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Last year, we have published an article (Where to rent a villa in Bali?) to show both buyers and sellers of property rentals what the different locations across Bali can offer.   However, for serious people looking to invest in property, simply knowing where your customers are renting is not enough justification to pick a location for your investment.   But this fact is good news because it gives you more options. You can still make sound investments even on property that is not prime real estate such as Seminyak, Kuta, or Uluwatu. You can still start your project even with limited funds.   You just have to follow the 4 rules of thumb for a smooth property business: 1. Place bets on development 2. Know your neighborhood 3. Know your customers 4. Opt for low maintenance properties   1. Place bets on development   The first principle is counter intuitive. You know that Seminyak, Kuta, Uluwatu and many ‘hotspots’ have high occupancy rates, attractive neighborhoods, and are the first places people read about when they look up ‘Bali’ online.   Well, they are incredibly expensive properties to buy. You will also compete with people who have a ton of experience in the playing field. In addition, tourism never stays in one location; it spreads out.   You should learn to predict future developments in tourism. While still cheap, buy properties in Canggu, Mengwi, Pererenan, Karangasem, and be one of the first to play the property game here.         2. Know your neighborhood   Developing areas still have natural and cultural features that are relatively untouched, which can become your USP (Unique Selling Point). Despite all the advice that you read about investing in Bali properties, you don’t need to get close to the beach.   Look at Ubud. It’s a hilly little town whose growth in tourism is fueled by peaceful terrace rice fields and a Monkey Forest. The nearest coastline is 40 minutes away by car.   Pick an area that is close to undiscovered natural attractions, like an increasingly popular hiking route, a beautiful view point, or an untouched bay where locals enjoy swimming.   Make sure that your property is accessible by car (i.e. located on the main road). Take some free insight from our Location Guide.   3. Know your customers   Think beyond ‘tropical beach paradise and martinis’ – Bali offers more than that. Instead, think of ‘escapism’ as the main attractive quality of the island. People come here to release tension of everyday living through various ways – yoga, surfing, night clubs, photography, trekking, and more.   Bali is also becoming an increasingly popular destination for digital nomads – they come here to discover fresh perspectives and a new work-life balance.   Work with what you have, and build your property around accommodating the unique needs of your market.   4. Opt for low maintenance properties   If you are building your villa or holiday home from scratch, pay attention to how reliable the land is. Is it prone to drought or flooding?   If you bought land with a property, carefully inspect the building. Does it need repainting? Any facility replacements?   A long-term property investment requires a marketing strategy   If you’re worried about the low occupancy rate, make use of free social media platforms to advertise your property or advertise via word-of-mouth.   Businesses usually run slowly at first, but if you invest in digital marketing (buying a simple website, for example), your property will have a better presence and image online, and would outcompete other new players that are still behind in marketing.   Bali Coconut Living is not only a property agency – we can advertise your property, manage it for you, and even give you some consultation from legal aspects to investment advice.

The steady growth of visitors coming to Bali is a confident signal that there is no shortage of potential tenants. However, you will most likely compete with the well-established hotel industry, if not other property owners in the market.   So how can you find tenants for your newly polished and treasured property asset? One of the easiest ways to market your property is through our property listing at Bali Coconut Living.   Why Bali Coconut Living?   Unlike most property agencies, we go above and beyond simply advertising your property online, in the hope that the right people will come to the right web page.   We think that the chances of this happening are astronomically small. So instead of waiting for tenants to find your property, we proactively add value to your properties.   Villa Management and Marketing Services   We understand that the property purchase was only half the battle. Maintaining the property to its fullest potential takes a lot of work, but that’s not all there is to do.   In order to receive positive referrals from your guests, it would be wise to provide services to cater to their unique needs and expectations.   Guest services and Day-to-day Operations: Trained hospitality staff and managers will ensure that your villa is as welcoming and comfortable as possible.   Building and technical maintenance: Our reliable technical staff ensures that no power outage or drought can dramatically decrease the level of comfort and happiness of your guests.   You can also rely on our marketing team not only to advertise your villa’s availability, but also to simplify the booking and payment process. No more hassle with international bank transfers.   Your guests can simply pay up front before coming to your villa; your earnings will be securely deposited into your account.   We value transparency as much as you do. We provide monthly reports on how your villa is doing, including recommendations on what actions to take.   A villa success story   Villa Natayani is just one of the villas whose owners have entrusted us its management. It is a 2-bedroom Bali-style villa, located in Seminyak’s Oberoi “East Street”. Every newly arriving guest is greeted by the Villa Manager or the Senior Butler. The respectful and unobtrusive maid and pool attendants work at their very best to ensure that the guests’ holiday experience is not met with any inconvenience.   Bali Coconut Living is a property agency, consultant, and management service under one roof. Kindly inquire about any questions you may have surrounding property ownership, management, and business.

