The names read like an A-list of Hollywood hotshots — singing sensation Alicia Keys, 007 and big screen star Daniel Craig, baseball’s legendary Barry Bonds, action actor turned California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, rap/hip hop artist Lil Wayne, golf guru Ernie Els.
Beyond achievement and excellence, the celebs have a connection in common — they have fallen in love with one community in The Bahamas and they’ve selected the same real estate broker to work with them.
That broker, Mario Carey, CRS, CIPS, CLHMS, President and Founder of Mario Carey Realty, understands the love affair with the community the celebs, CEOs and others call home for part of the year, Ocean Club Estates on Paradise Island. He talked about its special place in the annals of Bahamian property today as he marked a milestone — passing the 100th transaction in the residential enclave with a Tom Weiskopf-designed championship golf course that plays host to the LPGA Tournament on one side and the Atlantic on the other, the amenities of Atlantis steps away and the world of boating, fishing and diving at their doorstep. From water sports to shopping for diamond-studded watches, from mega-yacht dockage to casual walks in a secure neighbourhood where the landscaping looks like a magazine cover, it’s all about active lifestyle, he says.
“The people who buy in Ocean Club Estates could live anywhere in the world but they chose this and it’s been that way since the first day properties went up for sale,” says Carey who handled some of the first lot sales and continues to be the enclave’s number one sales force. Every one of the 121 lots initially offered in 1999, he recalls, was grabbed up almost instantly, an historic phenomenon that has never been duplicated. Later, Kerzner International introduced 88 luxury condominiums at Ocean Club Residences, a development that met with the same success and led to Carey’s reputation as the undisputed leader in Ocean Club Estates sales.
Ocean Club Estates was launched with a novel plan — immediate membership in the golf and beach club, access to the One & Only Ocean Club and Atlantis, offering all the conveniences of a resort, all the privacy of a single family home or luxury condo. Despite the roller coaster ride of a lot of luxury properties around the world, Carey made his most expensive sale ever in 2008, the year the economy collapsed and this year, handled the most expensive sale in Ocean Club Estates. He has sold several properties multiple times. Many of his transactions were leases, often to sports stars and Fortune 500 company CEOs looking for a respite surrounded by the clearest waters under the warmth of the sun.
“In cases where property was offered for sale, it was generally based on a change in lifestyle,” said Carey.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say they wanted to sell because they didn’t like it here. There is a universal appreciation for the uniqueness that Ocean Club Estates has to offer. You can sit out on your balcony or deck overlooking one of the most exquisite golf courses in the world or hop aboard your boat, go fishing in the morning in khakis and attend a dinner or show with international entertainment that evening in gown and tux. Add the friendliness of the people and it’s a win-win.”
Five years ago when Carey left the firm where he had been a director for many years to form his own boutique real estate company, Ocean Club Estates clients remained loyal.
“I have appraised, rented, consulted, monitored construction, welcomed many families personally and entertained ambassadors,” he said. And, of course, Carey lives in the community.
“Living in Ocean Club Estates allows me to be active in the community, to get to know people, make valuable introductions. It also gives me an opportunity to keep my finger on the pulse of that market. If this were 100 of anything else, you’d call it a diamond jubilee. But 100 transactions in a single community, I’m not sure what you call that except satisfaction and the result of a lot of attention to market, detail and personal boutique service. The truth is, it’s easy to sell a lifestyle when you believe in it so much yourself.”
Diane Phillips and Associates
