ECCB Real Estate Symposium to be a necessary eye-opener

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A unique and informative perspective on real estate investment in the Federation and neighbouring islands will be offered at tomorrow’s (June 30) Real Estate Investor Symposium organised by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank in collaboration with the University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus (St. Kitts).

Established and prospective investors are expected to be enlightened with eye-opening information about the investment climate in the region and financial and investment intricacies that often go unexplained. The symposium, to be held at the Sir Cecil Jacobs Auditorium at 5:30 pm, is hoped to be an “essential tool for the investor seeking to explore the many investment possibilities available in real estate”, according to organizers.

Promoting its theme ‘This land is your land’, the symposium will run a structured discussion for the first 90 minutes and would feature Susan LaFond, CEO Caribbean Paradise Realty, who would deliver on real estate opportunities in St. Kitts-Nevis and Dominica; Faron Lawrence, CEO St. Kitts-Nevis Homes, who would present on assessing investments beforehand; and Manager of Personal Financial Services at Royal Bank of Canada Dawn Heyliger, who is expected to address the financing of investments.

A cocktail will follow and would give participants an opportunity to discuss investment concerns with presenters and members from the commercial banking sector. As an added bonus, investors will also learn how to handle with confidence the loan process as well as the legal and tax issues involved in the acquisition of real estate.

ECCB Deputy Director Corporate Communications Sybil Welsh told SKNVibes that while the Bank has a responsibility to maintain the stability of the region’s financial sector, it has a mandate to actively pursue the economic development in the region. She added that this mandate has caused the Bank to continue to engage the public and raise awareness with regards to finance and money issues.

“We are trying to make sure that persons will always have the opportunity to learn about how to enhance their own knowledge and then put it into action to create a better future for them and their children to create a generation of wealth,” Welsh stressed.

She added that an investment must not be made quickly without giving full consideration to the necessary factors, adding that although real estate is beneficial, investors must be certain of what they want and how they are planning to get their returns.

“We are not telling them that this is the one for you, because they have to know what their risk tolerance is and what their investment objectives are. So we can’t prescribe a one-size-fits-all, but we are saying that they need to have information in order to make informed decisions and so we will provide the information. What you do with it depends on where you want to go,” Welsh added.

Interested persons are asked to register at the UWI Open Campus and ensure that a place is secured at the information-packed symposium.