A Real Estate Investor Symposium was held at the Sir Cecil Jacobs Auditorium ECCB Headquarters, hosted by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, in collaboration with the University of the West Indies Open Campus and other partners.

Ms. Susan Lafond, CEO, Caribbean Paradise Realty, the featured speaker, offered a clean and precise presentation on the topic “Real Estate Opportunities in St. Kitts and Nevis and the Commonwealth of Dominica” to persons gathered to learn what they could about the prospects in Real Estate. Ms. Lafond expounded on a number of issues involved in investment realities, tips for rentals and other openings for private and commercial ventures in the Real Estate field.

Examples of Real Estate Properties were shown from spectra areas. With the exception of a singular property in Halfway Tree, property values were quoted in US Dollars, reeling as high as USD$20 dollars per square foot in the Frigate Bay and Half Moon areas and USD$30 on the south East Peninsula. Whether the available lands in question are US territories can only be speculated.

“Why invest in Real Estate?” Ms Lafond asked. “Real Estate is the key to securing your future,” she answered.

The Caribbean island of Dominica was also highlighted as a lucrative Real Estate marketplace for persons looking for land opportunities. The ‘no alien land holding license requirement for nationals’ of OECS (Organizations of the Eastern Caribbean state) countries,  the expected significant appreciation in property value in the next 3-5 years and the lure of lands available for purchase at under EC$1 perked the interest of the audience.

Nevertheless, with any clean presentations, follow up questions do garner additional information and diminish somewhat the prospect of easy affordability to what is submitted.

On further questioning, lands which can be purchased for under EC$1 applies to purchases of extreme amount of lands and does not apply to persons desirous of purchasing anything under 10,000sq, ft.

Other Speakers that participated in the Open Discussions, included Mr. Faron Lawrence, CEO of St. Kitts and Nevis Homes and Mrs. J. Dawne Heyliger, Manager, Personal Financial Services of Royal Bank Canada who gave details on, “How to Handle with Confidence the Loan Process as well as the Tax and Legal issues in the Acquisition of Real Estate”.

The Symposium was attended by persons seeking to find local Real Estate opportunities as well as Real Estate Agents, new to the business, and veterans of the market.