The impending arrival of the Nikki Beach resort – the Miami brand credited with conceptualising the beach club – is set to raise Jolly Harbour’s bar even further.
Nikki Beach progresses, the new commercial centre opens, infrastructure keeps improving, and more luxury buyers discover the area, I believe the best waterfront villas in Jolly Harbour will continue to benefit from rising demand. The same logic applies if you look ahead to Nikki Beach. The price-per-square-foot comparison shows just how much room Jolly Harbour still has – but the real opportunity is in applying that same appreciation thinking to a development that’s only now coming to market. Nikki Beach will take around five years to build, and if you get in now, you stand to benefit from the value it adds over that period rather than buying once it’s complete. Pair that with the Citizenship by Investment Programme and the case becomes even stronger. It’s worth remembering that citizenship is granted once your application is processed – well before the development is complete – so you could be holding the property while it’s being built, with your money potentially growing. By the time it’s finished, you have options: move in and enjoy it, hold it for rental income, or sell at the higher value. That’s more than what most banks will give you in interest, and not a bad way of looking at it. A word of caution: these are just projections based on past performance and my own knowledge of the Antigua market. I certainly don’t seek to offer financial advice. Elsewhere, Antigua has a host of fantastic new developments coming onstream. The road behind Jolly Harbour leading to Hermitage Bay and Pearns Point is finally being resurfaced – great news for Pearns Point where there are whispers of a high-end hotel brand soon to be announced. Over on the east coast, the big news is the Long Bay Zen Resort, an ultra-luxurious US$200 million development that recently broke ground. So, the Antigua property market continues to perform strongly. We’ve personally experienced a 50 percent increase
in buyers – particularly from the US - enquiring about the Citizenship by Investment Programme. What’s particularly encouraging is that many of these buyers aren’t simply looking for a passport. They want a home – somewhere they can spend quality time, enjoy the Caribbean lifestyle, work remotely, retire in the future, or pass on to the next generation. That distinction matters, because buyers who purchase homes create far greater long-term economic benefit for Antigua. They support local businesses, employ contractors and service providers, contribute to the tourism sector, and help drive demand for quality residential developments. The result is a healthier, more sustainable economy. From what we’re seeing on the ground, Antigua is increasingly viewed not simply as a citizenship destination, but as a genuine lifestyle destination – safety, sunshine, community, boating, beaches and a slower pace of life, while maintaining strong international connectivity. And despite the number of developments currently underway, Antigua will remain remarkably low density compared to many competing destinations. The island’s charm has always been its balance between growth and authenticity. n
73
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online