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Buying furnished?
WHAT-TO-DO - NASSAU, CABLE BEACH & PARADISE ISLAND - JULY 2004
Buying furnished?
First choice for many buyers
If you?re a first-time buyer of a house or condo in The Bahamas, you are probably looking for a furnished place, says Cara Christie, a vice president with H G Christie Ltd in Nassau.
A large percentage of the houses handled by her firm are already furnished, says Christie, ?perhaps as high as 80 per cent,? although that?s not an official figure.
One reason is that home buyers from ?away? may still be uncertain about whether they want to remain on the island, so they buy furnished until they are 100 per cent sure. Besides, Christie notes, first time purchasers prefer to have turn-key situations because the process of moving can be overwhelming enough, without the additional chore of decorating and furnishing a property.
Homes up for resale are usually furnished because the owners are moving on to bigger properties that they want to furnish and decorate themselves.
On the other hand, most of the new condos sold on New Providence are unfurnished, says Christie. ?The developers usually put in only the appliances, the flooring, the kitchen. Often, though, they have a nice model that people can see.?
Most real estate agents prefer to deal in furnished homes simply because they?re easier to sell, says Peter Dupuch of ERA Dupuch Real Estate in Nassau.
?Even if people say, ?don?t worry, I can deal with that,? walking into an unfurnished house is sort of like walking into a cave,? Dupuch laughs.
?I sold a home last year, and it was furnished at the time, even though
the buyers knew it was being sold unfurnished.
?We showed the house before the owner took out the furniture and it sold instantly. When the buyer could not come up with financing, it went back on the market, but without the furniture. We had the devil of a time to sell that house,? he says.
?People buying a home for an investment would probably tend to buy it furnished because they?re not living in it themselves. And people who are buying for themselves often want to furnish the home themselves, to their own taste,? Dupuch adds.
?I would say that bachelors tend to buy a furnished place whereas, with a couple, the wife will probably want to put her personal touch on the home. A man would say, ?it?s nice, it?s new, it?s clean, it?s all I need.? A woman is more likely to say, ?I want my own couch.??
Whether you want a newly constructed unfurnished home, or a turn-key apartment or condo, you can be sure you?ll find what you want in New Providence?s active real estate market. Just be sure to obtain the services of a fully accredited agent, licensed by the Bahamas Real Estate Association.
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