Remote working and new visas make buying a house in Bali easier than ever before - if you find a plot and get ahead of other expats wanting one.

The demand for expats in Bali, Indonesia is skyrocketing. The rise in demand is being driven by an increase in remote work, a new secondary residence visa and soaring rental prices. "In the last 18 months, I've never seen such activity in Bali," says Bali Realty founder Nathan Ryan.

After 34 years living in Hong Kong, British entrepreneur Steve Moore was looking for a new place to spend his semi-retirement. He already owned properties in the UK, on the Thai island of Phuket and in Hong Kong, where his fashion retail business is based. But because of the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, he was looking elsewhere, and Bali was always in his thoughts. "I felt it was time to have a secondary residence that I could use on a semi-permanent basis at any time," Moore said. "I'll probably spend half of the year in Bali, the rest of the time traveling on business and in Hong Kong."

After looking at dozens of properties on the island, he purchased a two-story house in Tumbak Bayu. The house has a modern design and is different from a typical Balinese villa.

In terms of visas, Indonesia introduced a secondary housing program for overseas retirees in June, which is designed to attract more foreign nationals to the country. The country is also considering the idea of introducing a five-year visa for digital nomads.

Many foreigners looking for accommodation in Bali are looking to take advantage of remote work opportunities and are coming to the island with their families.

Rental prices and lease terms have decreased, leading to an increase in demand to buy homes. With the increase in demand, villa owners are opting to sell their villas instead of long-term rentals. The rental cost of newly built villas has increased to 30 million Indonesian Rupiah per month. As a result, many people are deciding to buy their own homes. At the same time, the supply of housing in Bali is trying to catch up with demand. According to Indonesian real estate platform Rumah.com, the number of housing offers on the island increased by 40.8% in the third quarter of 2021 compared to the previous year. This is due to the fact that more villas have been built in the last two years than in the previous 3-4 years. Many of these homes are being sold under construction. As a result, a lot of expats are finding their needs met and investing in buying their own homes.