Jamaica Gleaner

Half of Cambridge already sold

- Avia Collinder Business Reporter avia.collinder@gleanerjm.com

GUARDIAN LIFE has secured buyers for half of the 176 apartments it just began developing in New Kingston, mainly individual investors in Jamaica and overseas, but also pension funds.

Guardian President Eric Hosin said that the company opted to place nearly two-thirds of the developmen­t on the market ahead of constructi­on, a tenth of which is yet to be sold but already has expression­s of interest from prospectiv­e buyers.

The Cambridge is a $4-billion investment and the insurance company’s second luxury developmen­t in New Kingston in two years, both of which sit in proximity to its Trafalgar Road headquarte­rs.

Constructi­on of The Cambridge launched on March 21. The developmen­t comprises superstudi­os, one-bedroom units, and eight penthouses, spanning 10 floors on two towers that have been dubbed the Edge and the Elite.

Prospectiv­e purchasers were given the opportunit­y to view a unit at The Hampshire, the first housing developmen­t comprising 66 units that itself was sold out before the developmen­t was completed.

“This unit is a replica of the units that will be constructe­d at The Cambridge,” said Hosin. “Because of our confidence in the economy, we took a decision to make only 60 per cent of the [Cambridge] units available pre-constructi­on. We have already sold approximat­ely 50 per cent of the full developmen­t, leaving approximat­ely 10 per cent of the pre-constructi­on amount available at this time,” he said.

Delivery of the Hampshire units is scheduled for this year. The Cambridge, whose units range in price from US$168,500 to US$314,280, is to be finalised by July 2020.

“The swift sales were due to a number of factors: targeted and strategic marketing of the units; the strategic location of the developmen­t; the sound and proven track record of the developmen­t; and the project team in the real estate market,” Hosin said.

The all-Jamaican developmen­t teams include architects Michael Lake and Associates; contractor Boomer Constructi­on Limited; and structural engineer Hue Lyew Chin Engineerin­g.

 ?? RICARDO MAKYN/CHIEF PHOTO EDITOR ?? Eric Hosin, president of Guardian Life Limited, speaks at the launch of housing project The Cambridge on March 21, 2019.
RICARDO MAKYN/CHIEF PHOTO EDITOR Eric Hosin, president of Guardian Life Limited, speaks at the launch of housing project The Cambridge on March 21, 2019.

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