Orlando Magic!

Orlando Magic from MRI Overseas Property and MacAnthony Realty International

Not only has Orlando got Disney’s Magic Kingdom, we also have the Orlando Magic basketball team who have fought their way to the NBA Finals. The next 10 days brings an exciting final between the legendary Los Angeles Lakers (supported by the likes of Jack Nicholson and Leonardo Di Caprio) and our own Orlando Magic team. We are all excited at the prospect of The Magic taking their place as champions of the NBA.

Everything happens in Orlando – 58 million people visited Florida last year and the opportunities for property buyers are quite simply, unbelievable!

MRI Overseas Property are offering some magical deals at the moment, on single family homes, townhouses and condos, with prices starting at an amazingly low $130,000. In some cases prices in the area have dropped by 50%.

Portugal – Turning the corner? Is this good news for overseas property investment in Portugal?

This recent report from the Portugal News Online, re-inforces MRI Overseas Property’s continued faith in Portugal as a sound investment and especially the prospects for their Silver Coast Beach Resort.

“In the week that quarterly GDP growth statistics showed Portugal had recorded the third highest growth figures, coupled with being found to be the most competitive economy in southern Europe and second best improvement in the construction industry, the Finance Minister has predicted that the economy is likely to recover sooner than expected and actually grow in the second half of the year.

Teixeira dos Santos has resisted the temptation to assume an euphoric stance despite latest figures both here and abroad allowing for an optimistic outlook on the immediate future. The Finance Minister said this week that the country might have already experienced the worst the current crisis can throw at it and predicted the economy might come out of the recession as early as the second half of the year.

Speaking to Reuters, Teixeira dos Santos expressed confidence that the burgeoning budget deficit would peak in 2009 before declining next year. “With the high level of uncertainty in mind, I think the Portuguese economy is now passing through the worst period and I think that as of the second half we will start seeing positive signs … basically, I expect quarter-to-quarter growth in the second half of this year,” he was quoted as telling the news agency.

The minister further pledged that taxes would not be raised once the economy had recovered, explaining that the government had not resorted to tax cuts as the effects of the crisis hit the economy here.

The minister’s comments come shortly after the government revised its GDP forecast, saying it would shrink 3.4 percent this year, 2.6 percent more than foreseen in its previous projection.

Teixeira dos Santos also told a Lisbon news conference that the government’s new estimate for unemployment in 2009 was set at 8.8 percent, up from the earlier forecast of 8.5 percent.

He said the government expected to close the year with inflation at 0.1 percent, down from the previous projection of 1.1 percent, while exports and public/private investments were expected to shrink by 11.8 percent and 14.1 percent, respectively.

The economy also received a boost on Wednesday, when the European Commission announced it had approved the government’s €4 billion to plan to recapitalise national banks.

EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes, in announcing the body’s approval of the re-financing plan said Portugal’s recapitalisation plan “envisages effective measures to boost confidence in the markets” and also “establishes safeguards to limit distortions of competition.”

Further good news came when the Institute for Management Development (IMD) unveiled Portugal has being the most competitive economy in southern Europe, surpassing Spain it climbed three positions in the rankings. Boosting Portugal’s rise in the table was its continuous improvements to its infrastructures along with its competiveness in terms of costs.”

Orlando still most popular US destination!

The American Society of Travel Agents once again ranked Orlando the nation’s most popular summer destination.

The association’s poll of its members, called 2009 Hot Spots for Summer, found 17.2 percent said Orlando is the summer’s top travel destination. Las Vegas followed with 16 percent. The two cities have been the top destinations for seven years running.

Other cities in the top 10 were San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, Honolulu, San Diego, Washington, D.C., Chicago and New York.

The survey also looked at international destinations and found Western Europe remains the most popular. London was the top-ranked destination with 9.9 percent of the votes, followed by Rome with 9 percent.

MRI Overseas Property says: SuperBowl 2009 and 2010 and a Super time to buy property in Florida with MRI Overseas Property!