To prepare for safe investment in property in Bali, you need to have more than just a plentiful starting capital. Like any other country, Indonesia has its own regulations concerning land use and the set-up of businesses.   Bali Coconut Living provides in-depth consultation for navigating the legal process of obtaining your certifications and rights. However, in this article, we would like to share some of the basic things you should know to get started.   Consider the following:   1. Izin Mendirikan Bangunan (IMB)   IMB is a certificate which dictates the rightful use of the land and building, according to the local zoning law. For a villa business, you can opt for either an IMB Pondok Wisata or IMB Kost [translated: 1) Holiday home and 2) Rented rooms, respectively]   If you purchase a land with a property (on a commercial zone), by default it may have a residential type of IMB. The question is, is it necessary to go through the (often long and complicated) process of transforming the residential IMB into IMB Pondok Wisata?   To conduct business, it’s always safe to have the appropriate certification. However, if you can’t afford to wait until the right certificate comes through, you can choose to do what many have done before you: sublet your property for a yearly rental arrangement.   Make sure, at a minimum, you have a Hak Pakai or Hak Guna Bangunan certification so the government can expect you to pay your due tax from your investment income.   2. Owner’s willingness for subletting   If you are a foreigner (i.e. someone who does not have Indonesian citizenship), you are not entitled to a freehold (Hak Milik) certification. This means, your land and property is by default still owned by an Indonesian who simply rents out his or her asset to you.   There is a chance that the owner will not allow you to sublet without proper permissions (IMB), even if the property has been sold with a Hak Pakai or Hak Guna Bangunan certification. Therefore, the importance of an IMB cannot be emphasized enough.   3. Additional requirements for villa construction   If you have only purchased land and wish to construct a villa, be aware of the basic parameters. In general, the requirements for a homestay in Bali are as follows:   Maximum 2 floors (ground floor and upper floor) Maximum room size: 32 m2 Minimum building coverage ratio: 50% Have at minimum the following facility: bathroom, kitchen, common room, parking space.   The requirements above distinguish your property from hotels, which require a different permit, and a land title of Hak Guna Bangunan. Follow through the requirements, and you may operate with IMB Pondok Wisata and a land title of Hak Pakai.   Please bear in mind that the legal procedure is deep and complex, and simply reading this article will never be enough to achieve your investment goals. Therefore, it’s advisable to contact Bali Coconut Living and ask about 1) the default certificates of the property you have chosen to purchase and 2) how to legally operate a long-term villa business.

Seminyak is a pleasant small town dotted with enticing restaurants, exciting beach bars, and boutique shops and spa centers. If you are a frequent visitor to Seminyak, wouldn’t it be cool to actually live in the town itself? For a month’s stay, you can opt for a comfortable, homey villa.   Knowing the Land   The town is accessible from Kuta via Sunset Road and Jl. Raya Seminyak. The town’s most popular commercial center lies around the point where the two roads meet. This is the prime location, besides the beach area.   From the north, if you are coming from Tanah Lot and Canggu, you’d be traveling via Jl. Kerobokan, which has plenty of boutique shops and restaurants lining the road. From Denpasar city, Jl. Batu Belig leads visitors to the beach. There are a plenty of beach bars at the end of this road (the beach), but less so going eastward.   Now finally, we get to the more upmarket area, which is the most popular spot after the town’s commercial center. Famous spots like the Colony Hotel, Mrs Sippy Bali, and Soham Wellness Center, all lie on Jl. Petitenget. The southern half, below Jl. Kayu Ayu, attracts even more crowds, where you will find beach clubs and elaborate restaurants to suit your taste.   Location, location, location   Choosing a villa in the town center is a better strategy than placing yourself in one of the crowded and popular places like the southern half of Seminyak. Even if you enjoy going to beach clubs, you don’t have to live next door to one.   The town center is a great place to start because it is relatively quieter, yet you can still access places of interest quickly, via the main streets.   Bali Coconut Living has a vast collection of villas for rent or sale. After much consideration, we’ve handpicked six villas that may suit your needs:   Villa Lexi This villa is within reach of La Favela and Metis, two fun and exquisite Mediterranean restaurants that are sought-after by Bali lovers. Villa Lexi lies next to Purpa Fine Art Gallery at Jl. Mertanadi.   Villa Gomez This villa is within reach of the uniquely famous WACKO Burger Cafe, Frankenstein Laboratory and BaliJoe Bar. Lapangan Banteng cultural hub is also close by. You can find this villa in Jl. Drupadi.   Flower Villa 2 At Jl. Mertapadi, right in the town center, you will find this villa within close proximity to the all-time favourite Gusto Gelato ice cream parlor, Naughty Nuri barbeque restaurant, and the healthy food restaurant, Ingka Restaurant.   Villa Pelikan 2 This villa sits right next to Dream Museum Zone Bali, one of Bali’s most creative and fun photo studios and museums that hosts incredible live optical illusions for you and your family to enjoy. It’s also close to Legian Art Shop and the very traditional morning market Pasar Pagi Desa Legian.   Villa Luke This villa is not in the town center, but it deserves some recognition. It sits very closely to the Double Six Beach, where you can access La Plancha and Champlung Bar and Restaurant at mere walking distance.   Alexandria Apartment For those who prefer living close to relaxation and rejuvenation houses, this apartment will suit you. It’s close to Jari Menari and Yoga Shala. You can also visit the local art gallery, Nyaman Galeri Art.   Visit Bali Coconut Living to browse more villas. Got any questions? Our sales team will be happy to help you find what you need among a thousand listed villas and holiday homes in our catalogue.

