Issue twelve feels like an incredible milestone because it marks one full year of this newsletter landing in your inbox each month. Whether you’ve read every issue or you’ve only just joined me, thank you for being here!
August has always felt like an odd month. Half the world seems to be on holiday, making memories and collecting passport stamps, while the rest of us are finding our own ways to escape the weight of everyday life.
Distraction is one of our greatest coping mechanisms.
Whether it’s binge-watching Netflix, planning the next holiday, shopping for things we don’t really need, or simply saying “yes” to one more dinner out than the budget allows—we’re all guilty of it.
Mine, lately? Booking vacations I’ll spend months looking forward to, convincing myself that coffee from The Manna Bar is an essential purchase, and eating my way through Paprika’s menu as though it’s a personal challenge.
But what exactly am I trying to distract myself from?
The answer is surprisingly simple.
Waiting.
There are weeks when I wonder whether I’m in real estate or in the business of waiting.
Waiting for approvals.
Waiting for documents.
Waiting for signatures.
Waiting for one email that somehow takes three weeks to arrive.
And lately, waiting has become painfully personal.
Someone very close to me, someone I consider a second mother—is lying in a bed at San Fernando General Hospital. She had a biopsy on 3rd July. Three weeks later, we’re still waiting for answers.
While we wait, her condition continues to deteriorate. She has developed complications that weren’t present when she was admitted, and every day that passes feels heavier than the last.
It has made me think a lot about the systems we rely on every day.
Whether it’s healthcare or housing, we place enormous trust in institutions to function when people need them most. When those systems slow down, it’s rarely just an inconvenience. Behind every delayed result, every unsigned document, every unanswered email or unstamped deed is a person whose life has effectively been placed on hold.
If you’ve bought or sold property in Trinidad, you’ve probably experienced this yourself. We simply don’t have a system built around predictable timelines, and pretending otherwise doesn’t help anyone.
For months now, transactions have been delayed by bottlenecks that sit entirely outside the control of buyers, sellers, agents and even attorneys. The Commissioner of State Lands Office, the backlog at the BIR for stamping deeds, approvals that seem to disappear into administrative limbo, these aren’t isolated incidents. They’ve become part of the landscape we have to navigate.
Over the years, though, I’ve realised something.
The best real estate agents aren’t necessarily the ones who can make the system move faster.
They’re the ones who understand where the delays are likely to happen, prepare their clients for them, anticipate problems before they arise, and keep every other part of the transaction moving while the system catches up.
I cannot give anyone false hope, but I can assure them that I will use every connection I have gathered over my years in this industry to help them. Whether that is aligning them with a speedy and efficient attorney or simply keeping an open flow of email communication running at all times, with all parties – my clients can feel safe and held knowing that they aren’t alone in this process.
I can’t promise my clients that every sale will close on time.
I can promise that they’ll never be left wondering what’s happening, what comes next, or whether someone is advocating for them behind the scenes.
“Since no one is perfect, it follows that all great deeds have been accomplished out of imperfection. Yet they were accomplished, somehow, all the same.”
– Lois McMaster Bujold
Maybe that’s the lesson this season has been teaching me.
We don’t always get to choose the systems we work within.
But we do get to choose how we show up inside them.
A Quick Barbados Update…
On the Barbados front, I will be in Barbados from August 27th to September 01st. As usual, I am amped to see the progress in multiple developments, meet with new clients, and fully immerse myself in the island and all that it has to offer.
My focus this trip is launching Olana Luxury Residences, located a stone’s throw from Limegrove Lifestyle Centre, Holetown.
This epic development offers one, two, and three-bedroom units – stay tuned for more info! If you or someone you know is ready to start the Barbados property search, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Zoë