With only 10 days to go until this year’s Super Bowl XLIII, excitement is reaching fever pitch for both Steelers and Cardinals fans alike. Amongst those they’ll be cheering for in this game are stars, Kurt Warner and Ben Roethlisberger. And to make the day truly memorable, The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street band will be “kicking out the jams” at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

Which means that, now is the time to make sure that you’re here for the next game by taking advantage of the superb offers currently available on thousands and thousands of properties in Florida. MRI Overseas Property can show you some of the finest and most keenly priced property around and now is the perfect time to buy. With interest rates at an historic low and prices having fallen to a level not seen here for years, Florida is now offering the discerning buyer a wonderful opportunity to own their own home or townhouse or villa, close to where the Super Bowl XLIV is being played in 2010, at the Dolphin Stadium, in Miami. This new year 2009 has begun already with the historic inauguration of the new President, the first African-American, Barack Obama: and we’re now poised to continue to have America, and especially Florida, move forward with massive confidence and a positive focus and momentum. The recent moves by Congress to free up even more funds for business means that property is a great choice at the moment. And don’t forget, Orlando has and always will remain popular with the tens of millions of visitors that come each year! It is really set to start motoring again!

And who knows? Next year you and your family could be vacationing here and going to the football game yourself… or maybe renting your property out to some other lucky people. It’s the time to buy and a super place to live! Ask any of the thousands of people who’ve moved here over the years, whether from America or Europe. And MRI Overseas property has sold to a LOT of these people over these years (you could say they’ve been bowl-ed over by MRI and the team!), which is why they keep coming back to us for new, exciting buying opportunities.

Don’t forget that Florida is also home to many famous names; sports super-stars such as Tiger Woods (here in the exclusive Windermere development in Orlando), NBA basketball players, Shaquille O’Neal and Jamal Mashburn, the golfers Ernie Els and Nick Faldo, movie stars like John Travolta (with a home in Ocala) and David Caruso, star of CSI: Miami, rap artist Sean “P Diddy” Coombs, actor Matt Damon and singers Gloria Estefan, Lenny Kravitz and Beyonce all with property and homes in Miami. And of course, the queen of the talk shows, Oprah Winfrey. Then there’s the Versace House, “Casa Casuarina” on the world famous Ocean Drive, which following his death, is now a tourist attraction.

And even if you’re not a football fan, remember that Florida has so much more to offer with the traditional favourites, Disney and The Magic Kingdom (this year you get free admission on your birthday!), Universal Studios with its restaurants, rides, bars and the world famous City Walk night spots (and they will soon open the latest attraction; the world exclusive Harry Potter spectacular) and Sea World with Shamu the killer whale, all continuing to attract visitors, young and old, year in year out, to share in the fun, the sun and the gorgeous all-year round climate. Or for those in search of a slower pace, why not take a lazy drive down to the very bottom of the state of Florida, to the beautiful, exotic Keys, the most famous of which, Key West, has been the subject of films and music!

And if you need any more proof that Florida is a great place to buy, look no further than uber-financier and property mogul Donald Trump’ decision to open his own, private estate complete with night-club, Mar Largo, in Palm Beach or the prestigious Trump Towers in Miami.

With so many people having made the decision to buy here already, now is the time for you to get in on the excitement, so don’t hesitate, contact MRI Overseas Property immediately:

email:info@mrioverseasproperty.com or in the USA, call +1 407 397 977

What did you get for Xmas?

It’s not all doom and gloom in the property world. And MRI Overseas Property are here to show you why.

The snow is high and so are the ratings at Aspen Golf!

If you didn’t buy in Bansko, then you missed out! Fantastic news, straight from our team there telling us that bookings went through the roof – we had FULL occupancy and had to put a STOP SALE on the holiday websites until the end of January as we were fully booked. This means every unit we had available, we rented…

And we’re equally proud to announce that MRI Overseas Property have just received our first 10 out of 10 rating (the average overall rating is 7.3 out of 10) for our very first development. Another stunning success for the MRI team!

This is fantastic news and just goes to show that MRI Overseas Property were right when they decided to build there and offer this fantastic opportunity to our savvy clients.

And what’s more, Bansko Ski Season, 2008/09 has kicked off in a fabulous fashion. If you’re a skiier or even just thinking about starting, take a look at what’s happened in Bansko already and what delights are to come!

