The Caribbean is in the grip of hurricane season, and the usual lemony sunshine, azure seas and white-sand beaches have given way to talk of depressions, troughs and tropical showers.
During the rainy months, between July and November, island life can feel like the serene run-up to a high-noon shoot-out in a western. Wild goats and donkeys replace the cars on sleepy, scorching roads. Restaurants are empty, and there’s no need to lay your towel on a beach deckchair. The Germans won’t have beaten you to it — and neither will anyone else, because there’s nobody around.
Most tourists avoid the islands at this time, and if you live there, it can get lonely. Few friends will be available for a round of golf, and your bridge club and art classes will have wound down. As a result, expats often flock back to their homelands for summer and autumn, and some locals leave for a break after the busy spell. Many restaurants and hotels close for maintenance, and you won’t find many luxury goods on supermarket shelves.
Yet while the rest of the world heads away from the Caribbean, if you’re looking to snap up your dream home, this is the best time to go. It’s quieter, cheaper and easier to see the houses than at busier times — and you may even get a better deal.
“Although putting ‘hurricane’ and ‘property’ in the same sentence may not sound wise, it’s a good idea to look for homes in the off-season,” says James Burdess, head of the Caribbean desk at Savills International estate agency. He lived in Barbados for 17 years and plays down the risks of extreme weather. “Hurricanes are an excuse for the hardware stores to get you to stock up on supplies. The only time one came close when I lived in the Caribbean, we locked up and had a party.”
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According to Burdess, the advantages of off-season househunting have persuaded several of his savvier clients to nip out during October half-term with the firm intention of buying a home. There will be fewer people battling for restaurant reservations, and the most appealing properties have yet to be snapped up. You can pick up cheap flights and accommodation, too, which helps get the mission off to the best possible start — if you’re lucky, you could save as much as 40%.
When my husband, Peter, and I spotted a colonial-style house near the village of Gingerland, on the southeast side of Nevis, in April 2012, we returned to the island in October, at the peak of the hurricane season, to rent it before taking the plunge.
Our flights were cheaper and we got a feel for the real island, unsullied by an abundance of tourists. It also allowed us to see whether we could cope with the hotter and more humid conditions. We discovered that, with the property located 1,200ft up a dormant volcano and facing the Atlantic, we wouldn’t need pricy air conditioning; the breezes and ceiling fans were enough to keep us cool.
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We also found that there were enough people around to keep us company. Indeed, we got to know a smaller number of folk better, as there was less hustle and bustle, and more time to sip rum or relax on the beach. Even better, we found out that our favourite shoreside hang-out, Chrishi Beach, on Cades Bay, is open all year.
Joanna Leverett, head of international residential at Cluttons estate agency in London, says her busiest period is from September to November. “Britons go on holiday to the sunny islands in the high season, then they come home and decide to do something about acquiring a place, returning to the Caribbean before the next season kicks off.”
The off season is also a time when owners and developers may be open to negotiation. “If they can get fair offers before Christmas, many will go through with the sales,” says Kieran Kelly, chairman of Chestertons Barbados estate agency.
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According to Kelly, vendors are becoming more realistic about pricing. He estimates that there has been a 250% increase in completed sales over the past two years, and thinks interest in the Caribbean is likely to grow. “After airlines focused for several years on the Maldives and Seychelles — dropping Caribbean flights in the process — there seems to be a revival in the West Indies. More air routes are opening up and Barbados is recovering.”
Sean O’Halloran, head of the design consultancy UXB London, certainly made the most of the off season when he and his wife, Amanda, bought a plot of land in the St James district of Barbados five years ago and started work on a four-bedroom villa.
“There’s no doubt about it, you get a more authentic sense of place in the low season,” says O’Halloran, 49. “My wife and I nip off to stay in our villa in the summer and at other off-peak times. Roads and beaches are quiet, and we can get tables in restaurants without having to book.
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“I really like the heat and don’t mind the humidity, so I’m happy to go from August to November. The ideal time is after Easter, though — everyone’s gone and it’s early summer, so it’s still dry.”
The couple spent about £1.3m on the land, the construction work and a blend of modern furniture and older pieces from local junk shops. “It was an exciting thing to do in a period of economic gloom,” O’Halloran says. “Design took about six months and planning approval was quick.”
Ten months into the build, however, they realised they were overshooting the budget. “We halted work for a short period, then spent another five months completing it. The learning curve required to erect a Caribbean house was enormous, from finding materials that withstand wind, rain and salt air to keeping everything simple.”
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When Sean, Amanda, 48, and their children — Milo, 21, Lola, 15, and the nine-year-old twins, Moses and Joss — aren’t using Atelier House, the rent more than pays for their costs. It has a 70% occupancy rate, with prices ranging from £800 a night in low season to £2,000 in peak weeks (atelierhouse.com). Even unexpected bills are covered.
“We spend a fortune on bedding, as it deteriorates fast in this climate — and holidaymakers’ fake tanning products can leave horrible stains that won’t come out,” O’Halloran says. “Luckily, the villa seems to rent well all year round. Visitors don’t seem to be bothered about the threat of tropical storms.”
The O’Hallorans have now put the property up for sale for $4.75m (£3.1m) through Aylesford International (020 7351 2383, aylesford.com). The couple are looking for a new project, and work commitments are making it harder for them to spend enough time in Barbados.
