Bet You Haven't Heard This One Yet...

Yes, it is doable.

very doable.

Have you googled land for sale St Croix or checked craigslist or the classified on this site?

I'd suggest you stay in FL.
It's way more expensive to live here and forget it if you need individual health care insurance.

Thanks for the positive replies... I'm hoping that I can find something isolated enough to suit me. Neighbors are a deal-breaker, so glad to hear that you guys think it's doable.

I did already contact 2 real estate agents... both of which didn't even want to talk to me once they found out I wasn't interested in being a condo sardine, or living in a villa on a tiny lot in town where you can spit and hit your neighbor's house.

I'm not broke... and I'm willing to pay for what I want... I just need to confirm that I won't need 3 million dollars to get it.
So it's not about money... it's about privacy... and on a small island, I know privacy doesn't come cheap. I'm more concerned about the availability of isolated properties than anything else, and like I said above, I'm not looking for beaches, water views, or amenities... just want to get away from the cold Florida winters.

if you are not worried about a view, you should have no problem but still doable if you need a view

I just need to confirm that I won't need 3 million dollars to get it..

Can't confirm that. You'd need a pretty large parcel of land to be so isolated that nobody can purchase adjoining property and not be within hearing distance of you. Then you have to build on that land (permits required) and that's not cheap as, if it that's remote, you're going to have the expense of the electric company running a whole new line and poles out to you not to mention just construction costs which aren't inexpensive by any standard.

I think the positive replies are a little premature and overly optimistic. STX is the only possible option and you need to go there and spend some time on ground research with realtors who specialize in land sales.

If your looking for privacy, on a tropical Island? Are you kidding??? No way man, you have limited space, you are on an Island. Now you might find a few acres for sale for that 3 million dollars that might have a house on it. But it sounds like you want a tropical compound. Have you seen or read the forums, there are numerous people just like you wanting to move to the Islands every day.

I recall your kind of utopia back in the 60's and even up to the middle 70's. But those days are long gone, with the build up of vacation rentals, housing and yep, those dreaded timeshares.

Hell even in Florida where I'm originally from, has changed. My home town used to be a small town of 10 thousand people, but after the housing boom 10 years ago, it has swelled to 30 thousand in 10 years with no signs of stopping. My point is, people ruin utopias because rather than stopping in and enjoying it splendid bliss, everyone wants a piece of it until it's no longer the utopia it once was. Paradise is only paradise if left alone.

mike

I appreciate the realism... I'm a very realistic person by nature.
I have everything I want already, except warmer winter weather (which hasn't killed me yet, but makes me plenty miserable) in a place that most people consider paradise (judging by the number of out-of-state license plates here each season).
I'm the only person I know who considers Florida to be too cold. LOL

Thanks, I needed the jolt... I grew up on an island that was sparsely populated, but that was 58 years ago... I knew it was unrealistic to believe that such a thing still existed... at least in my price range... and maybe not even for any price.
I just wanted to check.

I'll probably just stay here in Florida on my ranch and shiver my way through winters.
I need to just accept that island living almost 6 decades ago wasn't the same as it is today.
🙁

Plenty of the bigger islands have the kind of room you are talking about - look into Dominica for instance - very rural living and affordable - even have citizenship plans available.

http://www.dominica.dm/

Have you looked at Puerto Rico? There are some affordable rustic places there with good acreage that are off the beaten path.

Private Messaged you

People here are trying to give you positive responses but it's difficult not really knowing how much land you actually need to feel secluded.

You indicated that you live on a ranch - just how big is that ranch?

You also told us you don't want to spend $3 million to get your privacy. How much are you willing to spend - $1 million, $2 million, less than $1 million??? I'm sure you know, it could make a difference in the parcels of land that might be available to you and how secluded those parcels might actually be.

Your best bet is to come and see for yourself the secluded properties that are available on STX will meet your needs and fit your $3 million or under budget. If it's not what you want you the only thing you've lost is a little time and the cost of a plane ticket, a few meals and a couple of nights in a hotel but you've gain valuable first hand knowledge.