Bali is one of the best places in the world for retirement. It is always sunny here, with a constant 30°C climate, perfect for year-round outdoor activities. The beach is just a few minutes’ motorcycle ride, there are places to hike in the highland regions and the food tastes great with brilliant tropical flavors.   You can get all of this for only a fraction of the cost, so it’s not surprising that many people choose Bali as their retirement playground. Here are the things you need to know before retiring in Bali.   The Accommodation   Since it is not possible for foreigners to own freehold land, taking a long-term lease is the easiest solution available. It is very straightforward – you pay upfront, and get to lease the property for a long number of years.   Are you planning to spend less than 5 years in Bali, but worry that the price for short-term lease is higher than long-term lease? Don’t worry! As a general rule, leasehold properties are much cheaper when they are near their due date. You can enjoy the property for 2 to 3 more years before the leasehold certificate expires and the property reverts back to its original owner.   One of the surprising things about applying for a retirement visa (more details below) is that there is a minimum rent requirement of US$380 a month. This is to set a standard baseline of the quality of your accommodation.   As it is beneficial for the Indonesian economy, you are required to hire at least one worker – whether a gardener, a housemaid, or a driver.   The Paperwork   Finding properties for retirement is usually not so difficult. What is more challenging is to apply for the retirement visa. If you are at least 55 years old and planning to retire in Bali sometime in the future, apply now. It’s a time-consuming process that is best started once you reach the minimum age requirement.   The next few requirements are standard. To accommodate your living expenses in Bali, you need proof of health and life insurance, and proof of pension, with a lump sum of US$18,270 per year in income from savings or other sources.   Unfortunately, Bali isn’t known for large hospitals with state-of-the-art medical technology. If you have a chronic medical issue, you may need to reconsider your decision to retire in Bali.   Other Benefits   The paperwork might seem demanding, but the initial investment can have a return in the quality of life you will receive. You are eligible to open a local bank account, get a driver’s license and travel around quite easily and cheaply. You can enjoy rejuvenation centers, spa or yoga studios, join classes and do what you absolutely love, at half the price that you’re used to back home.   We recommend Villa Uma Sita as an ideal model for your retirement villa. It is located in Sanur, and is very close to Taman Inspirasi Mertasari Park, Mertasari Beach, Power of Now Oasis Yoga Retreat and Seawalker Conservation, where you can snorkel and perform sea walks!   Get Started Today   When you are set with your paperwork, Bali Coconut Living will be more than happy to greet you. We are a local business that caters to buyers and sellers of property. We also help holiday-goers find the best accommodation that fits their needs. An easy-going relaxing life is waiting for you here in Bali.

With the rich history and culture, gorgeous beaches and sceneries, beautiful weather and its iconic spiritual traditions. Bali boasts excellent networking opportunities and an ideal destination for digital nomads to live in. Here, we’ll offer you some guidance before you set foot in Bali. Language You don’t need to speak Indonesian or Balinese to live in Bali, as most people in Bali can speak a bit of English, especially in the younger generation. Though, if you head towards the rural areas, you’ll probably have to rely on hand signals to interact with the locals. A tip is to take at least a week of Indonesian classes before heading to Bali. Daily Living Costs in Bali Bali offers digital nomads the ability to live a very afforadable, or very extravagant lifestyle. You can get delicious Balinese street food for as little sa $1 – and then explore exceptional gastronmic experiences at night. Bali offers the ability to tailor your lifestyle to your budget! Meet up with Other Digital Nomads By starting to meet and visit in some of the co-working spaces around the island, you’ll get to meet and make some great friends as Bali is an excellent place for networking as a digital nomad. Remember that you are really paying for the company. You can meet business owners and freelancers in co-working spaces and create opportunities for yourself. Digital nomads are living in Bali for years and have claimed to enjoy the weather, atmosphere and nice international communities to meet. If you are a digital nomad yourself and looking for an affordable, long term villa rental of up to years stay, contact Bali Coconut Living for some great deals of villas around the popular areas of Bali for your choice of stay.