An entire Caribbean island is currently available for an absolute bargain – well, compared to the price of many teeny flats in London.
The UK is known for many good things – the NHS, Greggs and Binley Mega Chippy, for starters – but cheap flat and house prices aren’t exactly something you’ll find anyone bragging about.
That’s especially the case if you’re looking to buy in the capital, where would-be homeowners are repeatedly turfed out by high rise offices or car parks.
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Indeed, according to Statista, the average flat price in the City of London, as of July 2022, is £827,198.34 - naturally, not an amount many of us would be able to ever afford.
Even looking further out doesn’t ease the sting that much, either, with flats in the borough of Camden costing, on average, £734,685.62.
Meanwhile, in Hackney, East London, the average flat will set you back £570,874.40.
The website – which did not specify bedroom number or square footage in its report – found that the cheapest borough was Barking and Dagenham, which lies nine miles east of Central London, and even then, the average price was £249,433.12
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You may be better off taking those hard-earned savings and heading over to the Caribbean, where you’ll be able to buy an entire island for less than the price of an apartment in the Big Smoke.
Iguana Island, which is up for sale via Private Islands Inc, is a volcanic island located 12 miles off the coast of Bluefields, Nicaragua.
The five-acre paradise features a freehold property, a turnkey, coconut palms, banana trees and a ‘very affordable price tag’ of $475,000 (£391,000).
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Its listing online says: “Clear blue-green water dominates sight lines in all directions, and the region’s spectacular sunrises and sunsets make the views all the more dramatic at daybreak and nightfall.”
The property itself is a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house with wraparound porch, dining room, bar and living area, plus ‘additional accommodations for staff on the other side of the island’, with the ‘reliable longtime’ employees willing to stay on with the new owners.
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“A boardwalk meanders around the property to encourage leisurely strolls among the foliage, home to migrating butterflies; a 28-foot observation tower allows visitors to gaze across the ocean to the rainforests in the distance,” the listing says.
While Private Islands Inc says there is ‘ample’ room to add a swimming pool, it notes that a refreshing dip is ‘as simple as wading into the sea on the calm west side of the island near the dock’. Sounds dreamy.
The listing adds: "This part of Nicaragua earns raves for its fishing, and anglers can cast off the dock for snapper, mackerel and barracuda, venture offshore for tuna, billfish and wahoo or delve into the virgin jungle rivers of the mainland to pursue trophy-size tarpon and snook.
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"Abundant tropical fish on the surrounding reefs will appeal to snorkeling and scuba enthusiasts."
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Topics: World News, Travel, UK News
Jess Hardiman