Another advantage of househunting at this time of year is that it can be much easier to inspect properties that are likely to be rented out at other times. “It can be challenging to have to wait for changeover days,” says Nick Sellars, a sales associate at Chestertons on Grand Cayman. “Some tenants won’t want to let you in. And, to be honest, if I was paying the high sums they’re paying, I wouldn’t want prospective purchasers coming in, either.”
Suzanne Gordon, owner of Sugar Mill Real Estate, on Nevis, suggests giving the agents as much warning as possible before you fly out to visit a property, so they can make sure it won’t be occupied. She adds that Nevis — where the blockbuster attractions include Pinney’s Beach and the Culturama summer carnival (move over, Notting Hill) — is currently fertile ground for bargain-hunters.
With supply exceeding demand, a reduction of 10%-30% on the asking price isn’t out of the question, Gordon says, “depending on the house, how long it’s been on the market and how eager the owners are to sell”. Properties on her books at the moment include the restored 17th-century Dunbar Mill, a four-bedroom property with a pool on the Zetlands Estate. It’s priced at $2.5m (00 1 869 469 1093, nevishouses.com).
The hurricane season doesn’t mean the same thing all over the region. Some islands are more likely to be hit by storms than others. Bermuda, like Miami, has about a one in four annual chance of being affected by a hurricane. The Dominican Republic is also known as one of the higher-risk areas — the word hurricane is supposed to have originated there — although that hasn’t stopped it becoming a popular spot for buyers looking for a bargain.
The Dom Rep may be known for all-inclusive resorts, golf and merengue music, but an evolution is under way. It was the most visited country in the Caribbean last year, according to Travel Weekly magazine, and is known to offer good-value homes. Apartments in resorts start at about £150,000, while established villas can fetch between £2.5m and £5m.
In Punta Cana, two- and three-bedroom beachfront condos in a boutique resort start at £149,000; the owners have access to pools, a gym, a beach club, a restaurant, a bar, gardens and parking (020 8960 1010, 7thheavenproperties.com).
The most southerly islands — including Barbados, Aruba, Trinidad and Tobago — rarely get hit by hurricanes. Nearby Grenada took an unexpected buffeting from Hurricane Ivan in 2004, but the “spice island” — you can smell the nutmeg in the air — is back to its best.
Since I’ve been on Nevis, we’ve been through one tropical storm, which was actually quite exciting. A sizeable river ran down our drive for a couple of days, then, magically, it all dried up quite quickly, as is the way in the tropics.
In the event of a hurricane warning, schools and government offices will close, and the buses will stop running. It’s best to move your outdoor furniture inside and bolt the shutters. Churches become official shelters, while any remaining expats tend to take refuge in solid-looking plantation inns. If the hurricane does hit, roads might be washed away and roof tiles whipped off — if not the entire roof, depending on the sturdiness of your home. Don’t be surprised if your neighbour’s sunlounger comes flying through the window.
If you’re househunting in hurricane season, it’s wise to take out travel insurance. Some hotels offer a “hurricane guarantee” — a refund or replacement holiday if bad weather strikes.
Should you decide to buy a property in the Caribbean, it’s worth considering a buildings and contents policy that includes “catastrophe cover” for hurricanes, earthquakes, cyclones and flooding, and that offers alternative accommodation and compensation for any loss of rent if you’re letting out your tropical bolthole. This will typically cost 1%-2% of the replacement value of the property annually; find out more at massyunitedinsurance. com or intasure.com.
On Nevis, at least, there’s no need to bother with expensive insurance that comes with a hefty $10,000 excess. A new roof can easily be installed for that kind of money, so many owners choose to “self-insure”. They set aside money for any damage that might be caused by hurricanes that may only pass their way once every 40 or 50 years, rather than constantly forking out eye-watering premiums.
The important thing is not to let the weather put you off — after all, for the rest of the year, it could hardly be more perfect. “Besides,” Nick Sellars adds, “if you do get a bit of rain during the wetter season, there’s not a lot else to do but look at property.”
More Caribbean homes for sale
$5.25m
Celeb-watching doesn’t get much better than in Barbados — the island is frequented by Simon Cowell, Rihanna and Lewis Hamilton. Sunwatch, a six-bedroom villa in Sugar Hill, with a pool and tennis court, had a $1m off-season price drop in January, and has just been reduced by a further $700,000.
020 7861 1553, knightfrank.com
From $4m
Grenada is back on top form after an unexpected brush with Hurricane Ivan in 2004, and the “spice island” has verdant hillsides, the sandy Grand Anse beach and charming locals. The last three of seven Balinese-style villas at Laluna Resort, 10 minutes from the capital, St George’s, have just gone on sale, priced at $4m-$5m.
020 7016 3740, savills.com
$3.64m
Daily British Airways flights are just one reason Grand Cayman is popular with expats. Another is the soft, sandy beaches — the kind you stroll across on the way to your private mooring from Kool One, a three-bedroom beach house in Cayman Kai.
020 7201 2071, chestertons-international.com
From $405,000
St Kitts, Nevis’s more boisterous sister island, is seeing ambitious developments. There’s a new superyacht marina at Christophe Harbour, while the Kittitian Hill eco resort has a mountain outlook and a “farm to table” restaurant. Properties range from studios to $3.6m four-bed villas.
020 7408 1010, cluttons.com