PRIVATE ISLAND GROUPResearch method
How to compare island listings without losing the source
An island listing usually gives you a name, a price and an area. Before comparing it with another listing, save where each number came from.
A useful shortlist needs an evidence trail. Otherwise an old asking price, a rounded area and a different island with a similar name can end up looking like one reliable record.
Keep the original listing
Record the broker's page, the date you checked it, the advertised currency and the area unit. Keep the original wording beside any converted figure. Label a calculated comparison clearly so it cannot be mistaken for the seller's claim.
If two sources disagree, keep both values and their dates. Do not quietly choose the smaller price or larger acreage. The discrepancy is a question to resolve.
Separate the map from the title
A map is useful for orientation, but the legal documents matter when assessing what is actually included.
For a concrete jurisdiction-specific example, HM Land Registry's guide for England and Wales distinguishes the register from the title plan. Its guidance warns against treating the edging on a title plan as an exact legal boundary, or using scaled measurements to establish that boundary. That guidance applies to England and Wales, not automatically to islands elsewhere.
Ask a qualified local adviser which records establish the parcel, access rights and relevant restrictions in the island's jurisdiction. A listing's map should not substitute for that work.
Give unknowns their own column
Water, power, landing access and buildings deserve separate entries. Use “not stated” when the source does not say. Avoid upgrading a nearby utility into a confirmed connection, or a visible jetty into a verified access right.
Keep advertised availability separate from confirmed availability too. An accessible webpage may simply be an old page.
The practical result is a shortlist that shows both what looks interesting and what still needs checking. This is a research method, not legal advice or confirmation that any particular island is available for purchase.