Winter Olympic and World Champions Hanni and Andreas Wenzel, Italian ski master Gustavo Thoeni, Austrian World Downhill Champion Harti Weirather and 5 times World Cup Winner, Marc Girardelli are among those to have attended the official opening.
 
With more than 160 snow cannons providing snow coverage for the entire resort should weather conditions require, the ski park caters for all fans of winter sports including an ice-rink, fun park and a half pipe providing the necessary adrenaline rush and exhibition area for those seeking to show off their skills.  Indeed, all options are on offer, including the thrill of heli-ski and para-ski.
 
It is worth noting that safety is a major consideration, with ski-police on patrol to ensure there is no dangerous skiing and to keep an eye on your equipment whilst you take a break.  A total of 130 ski instructors are active across the park with the added security of knowing that safety nets have been installed by Kurt Koch, who has experience of providing safety at over 500 competitions for the World Cup in alpine skiing.
 
The highest track on the resort is an amazing 2,560m high, the lowest 1,000m.  The longest track is a truly knee-trembling 16km.  The resort has a total of 70km of ski runs with the latest Doppelmayer lift systems in place, providing 25km of high capacity infrastructure helping to keep waiting times to a minimum.
 
The Tomba run is seen as the most attractive, having been assessed by none other than Alberto Tomba and also meeting with the approval of such greats as Franz Klammer, Rosi Mittermaier, Marc Girardelli, Hristo Stoychkov and Petar Popangelov.
 
Nursery and Ski Schools are abundant, offering the possibility for new beginners or younger children to learn in a safe and friendly environment.  Numerous restaurants and ski-bars are dotted around the park, offering a range of cuisine and refreshments.
 
For the first time ever, Austrian ski stars have held their spectacular, annual end of season ´fanclub´ event outside of Austria, preferring instead to use the state-of-the-art facilities of Bansko.  Amongst the galaxy of Austrian stars attending the event were Marc Girardelli, Michaela Dorfmeister, Renate Götschl, Elisabeth Görgl, Nicole Hosp, Michaela Kirchgasser, Alexandra Meissnitzer, Reinfried Herbst, Rainer Schönfelder, Fritz Strobl, Werner Franz,Christian Mayer, Sabine Egger, Tanya Schneider, Brigitte Obermoser, Heinz Schilcheger, Selina Heeregger and Martina Lechner.

During March 2008, Bansko held its first European Cup Downhill race, with the winners being Stefan Tanie from Italy and Florian Scheiber from Austria.  Scheduled for March 2009 is the Apline Ski FIS Europa Cup Downhill race for men.  The elite from the European Apline ski world are expected to attend, including European Cup leader Stefan Thanei from Italy who currently holds a slender lead in front of 2nd placed Finn, Jukka Leino and Marcel Hirscher from Austria.

Also scheduled for this season are 2 races from the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, taking place from February 28th.  This is a very special event, the first time Bulgaria has hosted a World Cup competition.

Bank on MRI Overseas Property: Bansko rated highly!

Confirming MRI Overseas Property decision to build here (and that of our clients to buy!), this article from the Houston Chronicle confirms what a great destination Bansko and Bulgaria is:

Off the beaten ski trail but still first class: Bulgaria and Slovakia

2 January 2009, Friday

From The Houston Chronicle
By Leah Larkin

BANSKO, BULGARIA ” The mountains may not be as high nor the slopes as long as those of Alpine resorts in Austria and Switzerland, but a ski trip to Eastern Europe can be an adventure.

Especially when it includes off-slope exploration.
Since the fall of Communism in the early 1990s, many countries have been spending big bucks to develop first-class winter resorts.

Two of the best are Bansko in Bulgaria and Jasna in Slovakia.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d see skiing like this in Bulgaria,” said Borislav Kostourkov, a Bulgarian on his first visit to Bansko, located three hours south of Sofia in the Pirin mountain range.

About $18 million has been spent to turn the area’s ski slopes into a purpose-built mountain resort. New lifts. New runs. New luxurious hotels with spa facilities. A snow-park and half-pipe for boarders. A cross-country track. Even a shooting range for biathlon competitions.

