Wanted: Perfect beachfront home or condo for young professional couple recently relocated to Nassau, Bahamas.
To the rescue: HGTV House Hunters International with ERA Dupuch agent Kyla Ralston leading the way.
Requirements: Ocean view or oceanfront preferred. Security a priority. Rental rate between $2500-$3500.
“This couple had just moved from Dubai and were excited about having jobs that landed them in Nassau, but were apprehensive about what properties they could find to match their high standards and expectations in a rental property, ” said Ralston, proud to be hand-selected by the casting producer in the UK to work with the popular TV show that attracts some 20 million viewers in the U.S. weekly.
“They wanted to take advantage of living on an island surrounded by beautiful waters for diving, fishing, swimming, snorkeling. Direct access to the beach was very important. They do not have children so issues we usually take into consideration like proximity to good schools was not material to the search.”
For House Hunters International, it was a natural. Producers who hopscotch the globe searching for locations that make viewers dream and drool were happy to return to familiar stomping grounds, islands where they had filmed a number of times. Last year HGTV viewers voted Harbour Island the fifth best place to live in the world. But this episode was slightly different — the search was not for an exotic getaway, nor on a Family Island, not a purchase, but a rental, not an historic manse or hideaway in a rainforest-like setting. This time it was to be a young working couple’s beachside apartment. The search for perfection had actually started two months earlier. The episode with Ralston and the couple was filmed December 9-11 for airing in the spring of 2012.
“We had to identify three apartments that matched their budget and wish list,” said Ralston, a go-getter whose firm is number one in sales in the ERA franchise family in the region. “It was my responsibility to find the apartment that best matched their criteria. Finding that perfect match is one of the many satisfying aspects of my role as a Realtor at ERA Dupuch and a job I thoroughly enjoy.”
Ralston poured through listings, searching for comparables, produced the required number, three — two on Cable Beach and one in Love Beach. For the next three days, the film crew put in 12-plus-hour days, again with Ralston along for every step of the journey. In the end, the ‘perfect’ apartment turned out to be the very one the couple spotted the first time and agreed on then. According to the husband, it had everything they were searching for — a patio overlooking the ocean, located in a slightly older, but comfortable complex small enough to allow them a feeling of privacy and tranquility, plus excellent security with a double gated entry.
“I was very proud that I was selected to do the show,” said Ralston, who believes her past experience in film provided producers with extra comfort. More importantly, she said, it was great exposure for The Bahamas, for the industry, its professionalism and the variety of properties available. “And it was great for ERA Dupuch, reinforcing the value of being associated with an internationally known and respected name.”
For the past six years, ERA Dupuch has been the number one performing ERA firm in the region, topping ERA franchises in the Turks and Caicos, Aruba, Dominican Republic, Cayman and Puerto Rico. An exact airing date for the House Hunters International episode filmed in Nassau will be released shortly.
