Caribbean Property Investing

Adele Jn Baptiste is young; but still a veteran in the Caribbean Insurance Industry with more than 17+ years experience she now holds a Country Manager role with a regional market leader. Hear her story from an Executive Assistant to a successful multi-family property investor and AirBnb multiple "Super Host" awards recipient. Learn how she was able get on the property ladder, weigh her investment options and ultimately begin her journey to Financial Freedom. Gain real insight into how she was able to deal with the choices and challenges of the property development process as a single woman and her ultimate SECRET on how anyone can achieve similar success.

Jade Hutchinson is a talented, customer-centric and solution-oriented Industrial Designer. He is on a mission to effect positive change through the use of technology, specifically in the areas of Agriculture and Renewable Energy. His career journey included leading multidisciplinary teams through complex infrastructure projects at the 2012 London Olympic Games, strategic brand implementation for a medical corporation in Qatar, and more recently the creation of at least three new businesses including Guru Marketplace and Noah Energy. With longer, hotter summers every year and July 4, 2023 having been declared as the hottest day ever by leading meteorologists; the need and cost of cooling are now real issues for all. For Property Investors, especially short-term accommodation providers; it's vital that you understand how to manage and reduce your power bill, driven primarily by air condition use; if not your business will be at risk. Jade takes us through the entire business case, explaining what is required to start, the application process, the diverse regulations across the islands, sizing based on needs/budget, financing, installation, generating, storing, consuming, getting paid and everything else you ever wanted to know about solar panels and photovoltaic renewable energy systems. This episode is very informative and if you have ever had questions about renewal energy a must listen/watch!

Odette Carey-Russell always knew that she wanted to own a home. More than that; she always wanted at least two units with the second helping to subsidize the other one that she would occupy. Follow her amazing journey with disappointments, twists, turns, lessons and ultimately, success. Learn what to look for when selecting a location to purchase property. Get insider knowledge on where best to get information to discover the future hot spots in your country. Hear how she pivots many times to create opportunities for herself and how to start your journey if you can't do it alone! Finally, if you have enough self-belief, get a clear understanding of how to go about building more than one home on the same lot and how to achieve the ultimate; not living for FREE; but getting PAID to live in your own house!!!

10 years removed from being the first local CEO of Cable & Wireless TCI and originally hailing from South Caicos; husband, father, author, show host, educator, public advocate, patriot, and owner of multiple businesses including an Accounting firm, a Property Management business, a home goods store, as well as other business interests - Drexwell Seymour is a man on a mission. Hear his real estate journey; learn how you create and grow property businesses in a booming and diverse market rich with a mixture of local and expatriate tenants, soaring property and construction costs, ballooning interest rates, an ever-changing landscape and still filled with enough opportunity to succeed. Get exclusive insight and tips on how to "Rise up and take your position" and then how to "Succeed in your position". PLUS ONE...BIG..SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT at the end.... Books: https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Take-Your-Position-Cultivate/dp/B09JF3W26J/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= https://www.amazon.com/Succeeding-Your-Position-Essential-Ingredients-ebook/dp/B0C4N4J97P/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2RXBJ8NI4YU38&keywords=succeeding+in+your+position&qid=1690861372&s=books&sprefix=succeeding+in+your+position%2Cstripbooks%2C184&sr=1-1

Can Caribbean families create and run a successful property investing business? What challenges typically come up when deciding on embarking on such a venture? What will be the company's name? Who ultimately decides? What about shareholders; who gets more? Who gets to be in charge? Should non-blood relatives be invited to participate? What role does each person perform? What projects should they tackle? How do they deal with conflict which will inevitably arise? Can the relationships survive; cousin vs cousin, sister vs brother? Will the family unit thrive or be destroyed forever? Get the answers to all of these questions and much more in the case of Amenola Investments Ltd. a company based in St. Lucia with shareholders being part of the St. Lucian diaspora, all residing in the US. Hear their unique, inspiring story and learn strategies to help you create a successful family-owned and operated property investing business intended to create intergenerational wealth.