All in all, I think your plan MIGHT be doable - the MIGHT being based upon how you see things.

Exit Zero's suggestion of Dominica is a good one. We visited there last year and saw plenty of secluded land where you could build a home and not see a soul. How much that land might cost is something you'd have to investigate as we did not look at land prices while we were there.

Another suggestion - have you considered purchasing property on one of the more remote islands in the Bahamas? A few years ago we looked at large parcel properties (15+ acres) on both Cat Island and Long Island which were in the middle of "nowhere" and attractively priced. They might be perfect for you - the islands themselves are sparsely populated and there are many sections where you woulds be virtually ALONE. Based on what we saw you could acquire huge parcels with a multi-million dollar budget.

I wish you best of luck in finding a place to live.

I am a (north) Floridian and I also want to escape our two or three freezing nights in the winter!

I just got back from STX a few weeks ago and looked at a house that was way too remote for me, and I kind of want some space between us and other people. It's way up in the rainforest past LEAP (for the Cruzans' reference) and it's a lovely, well-built house with the downstairs finished and top floor ready for construction. Listed for under 200K. PM me if you want the multiple listing number, and no, I am not a real estate agent!

You are not the only one who hates FL winters. Since about 2000 I have spent Nov thru April in the islands except for one where I thought I had gone far enough south in Mexico & it turned out to be the coldest winter of the century there. Something I keep noticing is that over time in the tropics the winter wimps seem to keep getting wimpier. I have become like so many locals who put on sleeves when it gets under 80, but not yet like the locals who think it is too cold to swim during fall, winter & spring. Is the last wacky dream to have a place in the northern hemisphere & another in the southern?

I basically don't "do" people.

I don't "do" people either, so I am like you. I had this idea that a tropical island would be an ideal place to isolate myself from people, and to be left along. After all, it's an island, right?

With that prospect, I made my PMV visits to STX and STJ. As it turned out, the islands happened to be the last place you'd want to be, if you seek isolation. There is this "communal" thing that permeates the island. Everyone knows everyone else, and there is a certain expectation that you'd participate in the island affairs, such as volunteering, helping you fellow neighbors to rebuild their roofs, singing "Kumbaya" in unison with some oddballs on the beach, and playing "nice" with the people who were born here. This concept probably makes sense for the collective survival of the species on the island, but I am a hard core individualist, and these communal values make me a little nauseous. That nausea convinced me that the VIs are not for me.

It sounds like you already have your own paradise in Florida. All you need is a heater for the winter. You can certainly create your own paradise in VIs, as well, but that would cost you probably 3 times as much.

Message Removed: Please revisit the board rules.

Thank you OT, that type of attitude has caused nothing but issues with the locals as it is. Like I said, paradise is only a paradise if left alone. People can't just come to paradise, enjoy the beauty and then leave, they all have to have a piece of it.

on the drive to work today on stx, i saw ( since we are in a drought not enough foliage to keep things hidden these days ) lots of isolated properties/houses.

500k-700k will get you privacy in stx. Not a ton of acres but you don't need that to be private. Maybe even a small view. Make sure you have an alarm system, gate and a dog. Remote places are easier to target. Why not just rent? Our new place I don't see the road, houses town or cars.

Its very quiet at my rental house. Just put in an outdoor shower on the deck since I have no one who can peek lol. Wahoo naked outdoors! Hahha!

My step dads house was off the beaten path so to speak on St. Thomas and got broken into 3 times. He bought two doberman pinchers after the first burglary. The second burglary, they stole the dogs hahahahahahaha. He electrified the front and rear doors and also some of the window frames after the third break-in, which seemed to have stopped them.

mike

My step dads house was off the beaten path so to speak on St. Thomas and got broken into 3 times. He bought two doberman pinchers after the first burglary. The second burglary, they stole the dogs hahahahahahaha. He electrified the front and rear doors and also some of the window frames after the third break-in

Next step: solar-powered, motion-activated flamethrowers. Also, some intercontinental missiles for extra intimidation.

lol

A nice case of lead poisoning would be a great deterrent.