Did anyone purchase building lot in Aruba?

[Elblag]

I am thinking about purchasing a building lot and building a house in Aruba. Is anybody here that would like to share their experience? I would love to hear some stories and experiences that people had to go through to have their dream vacation house or permanent place in Aruba.

[Aruba4ever]

Best of luck with building in Aruba. I know we have many homeowners but I can't recall anyone building. I am sure Andrea will know if that happened and will point you in the right direction. Very exciting!

I am thinking about purchasing a building lot and building a house in Aruba. Is anybody here that would like to share their experience? I would love to hear some stories and experiences that people had to go through to have their dream vacation house or permanent place in Aruba.

[act1966]

I am thinking about purchasing a building lot and building a house in Aruba. Is anybody here that would like to share their experience? I would love to hear some stories and experiences that people had to go through to have their dream vacation house or permanent place in Aruba.

We bought land with the intent to build a few years ago. Some advice:

- Make sure you understand the difference between property land and lease land.
- Land prices have escalated significantly in the last couple of years. Depending on the residency (neighbourhood), things can get prohibitive.
- Real estate transactions can take a long time in Aruba. Manage expectations on closing dates as it can be a moving target at the best of times.
- The agency that approves home building plans is called DOW. The backlog of approvals is literally over a year now so factor that in.
- We tried a number of architects - none were reliable and would ghost us if we asked questions. They all seemed to be chasing corporate projects that never materialized.

We ended up throwing in the towel on building and sold the land. It was too difficult trying to manage things remotely from Canada.... that's another thing: you have to be here to supervise/project manage or fly in on a regular basis to make even the most simple of decisions.

I know this isn't the most optimistic post but we wish we'd known a lot of these things before buying the land.

Good luck!

[WaltVB]

Thanks for sharing your experience Stephen.

[SkiChris]

Act1966 provides some excellent guidance above with regards to buying land and building in Aruba. Building a house on land in the USA or Canada requires constant supervision, so you can only imagine the complexity when attempting to do that in another country, in which you don't reside. Owning a house in Aruba is a dream. But in order to have a successful dream, you need to prepare, budget, and surround yourself with the right people to guide you through the process. Otherwise, the dream can quickly turn into a nightmare. You've done a great thing to start your research here on the Aruba forum. There are many home owners here that are all happy to provide guidance and advice. :-)

[aquaman]

Act1966 provides some excellent guidance above with regards to buying land and building in Aruba. Building a house on land in the USA or Canada requires constant supervision, so you can only imagine the complexity when attempting to do that in another country, in which you don't reside. Owning a house in Aruba is a dream. But in order to have a successful dream, you need to prepare, budget, and surround yourself with the right people to guide you through the process. Otherwise, the dream can quickly turn into a nightmare. You've done a great thing to start your research here on the Aruba forum. There are many home owners here that are all happy to provide guidance and advice. :-)

Chris...this is only too true....especially now