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Buying Land or a House Back Home

Buy land or a house in the Caribbean from abroad with your own attorney, a clean title search, an independent survey, money sent safely and a build you can oversee from overseas.

Free · Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows · v1.0.0 · Other platforms

Then open the Marketplace in the app, search for Buying Land or a House Back Home, and click Install. It goes into your own files, and works offline from then on.

Before you start: this plan is general information to help you organise your own affairs. It is not legal advice. Rules differ between countries and change often, so check decisions that matter with a qualified lawyer or the official authority in the country concerned.

What it installs.

1

Pillar

1

Area

50

Projects

201

Starter tasks

🌴 Caribbean Life & Diaspora

Buying Land or a House Back Home

Buying land or a house in the Caribbean from abroad: trusted lawyers and agents, title searches, surveys, building remotely and avoiding common scams.

  1. Written brief for the property you want back home
  2. All-in budget with transfer taxes and fees
  3. Ownership rules for nationals and foreign buyers
  4. Buyer identity and source of funds pack
  5. Purchase folder for every document and receipt
  6. Property scam red flags for overseas buyers
  7. Trusted person on the ground back home
  8. Hiring your own conveyancing attorney back home
  9. Money route and exchange rate plan
  10. Deposit savings plan for the purchase
  11. Monthly listings and price watch
  12. Weekly attorney update during the sale
  13. Payment ledger with receipts for every transfer
  14. Annual land tax and property rates calendar
  15. Caretaker check-ins and photo reports
  16. Yearly title and registry check against fraud
  17. Boundary and squatter checks on vacant land
  18. Property insurance and storm season readiness
  19. Build budget and drawdown tracker
  20. Registered titles and common law deeds
  21. Reading a survey plan and boundary marks
  22. How a property sale closes back home
  23. Planning permission and land use rules
  24. Construction stages for a remote owner
  25. Hurricane and earthquake building basics
  26. Land to build on or a finished house
  27. Shortlisting districts and villages
  28. Cash, local mortgage or overseas loan decision
  29. Vetting the real estate agent
  30. Whose names go on the title
  31. Title search and encumbrance check
  32. Independent survey and boundary confirmation
  33. Structural inspection of an existing house
  34. Water, power and road access check
  35. Agreement for sale review before the deposit
  36. Choosing an architect and approved drawings
  37. Choosing a contractor and signing a written contract
  38. Viewing trip to see the shortlist
  39. Limited power of attorney for the purchase
  40. Completion day and the title in your name
  41. Site visits at foundation, roof and finishing stages
  42. Handover and snag list for the finished house
  43. Buying jointly with siblings or relatives
  44. Buying a house for your parents to live in
  45. Releasing equity from your home abroad
  46. Buying land from a relative at a fair price
  47. Letting the house while you live abroad
  48. Building in phases as money allows
  49. Buying off-plan or on a developer payment plan
  50. Rescuing a stalled build or vanished contractor

Where it starts.

Each project arrives with its purpose, milestones and first tasks written out. Here is how the first three read.

Written brief for the property you want back home

Before looking at a single listing, write down why you are buying: a retirement house, a holiday base, a house lot to hold for later, or a home for family who already live there. The answer decides the island and district, whether you need land or a finished house, and how much risk you can carry from abroad. A one-page brief also stops well-meaning relatives and keen agents steering you towards what suits them.

First tasks

  • Write one sentence saying why you are buying property back home
  • List three districts or villages you would consider and why
  • Set a price ceiling and a target year to own the property
  • Agree the brief with your partner or co-buyers on a call

All-in budget with transfer taxes and fees

The asking price is only part of the bill. Depending on the country, a buyer may also pay stamp duty or transfer tax, attorney's fees, registration fees, a survey, a valuation, an agent's commission and the flights to view, and a build adds approvals, utility connections and furniture.

First tasks

  • List the purchase costs that apply in your chosen country
  • Ask an attorney there to confirm the current tax and fee rates
  • Convert every line into the currency you earn at today's rate
  • Revisit the all-in budget as quotes and exchange rates change @recurring(quarterly)

Ownership rules for nationals and foreign buyers

Whether you count as a national decides which rules you buy under. Several OECS islands require a non-citizen to hold an alien landholding licence before buying, Trinidad and Tobago limits how much land foreign nationals can hold without permission, and a child born abroad may or may not already be a citizen by descent. Getting this answered first stops a purchase stalling for months at the licence stage.

First tasks

  • Check whether you are already a citizen of the country you want to buy in
  • Find the official page on property rules for non-citizen buyers
  • Ask your attorney whether a landholding licence or permission applies to you
  • Add any licence timeline and cost to the all-in budget

Make it yours.

Install Buying Land or a House Back Home, then tell Aurum the date you're aiming for. It checks whether the plan fits the weeks you actually have.

Free · Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows · v1.0.0 · Other platforms

Blueprints are general information to help you organise your own work. They are not medical, financial, legal or other professional advice. See the Terms.