Calling itself “the most modern resort in Eastern Europe,” Bansko boasts 40 miles of groomed slopes, including an extra long run ” about 10.5 miles with a vertical drop of 5,500 feet. When you reach the bottom, your legs are burning.

Eight-passenger gondolas soar from the edge of town ” within walking distance of the hotels ” to the resort hub where chairlifts take skiers to the upper slopes. There are long red and blue cruising runs, trails through the pine forests and a challenging black run.

While all is new and modern on the slopes and at the brand new hotels nearby, the town is Old World Bulgaria, charming and unique. Records indicate a settlement was established in Bansko in the 9th century. It was an important cultural center in the 18th and 19th centuries when talented artists founded a school for painting and woodcarving. Its ancient Byzantine church is dark and mysterious with candles, gilded icons and ornate chandeliers, while its Renaissance houses of stone are a testament to its rich past.

“Downtown” is a collection of ski and souvenir shops with cozy, dimly lit taverns and restaurants. It’s not unusual to see an entire lamb or pig roasting on a spit in front of one of the eateries.

Foreign visitors should leave the slopes behind for a day or two to see more of Bulgaria, a country noted for its Eastern Orthodox monasteries. The biggest and most famous, Rila Monastery, dates to the 10th century and was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

Rila is an easy day trip from Bansko, as is the ancient town of Melnik, a popular tourist destination known as Bulgaria’s smallest town. Dramatic sand cliffs in surrealistic forms surround the town, which is a good place to taste Bulgaria’s famous wine, also called “melnik.”

Ski Slovakia

Jasna, Slovakia’s premier winter resort, is 160 miles east of Bratislava in the Low Tatra mountains near the Polish border. Ranking right up there with the skiing are nearby off-slope diversions ” water parks, castles and caves.

While Jasna is the largest ski resort in the Tatra range, there are other ski areas in the mountains.

London’s The Daily terms this ski region “the most overlooked in Europe.” In fact, Jasna has become popular with British skiers who book inexpensive package plans.

“The slopes are not crowded,” said skier Corrine Knight of London. “There is a variety of slopes and good terrain for boarders. The lifts are excellent.”

Her Irish companion, Karla Hanna, raved about the food and night life: “The food is gorgeous, really tasty. The night life is great and really cheap.” On an outing with four friends to a club, each paid about $10 for a meal and drinks. “Amazing,” she said.

Jasna, with a vertical drop of 3,024 feet, has two interconnecting resorts, one on the southern slopes of Chopok mountain, the third highest summit in the Low Tatra range (6,680 feet), and the other on the northern side. The 14 miles of downhill runs offer variety, from wide-open terrain to narrow trails through the trees.

The runs are long, primarily cruising intermediate territory. The lifts “a gondola, six-person chair, several four-person chairs and pomas” are all new and modern.

In addition to developing mountain resorts, Slovakia has capitalized on its many thermal springs by building spas, wellness centers and over-the-top water parks.

Leave the Jasna slopes early one day and visit Aquapark Tatralandia, a water paradise with 11 thermal swimming pools. Visitors can soak and swim outdoors in warm, steamy water, moving from water jets to water massages, water spouts to bubblers. Don’t miss the toboggans and water slides for fun and thrills.

Another Slovakia attraction away from the slopes: castles. The country has some 300 castles and chateaux. The most popular, Bojnice, can be visited during a day trip from Jasna. It was rebuilt at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries to resemble a French château in the Loire Valley.

For more adventure away from the slopes, visit a cave. The country has hundreds, with 12 open to the public and many on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Huge demand for property in the Dominican Republic

MRI Overseas Property sees a huge rise in demand for the Dominican Republic

MRI Overseas Property has been offering fantastic properties to its clients in the Dominican Republic for some years now, but even we were pleasantly surprised at the level of enquiries over the last month.

There was huge demand via our web site, with enquiries for The Dominican outweighing any others and our telephones were ringing off the hooks with calls asking for more information.

Is it the year-round fantastic weather, the thought of the Caribbean sea and beaches or something else?

It may well be the golfing facilities which are some of the finest anywhere in the world.

