What makes Smiths Gore unique is its depth of coverage and sector expertise.
We have specialist teams delivering services in all property related disciplines to include appraisals and valuations, commercial sales and consultancy, office leasing, residential sales and rentals (long term and vacation villas) and property and estate management.
At the heart of the business is the commitment to provide clients with knowledge to enable them to make informed decisions and investments. Key to this is having the data to analyze. This is compiled from a range of sources, although the BVI Land Registry provides the bulk of the data relating to freehold sales and leasehold transactions.
Historican Real Estate Data
With information expending back to the late 1990’s, Smiths Gore has been able to capture market trends showing how the BVI property market reacts to international events, such as the economic depression in 2008, or to events closer to home such as Hurricane Irma in 2017 and now more recently the impacts of the Coronavirus on the global and local property markets.
Property owners seeking to exit their investment often have little data to analyze. They’ll also discover wide-ranging opinions on value from the property industry, which can lead to uncertainty as to where the true exit price for an investment may fall.
Making better BVI Property Investment Decisions
Having confidence in the quality of data and the interpretation of market trends helps investors better evaluate their options. It also allows them to make better decisions on how best to exit.
In addition to historic sales data obtained from the BVI Land Registry, Smiths Gore also analyses the competitive market set, so property owners can understand what other listed properties they may be competing against.
This is a very fluid analysis as property listings change on a weekly basis, however this data provides owners with a better understanding of how many properties may be for sale within a particular price range or whether listing prices for properties on the market for more than say six months are trending up or down.
Internationally Visible Market Analysis
Ultimately, this data is fed into publications and Smiths Gore has been a contributor in international press (includes the Telegraph and the Guardian in the UK) and more closer to home the BVI Property and Yacht, the BVI Business Guide and the Caribbean Property Magazine.
These articles provide investors with an understanding of the trends in the BVI property market through a range of graphics analyzing sale data by reviewing villa sales over $500,000 with median price and total number of sales, where the sales occurred (Tortola, Virgin Gore, outer-island), number of sales in certain price ranges and the origin of the investor (belonger and non-belonger). Post Irma, we have also gathered data on total property sales and also on the sale of villas below $500,000 to determine the extent of the market for damaged homes.
The BVI property market can only be understood in the wider context of the BVI economy and international influences. Whether for published articles or in-depth commercial valuations, Smiths Gore undertakes research into the wider economy, looking at trends in the main economic indicators (GDP, inflation, employment) and in particular the tourism industry. This data is compiled into a BVI Economic Overview which is updated regularly and made available to major clients and institutions.
Our BVI Real Estate Services
Valuations & Appraisals
Our residential valuations are prepared in a format tailored to suit the requirements of the client. We prepare USPAP and AIC form reports to meet the requirements of all of the banks in the British Virgin Islands. For larger properties we can also prepare narrative reports conforming to the requirements of the RICS Valuation Standards (the ‘Red Book’).
Property Management
Smiths Gore provides residential management services throughout the British Virgin Islands tailored to suit the requirements of each client, whether the property is leased on a long term basis, offered as a vacation villa or retained for use by the owner.
Strategic Partnerships
Smith’s Gore has established strategic partnerships who we work in collaboration with to provide global coverage and niche market expertise. We tailor our solutions to meet our clients need and are delighted to have the ability to work with our partners in this way.
Commercial
Smiths Gore offers a comprehensive commercial real estate transaction service providing advice on acquisitions and disposals to a variety of clients throughout the Caribbean.
