Growth & Jobs | From Kingston’s inner-city to gated community homeowner

A home in a gated community in Jamaica had long been Shereen Mallet’s aspiration. Her dream is one she had since childhood growing up in Kingston’s inner-city. It grew even stronger over the two decades she has spent building her life overseas.

Today, she has turned that dream into reality with support from a JN Bank mortgage, securing a home in a modern St Catherine development, a milestone she sees as both a personal achievement and part of a strategic investment in her future and that of her family’s.

In a leap of faith, she purchased the property without ever seeing it in person.

“I always wanted to own a home. I saw it and fell in love with it,” she said, reflecting on her journey. “Every now and then I go back and look at videos of the house and say yes this is mine.”

Mallet left Jamaica for the United Kingdom in search of better opportunities, but despite establishing herself in London, England, she said her connection to Jamaica never faded. Now in her early 40s as an office assistant in the UK, she said she still visits Jamaica frequently, although her trips often came with a reminder that she didn’t have a place of her own.

“Every time I come to Jamaica, it’s always Airbnb or a hotel. I wanted somewhere I could call home,” she said.

Initially, the fear of crime made her hesitant to invest in property locally. But her outlook shifted after watching her husband successfully secure property in another newly built gated community in Jamaica, also with a mortgage through JN Bank.

Her own mortgage journey, however, came with challenges. She said by the time she began the process she did not have the same on-the-ground support structure her husband had benefited from in the pre-pandemic period.

She still credits the support she received from a JN mortgage specialist back in Kingston with helping her to navigate the mortgage process from overseas, noting that a visit to the Jamaica in January 2025 also gave her the opportunity to go into a JN Bank branch to advance the process in person.

“I didn’t understand the process, so every step of the way they were there with me to say do this or do that. It was a bit tedious, but they held my hand through it all,” she said.

“I got pre-approved in January, submitted my application for the property and was successful. From there JN handled everything and the handover was on September 5. My first time seeing the property was in December when I came back to Jamaica,” she added.

The new home is already serving its purpose with Mrs Mallet’s mother and two of her three grown children living there comfortably.

“I didn’t tell anyone I was purchasing the home and when I told my mom, she was like ‘oh my God.’ Even when they went there, they saw that it was bigger than what it looked like in the photos, so they are quite happy and I’m proud of it,” she shared.

She said within the next five years, she also plans to build on the investment.

“It’s somewhere secure enough,” she said. “We can go ahead and build another two rooms, or whatever the pocket can spare, so there are future plans there. It’s an investment for the children. They can build on it or maybe re-mortgage it. It’s generational wealth and it’s about trying to break that cycle,” she added.

Reflecting on the high cost of housing in England, where prices and long-term affordability make home ownership less appealing, she said she sees far greater value in investing in real estate in Jamaica.

“You might ask why not invest in a house in England, but to me buying a house in England is a waste. The money for one there could possibly buy three in Jamaica,” she said.

While England has provided opportunity, she said Jamaica is also where she plans to retire.

“England cold,” she remarked. “Every chance I get, I come back. For many of us, Jamaica is still home, it’s just the opportunity why we went away.”

Acknowledging that many others in the diaspora may also be looking to acquire property back home to settle or build wealth, Mallet reiterated that her new home stands as a symbol of progress, resilience and what can be achieved with the right support, even while living outside of Jamaica.