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When we created Nevis Style Realty it was with a view to bringing the island’s beautiful properties to a global market. We knew people would love the homes we could share, if we could only help them find out the possibilities with the help of the internet. What we didn’t anticipate was how personal each real estate sale would become, and how much an ongoing part of our lives so many homebuyers would turn out to be. Each story is unique, each stumbling discovery of Nevis a different tale to tell. 

At first, Vervain Mill – a glorious, redeveloped sugar mill on the eastern slopes of Mount Nevis – captured these buyers’ hearts. 

“We were enchanted by Nevis from our fist visit in late 2019,” they said, “attracted by old stone not only for hurricane proofing but also for the charm of renovated mills.” 

At Nevis Style Realty, we strive to match our buyers with their perfect place, or at least the home with the potential to become just that. Although Vervain had captured their imagination, we felt that it wasn’t the perfect pairing just yet. 

“NSR listened to our needs,” they said,  “and opened our eyes to important factors to take into consideration when buying. They were more than generous with their time, showing the properties, either by video sent to Europe or with on-site visits, transparently listing the pros and cons.” 

This is true. For one, it’s a small island – we have a vested interest in selling you the place that best matches you because we’re sure to bump into you time and again! And for two, it is immensely satisfying to have that moment in a conversation when we realize yes, this is where these people are meant to live. 

It took two trips with full fortnight-long quarantines for the couple to find their self-described “dream home”. We helped arrange everything to make their time in quarantine as comfortable and easy as possible – and as we’ve stressed before, there really is nothing so terribly difficult about being required to stay within the grounds of a beautiful villa for a few weeks (a time now reduced to nine days if you are fully vaccinated). 

The home is currently in the hands of professionals, being customized to suit the needs of the new buyers, and in the future Nevis Style Realty will act as their property managers. “Their efficiency, local knowledge and honesty prompted us to request that they [NSR] continue as property managers.” We’re delighted that thier home, a magnificent property full of drama and light, will remain a part of our portfolio. 

Did we go a step too far with the buyers? “They [Wayne and Helene] even introduced us to the famous Killer Bee rum punch at Sunshine’s Bar on Pinney’s Beach.” We think not. The Killer Bee is as much a part of the island as these brand-new Nevisians, and at Nevis Style Realty we take pride in sharing our time with buyers – making the connections, understanding their needs and easing them, when necessary, beyond a list of eager ‘wants’.

Buying a home during a pandemic may not have been as simple as at other times, but the rewards are perhaps greater. The couple will live on the island, a safe space in a world that continues to battle Covid-19 and can look forwards to sharing their new life with friends and family from October when we are fully reopened. Moving to Nevis is about more than finding a building to live in: it’s about realizing a dream, creating a new way of life, and learning that liming* your way through a day is really rather wonderful. 

*Liming = just hanging around eating and drinking with good friends, watching the world go by