As a Mother and a Real Estate Professional, I Stand for Public Information

By Sherriann Elcock Founder, Prestigious Services & Realty 1262 | Founding Advisor, Guyana HomeHub I don’t usually step into political conversations. That’s not my lane and it’s not what I’m here for. But there are some things that go beyond politics — and this is one of them. Guyana just introduced its first-ever sex offenders registry through the Sexual Offences Amendment Bill 2026. That alone is a milestone that took too long to arrive. But then came the part that stopped me — the original proposal was for a closed registry. Meaning the public wouldn’t easily be able to access it. I’m a mother. I have children. And I’m a real estate professional who helps families find homes every single day. So when I heard that, I had one question: closed for whose benefit? The AFC said it best — a closed registry “sends a troubling message that the concerns of victims are secondary to the interests of offenders.” That’s not a political statement. That’s common sense. To his credit, President Ali and the Cabinet made their position clear — any register of sex offenders must be public. I don’t always agree with every political decision that comes out of Georgetown. But when something is right, it’s right. And this is right. What the United States Figured Out Thirty Years Ago In 1996, the United States passed what became known as Megan’s Law — named after a seven-year-old girl in New Jersey who was raped and murdered by a convicted sex offender who had moved in across the street. Her parents had no idea. The law requires states to maintain public registries of convicted sex offenders and make that information available to the community. And it went further than that — it connected directly to real estate. Sellers and landlords are required to provide notice to potential buyers or tenants about the presence of registered sex offenders in the area. In some states, that information must appear directly on the property listing. Think about that. If you are buying a home in the United States, the agent is required to make sure you have access to that information before you sign anything. Because the home you buy doesn’t just have a roof and four walls — it has a neighbourhood. And you have a right to know who is in it. Why This Matters in Real Estate Every day I work with families — local buyers, returning diaspora, young couples buying their first home, parents relocating their children closer to good schools. They are making the biggest financial decision of their lives. They are choosing a community. A closed registry tells those families: we’ll let you know if we feel like it. That is not good enough. When a mother buys a home in East Bank, she should be able to make an informed decision about where her children are growing up. When a diaspora family sends money from New York to purchase land back home, they deserve to know what they’re buying into — the full picture, not a filtered one. Professional real estate is built on one thing: trust. Transparency is not the enemy of that trust. It is the foundation of it. My Position Is Simple I’m not here to campaign for any party. But I am here to stand for the people I serve every day — families, mothers, buyers, investors — who deserve complete information when they are making decisions about where to live and raise their children. A public registry is not a punishment for communities. It is a protection for them. Guyana is finally building the infrastructure that mature real estate markets depend on. Let’s not build it halfway. Get it right. Make it public. Positivity. Pureness. Professionalism. These are not just words. They are the standard I hold myself to in every transaction, with every client, every single day. Sherriann Elcock is a Guyanese real estate professional, founder of Prestigious Services & Realty 1262, and Founding Advisor to Guyana HomeHub. YouTube: @SherriannElcock | Guyana Real Estate sherriannelcock.com | guyanahomehub.com