t miss the BTL - the Lisboa Travel Market which is a growing industry event for all segments of the tourism sector. The "BTL 2009" is attended by professionals and non-professional alike and offers a unique perspective on a multitude of subjects relating not only to tourism in Portugal, which this year will feature the Algarve, but destinations around the world (featuring Uruguay - new comer to the event). The event will be held in Lisbon’s Expo' 98 area at the Feira de Lisboa Internacional

FIL Rua do Bojador - Parque das Nações - Lisboa
Opening hours are from 10.00am to 8.00pm.

The International Second Home Market

If you have read this blog often enough you will know that we consider places like Cape Verde “the next big thing” in the overseas property markets due to key factors that include a stable and long lasting government, booming economy (fuelled largely the tourism industry) and proper use of international funds allowing for huge structural developments in Cape Verde including health, education etc..

Today I am writing about the flip side of the industry – and the buzz word on everyone’s agenda right now - Russia! WSJ headlines “From Russia with Cash”, the BBC reports that “Russians snap up Australian luxury” and the Business Times Online asserts that “Russians …invest its oil billions abroad”. According to various estimates, assets belonging to Russian citizens in the West amount today to over €300bn and here is why they will keep investing abroad;

1 . Unreasonably high priced properties (expected to drop at some point) make real estate investment at home un-promising
2. Russian stock market is unstable and has in fact dropped significantly
3. Russia has “no reliable (if any) pension plan” so real estate investment abroad is considered for many the safety net.

Construction Update 14

As reported in our last Construction Update, the first stage of construction at Tiara Tedju, Coladera and Tiara Cor di Mar– ground works and land modulating – is now finished. However, due to the complexity of the next stage, a new construction company will be contracted, and this process is temporarily postponing launch of the second phase of construction at Ponta Bicuda. We will, of course, let you know which company will be attributed with phase II of construction, the new launch date and all updates pertaining to Ponta Bicuda so remember to keep checking back with us right here.

Birds of Cape Verde 2 – Sparrows

1. House Sparrow 2. Spanish Sparrow 3. Lago Sparrow

The "true sparrows" - Old World sparrows (From Africa, Asia or Europe) belong in the family Passeridae and are small passerine birds. Generally, sparrows tend to be small, plump brown-grey birds with short tails and stubby yet powerful beaks. The differences between sparrow species can be subtle. They are primarily seed-eaters though they also consume small insects. A few species will scavenge the city looking for food - but not those that can be seen on Ponta Bicuda. These are birds you can get quite up-close and personal with though as they will happily eat virtually anything in small quantities. Members of this family range in size from the Chestnut Sparrow (Passer eminibey), at 11.4 cm (4.5 inches) and 13.4 g., to the Parrot-billed Sparrow (Passer gongonensis), at 18 cm (7 inches) and 42 g. (1.5 oz). Sparrows are physically similar to other seed-eating birds, such as finches, but have a vestigial dorsal outer primary feather and an extra bone in the tongue.

Cape Verde - Record Direct Foreign Investment Growth

According to a recent report from the Cape Verde Investment Agency, Direct Foreign Investment has increased by 46% from 2007 to 2008.
Here are some of the interesting numbers from that report:
• Approved Direct Foreign Investment projects approved in 2007: 13
• Approved Direct Foreign Investment projects approved in 2008: 19
• Volume of Direct Foreign Investment for 2007: 1.149.050.000 Euros
• Volume of Direct Foreign Investment for 2008: 2.639.357.000 Euros
Also, up untill 2006 Portugual, Spain and Italy were the major investors in the archipelago, by 2008 England, Scotland, Ireland, Sweden and Belgium have all increased their presence very dramatically.

Birds of Cape Verde 1 - Common Waxbill (Estrilda astrild)

The Common Waxbill (Estrilda astrild), also known as St. Helena Waxbill, is a small passerine bird belonging to the estrildid finch family. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa but has been introduced to many other regions of the world and now has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 10,000,000 km². It is popular and easy to keep in captivity.
It is a small bird, 11 to 13 centimetres in length with a wingspan of 12 to 14 centimetres and a weight of 7 to 10 grams. It has a slender body with short rounded wings and a long graduated tail. The bright red bill of the adult is the colour of sealing wax giving the bird its name. The plumage is mostly grey-brown, finely barred with dark brown. There is a red stripe through the eye and a reddish stripe along the centre of the belly. The cheeks and throat are whitish and there is often a pinkish flush to the underparts. The rump is brown and the tail and vent are dark. Females are similar to the males but are paler with less red on the belly. Juveniles are duller with little or no red on the belly, fainter dark barring and a black bill.
Birds have often escaped from captivity or been deliberately released. Breeding populations have become established in many places where the climate is sufficiently warm. They are now found on many islands around Africa including Cape Verde. They may possibly be native on some of these islands. In Europe the Common Waxbill has become widespread in Portugal and is spreading through Spain. There are small populations on Madeira and Gran Canaria and it has recently appeared on Tenerife and the Azores (all Macaronesia islands). Ponta Bicuda will keep is sanctuary status, helping and feeding the birds in the green areas.

Thinking Ahead!

For the first real estate blogue of 2009, I can´t help but think ahead to the future!