The Dutch side of the island – Sint Maarten – is leading the strong real estate market. Around the coast, new luxury developments are being constructed. There are new gated communities with waterfront access, boat slips and world class amenities. Taller buildings with comfortable condominiums are becoming more common as well.

Values for home and condominium re-sales are increasing consistently – a property purchased only two years ago turns out to be a wise investment.

American buyers seem to prefer the Dutch side at this time, because on the surface there are similarities to life in the US: English is the common language, power is 110 Volts, the currency is the US-Dollar, the supermarkets carry a large selection of American products, the typical fast food restaurants are ever present, US cable TV is standard. Most importantly: many of the properties have been designed with the American buyer in mind.

St Maarten is part of the Netherlands Antilles – an artificial nation without much future, created by the Dutch to release their West Indian colonies into something resembling semi-independence. The administrative center is in Curacao – an island only a few miles off the coast of Venezuela and without deep cultural ties to St Maarten. While St Maarten is performing well fiscally, Curacao's finances are in disarray, depleting St Maarten's financial resources as well. There has been a referendum a few years ago where a vast majority of voters on St Maarten decided to secede from the Netherlands Antilles in order to have a more direct relationship with Holland. The break-up of the Netherlands Antilles has been scheduled for 2007, but there is doubt that these dramatic changes can be implemented within this ambitious time frame.