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Mauritius, the perfect place for a second home Mauritius, the perfect place for a second home

Mauritius, referred to as the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean”, remains a vibrant and active country despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

With a population of just 1.3 million, many investors are setting their sights on investment properties and retirement homes on the island.

Pauline Gallagher, the chief executive of Halcyon & Partners, said the company knew how exposed buyers were and therefore worked closely with them to bridge the gap between buyer and seller.

“Working to our clients’ briefs, we search for the solutions, which could be anywhere in the world, as long as they are a good match with our clients’ needs. Quite often this may be something that they had not initially considered.” "We’ve been watching Mauritius for quite a while now and have started to see a significant upsurge of interest. This is quite an interesting shift, given many people had been opting for European destinations such as Portugal or Greece in preference to somewhere virtually on the doorstep.“

Mauritius is a country with a growing economy, due to an influx of tourists as well an increase in the labour force from overseas, aided by the expansion of its financial, industrial and IT sectors. This is reflected in an increase in demand for property to rent or buy.

Many who holiday in Mauritius for the first time fall in love with the lifestyle and beauty of the island, returning again and again. Many end up buying a second home or opt to retire there.

With a near perfect climate, lively and warm people, great food and a low crime rate, it is the ideal location.

Gallagher suggested a few other reasons why Mauritius should be on top of investors’ lists.

“Flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town makes getting to Mauritius so easy; a year-round tourist season provides a thriving rental market with attractive returns for those looking for overseas investments that you also use yourself as and when it suits you, and great long-term rental opportunities as an increasing number of companies, along with key staff, are relocating to Mauritius. This, in turn, places increased demand for long-term rentals,” she said.

She said Mauritus was safe and had good schools.

“I think you will be as amazed as we were, Mauritius is definitely worth looking at.”

Gallagher said Mauritius had grown in popularity.

Source: IOL