Owning your own island is the dream of many people looking to get away from it all. Surrounded by water (all islands are surrounded by water), the wind, sand, and the occasional sounds of wild animals, you can sit back and relax without worrying about the everyday problems of land people. Few islands have traffic jams but there's still taxes and occasional flooding, but if you choose the right island, you can escape the madness of modern society for no more than you'd pay for a really nice big (really-really nice and really-really big!) house on the mainland. You can buy a small island with nothing on it but trees and pitch a tent or buy a big island with a sprawling tropical home complete with it's own power plant, motor yacht and lagoon swimming pool. It all depends on what you can afford.
You don't have to go to the South Seas to find an island for sale although there's a nice selection out there. There are hundreds of islands for sale in North America, ranging in size from under an acre to hundreds of acres. There's Maple Island (2.5 acres in British Columbia for $110,000) and Emerald Island in the Adirondacks of upstate New York (8.5 acres, 4-bedroom house, boathouse for $699,000). If you can't afford a whole island, you can buy half an island. Joe Island in Tampa Bay, is an island with a slice currently up for sale for $995,000. For that price you get 20 acres to call your own, a four bedroom, three bath, 2,500 square foot house and free parking on the mainland. When Century 21 Ryan Realtors in Panama City Beach announced nearby Shell Island had opened up for development, it was an almost-first in the area. After all, how often does an island come up for sale? Actually, it wasn't a whole island, just a bunch of lots with some fronting on the Gulf of Mexico in the $125,000 price range. The rest of the islands is owned by the government so it's not likely private owners will someday own the whole island.
At this writing, there's even a couple of islands for sale on e-bay.com. One is located in Lake Ramsay, Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia and consists of 29 acres covered in hardwood, spruce, pine and hemlock. Access is by boat and when sold, transfer will be by warranty dead. Price? A mere $26,500US from rflevyca@yahoo.com. The other is 1,163 acres in the Fiji Islands including 322 acres of low jungle forest, 49 acres of pasture and 780 aces of coconut trees. Price is $5,575,000. Check e-bay and search under "island property". To access your new island home and most islands, you'll need a boat, a helicopter or a seaplane. Because of the tides, swimming back and forth is not recommended.
Buying an island is like buying any property. You shop around, decide what you can afford and negotiate. In the island category, avoid advertisements that read: Live in Paradise! Sit under a palm tree and watch the fish jumping out of the crystal-clear waters lapping up against your private white-sand beach. Call today! There are no good values on the market that are presented like that. Most islands are sold through brokers with serious, financially well-off sellers who are rich enough to own an island or two, so the first step is contacting a broker in the area you're interested in and see what they have to offer. If there's nothing available in that area, you can consider other areas and plan on relocating.
Good islands don't come cheap. Islands are like diamonds and are a unique one-of-a-kind investment. Buyers aren't lining up on the shoreline ready to make an offer, so most island sellers are negotiable on price. But islands do come and go. While researching this article, I found two islands for sale only to find out that three days later they had been sold, so if you're in the market for an island, start shopping around. Right now, there are at least a thousand islands for sale around the world, some with houses, electricity and water, some with, well, nothing but trees and sand. All of the islands mentioned in this article were for sale as of press time.
When shopping around, you have to not only consider the price of the island but how much it's going to cost to bring it up to liveable standards if it's not already liveable. Is there fresh water? Is a home included? If not, construction costs will run about thirty-percent or more over land-based homes. How do you get back and forth? Can you live comfortably in isolation with no stores or restaurants within walking (or swimming) distance?
Florida is a popular island-buying place with it's $20,000 homestead exemption on taxes and great weather, here's what's currently available. The sources of information are listed in paranthesis.
In the Florida Keys - a 150 mile stretch between Miami and Key West - Fanny Key is a five minute boat ride from Vaca Key in Marathon. This is a 1.66 acre kidney-shaped island of solid natural coral rock with native trees and foliage. The property includes docks on three sides and a natural lagoon, a non-taxable perpetual easement on the mainland with 50-foot boat dockage and parking, mail delivery and trash removal services. The house is 1,500 square feet, completely furnished, with eight, 13-foot sliding tinted glass doors and aluminum hurricane shutters for security and protection. Exterior walls are poured concrete. Fresh water is available and electricity is provided by its own power plant. A 17-foot open runabout utility craft with 10-horsepower motor is included. It's completely furnished and selling for $1.95 million (Schmitt)
Money Key is another islands in the Keys with a sand beach and exotic palms and native trees sittig on 5.5 acres. The 5,000+ square foot designer-residence features a gourmet kitchen, cathedral ceilings, satellite television and 360-degree panoramic views. There are three bedrooms and 3.5 baths. Each bedroom suite has a private bath and veranda. $2.6 million (Schmitt)
Hopkins Island is an 11 acre island located between Marathon and Key West and sits about three miles offshore in the Atlantic Ocean. There's a four bedroom, three bath home with caretaker's cottage, a pool, boat basin and if you have a helicopter, no problem. The landing area is already cleared. $1.495 million (Schmitt).
