All Forum Posts by: Darlene Berkel

I am a real estate agent located in Curacao, and our office does quite a lot of pre-construction projects which we offer for sale to real estate investors. The way it works by us is that the buyer pays 30% when he signs the purchase contract/building contract and title to the condo passes to him/her.

The remaining 70% is paid in stages throughout the construction phase. This set-up seems to be working very well and the lots are moving fast. Some projects have rental pool options where the condo owner can participate in a rental pool to generate income. Many owners use this option, but we also handle many resales, since several owners are also happy to cash out at post-construction prices when the property values have increased by 30-40%, which is exactly what happens with the vacation resort properties.

If you have clients who are interested in this kind of investment, then you really do need to try to locate the pre-construction deals that are out there to offer them. They will be laughing all the way to the bank with a handsome ROI, which would be good for you too!

Our office is currently doing a lot with pre-construction projects and new homes at the moment, and its amazing hwo the prices start to rise as the project nears complettion, so getting in on the ground level is really the key. Within months your property could increase in value by as much as 20%.

I took a couple to see various pre-construction lots and the wife said "but this is just a heap of dirt"! Which it was. But a few months after when the roads were in, that piece of dirt was worth 20% more, and by the end of the year when the villa's are completed, the value will be even more.

Savvy real estate investors understand the value of investing at pre-construction prices, but for "regular" home buyers, they see a "heap of dirt".

When you get a good pre construction deal, its best to hold it and sell when the prices goes after completion. But in the Caribbean, there is also very good rental income potential, since tourists and short term visitors (3-12 months) are always looking for vacation homes to rent.

So you earn in two ways:
1. Immediate increase in property value
2. Good passive income from renting

Getting in on pre construction deals is a good idea! And there are some good ones out there.

I am hoping to use some of the strategies mentioned in this forum to generate leads on-line. I am really fascinated by the idea that its possible to reach potential clients around the globe 24 hours a day via online marketing. And this obviously involves a lot more that just putting up a website.

But since I also want to SELL property, meeting clients face to face will have to be a central part of my business. Personally, I think meeting clients is the "easy" part, especially since some properties sell themselves. But generating those leads...that would be the bigger challenge for me at this stage.

Any advice and tips to reduce the learning curve would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I am still learning as a real estate agent and this is a very good topic. Our office does not use buyer agreements either, so we are exposed to that risk of spending a lot of time with a client that turns out to lead nowhere, since the client may choose to purchase with someone else

They way our office tries to deal with this is by getting exclusive listings, so the buyer would HAVE to buy through us if he really wanted the property and we have agreements with the seller that even if the seller deals directly with the buyer we STILL get paid a fee as the exclusive listing agent. Not all sellers sign this exclusive agreement, but we try to give them incentives to do so.

But for multiple listings, there is always the risk that the buyer might walk away and finalize the deal with another office. So unless its a listing that is exclusive to our office, I tend to limit my time (somewhat) with buyers who are interested in a property that is multi-listed, since there is the risk I may loose the sale to a competitor.

I kinda got "thrown" right into the deep end.

I launched a career in real estate recently and I landed a client who is selling a commercial unit, so I have to swim or sink. And since this commercial unit is a 12 room luxury apartment complex in a monumental building on the waterfront, the selling price is way above what a residential unit would be going for, which means commissions and fees are way up there too...IF I am successful at selling it.

I found a lot of great tips here though, and I may have to post an "SOS" soon for some more ideas on just how to go about finding potential buyers/investors for commercial properties, but this is an area I want to focus on. Commercial and vacation homes. Those seem to be 2 hot areas here in the Caribbean.

Hi Everyone:

I just joined bigger pockets ( I love that name). :)

I live on Curacao in the dutch Caribbean, and I am part-time investor and up and coming real estate agent. That means I have a lot to learn, which is why I am excited about this forum. It seems like a great place to learn, share info and knowledge, network and do business. And I look forward to doing a little bit of each.