If ever there was a survivor or "overcomer" story this is it! Episode 23 with Kieran brought a number of listeners to tears but this one potentially can redefine our definition of struggle and humble beginnings. Raised by his grandmother, Hervin Thomas, a self proclaimed "praying man" had to fend for himself growing up. Scarce resources in the household would force him to learn how to make and sell what we call "paimie" in St. Lucia, "conkies" in Barbados and "blue draws" in Jamaica. A sustained blow to his pride would see him approaching neighbors and the public to offer this sweet Caribbean delicacy made from coconut, cornmeal and pumpkin as his primary means of earning income as a teenager. That still was not adequate to help him achieve regular attendance at school, often forcing him to miss classes every other week in search of odd jobs. This struggle would continue throughout high school forcing him to miss his final (CXC) exams because of the inability to pay for the entrance fees. Learn how he would teach himself how to read and write, find regular work and even capitalize on a gap in his former employer's service which would lead to him ultimately leaving and starting his own business. Track his creative journey in property investing and exactly what it took for him to secure his property portfolio and how he leveraged his core competencies to achieve economic independence and current success despite starting from "less than $0".

Raised by entrepreneurial parents, St. Lucian-born Natalie John has business in her DNA. From the early days of helping her mom in their family-owned restaurant and boutique as well as seeing her father operate a number of businesses ranging from furniture manufacturing to real estate. After having completed her college degree and settling into a Government job at home helping small businesses; a suggestion from a friend would see her packing up her life and taking up an opportunity at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank in the northern Caribbean twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis for what was supposed to be a 3- 5 years sojourn. Fast forward 24 years later and she's still in St. Kitts...well mostly, as the CEO of Dreamy Group (among other roles) and proud recipient of numerous (destination weddings) industry accolades as well managing a successful property portfolio. Find out how her own curiosity while on a work trip would lead her to weddings and all of the challenges she would have to overcome as a young professional woman working away from home. Always ever so present - the learnings from watching her parents operate their business hear her secret tips to business and real estate success!

Paul Campbell is a well travelled and accomplished Hospitality Accountant. He has over 25 years experience working in the top Hotel chains in the region - most of these jobs taking his family away from home. What happens when they finally decide to build an investment property back home in Jamaica, manage remotely, long-distance via telephone calls, video calls and emails? Hear their property journey, their challenges, the hurdles faced and ultimately the keys to ensuring you avoid bankruptcy and achieve your financial freedom dream!

Courtney "Curty” Louis knows all too well the line from Drake's song..."started from the bottom, now we're here!" A student of visual art from high school; his interest also extended to music, specifically writing and later musical production. Hear his amazing story as a CREATIVE who started recording in his bedroom as he juggled life with seasonal income largely around carnival season; to him securing a highly coveted international publishing deal with a major label. He didn't stop there; he needed a home for his mom and himself, a proper studio and property income to cover expenses outside of the festive season. Get the tips that changed his life and also helped him become a successful property investor.

Sheffield Douglas and Urica Primus are co-founders of Stabroek Solutions - a women-founded and operated real estate relocation company providing comprehensive services to expats in Guyana. We chat with "Sheffy" as she prefers to be called, one half of the dynamic duo and get a real sense of what their business entails. Gain insight into the intricacies of successfully re-settling a foreign worker and their families in this South American country. Ultimately we will get first hand information as to why Guyana truly has the hottest economy in the Caribbean for 2022 and how this boom is driving real estate growth. Get a better understanding of their unique landscape and how you too can still get a piece of the action through property investing.

An Environmental Laboratory Supervisor by day, St. Croix-born Danny Deterville moonlights as serial entrepreneur. The chemistry major credits his mindset of wanting to change his life circumstances back then as the driving force to starting and growing a multi-island successful clothing business, a property development enterprise and now an ATM service network. Danny has always had a love for construction and real estate and claims to have fallen in love with the area from the day he graduated from college. His first foray into the field was being his general contractor for his home. Learn how he approaches real estate investing - don't run from away from "undesirable areas". He came from very humble beginnings but believes that anyone can become a successfull entrepreneur. Find out what it took to move from living in the Valley to having multiple properties and that home in the hills and how helping his mom provide maid services to expats while growing up helped serve as a catalyst to shape his mind set and drive his behaviors and ultimate actions.

