A How-To On Buying An Island Of Your Own

Maxim’s guide to buying an island of one’s own

- Jared Paul Stern

If owning a private island isn’t on your bucket list, it should be—because it may be a more attainable goal than you think. That’s the takeaway from our investigation into the trend of adding an island to your portfolio and joining the lofty likes of Leo DiCaprio (Belize), Mel Gibson (Fiji), and Johnny Depp (Bahamas) in looking down on the landlocked, who will never enjoy 360° views. To help you make it happen, we consulted one of the world’s top experts, Alexander Kraft, the dashing chairman and CEO of Sotheby’s International Realty France–Monaco, who says private islands can be great long-term investments if you shop wisely.

“Clients are often surprised at how many different choices, and price points, exist for private islands,” Kraft tells Maxim. “While untouched islands in remote parts of the world can cost as little as $300,000, fully developed islands with high-end amenities in sought-after hot spots can run into the tens of millions of dollars. For obvious reasons, remote, undeveloped islands in the South Sea, Scandinavia, or Canada cost much less than, for example, a fully developed island in France, the U.S., or the Caribbean,” he says, the latter referring to the world’s most desirable locations for oasis hunters.