We Bought the Lot
We bought the Farm – oops – the lot on the sea in Jamaica.
You may be wondering if we bought that lot – YES WE DID! What were we thinking? Were we thinking? Now what were we going to do with a lot on the Caribbean Sea in Brighton, Jamaica?
I will say that we both agreed to go ahead and buy the property.
Papa Poo tells the story much better then I do so insert heavy male voice here.
Staying at a small resort down the coastline we had always stared down the shoreline at the waves crashing. (That’s the picture with the two coffee cups) We had always been looking at the lot and watching the seaspray drift towards the SeaGrape trees. We had stared at the lot but had never really seen it until January 2013.
The lot was owned by two brothers from the community of Brighton. One of the brothers, Mr. P., just happened to be married to one of the chefs working at the small resort we were staying at. Waba, our friend and owner of the Blue Hole Mineral Springs, acted as our realtor. He informed us of the price they were asking.
Papa Poo and I talked about the price, which wasn’t all that unreasonable. We could buy an acre of land on the sea in the Caribbean for less then what we would pay for a lot by a freshwater lake around home in Alberta. Price wasn’t the issue. We had already been looking for recreational property around home, but we were finding it in Jamaica. The issue became what do we do with it?
My thought was buy it quick before the price goes up. Sit on it, sell it for a profit, or build my vision. But how do I convince Papa Poo.
Meeting Mr. P was one of the best things to happen to us. He is a well respected member of the community and a very hard working, caring and intelligent man. If you need to know about plants, animals or Jamaica ask Mr. P. Negotiating with Mr. P is another matter. Not as much fun as sitting and talking with him. Still interesting, though.
When we did go to meet him at his house he was rescuing his chickens from a snake – a yellow boa. The snake had found its way into one of his trees and would have caused havoc with his chickens. Mr. P caught the snake and put it in a bag to relocate it in the mountains. I managed to take pictures hiding behind someone, zooming in from afar. Snakes aren’t my favourite creatures.
Mr. P would not budge on the price he and his brother agreed upon. We had to go back to our room and sit and stare at “our property”. We discussed our options and possibilities for the property. I said how about a guest house. Papa Poo said ‘no one is sleeping in my bed’. Remind you of anything! We tried three times to get Mr. P to reduce the price of the lot. No sir. It is what it is.
Somewhere in between having a restful vacation, the purchase of the property took over. If we left without buying it, we were sure it was going to sell or the price would go up. Our days on the island were numbered and we felt we had to make a decision before we left.
The possibility of a guest house was a no for Papa Poo. I did not want to go through the expense of building a house and only using it once or twice a year. I still thought we should build something that would give us an income – the resort in my vision.
Finally, Papa Poo came around when someone else mentioned to him to build a resort, employ local residents and a have another source of income. He referred to it as a retirement project. I was sure it was me who mentioned it, but he says no.
On our last visit with Mr. P we agreed to pay the original price he asked for. Papa Poo and Mr. P shook hands and the deal was done. A gentleman’s agreement between two honest people. Before I shook Mr. P’s hand I had to tell him that he was a hard negotiator and I needed something for our efforts. I asked him if he would add two chickens to the land deal. I’ll never forget his smile as he took my hand and shook it. I really hope he keeps the chickens. I’m afraid Sheba will terrorize them.
We flew out of Jamaica smiling, perma-grins plastered on our faces. We were owners of 1 acre of property on the Caribbean Sea in Jamaica. The deal sealed on a handshake. There are still good people out there.
Do something today that your future self will thank you for.
Until next time
Baba