Best Areas to Buy in Dominica: Roseau, Portsmouth, the…

Dominica is a small island of about 751 square kilometres with a mountainous interior, so almost all settlement and almost all property sits on the coast. The areas below follow that pattern: the capital, the north-west around Portsmouth, the quiet south, the west coast and the north.

Key facts

Dominica covers about 751 square kilometres, and almost all property sits on the coast.
There is no published price index, so most figures are asking prices from agency listings.
Roseau has the highest prices, and Portsmouth is cheaper, with a freehold suite at Anichi Resort quoted at US$220,000.
Advisers quote rental yields of 4% to 5%, and buyers should expect the 10% Alien Landholding fee.

A caution first. Dominica has no published property price index, and nearly all the numbers below are asking prices from agency listings, some of them dated. Use them to understand the range, not to value a specific property.

Roseau

The capital is the business centre and the island's most developed town, with the best infrastructure, and it holds the highest prices. Listings include a four-bedroom house at US$270,000 and a refurbished three-bedroom bungalow with a sea view in Trafalgar at US$167,000. It suits buyers who put services and jobs first. Roseau Valley, behind the capital, has older homes and apartment buildings, and one listing is a seven-apartment building at Copthall.

Portsmouth and the north-west

Portsmouth is described as the island's second-largest town. Prices are lower than in the capital, and most purchases are apartments, houses and small residential properties. The area also holds approved projects under the citizenship programme. Anichi Resort and Spa, a Marriott Autograph Collection resort on Picard Beach, has a freehold one-bedroom suite of about 50 square metres at US$220,000 according to a citizenship adviser. At the top end, a three-bedroom cliffside villa at the Residences at Secret Bay near Portsmouth is listed at US$3.95 million. An agency page that is about eighteen months old shows residential lots in Picard at about US$90,290 for 9,643 square feet and US$164,335 for 17,551 square feet.

The south: Soufrière and Scotts Head

The south trades a different lifestyle: dramatic dive sites, sulphur springs, the Scotts Head Marine Reserve and what one adviser calls a quieter, more local rhythm. Jungle Bay Resort, with completed hotel units, is on this coast at Soufrière. It suits buyers who want nature, diving and the island's less developed side.

The west coast: Salisbury and Mero

Salisbury, a village on the west coast, is known for its beaches and is described as a place to find a cheaper house and land. Listings show a six-bedroom family home at US$800,000 and, in Mero, a modern home at about US$355,805 and a three-bedroom home at US$699,000, negotiable. Those come from different agents and different dates, so they show a range, not a market.

The north and east: Calibishie and Castle Bruce

Calibishie, on the north coast, has a rugged coastline and rainforest and draws eco-tourism and nature lovers. An agency page lists a commercial property there at US$350,000. Castle Bruce, on the east coast, overlooks a bay, and the same page shows a lot at about US$18,455 and farmland at about US$20,599 an acre. Marigot, nearby, is described as having cheaper property but more expensive land because of its preserved wilderness.

What drives prices

Advisers say prices in Portsmouth, Soufrière, Salisbury and Roseau are about 10% above the national average, and quote rental yields of 4% to 5%. A citizenship adviser also notes that the parcels that attract overseas buyers are often land in the interior or on the coast, sold by the acre: cliff edges, river frontage and valleys. Those are agency claims.

Choosing an area

Roseau suits buyers who want services. Portsmouth suits buyers who want a lower price and a larger town. The south suits divers and nature seekers. Salisbury and Mero suit beach-oriented buyers. Calibishie and the east suit buyers prepared for a remote setting. Whatever the area, expect the 10% Alien Landholding fee and other costs covered in the cost article in this series, and check how any property fared in Hurricane Maria in 2017, as the relocation guide advises.

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Best Areas to Buy in Dominica:
Roseau, Portsmouth, the South, the West Coast and the North