Palm Island is a 4 acre island located in Marathon in the mid-Keys. It's connected to the mainland by a private causeway and contains everything you need to live in luxury. Price? No comment, but the taxes are over $33,000 a year (Schmitt)
Johnson Neck Island is 3 acres in northeast Florida is currently selling for $2 million (Re/Max)
Enchanged Island is the closest island for sale near Key West. Asking price is $3,000,000. It has an access road and covers almost 5 acres. (KCB Realty
Blacks Island is a 10.7 acre island located near Port St. Joe in the Florida Panhandle. It's listed for $6.8 million and lot prices can be sold individually for around $650,000-$800,000 each if you're interested in starting your own island community. It was supposedly name for Captain Black, an English pirate who is said to have once owned the island. The island has over 1000 palms trees and in the 1970s-1980s was home to a summer camp for boys. The cottages and docks on the island are in need of repair. (Re/Max)
Buying A Foreign Island
Buying land in foreign countries can be risky but if you follow the rules, choose wisely and get good legal representation, you can pull it off. There are hundreds of islands for sale around the world with a good selection withing flying distance from Florida. South of Florida there are islands for sale in Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, the Bahama, Grenada and the British Virgin Islands. If you want a drastic change in weather, there are islands for sale in upstate New York, Canada, Maine, Tennessee, New Jersey, Michigan, and other states. If distance isn't important, you can buy an island in the Pacific Ocean, England, Scotland, Greece, Sweden, and other countries. At this writing, there's a 26 acre island for sale in Nova Scotia for $80,000US and one in Sweden with a cottage and boathouse for $85,000US (Re/Max).
Some island buying tips from Terry Arellano, author of How To Buy A Private Island - A Guide to Ownership. "Good soil and vegetation can making living on your island much more enjoyable. Severe climates, hurricanes, tidal waves and abnormally high tides should be investigate before you make your decision. You'll find water is the most important element on an island. Every island has some variety of options to obtaining fresh water. Look for a ground water table high enough to dig a well. If a well already exists, have it inspected to insure it's dependable. Fresh water can often be gotten from a cistern and catchment arrangement for collecting rainwater. Check the annual rainfalls. The estimated amount of water needed annually for part-time island living is 30,000 to 100,000 gallons for full-time living which will require about forty inches of annual rainfall." Location? Obviously, you don't want to buy an island near a mainland where guerillas are fighting to take over the country.
Rowing home after
a hard day at the office
Hawaiian Islands For Sale
Na-Uai Island 46 acres $1,000,000US (Carding)
Nadolao Island 264 acres $3,500,000US (Carding)
Siraray Island 7.4 acres $215,000US (Carding)
Caribbean Islands For Sale
Little Cay (Honduras) $825,000 (Rainbow)
Jack Neal Cay (Honduras) $660,000 (Rainbow
Pigeon Cay (Honduras) $250,000 (Rainbow)
Cay #1 1.2 acres $115,000 (Nicaragua) (Dalli)
Cay # 2 5.0 acres $320,000 (Nicaragua) (Dalli)
Cay #3 9.5 acres $440,000 (Nicaragua) (Dalai)
Cay #4 15 acres ($545,000) (Nicaragua) (Dalli)
J-56 200 acres $1,500,000 (Belize) (Belize)
J-59 10 acres $700,00 (Belize) (Belize)
J-67 3 acres $300,000 (Belize) (Belize)
Upper Cedar Cay (Bahamas) 5 acres $259,000US (Re/Max)
Ruby Alexander - Florida Keys Realty (Telephone: 305-745-1513)
Utila Island Properties (Utila Bay Islands, Honduras Telephone:
504-425-3305) info@iloveutila.com)
Vianello Realty (2315 Le Jeune Road, Coral Gables FL 33134 Telephone: 305-442-2626 vianrealty@aol.com)
Vrtaxi Vincent Murray (Telephone: 905-889-0973 island2@vrtaxi.com)
Renting An Island
Are you an island kind of person? An island is a big investment and you don't want to land on the beach only to find out you prefer the big city life and dining out in restaurants. One solution is to rent an island and try out island living before you lay down your money. Some of the brokers listed in this article can arrange rentals from as little as under-$100 a day and as much as $1,000 a day and up. Luxury islands come with houses, use of a boat, fresh water and everything you need to enjoy yourself and live in luxury (hence the name, luxury island). Basic islands come with nothing but trees and sands, so plan on bringing along a sleeping bag, tent, food and water. Spending a few days on island will make you a believer or change your mind quickly. The residence below is for rent on Money Island in the Florida Keys. Contact the owner for details and availability.
Patrick's Island (below) is located 200 feet off the mainland near Ruskin, Florida. There's a 2-storey house that sleeps six, a 14-foot jon boat and canoe and everything you need to avoid having to camp. It rents for $700 a week, $300 a weekend. Information from Private Island.
Around The United States
Dark Island 7 acres New York $2,500,000 (Private)
Galloo Island 2100 acres New York (Private)
Morgan Island 6 acres Maine $148,000 (Private)
Bowden Island Maine $149,000 (Private)
Hardwood Hill Island 362 acres Maine (Private)
Turtle Island 1.09 acres $14000 Michigan (Private)
Fawn Island 2.2 acres Washington $1,800,000 (Private)
Blake Island 150 acres Alaska $1,800,000 (Private)
Rattlesnake Island 53 acres California $2,500,000 (Private)
