Working Together – Albert & Michael – Saba Island Properties
Every person involved in the buying and selling of a home should come to the table with goodwill. The buyer. The seller. The agent. All three. When that essential element is missing, there will almost always be trouble. And most of the time, the sale will not happen.
Buying a home begins before you ever walk through a door. It begins with who you are, how you approach people, and what you believe about the process.
Some buyers arrive with genuine curiosity and respect. They want to learn. They ask questions and listen to the answers. They understand that a real estate agent represents years of accumulated knowledge — about the market, the island, the properties, the people — and they are grateful for that expertise. Working with them should be a pleasure, and the transaction usually reflects that. Both sides feel good when it’s over.
Then there are the carpetbaggers.
They arrive with their own agenda, their own terms, and the quiet conviction that their charm or business acumen will close any deal they want. They walk through a home cataloging what’s right and wrong. They make a low offer with conditions attached and are genuinely surprised if a seller doesn’t respond. What they read as a negotiation, the seller experienced as an insult.
Here’s something every serious buyer needs to understand: purchasing property in the Caribbean is not the same as purchasing property in the United States. The culture is different. The regulations are different. The relationship between a seller and their land is different. And the timeline is different.
How long a property has been on the market tells you nothing about what an owner will accept. It does not give you leverage. It does not guarantee a counteroffer, because in the Caribbean, a counteroffer is not required. It is a courtesy, extended when a buyer has earned it.
We have sold properties after seven years on the market. We have maintained and rented homes for years before finding the right buyer at the right price. Sellers here know the value of their land. They know what comparable properties are doing. They are not waiting because they are desperate. They are waiting because they know what they have.
A buyer who comes in with mainland assumptions and tactics will not find a shortcut or discounted price.
Sellers hire experienced agents precisely to avoid this disruption. Twelve years of working on Saba with people from all over the world have taught us that a buyer who tries to manage everything — who attempts to go around the listing agent, contact the owners directly, or undermine the representation the sellers themselves chose — causes problems.
We want to make a sale. We work hard to make that happen. And we will do it with full integrity — every time, without exception. That is not a slogan. It’s how we’ve built our business.
When a purchase doesn’t go through, the most instructive question a buyer can ask is this: What was my role in this? The question requires humility and personal reflection.
It is easier to criticize the owners, discredit the agent, and walk away with your assumptions intact.
Before you begin your search, know your budget completely. Know what funds are available and what it costs to access them. Understand the regulations that apply to foreign buyers in this jurisdiction. Closing costs exist. They are not a surprise — unless you choose not to ask.
And finally: Does the house feel like home?
Price matters. Condition matters. But you cannot build a life in a spreadsheet. A good investment that doesn’t speak to you will always feel like settling. The right property will do something different. You’ll know it when you walk in.
Respect the process. Respect the people in the room. Respect the place you are hoping to call home. Bring goodwill — and mean it. Your manners and business approach will be remembered long after any deal is done.
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Albert & Michael – Saba Island Properties
Creating a Caribbean Lifestyle for a Week or… a Lifetime
Saba +1 (599) 416 – 2777
Emails: Albert@sabaislandproperties.com or Michael@sabaislandproperties.com
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Here are Some Endorsements about Our Work
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Michael’s writing is published at Arianna Huffington’s – Thrive Global, The Huffington Post,
Medium, Maria Shriver’s Website, LinkedIn, Michael Port, The Fordyce Letter, Mélange Magazine and others.
Along with this international monthly Blog Michael publishes Daily on his coaching website – Commit2Change.
