By: Staff writer
February 26, 2021
A private island realtor said that private island sales have seen an “uptick” in people showing interest, highlights that buyers want privacy.
Sabah Memon, director of operations for Private Islands Inc., told Caribbean Magazine Plus that despite them being in business for the past 20 years specializing in private island sales and rentals, however, “With everything going on in the world we’ve seen a consistent uptick in interest in private islands and unique secluded real estate. People want to escape to a peaceful and safe haven and take advantage of the slowed down world in a beautiful island setting where they can reconnect with nature. Privacy is a big point of interest for most island buyers in general. Islands offer more privacy than mainland waterfront properties and because of the limited number of islands for sale in any given region, they are more exclusive. You can experience 360 degree views on some islands and time goes by slower when you are on your own island.”
She also said: “The largest percentage of buyers are from the USA and Canada, and regions like the Bahamas and Belize are both very popular as they are very easy to get to, within a few hours from most major cities in North America. These regions generally have more island inventory as well.”
While they have been seeing sales through this pandemic focused on their Canadian market like Georgian Bay in Ontario, which is reportedly seeing “record sales.” “Internationally, travel is still an issue but some islands are even selling site unseen. Right now people are generally more interested in turnkey islands but there are only few of those available,” added Ms Memon.
She continued: “It’s a bit harder to sell undeveloped islands but there’s still a lot more interest than usual. For example, Gladden Private Island (http://www.gladdenprivateisland.com) which is a beautiful developed island in Belize isn’t actually for sale -it’s a rental property -but we’re getting a tonne of sale inquiries for it which we’re funneling toward another island closeby called Funk Caye. This is an undeveloped island near the reef which has amazing potential to be turned into something special and high-end like Funk Cay.”
Tourism is booming in Belize and now ranks among its top industries, thanks to a supportive, stable government that provides appealing investment incentives, expanded air routes and increased cruise ship arrivals. Just 16 miles east of popular Placencia, where coral reefs thrive below the azure Caribbean Sea, Funk Caye offers one of the last quality private islands for development in the region. Reefs teeming with tropical fish and lobster extend north and south of the 2.9-acre private island, creating sheltered snorkeling spots along the western shoreline and abundant scuba sites on its eastern side. The reef to the north contains a natural white sand swimming pool, accessible via a beach on the island’s northwest corner, while the area flats attract fly fishing aficionados with their abundant permit, bonefish and tarpon.
Funk Caye: https://www.privateislandsonline.com/central-america/belize/funk-caye
