Wife and I have been to Bonaire twice and love it, once in 2009 for a month at Lighthouse Beach and again for two weeks at Belmar in 2011. We are just retired and looking for a place to buy a condo, we would appreciate any tips. I see there is two places for sale at Belmar and a couple at Lighthouse Beach.

Ron

Ron..Welcome to BT..First question is how long do you plan on staying on Bonaire over the course of a year? Are we talking 3-4 months a year or 12 months a year?

Secondly, what we discovered was that several condo developments had different criteria and rules for ownership. Know what works for you.

Some had a mandatory rental pool (which we really didn't want). In other words there was an independent management company running the condo and basically they make all the decisions.

Others had a modified rental pool, i.e. they let you stay X weeks per year (determined by the condo by laws) but after that the unit went into a rental pool. And yet others indicated you could take part in a rental pool or not, but if you didn't you'd be paying much higher condo maintenance costs than owners of a unit in the rental pool.

There are other condos on the island which specifically prohibit renting out to tourists.

And there are still others which are more like the American condos, all owners pay the same fees (of course predicated upon sq footage). The option to rent or live there is solely yours. My advice is to check out carefully the COA bylaws and to know exactly what you're buying into.

Another crucial area to discern is who controls the management of the common areas? Are you ceding control to another entity or do you have the ability to hire & fire if the performance is not satisfactory?

Thirdly, there are plenty of good realtors on the island. Seek out an agent who promptly answers all your questions and puts you at ease during the buying process. It would also help you to learn who was on the condo board and speak with one of them.

Best of luck to you and remember to do your due diligence (as with anything in life) and I suspect you'll be happy with your new abode in the sun.

Ron -- we bought a condo at Lighthouse Beach Resort last fall. I believe it was an excellent value. Bob Bartikowski & the RE/MAX team did an excellent job helping us. It is no more difficult buying a place in Bonaire than in the US and, in some ways, easier. PM me if you want more details.

be sure to check out the new rules with immigration ..limited stays for non-residents....

Lighthouse Beach Resort #13 is up for sale. We have stayed there a number of times and really like it! I know the owners, and I am sure they'd be happy to answer any questions.

Reach them at www.bonairevilla.com

I have no financial interest.

Good advice!! We are planning on living 3-4 months out of the year on Bonaire and renting out the rest of year
. I am a diver and there is no place quite like Bonaire with the freedom to dive when and where you please. Unfortunately my wife is not a diver, can't get her ears to clear, I liked LBR when we stayed there but there didn't seem for there to be a lot for her to do, we didn't rent bicycles, a big mistake. Vince obviously has had some experience with HOA/COA boards and defacto timeshares where you lose a great deal of the freedom you prize. Maybe we're better off renting, you can't please everyone:-)
Ron

My advice before buying anything anywhere that you plan to stay that long is to talk to others who have done this and rent that long to see if you & your wife really want to stay that length of stay.
I could never convince my husband to stay that long even though he loves Bonaire as much as I do. The longest could get him to stay is a month, so we have a timeshare and I rent when I want to stay longer. Works for me.
Starting here is a good begining. These people are so willing to share their experiences.
You caught the Bonaire Bug.
Good Luck!