By Aefa Mulholland

In 1965 nobody had even contemplated the existence of an international private islands market. René Böhm and an article in a London newspaper changed that.

Böhm recalls the article reporting “An island for sale in the Seychelles for a nominal amount only.” While details of the article proved to be unfounded, the idea had been planted and Böhm had started on a path that would see him become one of the world’s most successful private island brokers.

He says, “Nobody knew about the Seychelles. They did not have an airport. There were no Google maps. We had to communicate with the Lands and Survey Department in London [to find out details of properties].” Tracking down properties was a difficult task in the days before the internet, but Böhm’s research turned up a priceless nugget of information—an international airport was not only planned for the Seychelles, but was already budgeted. This made properties in the then British crown colony suddenly internationally marketable.

Initial attempts to find island properties to represent were met with derision by crown representatives, but Böhm persisted. Eventually, determined letter writing paid off with the offer of a palm-studded island in the Seychelles. However, celebrations were cut short. Then a law student at Hamburg University, Böhm’s research in the geography department revealed the island was in the epicenter of the cyclone belt, losing all its beautiful palms to storms approximately once a decade. Undeterred, the young German and his business partner persisted and got the word out to the Seychelles business community. None other than James R. Mancham, future president of the island nation, responded. Böhm recalls, “[Mancham] represented a friend and client who had bought an island, spent lovely days there with his fiancée and—after a split—wanted to get rid of the island.” Years of attempts to sell the island followed—with no success.

Finally, the duo decided they were done with the island business, but unwilling to give up, Böhm gave it one last shot. He took the last three flyers he had written and offered the island to three investors he knew. He says, “One responded and—after checking the local conditions, legal requisites, and doing the necessary government applications—a two-year-long process, bought the island. On March 12, 1971, the deal was done.” That island was Cousine, today one of the world’s most exclusive private island resorts. World of the sale spread like wildfire with reports in the press around the world. Rene was in business.

At first simply thinking of selling Seychelles land—not necessarily islands—because, as Böhm says, “In those days you could pick up large tracts of land, including whole bays with long beaches, for nothing,” the island broker-to-be traveled to the 115-island, archipelago nation, searching for properties. One of the first examples of Bohm’s determined approach to scouring the world for the best off-market islands was running radio commercials before visiting each area. As a result, Böhm and his business partner were often met by large numbers of island owners when they reached their hotel lobby. Böhm says of the days before the internet, “We had to go the places and do research. Of course, this gave us a good knowledge of local intricacies and made us good consultants.” Encountering unusual title situations, Böhm—working with top, local lawyers—used his legal expertise to devise solutions. He says, “In one case I created a 2000-year leasehold with a renewal clause for another 2000 years. Maybe that’s something for the Guinness Book of Records.”

After Cousine, Böhm sold North Island, then his firm sold Fregate. Both North and Fregate now operate as luxury resorts. When the government of the Seychelles toughened land control, Böhm turned his gaze to other islands. He says this was the first time the “island business” occurred to him. He worked diligently, “Systematically, like a PR agent” to generate interest in his services and listings and it paid off.

Böhm soon stacked up the “firsts”; he sold the first major Nova Scotia island to a German buyer and—armed only with a faint photograph and his reputation—sold the first island in Panama to an international buyer. Böhm has sold islands to industrialists, developers, consortiums, and royalty. He has traveled the world studying geographical archives and charts, screening the most promising maritime areas in search of the ideal island. Böhm has sold many of the world’s most sought-after island properties, from the craggy, castle island of Costaeres in Brittany to Panama’s Bayoneta Island (now worth over $100 million) to New York’s Robins Island—a property he spied while on an inspection tour of another island. His keen eye for the potential of a property and indefatigable energy for seeking out spectacular sale contenders is what distinguishes the renowned broker from many others in the field.

“In the essence the business is the same,” he states. “There is much information around, but some islands still need to be dug out by making the right contacts. This requires a strong foothold in the local community, with experts on stand-by for consultation. Also, thinking and vision still helps to find the solution and pick the right thing.”

Böhm has been working with Private Islands Inc. for close to a decade. The partnership between Böhm and Private Islands Inc. has brought to fruition the island dreams of buyers and sellers round the world and brokered the sale of a large number of diverse properties, including Jacopin, France; Hog Island, Nova Scotia; and Espiritu Santo, Panama. Private Islands Inc. owns and operates www.PrivateIslandsOnline.com, the only marketplace for private islands. Rene says of this partnership, “The clients have the feeling that they can really compare and make an educated decision.” Chris Krolow, C.E.O. of Private Islands Inc. agrees, “Some international brokers only offer properties that earn them large commissions. Their limited inventory does not reflect the market so buyers need to look elsewhere for unbiased comparables.”

Now, almost forty years after his first island sale, the distinguished broker—who studied political science at New York’s Columbia in addition to graduating from Hamburg’s law department—looks back at how his island business began. “At first it was the challenge and the joke. Nobody thought it possible to find or sell an island at that time. Later I became interested in providing my clients with advice on making the right investment. My legal education definitely helped. Back then my predictions of rising values sounded like lies, or exaggerations, at least. Now, people believe me.”

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