Real Estate
Real Estate
British-born John Albanie runs Caribbean Enterprises, a leading real estate company specializing in high-end properties and development land targeted at upscale tourism development on the island. John has lived in Grenada since 1986 and became a citizen in 1991. He also serves as Honorary British Consul for Great Britain.
hen I watch England play the West Indies my right hand claps for the Windies and my left hand claps for England. I end up with very sore hands at the end of the match. John spent a career with Reuters news agency and has worked in continental Europe, the Middle East and North America. In the late seventies Reuters sent him to Barbados on a project involving CANA (Caribbean News Agency) with a brief to wander up and down the Caribbean – from the North in the Bahamas to the South in Trinidad. It gave me a good understanding of the islands but when the time came to stop commuting (at that time I trudged daily from Greenwich Connecticut to downtown New York) I chose Grenada. It has the beaches, the mountains, the rain forest, the history; and yet it is still relatively unspoilt. It has not been overcome with mass tourism and, by necessity as well as design, it has not turned itself into another Costa, as have some of our island neighbours. Grenada has more to offer by having less to offer. Long may it stay that way. How would you describe the real estate market offering in Grenada? As I said, we do not , cannot and have no wish to cater for the mass market. We compete in the lower volume middle to high-end markets and, of late, we have attracted key players at the very top end of the scale. Names like Camper Nicholson in the yachting industry and Four Seasons in the residential and resort business are laying markers on the ground for an expansion into this hitherto unknown sector . How viable do you see the market as an investment destination ? If you had asked me this question last year, when the world was coming apart, I would have said keep your money in the bank - if you have one that you feel is still in business. Like the rest of the world,
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Grenada has had to tighten its belt, but this has made some of its offerings more attractive and more negotiable. Of course we have had hyenas come looking for cadavers but by and large they have gone away again with their tails between their legs – I have not come across “distress sales” in our sector of the market but there are good opportunities for those who do not think the world has co ?????????????Q??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????]?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????M???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????e?????????q ??????t???q ????t???q????t???q???????????t???q?????t???q????t???????e?????????????????????????????????????L???????I??????????????????????????????1??M??????????????????????????????????? ??????e???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????]????????????????????????????Q??????????????????????e??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????I????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????]????????????????????????????????????M?() ?????e???]????!??????M????????????????M????????????????????M? ?????e???????????????????????????????????????????????I????????!????????????????? ??????!???????????????????????????????????Q?????????????????????????????????????????L???????????????????L????????????????????????Q?????????????????????????????????????Q??????M? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????e???A????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????]?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????%????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????q????????t??????????????????????q??????t????????Q??????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????M? ?????e?U??????????????????????????????Q????????!????????Q????????????????????????????????UL??????????????????????????????????????????????UL??
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