Caribbean real estate: how small an investment can you make?

The Tiny House Movement comes to Caribbean real estate. Over the last two decades, the Small House Movement has been attracting a following across America with its less is best creed; gaining freedom and a better quality of life through a quest for less size… less stuff… less to worry about. The idea of buying Caribbean real estate is often driven by the same desire for a simpler lifestyle. So when thinking about an investment in the Caribbean, it makes sense to be asking: just how small an investment can we get away with?

Caribbean real estate is embracing the Small House Movement at Tubagua Eco Village

A “small house” guest house is included in the purchase of a homesite at Tubagua Plantation Eco Village

The award-winning Tubagua Plantation Eco Village in the Dominican Republic is applying the Small House idea to  provide a viable entry-level strategy for investing in Caribbean real estate. Tubagua Plantation has a section of private homesites. By including a guesthouse in the price of a lot, investors get to enjoy a place to call home as they develop gardens, design and build their own custom-built residence – which could take a few years. Prices start at sixty thousand dollars for homesite and guesthouse together.
The rustic houses are hand-built by local artisans using local materials. Cosy and compact with one bedroom, a kitchen and living area, a bathroom and a loft, they are built to house two people comfortably and can accommodate four. The homesites, with an minimum quater-acre (1200 sq.m.) area, all have an ocean view and are expansive enough to build a one- or two-level home on a footprint of up to 1,076 square feet (100 m2). Custom homes can be designed and built starting at US$50/sq.ft.
“Starting small is a smart way to buy in to the Caribbean,” says Tim Hall, who created Tubagua Eco Village. “What happens if you don’t like it here? What happens if your circumstances change? You don’t want to be saddled with a massive investment that sucked up all your capital, or something that you can’t sell. What we’re offering costs less than a new car back home.”
“And what happens if your ideas change? We expect that some people won’t even bother to build a custom home after they’ve been here for awhile. They might just build a massive gazebo to hang out during the day. They might just make beautiful gardens and a pool. They might just build another small house.”
“You never know what the Caribbean’s going to do to you,” he says. “I came here as a journalist. I never thought I’d end up building homes and operating an ecolodge. But here I am, having the time of my life.”
To inquire about living at Tubagua Eco Village use the form on the right.

 

 

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