Martin Kaufmann
| Golfweek
Sometimes the biggest hurdle to selling luxury real estate isn’t the financial commitment. Rather, it’s simply convincing busy people to set aside a couple of days to tour a new residential property. Once the prospects are onsite, the best residential properties often sell themselves.
Take Jack’s Bay, a windswept 1,200-acre property on the southern end of Eleuthera in the Bahamas, bracketed by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Great Bahamas Bank to the west and the eponymous, half-moon-shaped bay from which the property takes its name on the southern coast.
Eleuthera’s topography is unique even by Bahamian standards. A narrow 55-mile causeway connects two tripod-shaped land masses on the northern and southern ends of the island. Jack’s Bay occupies the southern end of Eleuthera, and it is easily reachable from the U.S. mainland via Rock Sound International Airport, which has a 7,215-foot runway that can accommodate private and many commercial aircraft.
That’s the hard part – and it’s really not that difficult, just a 50-minute flight from West Palm Beach. From there it’s just a 10-minute shuttle, with everything for your bespoke Jack’s Bay discovery visit including the flight from West Palm Beach arranged courtesy of the Jack’s Bay staff. Once you’re on the ground, the heavy lifting is over for Jonas Mikals, managing director of sales at IMI Worldwide Properties. Jack’s Bay sells itself to prospective buyers.
“You have to put your feet on the ground at Jack’s Bay and see it for yourself to understand how spectacular it is,” Mikals said. “There hasn’t been a single person who we’ve brought over who hasn’t gone, ‘This is as good as I’ve seen anywhere.’ That’s a testament to the land. If you don’t have a good piece of land, it’s probably not going to work. But when you have a piece of land as special as this, it’s more like, ‘How do we not screw this up?’”
Chances are, if you’re reading this story, you’ve visited many residential and resort properties in IMI Worldwide’s vast portfolio. The company has been marketing and selling many of the most luxurious properties in North American and the Caribbean for more than three decades.
But even by IMI Worldwide’s standards, Jack’s Bay is something of a unicorn because of the location, the topography and the amenities that have already been built or are under construction. Mikals compares the setting to Pebble Beach, but with better weather and the turquoise Caribbean waters and nearly 4 miles of breathtaking oceanfront property and pink beaches. Jack’s Bay is also blessed with elevations up to 90 feet, with hidden caves, blue holes, a private meditation lake, natural coral reefs, a sea turtle sanctuary and two private islands. The amenities include the 10-hole Tiger Woods Playground Course, where residents tee off on a 30-foot bluff, with waves crashing on the rocks – “arguably the prettiest spot on the whole property,” Mikals said. Golf shoes are optional; just enjoy the walk with your family and friends.
Just up the hill, past the 23 Playground Residences overlooking the Woods course, are the clubhouse, practice facility and 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Heritage™ Course that plays along seaside bluffs. The 23 two-, three- and four-bedroom Playground Residences are turnkey, fully furnished and each delivered with a private pool and rooftop deck, wet bar with wine storage, an owner’s closet and covered car port.
Jack’s Bay has always been envisioned as a refuge for families. The calm waters of Jack’s Bay lend themselves to paddleboarding, snorkeling or simply relaxing on the beach. Elsewhere, there will be facilities to enjoy racket sports and other activities. Vertical memberships allow for children and grandchildren to enjoy Jack’s Bay when the parents are not onsite.
Mikals said his team already has sold 20 of the cliffside founders’ lots, with Atlantic-facing homes up to 10,000 square feet. Eight of the 23 Playground Residences already have been sold. Homes can be placed in a rental pool if owners desire.
At this point, the prices are a fraction of what comparable Bahamian hideaways are asking, but that will change as the buildout of amenities and homes accelerates.
“We have early insiders pricing where you can get in, but you have to have the vision of everything that’s coming, and that includes two Beach Clubs opening, world-class golf courses, marina and more,” Mikals said. “The prices we’re offering are probably a third of what some of the top Bahamas communities are offering.”
Those discounted early insider prices won’t last, particularly given the velocity of early sales at Jack’s Bay. So, if you want Jack’s Bay to be a part of your family’s life, now is the time to visit.
