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Good Afternoon All,
Had an interesting few hours reading through many posts on here and all seems very helpful.
My family, wife and two children, are relocating for work purposes to St Thomas at the start of June 2015; yep, I know it's short notice but the move option was brought forward a couple of months, so we figured we'd go for it whilst the kids are off school!
We are on the lookout for a long-term accommodation with a minimum two bedrooms, preferably three (but not essential, mom and dad are sharing, so can the kids!). Would also prefer to have the place unfurnished (with just the white goods in it; cooker/fridge/washer/dryer (if possible) as we intend to ship our own stuff down here as we will be in this for the long run.
From 'research' and memory of our last visit 18 months ago, we'd prefer a place on the North side somewhere between Sorgenfri/Mail Bay area and Peterborg/Magen's Bay area.
We have the usual 'feelers' out with a few agents, looking in the local newspapers (on line) and various search engine facility inquiries running too, but there's nothing like the input of useful local knowledge. (we are reasonably flexible and used to 'island life' having been working on a Southern Caribbean island for 18 months a couple of years back)
So if any of you have any useful solid pointers they would be very much appreciated. In the meantime, I will be heading down to St T in a week or two to check a few possibles out and if they fail to turn into probables/definites then I will 'capture' a monthly short-term to give us a bit more breathing space.
Best wishes and thanks in advance.
Posted : May 30, 2015 6:28 pm
Unless your company is paying for your move, I recommend putting your things in storage stateside and renting (not buying) a completely furnished place for at least six months to a year.
That way, if you do wind up here long term, you will know more about where exactly on the island you want to live and what you want and don't want in a home. There are many quality furnished places available, and what makes sense to you to ship right now might seem silly in six months' time.
I say this based on many, many experiences, including my own first island move 30 years ago: You will not need or want everything you think you will, and keeping it in storage will save you money and hassle in the long run, whether this move works out or not.
Good luck with the new adventure!
Posted : May 30, 2015 7:20 pm
Ditto fdr. Don't rent anything unseen. Store your stuff for a minimum of six months. Once you are here, you will see what areas are the most convenient and satisfying to your life style. Best of luck and welcome to the fun house!!:-)
Posted : May 31, 2015 2:54 pm
Topic starter
Thank you both, 'fdr' and 'East Ender' for your responses; duly noted. Any further positive input still greatly welcomed!
As am aside, and sparked by your comments, are there any reasonable standard/priced storage units on STT?
Posted : June 1, 2015 3:00 pm
There are at least two large storage facilities on STT. However, I agree with the notes of caution expressed about shipping anything large here initially. As much as you feel that you are, "in this for the long run" this is something you simply canNOT predict with even a slim degree of certainty. You really need to trust us on that - the attrition rate of newcomers for one reason or another is extremely high, as has been discussed in many threads over many years on this forum.
Bring with you only the things you can't live without and store the rest stateside until such time as you've settled in. Good luck!
Posted : June 1, 2015 3:33 pm
You should check vrbo.com and airbnb.com. Some of the listings may be available for long term rental.
Posted : June 1, 2015 4:47 pm
Topic starter
Thanks again, 'Old Tart' and 'ms411', for the responses and good luck wishes. We're not actually coming from 'Stateside', so local storage remains our preferred option.
Posted : June 1, 2015 5:02 pm
I think Bovoni Storage has good rates for here.
Posted : June 1, 2015 5:19 pm
There's also Fortress Storage behind the hospital and Courtyard Self Storage in Smith Bay. I used the latter for several months after I closed my business when I still had several large items for sale and was very pleased with their facility and rates.
Posted : June 1, 2015 6:28 pm
Topic starter
Thanks 'MS411' I'll check them out when I'm on island shortly!
Posted : June 1, 2015 6:37 pm
Fortress has a reputation for having higher prices than Bovoni, and I think Bovoni is more convenient for large moving vans. It's also close to the Re-Use Emporium if you want to buy gently used items or sell some of yours on consignment.
Posted : June 1, 2015 6:58 pm
