If you were to ask most people what they associate the Caribbean island of Montserrat with, they would probably tell you either the volcano or AIR Studios. Luxury real estate would not be on most people’s list.
However, having recently returned from a series of trips to the island, we cannot emphasise enough that Montserrat property should be on the property investor’s radar.
After Beatles producer Sir George Martin established AIR Studios Montserrat in 1979, music stars from Paul McCartney and Elton John to Sting and Eric Clapton came to record music on the island throughout the 70s and 80s. Many of these artists fell in love with Montserrat and returned year after year to enjoy the warmth and friendliness of the Montserratian people, the rugged beauty of the island and the peace and quiet away from the crowds. Some of these artists bought property there. They were soon accompanied by some of the world’s most well known families who could have bought property anywhere in the Caribbean, but chose to invest in real estate in Montserrat for the very same reasons.
The qualities that attracted these buyers in the 70s and 80s remain: Montserrat’s rugged beauty, friendly people, old fashioned values and peace and quiet. In the words of so many property owners we met, “where else can you leave your door unlocked without fear?”
Some prospective buyers are concerned about the Soufriere Hills Volcano, which continues to rumble away every now and then, but the Government’s development plans are focussed on the North of the island, which is naturally protected by Montserrat’s Centre Hills and considered safe from volcanic activity. Moreover, Montserrat’s volcano is more closely observed by leading volcanologists than any other in the world.
We’ve been working very closely with the Government and the Montserrat Development Corporation on aspects of the planned new capital town at Little Bay and Carr’s Bay and the exciting real estate investment opportunities which are being planned – take a look at the Little Bay and Carr’s Bay master plan. We’ll update you on our activities in Montserrat very soon.
For more information on Montserrat, take a look at this excellent article on Montserrat by Ian Thomson in The Telegraph and Colin Gibson’s article on Montserrat in Travel News.