For buyers
What the island does differently.
Bonaire is part of the Netherlands, priced in dollars, and sold through a notary. Almost nothing about the transaction works the way it does where you are from.
IVFor buyers
Representation that belongs to you.
A buyer arriving on Bonaire will usually deal with the broker instructed by the seller. That broker is competent, and that broker’s duty is to the seller.
There is no MLS
What you can see from a portal is a fraction of what is available. A meaningful share of property changes hands before it is ever published. The field is assembled by hand.
The notary holds the money
Title passes by notarial deed, registered at the Kadaster. The notary acts for the transaction rather than for either side, and holds your deposit. No broker on Bonaire holds client funds, and none should offer to.
Eigendom or erfpacht
Land is held either freehold, or on a long lease from the island against an annual ground rent. Erfpacht is not a defect; it is a different asset, priced differently. Ask how many years remain, and what the canon is.
Owning here does not make you a resident
Buying property and having the right to live on Bonaire are separate matters, decided by different authorities. Anyone may buy; how long you may stay depends on your nationality and your immigration position. If the plan depends on living here rather than visiting, establish that position before committing to a property.
Transfer costs sit with the buyer by custom — kosten koper. Budget for them from the beginning rather than discovering them at the settlement statement.
VWhat it actually costs
The purchase, with the numbers on it.
Transfer costs sit with the buyer here — kosten koper — and they are the figure most people discover too late. Move the inputs and watch the cash you need at completion move with them.
The property
Assumptions you can change
Five per cent transfer tax and roughly two per cent for the notary and registration are the customary figures on Bonaire, but they are not fixed law for every transaction and the notary will quote you exactly. Mortgage terms for non-residents are typically shorter and require more deposit than you would expect at home.
Cash needed at completion
- Deposit
- $135,000
- Transfer tax
- $22,500
- Notary & registration
- $9,000
- Amount borrowed
- $315,000
- Monthly mortgage
- $2,226
- Monthly canon
- $150
- Total each month
- $2,226
An estimate on the figures you entered, not an offer of finance and not advice. Oasis does not arrange mortgages and holds no client money. The notary will give you the binding settlement statement.
VIIContact
An hour, and no obligation.
We walk the property, give you a written opinion of value with the evidence behind it, and you decide. Bring whatever documents you already have.
Enquiries
In writing, answered the same day
Languages
English and Dutch
Broker
Madison Gentry
Where we work
The whole of Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands
