GE Go EleutheraThe island, end to end
Mike Olson — licensed real estate agent in South Carolina, brokered by eXp Realty 170 Meeting Street, Suite 304, Charleston, SC 29401843-442-7992 Not a Bahamian brokerage — introductions only. We do not list, price, negotiate or hold funds in The Bahamas.
Private, bridged, and about eight miles long

Windermere Island
real estate

A private island off Eleuthera’s east coast, reached by its own bridge, with a controlled feel and a club at the centre of it.

Windermere runs along the Atlantic side near Savannah Sound. Access is over a bridge and the island has historically been discreet to the point of invisibility. Houses sit on generous plots with beach on one side and the sound on the other.

Buying here

Plots here are frequently over two acres, which means the permit route rather than simple registration — budget the time. Club membership and its transferability is a live question on any purchase and belongs in your offer, not in a conversation afterwards.

Which government route

Plots here are frequently over two acres, which puts you on the permit route — approval from the Bahamas Investments Board before closing, rather than a registration afterwards. Budget the time into your timeline rather than discovering it three weeks before you meant to complete.

Getting there

Fly into either North Eleuthera (ELH) or Governor’s Harbour (GHB) depending on where on the island you are headed, then drive. Windermere is reached by its own bridge off the east coast near Savannah Sound, so unlike Harbour Island and Spanish Wells there is no boat in the way.

Watch for

Ask early and in writing what conveys with the house: club rights, beach access, and any covenant on what you may build or let.

Asked and answered

The questions people actually type.

Sunset over the Atlantic coast of Eleuthera
Sunset on the Atlantic coast, 2012.Trish Hartmann · CC BY 2.0 · source

Is Windermere Island private?

Yes — a private island off Eleuthera’s east coast, reached by its own bridge, historically discreet to the point of invisibility, with a club at the centre of it. Access and privacy are the product.

Do I need a permit to buy on Windermere?

Probably. Plots here are frequently over two adjoining acres, and above that line a non-Bahamian needs a permit from the Bahamas Investments Board before closing rather than a simple registration after it.

What conveys with the house?

Ask early and in writing. Club membership and whether it transfers is a live question on any Windermere purchase, along with beach access and any covenant on what you may build or let. It belongs in your offer, not in a conversation afterwards.

The rest of it

The tax, the two 180-day clocks, exchange control, title in an unregistered land country, and a calculator that does your closing costs — all on the buying guide, sourced and dated. Own something on Windermere Island already? Selling and free listings have their own page.

Direct · in confidencemike@mikeolsonre.com

How this desk is paid, in full

You are never charged

Not for the introduction, not for the guide, not for anything on this site. If a purchase or a sale completes, the receiving Bahamian brokerage may pay a referral fee out of its own commission. That does not change the price of the property and it does not come out of your pocket.

Capped at 25%

Under the bilateral agreement between the National Association of Realtors and the Bahamas Real Estate Association, a foreign agent may refer business to a BREA-licensed broker or salesman and receive a referral fee of up to 25%. That is the ceiling and we do not go near arrangements outside it.

Brokerage to brokerage

The fee is paid by the Bahamian brokerage to eXp Realty, not agent to agent, and reaches the agent through their commission agreement. It is documented by an executed referral agreement before anything moves.

What we are not

We are not a licensed Bahamian brokerage and we do not practise real estate in The Bahamas — doing so without a BREA licence is an offence under the Real Estate (Brokers and Salesmen) Act 1995. We introduce you to someone who is licensed, by name. Your own Bahamian attorney handles the conveyance and the opinion on title.

Nothing on this site is legal, tax or investment advice. Figures are checked against government, regulator and Bahamian law-firm sources and dated; rates move at budget, so have them confirmed in writing before you rely on them. If you would rather no referral fee were involved at all, say so in your message and the introduction is made anyway.