By ANNELIA NIXON

Tribune Business Reporter

anixon@tribunemedia.net

A realtor is seeking to “put The Bahamas on the map” as a destination for high-end homes through his upcoming appearance on HGTV’s House Hunters International show.

Kyle Barnett, an agent with Condo Vikings and Jolie Luxury Homes, said he hopes to attract more foreign investment to The Bahamas as the episode will showcase this nation’s multi-million dollar property options. As he guides buyers through the process of purchasing a home, he hopes to increase the foreign market “because anywhere from 70 to 75 percent of the high-end market is driven by foreigners”.

“It’s more so just putting The Bahamas on the map again,” Mr Barnett said. “So just really showcasing what The Bahamas has to offer. Locals are watching HGTV but, of course, it’s a renowned show. So also it carries a certain weight when persons see The Bahamas, and they would appeal to that market a bit more.

“So the goal is to not only showcase The Bahamas and have locals buy more properties, which we’re doing anyway, but bringing in foreigners as well - increasing that foreign market - because anywhere from 70 to 75 percent of the high-end market is driven by foreigners. So the more exposure, the better.“

Mr Barnett said the high-end Bahamian real estate market has seen increased activity for 2025 to-date but his goal is to further drive sales in that direction. “Based on a quick snapshot from 2021 to 2025.... we noticed that there was a increase in 2021 and a slight drop off in 2022 to 2024,” he added.

“So we picked back up on the high-end market in 2025 and, hopefully, it could continue to trend in that same direction, especially with everything that’s going on. My thought of it, it’s a number of things that could drive that high-end market, which would be more inventory, which we need, because right now the market is low with inventory.

“And it could be another part where persons aren’t even listing their high-end properties on the MLS (Multiple Listing System) or they’re doing off-market sales. So it’s a number of things that could dictate this high-end luxury market, and I feel as if once HGTV comes as well, you could possibly have a boost. So any global exposure is always a chance to increase those sales for the market.”

Mr Barnett added that there needs to be more inventory for wealthy buyers to purchase, and not just within prominent areas in New Providence but on the Family Islands as well.

“We need more inventory,” he said. “It’s always that we need more inventory. We need to be able to meet the demands for luxury buyers as well. Because also there’s a high demand for beachfront luxury -villas, townhouses, condos.

“When buyers purchase, they buy like how they buy brands. It’s almost like you go into a store and you’re expecting to buy Versace or Louis Vuitton. So persons coming in to buy real estate, they’re thinking about Albany, Lyford [Cay], Old Fort Bay, Ocean Club.

“So we need to go outside of that regular old status quo of communities. And we need to open up the new communities that are coming up. We need to open up the Eleuthera market a little bit more. We need to open up the Windsor community that’s coming up, the Windsor Lakes community that’s coming up.”

HGTV’s House Hunter’s International follows the journey of those seeking to buy a home internationally. Unable to provide exact dates, Mr Barnett was able to confirm that filming would take place during the first part of September.

Mr Barnett, who started in real estate as a licensed agent around 2016, said he saw himself as “no rookie to the game” given that he had been investing in properties since 2009. Noting that the show attracts millions of viewers, and “it is one of the most popular shows on HGTV”, Mr Barnett said he believes the opportunity to be featured on the show was more than likely due to the focus he has placed on marketing his brand this year.

“I started real estate officially as a licensed agent in 2016, 2017, but I was no rookie to the game because I’d already invested in some properties on my own, myself, starting from 2009,” Mr Barnett said. “So, I would consider myself an investor first, licensed agent or real estate advisor second, and I’ve been doing it since, I would say, 2009 to current and, year after year, every transaction has been different.

“Every transaction is unique. So you learn more every single time. So the knowledge that I’ve already had, and that I’ve developed over that timeframe, has been very extensive, so I see myself as one of the top agents in the field right now.

“I’ve really been marketing myself much more this year,” he added. “I don’t know if it was due to my personal brand that I focused on this year. It’s a humbling experience because we have, I want to say out of like, 1,000 agents, right? So to be chosen out of that number, it’s humbling. Whatever they saw, I definitely appreciate, and I’m glad to just have the opportunity. But [I] definitely put more time into my brand myself.

“Someone contacted me through Instagram, and then I actually thought it was a scam or some random fake message. And then one of the producers in the lead contacted me through my e-mail, and then I vetted it, and I said, ‘Oh, it’s something serious.’ So I responded, and then we went back and forth talking, and then we did a few Zoom calls and a few interviews with producers.”