THE world of real estate revolves around ownership, rental, lease, and sub-letting. The latter is a form of rental, usually illegitimate, but commonplace in our overcrowded townships, predominantly from its early beginnings up to the 1950s/60s. During that period, and even before, approximately a third of Georgetown always had almost half of the population of Guyana seeking their livelihood and residing in its wards. Many were stuffed into what our national poet, Martin Carter called ‘The Nigger Yards’ that were constructs the size of a double lot housing some 50-60 souls.

That description was not invented by the late poet; it was so known long before he was born. Martin just brought its reality to the fore. Notwithstanding this, these yards were by then multi-ethnic in nature. Thus, the concept of the ideal real estate was consistently a torturous dream for most urban dwellers and coastal squatters. By 1972, dream-like changes did occur in the development of Housing Schemes. But, currently, it has gotten worse for Georgetown, with an urban imposition that strangles the very aesthetics of what was once known as “The Garden City”, void of any separation of business and residential real estate areas.

My early experience with the real estate business culture began with my selling advertising space for the Stabroek News and Guyana Chronicle newspapers. I first met the late Dwight King through Davie Simmons, who was one of the first promoters to bring Reggae musicians to Guyana in the new era, beginning in the mid-1980s and onwards. The first time I used a real estate agent to rent somewhere was with the Pereira (my spelling) Brothers, who were related to the late popular real estate personality, Tony Reid, of Tony and Joy Reid Realty fame. I began to recognise the peculiar culture of real estate in Guyana, and a number of questions boggled my mind. But full recognition and awareness would dawn with the relationship I developed with Pete Ramcoomar Persaud, aka Pete, of Pete’s Real Estate, as a small advertising service. However, it was not through real estate that our first engagements occurred, but via the activities of Pete’s Caribbean Fusion Band and its engagements that required both design flyers and newspaper ‘ads’. Then there was Pete’s Video Club. But what had interested me the most was the ambitious goal of Pete’s Caribbean Fusion.

Pete had established a neat group of artistes in the Chutney genre with an experiment on cassette productions.
Still, like previous efforts in this area, that was undermined by a lack of copyright laws, and the future of further investment in Pete’s recording studio was also eclipsed after functioning for some time in a no-win scenario.

Thus, he consolidated his previous talents as an award-winning representative of American Life Insurance Company among his other insurance experiences with his early years as a teacher, thus enabling the understanding of exploration towards the development of a knowledge-based institution that will provide the adequate services required for an effective real estate service. With his wife, Ushia, effective staff and supporting colleagues, he has proven the right after 43 years in this competitive field to proclaim Pete’s Real Estate to be a leading establishment in the niche of real estate culture in Guyana.
It can be troublesome without any knowledge of what transpires in the functioning of the real estate purchase.

MORE THAN BUYING AND SELLING
Real estate is much more than selling and buying; it has its hiccups. Most importantly, with potentially new investors in the field, learning through experienced guidance is necessary, especially pertaining to the systems involved that must be verified and clearly understood. To avoid legal setbacks that can be costly and frustrating, there must be expert guidance. This is where a seasoned institution like Pete’s Real Estate comes into play, with the verifying of proposals in some cases against documents presented that may seem to be okay but not quite. Under the scrutiny of an experienced eye, wasted time can be avoided. The world of real estate in Guyana, unfortunately, is not guided by specific laws but a legal framework that exists to serves the purpose. This column has been pushing for such information to be included even in office procedure studies in our schools over the years. In the interim, the answer lies with a proven real estate institution, as mentioned, that can guide clients to what legal systems exist that are binding, and will enable customer satisfaction both ways, for the seller and purchaser.

Pete’s Real Estate is working tediously towards streamlining a more effective service towards the best outcome for Real Estate transactions. The reality of services currently available that this company extends to the public range in the necessary and crucial real estate areas are: Valuations; advice on options in the case of bank foreclosures, and especially for what is known in the business as ‘secret investors’, simply persons with money who can find real estate investment very rewarding. Pete’s Real Estate was also the recipient of the prestigious “Century International Quality Award in the Gold Category for 2018 in Geneva Switzerland, in terms of Leadership, Innovation and Excellence”.