InternationalLiving.com

The Devil's Work

Real estate developers are evil people. They turn a profit at the expense of destroying the environment. They create

blight on the landscape of naturally beautiful places. And they exploit the local people.

So accused one attendee at the Agora Wealth Conference in Vancouver last week. After my presentation, out in the hall, he walked over to me while I was speaking with a friend at the conference to promote his current property development in Central America. The attendee came at us with guns blazing, insisting that a place (anyplace…but, in this case, the particular stretch of coast in the particular country where my friend is developing a residential community for expats) should be left in its natural state so he could enjoy it.

"Oh, have you been to this country?" my friend asked.

"No," replied the attendee.

"But you have plans to visit?"

"No."

The guy just felt, it seemed, that, although he'd never been to the place and had no plans ever to go there, it should be left alone so that should he ever, someday, decide to visit, he could enjoy it in its "natural state."

"In fact," my developer friend explained, "most land being developed along the coasts of Central America hasn't been 'natural landscapes' for hundreds of years. It has been farms and ranches…banana plantations and watermelon farms…cow pastures and shrimp farms. Many of the ranches have been abandoned. Developing the land actually improves the landscape in many cases.

"We're not talking about clear-cutting primary-growth forest to make way for factories," my friend continued. "Most coastal developments in Central America are environmentally conscience private communities. In many cases, the 'developed' land boasts more trees, for example, than the land did when it was used for farming. And instead of covering the land with fertilizer, we're putting in eco-friendly septic systems."

My friend went on:

"Furthermore, property development brings investment, employment, and opportunity to otherwise typically poor and under-developed regions of these countries. We're not raping and pillaging or exploiting and taking advantage of uneducated campesinos…we're creating jobs for them. Typically in these areas, campesinos either try to eke out livings farming their own small parcels or have to leave home and travel to the nearest city or, even, in some cases, to another country altogether to find work. Property developments offer employment in their own backyards, which allows them to stay with their families."

People from more developed nations often arrive in Third World countries and impose their First-World expectations on what they find. Yes, some people in these places are truly poor--that is, they don't have enough to eat each day. But, mostly, they're "poor" according to our ideas of rich. In fact, most of the people living in the countrysides of Central America aren't starving. They have electricity, water, TVs…

Then, along come the devil developers, creating jobs and income, increasing local expectations. Now, in addition to TVs, the local population, earning good and regular money working for the Big Bad Gringo, can afford bicycles for transportation, new clothes and toys for their kids, uniforms so they're children can attend school, new appliances for their wives…

Property development is part of the natural progression of civilization. Unless the world population starts to decrease (which is unlikely), the market for new homes is going to continue to increase along with it

New homes…new jobs…

The devil's work.

Lief Simon
For International Living

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P.S. I'm hoping to join the devil's ranks soon. After scouting land for nearly a year in a market I believe is poised for considerable growth over the coming several years, the pieces are coming together. If all continues to go well, I'll be throwing my hat into the evil developer's ring by New Year 2008.