The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A Bahamian realtor is forecasting up to a 10-15 percent increase in business for 2026 if the market maintains early-year momentum that has resulted in his firm being “inundated” with calls and inquiries from wealthy international buyers.

Ryan Knowles, founder and chief executive of Maison Bahamas, told Tribune Business that the volume of prospective buyer inquiries over the 90-day period that encompasses year-end 2025 and early 2026 is “up substantially” over the same period in 2024-2025. He added that this nation is also attracting a “high calibre” of purchaser, as his firm works with investors who have properties under contract in developments such as Ocean Club Estates, Palm Cay and Aqualina.

“Last year was a good year for real estate,” he told this newspaper. “I think it could have been a great year but some of the policy changes in the US kind of cooled things off a bit. There was a lot of momentum going into 2025 and the early part of the year, and a lot of positive sentiment that people had regarding some of the policies that might have been implemented.

“But the [Trump] tariffs happened, and kind of spooked people for a while. The tariffs had a bit of a chilling effect on the market, but we’re certainly passed that. Generally speaking, it turned out to be much ado about nothing and that is now kind of locked in. The stock market was strong in the latter part of 2025.”

Turning to the current year, Mr Knowles said: “We’ve been tracking the past 90 to 120 days, and inquiries are up substantially over the same time in 2024-2025. Christmas has gone, and we’re in the sixth to seventh week of the year, and offers and inquiries are off to an unbelievable start. If that’s some indication of what’s to come, we’re on track for a record year in 2026.

“It’s the traditional peak season in real estate, which starts around Thanksgiving. As it gets colder up north, prospective buyers and affluent visitors look to come to warm weather destinations and The Bahamas will always be one of them. As more people come to the islands and start looking around they realise it’s a great place to be from a lifestyle perspective and also a good place to invest.

“It’s typically the busiest time of year for us, but we’ve been inundated over the last several weeks by multiple calls coming in. They’re looking and buying. They’re pulling the trigger. We’re going into contract with one of those clients on a unit in Aqualina, we’re going into contract on a town home at the beach in Palm Cay, and we have one client at Ocean Club Estates buying two properties there,” Mr Knowles added.

“It’s quite a high calibre of client coming in, which is a really positive indicator for the rest of the year. It’s a really great start. You never want to jinx these things, but we could certainly be up 10-15 percent over last year based on what I’m seeing.”

Mr Knowles said The Bahamas’ high-end, international real estate market will - in contrast to many other destinations - benefit from continued global political turbulence and economic uncertainty. “We’re kind of a unique creature in the sense that when things threaten to fall apart globally, the more attractive we become as a destination and landing spot for wealth,” he told this newspaper.

“As these high net worth individuals think about their investment portfolios through 2026 and beyond, they’re getting to the point in many cases where they are transitioning wealth to their children. We remain very attractive. We remain such a safe destination. Our real estate market is probably the strongest in the region. It’s a lifestyle philosophy but also a hedge against instability in other destinations.

“Some of the geopolitical changes in the US are also helping us. Canadians not fond of the changes in the US are starting to pass over Florida and come to the Caribbean, so to the extent that happens that’s a positive for The Bahamas and the market,” Mr Knowles added.

“There’s a lot of foreign direct investment (FDI) coming into projects. If we can continue that momentum, and give buyers confidence that here is a great place to invest, it’s safe, they can feel comfortable and confident spending millions of dollars on properties here.”