100 PRIVATE ISLANDSInterview by Bellini Lacey, Global Divisions Coordinator for Luxury Real Estate
Luxury Real Estate member, Cheyenne Morrison of Coldwell Banker Morrison’s Private Islands in Cairns, Australia contacted me last week to inform me that he was about to list his 100th Private Island on LuxuryRealEstate.com. I knew Cheyenne received more hits with his private island listings than any other Luxury Real Estate member by a ratio of 4 to 1. Knowing this about his listing’s web traffic compelled me to ask him a few questions:
Luxury Real Estate: You get an enormous amount of inquiries. How do you manage to stay on top of them all?
Cheyenne: It is very difficult, I have a huge volume. I have formulated replies for each island individually, but often clients ask questions which I have to answer. I spend about 16 hours a day on the internet.
Luxury Real Estate: What percentage would you consider "strong/credible" leads?
Cheyenne: Hard to say, but a large portion are what the car industry calls “tire kickers” or what could politely be called “dreamers”; but a good percentage are very legitimate buyers, and considering the sums I deal with I must treat all inquiries as legitimate - unless they are patently time wasters, and even then I am polite.
Luxury Real Estate: What is the funniest/weirdest question you have been asked regarding the purchase of an island to date?
Cheyenne: I don’t know about funniest, by I am often approached by some very weird types. The worst ones are those who call themselves Libertarians, wanting to start their own “Island” nation. While I agree with the principle, it is a bit hard to “buy” an island from a country, and then to attempt to secede. Sometimes I get wealthy clients who want large, remote islands, and my joke is, “Are you sure you aren’t an evil genius bent on world domination?” - which they always find funny.
Luxury Real Estate: Do you know of any broker who has a larger inventory than you do?
Cheyenne: The obvious comparison when being a Private Island broker is Farhad Vladi of Vladi Private Islands in Germany, a fellow Luxury Real Estate member. While he has many more years of experience, I have a much larger catalogue. I have also actually lived extensively in many of the areas where I sell islands for long periods of time, giving me a unique experience of the most attractive islands and their countries.
Luxury Real Estate: What is the hardest part about selling an island that wouldn't be true of selling a more traditional real estate product?
Cheyenne: The hardest part of selling islands is that unless they are developed, the prospective buyer must be aware of a huge amount of problems that occur in development. I would say that almost none of my buyers have much experience with living on an island, let alone developing one. Thus, I must be able to offer them information about a variety of factors that a normal real estate agent would not be expected to know. But having lived on islands in many countries, I have gathered a massive amount of information necessary for helping my buyers make informed decisions.
Luxury Real Estate: What is the best/most gratifying part about selling an island?
Cheyenne: That’s very easy. Nearly every buyer I deal with has had a life-long dream of owning their own Private Island. But more importantly, to help them buy the island that best suits them is to bring to life a dream. Expensive or cheap island, it doesn’t matter to me, there is no better satisfaction than making dreams come true.
Luxury Real Estate: Which Island do you get the most inquiries on?
Cheyenne: Blue Lagoon Island Resort Location: FijiArea: 230 acresDescription: The most beautiful island in Fiji, 80% complete resort, private airline, 2000 ft runwayListings: www.luxuryrealestate.com/74726 Price: $25 million USD
Luxury Real Estate: Which of your Islands is the best bang for the buck?
Cheyenne: Kanhatid IslandLocation: Caraga, Philippines Area: 1.5 hectares Description: Turn-key private island in very picturesque area Listing: http://luxuryrealestate.com/44625 Price: $250,000
INTERESTING FACTS:Cheyenne’s Least Expensive Island, $120,000 in JapanCheyenne’s Most Expensive Island, $30,000,000 in Thailand Cheyenne’s Most Beautiful Island, $15,000,000 in Bora Bora