Photo credit: Erik Jaeger
• St Kitts and Nevis climbs 34 places in Top of the Props chart
• Unprecedented rise in demand for Caribbean properties
• USA most popular country for fifth month in a row
• Brazil receives biggest share of enquiries in TheMoveChannel.com history
• Top five property destinations: USA, Spain, Brazil, France, Portugal
Demand for St Kitts and Nevis property skyrocketed last month, according to TheMoveChannel.com's Top of the Props. The tiny island state has traditionally ranked outside of the overseas property portal's top 40 destinations but buyers flocked there in February, causing the country to join the Top 10 for the very first time.
St Kitts and Nevis received just 1.96 per cent of all enquiries on the site last month, but that share was enough to see it rise an unprecedented 34 places in the chart into eighth, overtaking destinations such as Cyprus and Greece, which both saw interest fall.
But St Kitts and Nevis was not the only country to witness a stratospheric rise in popularity: Jamaica jumped an astonishing 20 places to 13th in the table, while the Cayman Islands climbed 9 to take 9th place from Hungary.
At the top of the charts, US real estate continued to dominate demand, accounting for over 1 in 5 enquiries on TheMoveChannel.com. America's recovering real estate was closely followed by Spanish property, which accounted for over 1 in 7.
Established favourite Brazil made an even stronger bid for the title, receiving 7.7 per cent of enquiries - its highest ever share. That increase was enough to replace Portugal in third place, while buyers continued to focus on other familiar markets such as France (fourth place), Italy (sixth) and Turkey (seventh).
But with two of the Top 10 property markets located in the Caribbean for the first time, the rise of St Kitts and Nevis marks the start of what could become a Caribbean craze.
Director Dan Johnson comments: "it sounds like an old cliché, but the demand for sun and sand never really goes away. Faced with grey skies and a gloomy economy, house hunters are visibly looking away from the traditional shores of Spain and Portugal and turning to new horizons in search of a sun tan.
"The Citizenship-by-Investment scheme in St Kitts and Nevis would have helped to boost its popularity, giving new residents visa-free travel to over 100 countries in return for a real estate investment. It's no coincidence that some European countries are now planning to introduce or expand similar schemes to attract buyers.
"But while St Kitts and Nevis stole the show, it's telling that interest increased not just in one country, but in three Caribbean property destinations at once: a sign that the region's overall appeal is a driving factor, rather than any particular property opportunity.
"Economic stability and high returns remain a major priority for property investors, who increasingly favour Brazil as well as the USA, but lifestyle buyers are also out in full force - and they're enjoying the beach far away from the Eurozone."
The full breakdown of the top 40 is as follows:
Overall Enquiry Volume for February 2013
Rank
Country
Share
Change
1
USA
20.58
Non-mover
2
Spain
13.64
Non-mover
3
Brazil
7.7
Up 3
4
France
6.98
Non-mover
5
Portugal
5.36
Down 2
6
Italy
3.38
Up 1
7
Turkey
3.29
Up 6
8
St Kitts and Nevis
1.96
Up 34
9
Cayman Islands
1.75
Up 10
10
Germany
1.75
Up 7
11
Bulgaria
1.69
Non-mover
12
Cyprus
1.66
Down 4
13
Jamaica
1.51
Up 20
14
Hungary
1.46
Down 5
15
Thailand
1.43
Down 5
16
Greece
1.42
Down 4
17
Cape Verde
1.35
Down 12
18
Malta
1.09
Down 3
19
Barbados
1
Down 3
20
UAE
0.96
Up 2
21
SIERRA LEONE
0.9
22
Croatia
0.87
Down 2
23
St Lucia
0.58
Down 5
24
Poland
0.56
Down 1
25
Dominican Republic
0.45
Down 11
26
Egypt
0.43
Down 5
27
Belize
0.29
Up 5
28
Montenegro
0.27
Up 2
29
CANADA
0.25
Up 11
30
St Vincent and Grenadines
0.19
Down 3
31
India
0.19
Down 7
32
SWITZERLAND
0.15
Up 15
33
Indonesia
0.13
Down 8
34
Philippines
0.12
Up 7
35
Romania
0.1
Down 7
36
Malaysia
0.09
Down 2
37
Antigua and Barbuda
0.07
Down 2
38
Morocco
0.06
Down 9
39
Austria
0.05
Down 2
40
Nicaragua
0.05
Down 14
Notes to Editors
Founded in 1999, TheMoveChannel.com is the leading independent website for international property, with than 400,000 listings in over 100 countries around the world, marketed on behalf of agents, developers and private owners.
The website address is http://www.themovechannel.com/ and the office address is 24 Jack's Place, Corbet Place, Spitalfields, London, E1 6NN.
Contact Dan Johnson on 0207 952 7650 for further information.