Read on for some details on what you can expect. And if this taste of the delights of the Dominican Republic has whet your appetites, contact us straight away to talk about viewing properties there!

A favourite golfing destination of former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George H. Bush, the Dominican Republic has become one of the hottest spots to tee-off in the Caribbean, if not the world. Here golfers will find 19 courses with ocean-front fairways and dog-leg lefts around swaying coconut palms. They’ll also find courses designed by legends such as Pete Dye, P.B. Dye, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Robert Trent Jones, Gary Player, Tom Fazio and Nick Faldo.

The next few years are especially important for DR golf as five new courses are scheduled to open throughout 2008 and 2009. But visitors to the Dominican Republic needn’t worry about packing golf clubs or even knowing how to golf, for that matter. Each course offers affordable club rentals and internationally recognized golf pros for lessons. Regardless of handicap, the courses of the Dominican Republic promise a challenging and unique experience.

Within 90 minutes drive of Punta Cana/Bavaro, there are 13 golf courses. Here are our personal favourites:

Dye Fore – The newest course and the third by Pete Dye to open at the luxurious Casa de Campo resort in La Romana is unique, with a 300-foot deep river gorge, Mediterranean village, mountains and the Caribbean Sea as backdrops. The course itself is expansive, measuring a long 7,770 feet with fairways 200-feet wide. Although visually intimidating, the course is very playable and golfers have been raving about the new addition.

Teeth of the Dog – Consistently ranked by golf experts as one of the top 50 courses in the world, Teeth of the Dog is located at Casa de Campo resort in La Romana. The course features several signature Dye formations along with seven oceanfront holes, four on the front nine and three on the back, and is considered extra challenging due to the tricky sea breezes. The course opened in 1971 and recently had its teeth sharpened and lengthened. It re-opened in November of 2005.

Punta Cana Resort & Club’s La Cana Golf Course
Located at Punta Cana Resort & Club, every hole within this P.B. Dye-designed championship course captures the scenery of the Caribbean with 14 ocean-view and four ocean-front holes. In fact, the 18th hole has been said to resemble the infamous 18th hole at Pebble Beach. And, according to Dye, the 7th hole is golfer’s purgatory!

Punta Blanca – The new five-star Majestic Colonial Punta Cana Beach Resort features a casino, spa and an 18-hole golf course designed by Nick Price. Punta Blanca celebrated its grand opening May of 2007 with Nick Price inaugurating the course.

Cocotal Golf and Country Club – The 18-hole course, designed by six-time Spanish champion Jose Pepe Gancedo, uses the natural terrain of an old coconut plantation and includes serene lakes and palm trees in its landscape. In 2002, an additional nine-hole course opened.

Punta Espada Golf Course – The initial golf course to open at luxurious Cap Cana is Punta Espada, the first Jack Nicklaus Signature Course in the Dominican Republic. World renowned golf course management team Troon Golf staffs the 7,382 yard-long 18-hole course. The architecture utilized the area’s bluffs, beach, waterways and jungle foliage with eight of the holes directly on the ocean.

Roco Ki Golf Club – One of the newest projects announced for the Macao Beach area is The Faldo Legacy Course at Roco Ki Golf Club. An 18-hole championship course, The Faldo Legacy Course will thrill golfers of every ability with its challenging cliffside and ocean-view holes, tropical mangrove forest and lagoon. Troon Golf will also manage this course.

And after this, you must now be keen to buy! So, get in touch with us:

email: info@mrioverseasproperty.com

The Titanic has landed…

…just down the block from our Orlando offices.

This attraction, sure to be a hit with the holiday visitors milling along International Drive, opened at the end of last year.

So, whilst you’re there (and have a look at this video to whet your appetite), why not call into the offices of the world famous real estate company as well and consider all the fabulous properties on offer?

Now is a great time to buy, with a huge inventory of property, one of which is bound to be ideal for you and your family and friends and interest rates at an historic low.

Contact MRI Overseas Property on +1 407 397 9777 or just call in when you’re in the area to 7220 International Drive, Orlando, Florida. 32819.

