10 On The Weekend is a weekly (-ish) feature in IMI, the concept of which is simple: Each time, we ask the same ten questions of a different IMI Pro, letting readers get to know the interviewee on a more personal and informal level than they might during the ordinary course of business.
Our guest this week is Dan Merriam, Caribbean Real Estate Advisor at Sotheby’s International Realty.
How do you spend your weekends?
On Saturdays, I start the day outdoors, long beach run, hiking, or a round of golf, anything that clears my head. Sundays are typically a work-from-home day, setting the tone for a focused and productive week ahead.
What are your top three business goals this year?
My three business goals are to:
- Establish myself as a top real estate expert in the Eastern Caribbean region.
- Continue growing relationships with centers of influence and top professionals through strategic partnerships.
- Attract and advise 100+ clients seeking the right CBI-approved real estate opportunities in the Caribbean.
What’s your biggest business concern right now?
The uncertainty and disruption currently facing the investment migration industry, particularly concerns around the long-term future and stability of Caribbean CBI programs.
Which book is on your nightstand right now?
How Countries Go Broke by Ray Dalio. It’s a timely and practical read for understanding debt cycles, fiscal mismanagement, and geopolitical risk.
How and when did you first get into the investment migration industry?
I’ve been a real estate investor and developer in Canada for over 15 years. In 2020, I made the decision to leave Canada, relocate to the Caribbean, and acquire a second citizenship. Since then, I’ve been helping global families and investors do the same.
What was your proudest moment as a service provider?
Helping a couple in their late 70s escape the US, relocate to the Caribbean, secure their dream property, and obtain Caribbean citizenship in under six months. They’ve since become one of my strongest local ambassadors.
Which investment migration market development has surprised you the most in the last year?
Saint Kitts and Nevis. This small island has emerged as one of the hottest real estate and CBI markets in the Caribbean.
The momentum is being driven by two new Four Seasons Nevis developments, the airport runway extension, and Nevis’s increasingly strategic positioning in an uncertain global environment.
If you could go ten years back in time, what business decision would you change?
I would have stayed more focused on my core business, real estate investment and development, and only pursued opportunities where I had a true unfair advantage.
What investment migration industry personality do you most admire?
Andrew Henderson. Despite the haters within the industry, his long-form content and philosophy of “go where you’re treated best” have had a profound impact on thousands of global families and investors, myself included.
If all goes according to plan, what will you be doing five years from now?
Leading a team of A-players in the Caribbean and growing a large portfolio of real estate investments and developments.
