Direct TV or Dish Network availablity?

There is no DirecTV available on STX. We do have Dish Network. I think I paid about $300 for the dish and installation and then also paid for my receivers. Add on your monthly programming costs after that. It's not cheap and service is interrupted any time there is a heavy rain shower... or if a frog or gecko gets on the dish. There are no Free Dish offers here. There is also a larger dish available for about twice the price. The larger dish can get some additional channels that may or may not be important to you. The positive side is that you can get Dish Network service even in areas that don't have cable wired to the houses yet. Without the dish, my house would have no TV reception capability. So you pay the price if someone in your home likes to turn on a television.

Also, no "NFL Ticket". Sharkey's bar has a good selection of NFL games on their t.v.'s.

Sharkey's Bar? Hmm where is that located? Will need to familiarize myself with that place before the pre-season starts, lol.

Thank you Alexandra. My wife and I may want to move to St Croix in 3 years (my wife would move now if we had the money). The Seattle winters (October through May) of non stop darkness and drizzle are starting to get to her. We are avid scuba divers and the PNW has great diving but the water is only 50 degrees or so year round. Even with all of our out door activities (kayaking, hiking, diving, ect) I still find time to watch TV and with Tivo I never miss the shows I really like. So I can't imagine that by moving there I would stop watching TV 🙂

We plan on visiting St Croix in March to check things out. Then it's just a matter of saving enough money to make the move. We would like to buy a quiet safe modest (1000sq' min) house in the 150K - 200K range. We may be able to eek out 25 - 30K a year on our investments. I am hopping that we wouldn't need to have full time jobs. I am a Manufacturing Electrical Test Engineer here in Redmond Washington and I wouldn't imagine there would be any jobs in this field in St Croix for me. I would like to do something different anyways. I am a quick learner but I would think any job that is willing to train someone also won't pay very much. I want to be realistic in what I expect we could live on.

What have housing prices done in the last few years? Do people think they will continue on the same pace or will I be priced out of the market in 3 years?

Thanks,

Jeff

Jeff - I certainly relate to your experiences in Seattle... both the drizzle/dismal gray murk and the awesome diving in the freezing cold water. I moved to STX from Seattle in 2003. I like going back to visit now and then (still have friends at TLSea Diving in Des Moines, where I worked some as a DiveMaster before moving to STX and completing my PADI Instructor credentials), but life here has some wonderful benefits and the weather is incredible.

You can either send me a private message on this site or send me an email at stcroixhomes@hotmail.com to further discuss your housing search and plan your upcoming trip to STX. I expect to be on-island through the month of March and should be able to show you around a bit.

As housing prices stand now, there are a few decent options in the price range you would prefer. Prices are rising pretty steadily and are expected to do so for the next 5-10 years at least. If you are able to pay cash for a house, then $25-$30K in income should handle your remaining expenses well enough. You both might find you want a part-time job just to be doing something, even if you aren't hurting for $$ to pay the monthly bills. A little extra cash never hurts.

Your electrical/engineering background might be worth something to Hovensa (oil refinery) or a few other businesses on-island. It could be worth checking out. An extra benefit to possibly working for Hovensa or one of their contractor companies for the first year you are here is that they often pay moving expenses and a housing stipend to new professionals who come here to work a specific contract. That makes the move less painful and gives you cushion in your finances while you settle in. Maybe full retirement can start a year after your arrival... just a thought.

Is it that DirecTV is not available or does not work. We plan on moving there with our business, but all checks and mail will continue to go thru our Mailboxes PO box in Memphis. I plan on moving the dish and equipment and letting DirecTv think I am still in Tennessee. Does anyone know whether one can get a signal and just continue to pay the bill as always?

No, there is no DirecTV service in the islands. Your dish won't pick up your service here. It has been tried by many others before you and it's a waste to bother moving the dish to the islands.