Raised in an entrepreneurial family, Robert Taylor was determined to save for that famous "10% deposit" needed to purchase his first piece of land. Being a full-time musician of 20+ years it took a little time, but with sacrifice and persistence he was able to secure a mortgage and acquire his piece of St. Lucia. With 'approved' plans, the intention was always to build a house in the tourism belt that could serve a dual purpose; house his family and earn rental income. These plans would never materialize - well at least not on that lot. Find out how a Sunday walk with his daughter would lead him down a different property path and ultimately birth, the now famous luxury short-term rental "Villa Zatara!" As a creative he could always envision the finished product. Hear the hurdles he had to clear and get amazing insight into how you too can build a luxury vacation rental business with what banks may consider an "unstable" or "irregular" income. Finally with the onset of the pandemic; flight cancellations and global lockdowns, how did the vacation rental sector survive? As its first P.R.O., get a clear understanding of the objectives of the Vacation Rental Association of St. Lucia, how the industry is coping with the "new normal", the legacy of these unprecedented challenges; the impact for years to come and what Property investors need to do to achieve continued success.

Seeking a change from teaching, mathematician and music teacher Christine Laurent, on the advice of a friend decided to rent out part of her home to earn some extra money and help with her mortgage during the renovation and build process. The long-term rental arrangement proved troublesome until she stumbled across room sharing via the Air Bnb platform. Listen to how Christine moved from a 2 bedroom home, where she rented out one bedroom and ultimately expanded to 11 bedrooms and 5 additional rental units. During this growth process, find out how she won the prestigious "Super host" designation awarded by Air Bnb for 16 consecutive seasons (quarters), while racking up more than 100 positive reviews. Learn how to get set up on the vacation rental platforms, how to attract and grow bookings and more importantly what you need to do to make your guests absolutely love you, love your accommodation, hospitality and ultimately how to get them to give you 5 Star reviews, recommendations and return visits. This is perhaps our most inspirational story to date as Christine shares her challenges, her victories and why anyone starting with very little, regardless of your location, can MAKE IT BIG in property with the right attitude.

Brian has been in real estate since 1999 when he started as an agent. In 2006, he opened BSRG and specializes in helping customers and clients realize their buying/selling goals through a patient, knowledgeable approach. He manages all parts of the process from the initial meeting, to the attorney processes, through to closing for his clients. With more than two decades of customer and sales leadership experience, he is multilingual (English, Spanish, French, Portuguese) and has always enjoyed learning and actively seeks out ways to build value in his professional relationships. In late 2020, Brian began focusing more on investing in real estate and has formed various joint ventures and partnerships with the goal of further developing his portfolio. He will soon embark on his first full renovation project in the South Bronx, New York. Get real-life insights into his learnings from past projects and what property investors like himself are looking for if they are to partner with a Caribbean developer. Understand their thinking; the keys to successful partnerships and what every developer (large or small) must do to land a foreign money source!

The successful completion of a Masters Degree in Construction Law, Arbitration and Adjudication in July 2019 simply to broaden her mastery of her profession, is only the latest in a series of qualifications Tryce Loctar-Polis would have racked up over the last two decades. Always a very determined and confident young woman, she was pushed into the world of work a few years removed from high school by her first mentor, her father - a heavy equipment operator, who felt she needed real hands-on experience and arranged for her to do a stint with a local architectural firm. From a very early age she knew that she wanted to become an Architect or an "Estimator" partly also because her uncles as well were in the construction field. This would lead her to pursue a tertiary level course at the local community college then to UTECH (Formerly CAST) Jamaica for a Diploma in Engineering, then 10 years with the Housing & Urban Development Corporation (HUDC), a First Class Honors Bachelors Degree in Quantity Surveying with London Southbank University and eventually settling to work regionally with CO Williams as a Quantity Surveyor! Currently Tryce is the President of the Institute of Surveyors St. Lucia Inc. With such a wealth of experience and exposure, hear her perspective on the importance of her profession in the building process and what prospective home owners, property investors and developers MUST know to get the best return on money investment and minimize or avoid catastrophic project outcomes.

