Own a piece of paradise in Bali: Buying a holiday villa in Bali

Someone told me there are 2,000 villa construction projects currently going on in Bali. Who knows for sure how many there are, but in my area, Seminyak and the surrounding areas, there is certainly no shortage of existing villas, and new projects.

One company that offers high end villas is Bali Luxury Villas. ‘Live your dream!’ says the ad, ‘own Private Freehold Beachfront Estate.’ They are offering 3 bedroom luxury residences on a 400-1200 sq meter lot, starting at US$369,000. They are also offering luxury villas, with 9m pool, on-site management, ad & sales team & service, for US$249,000. They promise a return of 15%-25% a year.

As always location is the real key, and you’ll have to do your own homework on land prices in Bali, as there are huge differences, depending on area. Reading a local newspaper I picked up the 10 points, that are most important to choosing a holiday villa to buy. These are:

•1. Ideal location
•2. Complete building permits
•3. Solid deeds or licences
•4. Good size and quality
•5. Large private pool
•6. Full time maid (pembantu)
•7. Excellent management
•8. Great advertising & marketing
•9. Proper accounting
•10. Professional after service & marketing

According to one source most visitors to Bali want a villa that is a short walk to a nice beach. One thing that occured to me was that in the hot, dusty, humid atmosphere of Bali, your brand new dream villa, won’t stay that way for long. Things rot fast over here, and the elements constantly attack the structure. If you plan on renting out your villa, constant up keep and occassional renovation are necessary.