Retirement 2020

[sandytoes]

Hi,

Been lurking around this forum for sometime now, read some awesome reviews, gained some insightful knowledge, so I thought I would reach out for opinions!

I am planning to retire next July, yay! 😀

My desire is to live in Negril 3-6 months, possibly full time if I can obtain residency status. I plan to rent/lease, not purchase at this point anyway.

Any recommendations regarding accommodations? Small apartment/kitchenette, tv, WiFi; the basics is I all require. Somewhere along beach road would be ideal.Travelled to Jamaica 26 times over 17 year period, 15 solo trips so I am familiar with the area.

Open for suggestions.

Bless up
Sandy Toes (Kim)

[rtitle]

Congrats! I'm also planning to retire to Jamaica. I'm in the process of buying a property now. House and 10 acres land. Actually for me it'll be more like transition to something different rather than a traditional retirement.

I can't speak for you, but I don't want to be right in Negril. Ideal for me is about a half hour away, close enough to go enjoy when I want to, but living in a regular community.

PM me if you want to keep in touch.

Richard

[Bnewb]

Congrats Sandytoes...there's some good information about moving to Negril in these threads...
https://negril.com/forum/forumdispla...ing-in-Jamaica

For long term rentals...it's often easier to do the leg work while you're in Negril...it gives you a much better idea of the yard/owner/home etc.
We can suggest a few places...it would help to have an idea of your budget.

[Accompong]

Hi,

Been lurking around this forum for sometime now, read some awesome reviews, gained some insightful knowledge, so I thought I would reach out for opinions!

I am planning to retire next July, yay! 😀

My desire is to live in Negril 3-6 months, possibly full time if I can obtain residency status. I plan to rent/lease, not purchase at this point anyway.

Any recommendations regarding accommodations? Small apartment/kitchenette, tv, WiFi; the basics is I all require. Somewhere along beach road would be ideal.Travelled to Jamaica 26 times over 17 year period, 15 solo trips so I am familiar with the area.

Open for suggestions.

Bless up
Sandy Toes (Kim)

Hi Sandy Toes (Kim). Now, this is just my opinion so just understand that I have been to Jamaica at least twice as often over twice the length of time and have been staying 3-6 months at a time although all over the island and only a few times in Negril on the West End. I am currently staying in rural Westmoreland...and I stress..RURAL.

I started out wanting to live full time in Jamaica and, in the early '80s was spending the majority of the year in locations like Treasure Beach, St. Mary, Kingston and St. Elizabeth (Accompong Town). As much as I loved and still love Jamaica, I find it to be frustrating at times and somewhere just over the halfway point of my stay, looking forward to returning to the US. Living in Jamaica or Negril (which is not hardly like living in Jamaica ) for 3 - 6 months suits me fine. I would not IMHO plan on a full time move until you have a couple of years of 3 - 6 months under your belt. My hats off to people like Rob and Lisa who made the move and enjoy it most of the time I would guess.

Being a frequent tourist is not the same as living in Jamaica or Negril.

I concur with Bnewb that going to Negril and looking for a place with money in hand affords the best options.

I wish you the best of luck in whatever you finally decide.

[TuffGong]

Congrats! I'm also planning to retire to Jamaica. I'm in the process of buying a property now. House and 10 acres land. Actually for me it'll be more like transition to something different rather than a traditional retirement.

I can't speak for you, but I don't want to be right in Negril. Ideal for me is about a half hour away, close enough to go enjoy when I want to, but living in a regular community.

PM me if you want to keep in touch.

Richard

Richard, please keep the board up to date re your progress. Your plan sounds amazing, can't wait to read more about it. How much did you pay for the land? How much do you plan on spending on your home? Are you building yourself, or hiring someone? Very excited for you, hope it all works out.

[rtitle]

Thank you TuffGong! I am paying 18 million J. My Jamaican friends tell me that's expensive but coming from Boston it seems cheap to me. In Boston a tiny house on a tiny plot of land is at least a million *US*. And this is a big house on a big plot of land. I considered other islands to retire to (St Lucia, Trinidad, ...) but they are more expensive than Jamaica. Plus I love Jamaica and have been visiting for 20 years and have many friends there. There have been some delays but I am expecting to close soon. Initial move-in will be maybe July?

The house exists which is good because I'd prefer not to get into the hassle of dealing with contractors. It needs very little work. I might just put in A/C since in spite of my many visits over 20 years I still can't take the mid-summer heat in the lowlands. Oh, and I want to put up solar panels. Do people do that in Jamaica? They should, there's such an abundance of sunshine!

The land was a functioning farm until recently (owner/seller is no longer farming it). He was growing sugarcane but I need to decide what I want to grow. Suggestions welcome . No I am not planning to grow 10 acres of weed. I want to grow fruits and vegetables that I like to eat.

Current plan is to go back and forth (6 months/6 months), for a few years. Retaining my home in the US for now. Depending on how things go, maybe move full-time eventually.

I have to admit, I don't really know what I'm doing. It's an adventure and there are all sorts of things that can go wrong. Some of my American friends say I'm gambling with my retirement savings and my future. True. But you gotta do something, at least try to live your dreams, or else you're just waiting to die.

Peace and love to all,

RIchard

[Markis]

Good luck to you both. I hope you will keep us informed of the progress of your adventure.
Cheers!

[68Stang]

Good luck! If things work out for us in the near future we may be looking for a beachside condo we can bounce back and forth from.

[rtitle]

I don't want beachside due to concerns about rising sea levels, hurricanes, storm surges, flooding, etc. Eventually the seas will be higher. The hotels on Beach Road will be underwater, the West End will be an island, etc. Even now pre-sea-level-rise a big hurricane strike can reduce any beachfront property to rubble. Not sure if anyone visited right after Ivan and drove around looking at the devastation (I did).

My place is on the south coast but about 5 miles inland and about 50 meters above sea level.

[Accompong]

I don't want beachside due to concerns about rising sea levels, hurricanes, storm surges, flooding, etc. Eventually the seas will be higher. The hotels on Beach Road will be underwater, the West End will be an island, etc. Even now pre-sea-level-rise a big hurricane strike can reduce any beachfront property to rubble. Not sure if anyone visited right after Ivan and drove around looking at the devastation (I did).

My place is on the south coast but about 5 miles inland and about 50 meters above sea level.

Over time, I would not be as concerned over hotels on the Beach Road being underwater or the West End being an island. Long before that, the further damage to the Jamaican Economy such catastrophes would cause would only bring more social chaos and make things worse for those who stand economically above a struggling population. No matter how many friends you have, it only takes one "Bad Mind" to ruin your day and your plans. Perhaps this is why people who have gone "affaren" and make money don't often return to Jamaica to retire.

What seems like a small amount of money to one person is an absolute fortune to another. I hope you have it all thought out and I hope you are very lucky as well. I know a lot of people who tried and failed at moving permanently to rural Jamaica.

I, too, will be very interested in hearing more of your experiences as you move forward.