With skills unconsciously forged by his creative environment, Roger Skeete always loved building things with his hands from a tender age. Having a brother who is a chef, well-known for his unique recipes, a serial entrepreneur as a mother, a professional landscaping aunt and a preeminent architect as an uncle; there was little surprise that his career path would lead to a profession in building and design. After high school, he attended the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College where he was formally introduced to Architecture & Building Technology. His interest then lead him to Jamaica to pursue an Associate Degree in Architecture at the College of Arts, Science and Technology (formerly CAST), now called the University of Technology (UTECH) and then to Barking (& Dagenham) College, London to complete a course in Industrial Model Making. Learn the different types of architectural models, their varying benefits, different uses and what determines the type of model needed. Understand the challenges of this intricate process and ultimately what you must consider to maximize your return on investment.

Sir Paul Altman is a Caribbean Real Estate icon. Returning home to Barbados in the 70s from university with a Business Degree and economics major, he joined his father's real estate business. His success and experience in managing the properties of typical non-resident family friends and associates gave him the confidence to make the bold move to develop his first shopping centre. Hear the challenges of embarking on such a journey, as well as those associated with a second high-end lifestyle shopping centre. Additionally, get valuable insight into how he got into Heritage Preservation because of his involvement in the National Trust as well as to fulfill the wishes of his late father. With a wealth of experience, discover how he's been able to attract non-national investors to contribute to preserving some of Barbados' heritage sites while still enjoying commercial success. Learn the key attributes of what it takes to run a full service real estate company and the two tenets he has adopted to achieve success and longevity in the industry. Finally hear his outlook for Real Estate in Barbados and the wider Caribbean post Covid19.

Garry Prosper has done amazing things with very small spaces. With hundreds of 4+ STAR ratings on the major online accommodation booking platforms; his guests have overwhelmingly endorsed him. He credits this creativity with his very humble upbringing and growing up in a one bedroom house (an extended family) with "everything being right there!". Economic hardship forced a young Garry to put the lessons taught by his grandparents to great use as he had to support himself through high school by selling fruits and doing odd jobs in construction. The closeness of extended family exposed him to music which ultimately lead him to join the Music Band Section of the Royal St. Lucian Police force. Learn how his drive and determination drove him to sacrifice, start a car rental business and then his local guest house. Discover the thinking behind the financing, design, space allocation, target marketing and all the valuable experience which resulted in him having one of the most successful short term rental spots in St. Lucia today.

With over a decade of experience in the Caribbean financial industry, which started in Jamaica, Ana-Kaye Greene has honed her skills in the areas of international fixed income and money market trading, corporate treasury management and managing the portfolios of high net-worth individuals and institutions. Currently managing a US$170 million investment portfolio, Ana-Kaye heads the Investments and Treasury division of an International bank. She holds two First Class Honors degrees - an undergraduate in Finance and International Business and an MBA in Banking and Finance from UTECH and UWI respectively. Outside of work, Ana-Kaye is passionate about mentoring, sharing knowledge and helping young people through her Financial Literacy Vlog on Instagram @Just.Ask.Ana. In this episode we get a better understanding of financial assets/paper instruments such as stock and bonds and compare this investment category to brick and mortar real estate investments. Learn how to start and find out which one yields better returns and which will get you to your short and/or long term goals successfully.

Family circumstances forced a young Keiran Lecompte to have to fend for himself from the tender age of 14 years old. With the help of extended family, friends, teachers, neighbors and maybe 1,000+ carwashes he was able to pay his way through high school. Shortly thereafter he landed a photography and videography job at (the time) one of the island's most established Media Companies and as his work got noticed he was later recruited by a prominent regional hotel chain to run their photography department. A few years later Keiran wanting MORE would go on to establish his own private photography business and quite accidentally stumble into construction as he attempted to help one of his photography customers. Recognizing the prevalence of poor tradesmen and with a burning desire to bring out his creative side he dove head-first into construction. Learn about his guiding principles and how he was able to change his life's trajectory through property and perseverance. His story is an inspiration to all but more-so a blueprint to anyone who is determined to grow!