Jamaican Real Estate Insights for Buyers Abroad

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica’s real estate market continues to experience strong growth. This growth is fuelled by increased demand for residential and commercial developments, tourism-related investments, and renewed interest from overseas Jamaicans seeking to build generational wealth at home.

Pre-Diaspora Conference Webinar

With this in mind, The Jamaica National Group has organised the pre-diaspora conference webinar, dubbed ‘Securing Your Piece of the Rock’. This event will provide Jamaicans living overseas and others interested in purchasing property or expanding their investments back home with an opportunity to gain valuable insights from leading industry experts.

The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, May 21, 2026, starting at 1:30 p.m. in Jamaica.

The webinar forms part of activities leading up to the 11^th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference. This event is scheduled for June 14 to 18 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James.

Organised by the JN Group, the leading legacy partner for this year’s conference, the virtual session will bring together industry experts and key stakeholders. They will discuss the opportunities, challenges, and practical steps involved in investing in Jamaican real estate from abroad.

It will provide participants with practical guidance on the institutions, experts, and agencies they should connect with throughout the process. In addition, it will give information on how to access those resources from overseas.

Paulette Simpson, executive for corporate affairs and public policy at the JN Group, spoke about the webinar topic. She also co-chairs the conference’s preparatory planning committee. She said the topic was shaped by a survey from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. The survey was done among members of the Jamaican diaspora worldwide.

Own A Piece of the Rock

“One of the main areas that Jamaicans abroad wanted to discuss and learn more about was Jamaica’s property market. In response to this, JN has taken the lead to host this webinar,” Ms Simpson stated. “We’re going to be discussing and guiding persons on investing in property in Jamaica because we want everybody to own a piece of the rock.”

The session will explore several key areas, including how to safely identify and purchase land in Jamaica and the process of buying a home or investing in commercial real estate. It will also cover accessing mortgages, property management options available to overseas-based Jamaicans, understanding titles, and resolving issues surrounding family-owned land. Furthermore, legal considerations and areas to watch out for when conducting property transactions will be discussed.

Part of our role is to ensure that the correct information is given to the diaspora so they can make informed decisions that will benefit themselves, their families and Jamaica as a whole,” Ms Simpson shared.

Panelists

Among the panellists will be:

• Elizabeth Stair, real estate broker at JN Properties and former chief executive officer (CEO) of the National Land Agency (NLA)
• Wanica Purkiss, mortgage broker and former mortgage executive at Jamaica National
• Gabrielle Grant Gilpin-Hudson, president of the Realtors’ Association of Jamaica
• Dwayne Berbick, assistant general manager, corporate affairs and public policy at the National Housing Trust (NHT)

The webinar will also feature other industry professionals. They include:

• Dave Hanson, chief product officer for mortgages at JN Bank
• Lt Col (Retired) Sean Prendergast, managing director for JN Properties
• Carlton Earl Samuels – chief development financing officer at the JN Group

The webinar is expected to attract Jamaicans from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Caribbean. It may also attract Jamaicans from other diaspora communities. Many may be looking to retire, relocate, or invest in Jamaica.

The event will be moderated by mortgage specialist, Karon Lewis, acting business relationship manager at JN Bank. Attendees will be given opportunities to make comments or pose questions to the panellists throughout the webinar.

Webinar Registration

Interested persons may register at https://www.jngroup.com/webinar-registration/ or join the conversation on the JN Group’s YouTube channel.