Purchase vacation rental

Need suggestions on best locations to purchase a villa, apartment for rental purposes both dutch and french sides of the island.

Thank You

sj5039

I sent you a PM private message. Look for a flashing envelope beside your name when you log on.

It really depends on your budget and size of the place that you want. Those are the two key factors that will guide you to the best options.
The locations of the island vary greatly in terms of clientele as well.

If you want a "hands off" type place where you have none of the day-to-day management, GCBC is a good bet.

http://www.grandcasebeachclub.com/condo-sales/

just send you a pm, i was swindled, i bought in november, be very careful, no recourse in SXM

You need not respond unless you want to, but was your purchase/swindle an actual year round home or a timeshare type of deal, whether through an individual or a resort-type property?

I had always thought home purchases on the island were quite legitimate as long as one used their own attorney in cooperation with the realtor to protect their interests and to allow them to understand all the fine print. Is this NOT the case? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Agreed, I thought they were trying to purchase a year round home. More details would be helpful, in assisting the person.

Carol, We were always in the market for a vacation rental, we bought the house next door to the Westin, beachfront. The previous owners were American citizens, who had owned the land for over 20 years. Before purchasing I spoke to many people. Most current buyers tried to dissuade me, I would have none of it.

I was told to make sure the septic was on the land, not the neighbors, which I did. Tried to hire a home inspector, total rip off/joke

Before purchasing the notary, one of 3 appointed by the dutch government assured us the reason we were paying such high fees to her was because she essentially acts as title insurance. We specifically asked any easements, she said no.

Two months after closing I was at the beach and my neighbor came down and said oh by the way part of the parcel was sold to us and we have an easement. I thought ya right.

The owners had sold 1/4 of the land to the neighbor as well as an easement to the beach in 2004.

The kadaster's office never registered it on their computer system.

They fixed the error when I went to investigate, met with the head of the office he promised to meet up with me and the notary and work out a compensation, which since he has reneged.

The notary says sue me, she refuses to dip into her insurance, which is meant for such situations. She says not her fault since the owners lied by ommission and the kadaster's made a mistake.

I met with a lawyer who said the notary has an obligation to go down to the kadaster's office and check the facts manually, had she done so, she would have found the error.

I have been talking to the deputy prime minister's office, who also are is head of their land/vromi who pushed me off to the ombudsman.

Ombudsman - says sure we will investigate, but we cannot make anyone compensate you.

The tourism minister who has publicly said he will ensure American/Canadians will not be scammed any more, getting the run around from their office as well.

Here's the tone - everyone says the understand, they first act like the solution is around the corner, at the end just bunch of words but no action.

So no buying property in SXM is not safe nor are you guaranteed that they are indeed selling you what they are representing.

Sonal

Oh and the architect that the realtor recommended for an home inspection basically told me the house was solid/no worries.

This person turned the cold water faucet on and told me it was giving hot water, he never turned the oven on. I found major leaks in the roof the next day. Discoloration.
The cistern area, they removed the steps, turned the light off, he went down and said all great, it leaks.

He never turned the A/Cs on, next day I turn them on, most of them were not working. We spend 10k the first week replacing completely rusted units(outside portion)

I had to point out the cracks on the tiles, hair line, but basically points to the sub floor needed fixing.

We go home after closing, the housekeeper is waiting outside because there is a leak in the roof on to the wall in the foyer.

While I bought the house with my eyes open, the cistern, the A/C were handled underhandedly. I did get them to reduce the price once I discovered all the issues prior to closing.

Oh, they were apparently painting all over the house to hide the leaks. We are spending over 6k next month to stop the bleeding of the leaks.

Folks at SXM will do anything to close a deal.

Wow, OK.. I hope you eventually will be able to fix all the issues.

I am sorry to hear about Anjariasonal's horrible experience. However, to make a blanket statement that "buying property in St. Maarten is unsafe" is as inaccurate as if I presumed every transaction will go off without a hitch as mine did. It sounds as if she may well need to consult an attorney on the island. It may be money well-spent since the law does allow for recourse.

As always, buyer beware of the entity being purchased and of the consultants hired.