Clarification by MRI’ new CEO

NEW CEO AND DIRECTION FOR MRI OP
MRI Overseas Property, DCC International Property

Ending speculation on various trade and investor blogs, the new CEO of MRI Overseas Property, Dominic Pickering, has outlined the company’s plans to focus on construction in 2009.

“We launched 7 or 8 years ago and started constructing at the midway point,” said Pickering. “Most of our profit now comes from construction and the day to day demands, and costs, of marketing are no longer our main focus.”

Pickering told OPP that MRI had gone through a major restructure in the last 3-6 months, closing some of its offices and laying off some staff as the company downsized to adapt to current market conditions. While the board is largely unchanged – Darragh Macanthony is chairman, Paul O’Mahoney is director of construction, and James Forester is marketing director – a significant change is the absence of former CEO Michael Liggan.

“Marketing was always Michael’s forte, so he has set up his own venture,” said Pickering. “This is not an acrimonious departure, and we hope he will send some buyers our way”. This new venture, called DCC International Property, was recently set up by Michael Liggan and is currently promoting projects in Cyprus, Bulgaria, Portugal, Romania, Spain and USA.

Independent venture
Confirming that DCC was “completely independent” of MRI Overseas Property, Liggan told OPP that: “DCC doesn’t have an exclusive agreement to market or sell MRI developments and currently doesn’t have any other exclusive agreements for the many other developments it will be marketing”.

Clarifying the relationship with MRI and its board, Liggan added: “I have a very close relationship to Darragh MacAnthony; not only was I the CEO for his group of companies for many years but I am also his best friend. Because of this a lot of industry people have assumed that DCC is really MRI in disguise when that simply isn’t the case. The truth of the situation is that Darragh wants to focus more of his time on developing and constructing projects around the world and also developing his football club Peterborough United and trying to get them promoted this season and in the next season until they’re in the Premiership.

“With Darragh not wanting to focus on taking over yet more of his ‘territories’ for his real estate company there is an opportunity for someone like me to want to do this and I believe the industry needs it. With Darragh planning on downsizing MRI Overseas Property I felt that now is the obvious time to go for it. Yes, we’re going through a worldwide credit crunch but times like this are often considered the best time to start a new company and for me that means I have direct access to taking on some of the best staff in the industry and also some of the best offices out there”.

Since DCC is currently promoting MRI projects, and occupying some of the MRI offices that had been closed down, there have been rumours of a rebrand. “It’s not a rebrand,” added Pickering. “We’ve spent 8 years building the MRI brand. We offered DCC the option of taking on the leases of some of our office space in Cyprus and Spain. They took up the offer and have even recruited some of the people we had to let go.”

Outlining plans going forward, Pickering said that it would not be relying on the same traditional marketing methods to sell homes. “As constructors, we still know how to sell,” he said. “But rather than spending thousands on stands at property exhibitions, we will be building a network of agents to partner with. We still have thousands upon thousands of clients on our database who have either purchased or shown interest, so we have various options open to us, but our aim is to build sales networks in the UK, Europe and the US.”

While MRI’s headquarters will remain in Spain, Pickering is based in Orlando in the US and is currently in negotiation with local partners to build this network. He also told OPP that MRI had been actively banking land in Europe and the US over the last year to support its focus on construction.

© http://www.opp.org.uk

MRI Construction update

• MRI City Residence Bucharest (pictured) in Romania is close to getting its showroom and show apartment. With one-third of the properties already sold to foreign investors, this will enable us to sell to locals seeking a better home environment for themselves.
• In Bulgaria, Silver Mountain Resort is now 95% sold out. Due to the continued growth in sales in Bulgaria, driven primarily by Eastern European, Middle East and Russian clients, MRI is looking forward to releasing a second and third phase of the development.
• In Cyprus, Victoria Exclusive Resort, our first development on the island, is effectively sold out. The resort is due for completion in November 2009. Our current two developments on the island, Elysian Fields Spa Resort and Andriana Exclusive Resort II, are 80% and 60% sold.
• A large Dubai fund has tried to buy 3 blocks in our projects in Romania and Cyprus, reflecting the massive untapped potential in those markets. (MRI refused the approach as it is focused on selling to its core market of small investors.)