Notifications
Clear all
Topic starter
My wife and I are considering a move to either St John or St Thomas within a years time. Just have a couple questions for everyone. I currently have two friends that live on St John and had 2 others that lived on St Thomas for a year. They both had great things to say about both islands. My questions are as follows:
-Jobs..We both have our real estate licenses and I have my Property and Casualty Insurance license as well. Can you move down here and make a living in these two categories? I am not opposed to bar tending or waiting tables at night and selling real estate or insurance during the day. Also do any real estate companies pay a salary for property management services to there Realtors? Which island has the best opportunities for these types of work? What are a typical weeks wages and tips for a bar tender or waiter? My friends in STJ say they are paying all their living expenses and saving an additional 1500 a week.
-Housing..We have 3 small dogs that weigh under 10 pounds each ( I like to call them ankle biters...) and I have read alot about trouble finding long term rentals for housing. Is STJ or STT better for finding pet friendly rentals? Also I would like to rent in either St John or the Red Hook area for under 1500 a month and have a view. Is this reasonable?
-When to come..Our thought is to come around May or June as we have heard it is much easier to find housing and employment. Any suggestions
-Savings...We have about 40k in equity on our house, and when sold and savings combined, we will be bringing anywhere from 30-50k down with us. IS this plenty? Do you transfer money to a local bank or leave it in a States bank?
Crime...We here STT is worse than STJ, but really everywhere you go there is going to be crime. How save is the Red Hook area, versus where all the cruise boast come in? Is there really that much of difference between the two islands?
More Jobs....In the service industry is it better to have a waiter/bar tender job at a resort or a local establishment?
Posted : December 11, 2008 12:40 pm
I wonder where your friends are working to make that kind of money if they're bartending/waitering? What you make depends on where you work & how good you are. You have to be licensed here to be a realtor. Can't help you with the salary of bartending, etc. but most have to work more than 1 job. Season slows in May/June. Housing is easier to find but this doesn't look to be a promising season with the economy & the summer may be worse.
No area is crime-free.
As far as housing, having 3 little dogs can present a problem. STJ is much more expensive for housing than STT is. Tons of places have views. That's no biggie. You have enough money but stash some untouchable amount in the States. It's really easy to blow through a lot of $$ down here before you know it. It would be a shame to blow all your equity if it doesn't work out. It doesn't work out for a lot of people, obviously but it does for others. Nobody can tell.
Check out the Classified section of this forum by clicking on Forum List up at the top left-hand side for apartments, etc.
Have you ever been here? Most advocate a pre-move visit to scope out things & talk to people. Mine consisted of 1 day for an interview, got a job & moved within a week. Good luck.
Others will chime in that know more specific answers to some of your questions.
Posted : December 11, 2008 9:18 pm
