Buying land in Bali and building your dream house is an attractive proposition for many people. It is not as simple as it a western country however, as foreigners are not allowed to own land. Many real estate companies will advertise that they will see you land you own, but its actually not possible. Most people either own land through an Indonesian friend of lease land for 25 years.
Expats in Jakarta have been multiplying and kicking up a stink about several issues, including dual nationality and land ownership. They want the law of 1960 changed so expats can buy land land and live in Indonesia as if if were home.
There is a flip-side to this of course. In a small island like Bali they aren’t making any more land, but are making more people. Balinese will happily sell you land, but what happens when peaceful Bali becomes San Diego, one huge stretch of villas and hotels that does not represent the island or the people anymore. Maybe having restrictions is a good thing in the long run.
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Totally agree, i hope they dont change this law!
Nick, of, course it’s a good measure in the long run. Bali will not lose its character, although it has in many aspects already. But that’s a need for the tourism revenues. There’s no dollar bill as important as to keep the island as intact as possible.
I totally agree with that law.
Wow! The “Post A Comment” section works perfectly now. Cheers!
Personally, I’m totally sick of reading ads all over the place designed to convince tourists or other short-stayers that they can actually own land here. 5 or 6 years ago none of this was going on. It seems many foreigners (and locals alike) have gotten on a “build and sell the villas” kick. It’s all such a flim-flam operation. Perhaps some folks are making some $$ doing this, but in the end, it’s just like anything else in Bali - once something works, everyone gets on the bandwagon to get a piece of the action. Sortof like how everyone started carving and painting cats years ago. Who buys these cats today? Perhaps the decreased painted-cat buying won’t parallel decreased villa rentals as time marches on, but one has to wonder if there are enough white folks out there willing to plop down several thousand dollars to rent (or a hundred thou or more to “own”) a villa.
The Indonesian Real Estate Association has some very good points about changing the laws. If foreigners can actually own land here, foreigners will actually buy it, and as a result the prices will go up, and this will be good for the island.
The rice-patties-gone-malls is already happening whether you like it or not. Bali is past the point of no return on this subject. Bali of yesterday is gone folks. Development and modernization (as well as a host of other things all residents in Bali should be able to count on) is the only way.
I’d like to see Bali finish the job and do it right. Get the garbage out of the ocean and the rivers. Establish good infrastructure. Sell the land to foreigners.
Think about it this way: who is responsible for all the innovations, development, modernization anyway? Where did all the money come from? Tourists. The only answer. The next time you ride down the street ask yourself if the stores you see would exist for local buyers instead of white people. We come here. We live here. Most of us expect nice things here - like air conditioning, imported food stores, and property ownership.
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