Friday, October 30, 2026
Jamaica’s property market is still moving serious money. The Realtors Association of Jamaica recorded J$99.3 billion in sales through its Multiple Listing Service in 2025, led by St Andrew at J$41.17 billion and St Ann at J$27.36 billion, and those figures leave out private deals and direct developer sales. What they do not show is how many agreed sales later fell through, and there is no public national data that measures it.
The ground under buyers has shifted. The Bank of Jamaica lifted its policy rate from 5.5 to 6 per cent on 29 September, with annual inflation at 8.6 per cent, above its 4 to 6 per cent target. Jamaica Homes sets out a simple case: a buyer agrees to pay J$45 million, the lender’s valuation supports only J$39 million, and a J$6 million gap opens that must be renegotiated or funded from somewhere else. Add title problems, survey discrepancies and preliminary approvals that are not final commitments, and an offer is only a promise. So when the bank’s rope stops short, who closes the gap?
In scratchy pen and wash, a soaked home buyer clings to a rubber ring marked “OFFER J$45M” in choppy water off the coast, palms and a verandah house on the shore behind him. A helicopter marked “BANK J$39M” hovers overhead, its rope ladder dangling just out of reach, while a grinning shark labelled “J$6M GAP” circles below and the buyer asks, “WILL IT CLOSE?”
Read more: Jamaica’s $99 Billion Property Market Has a Catch: Will Buyers Actually Complete?
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