When Peter and Jane Thompson looked at buying properties abroad, they first started looking in Europe. Peter recalls, “We viewed properties in Portugal, Spain and Italy, but somehow it wasn’t quite what we were looking for.” Jane continues, “when we visited these areas, we found agents and developers alike trying to sell us properties which were nowhere near the coast.” Peter and Jane’s only requirement was that properties were located on or near the beach.
One incident the Thompsons remember almost put them off from buying anything at all. Peter said,” we did a viewing trip to Spain, the agent promised that he would only show us properties on the beach”, but as Peter and Jane found out, beachside has many interpretations. Jane recalls,” All the properties we were emailed looked as if they were on the beach, when we got to the project, they were almost two miles away!” The agent had emailed properties with views, but they were ‘up in the hills’.
When did you decide to look outside of Europe? Peter, a retired quantity surveyor said, “we visited a property exhibition and met Andrew Potter from United Developers, he told us about properties in various countries but they didn’t quite fit.” Jane continued “when we told Andrew about our experiences, he said have a look at the Caribbean and the Bahamas”.
Peter and Jane they had not considered the Caribbean. “To be honest”, Peter says “we thought we couldn’t afford it, but the prices were actually lower than many European resorts.”
What did you do next? Jane says, “we went on an inspection visit expecting the hard sell we had experienced with some of the agents in other countries, but it didn’t happen”. Peter continues, “yes, Andrew and his team had a confidence; firstly the project was ‘on the beach’ which is what we asked for and it was in budget”.
Peter and Jane went to view other properties whilst on their visit. “This is what amazed me”, Jane said, “all the other agents would watch us night and day, Andrew just asked for feedback.” Peter said, “he even sorted out car hire for us!”
What about the travelling? Jane who is a part-time teacher says, “this was a consideration when we first started looking, however now we have visited the Bahamas a few times, the cost and flight time is not much further than Cyprus or costlier than flying to Florida!”
Why did the Thompsons buy in Columbus Cove? Jane says,” apart from being ‘on the beach’ as we wanted, I was impressed by the finish of their other projects. Jane continues, “the open, fully fitted kitchens, the huge bedrooms and especially the size of the bathrooms, you just don’t get anything like that in Europe!”
Which property did you reserve? Peter, “we bought an inner linked villa. Each villa has a private entrance and garage parking.”
What other considerations affected your choice to buy in the Bahamas? Peter “the purchase costs are cheaper than Europe and there is no inheritance or income tax” Jane, “we were surprised at the rate of inheritance tax our children would have find if we had bought a similar property in Europe.”
Columbus Cove marketed exclusively through United Developers is situated in the Bahamian island capital of Nassau and located on “love beach”. Each linked villa is three double bedrooms, three bathrooms with unobstructed views of the sea. Columbus Cove is a secure gated community with communal swimming pools and club house. Prices start at $880,000 to $940,000. To organise your own exclusive tour, please contact Andrew Potter on 0844 330 2512 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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