Moving to STX in 3 weeks, help/advice/etc. appreciated!

Hey SCLawGuy12

Welcome to STX....send you a PM. Good luck!

Hello all! I just accepted a job with the VI Superior Court on STX. My start date is Monday, February 4. The turnaround is pretty quick, but I was wondering if anyone had any advice on temporary housing for when I get there so I can look for a more permanent apartment.

To give you some background, i'm in my late 20s and single, moving alone. I plan on selling my car here and buying one on the island, so advice about that would be helpful, too. Permanently, i'd be looking for a 2BR or a 1BR large enough to accommodate the occasional visitor from the mainland. I've gotten the impression that WAPA can run pretty high, but my general ballpark right now would (ideally) be $800-$1000 a month inclusive of everything. Is that reasonable? Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

If you haven't already done so, read as many old posts on this website as you can... Go to search and be sure to click on" all dates". Put in your area of interest and you will get many helpful opinions.

Yes you might get a livable place for around $1000 a month, but you will know more when you spend time looking. Anything I would want to live in is $1500 or more. WAPA is almost always extra and can vary from $100 to $600 a month depending upon size, location, etc.. You seem to be headed in the right direction. I hope you have spent some time on the island. Either way your life will be full of surprises...good and bad.

good advice! STX is awesome, STT is too I think but definitely different. We've only been "moved" here (STT) for 5 days and enjoying getting to know the island, looking for our rental/cars, and making friends. Kim Lucas is who we worked with in STX and became fast friends! She is awesome, i cant say enough good things. She works now for Sotheby's and doesn't really handle rentals as much but can definitely help u get connected with the right person for it. CL is a crapshoot lots of scammers but I did meet Kim through there. Flex mls was really helpful and sea glass website is a really great resource to scope out rentals. IMO a Realtor is invaluable... Unless you REALLY know the island. I really liked the east end personally. More dry and views of buck. We did a PMV for a month there and looked at a few reasonable place in your price range. I'm by no means an expert but if u want to ask me anything shoot me a PM and I will give u my cell... And opinion 😉

So far the only thing I regret is not listening to board members here about bringing my CRV! Damn it! They were totally right, shoulda brought it with. Lesson learned lol.

So far the only thing I regret is not listening to board members here about bringing my CRV! Damn it! They were totally right, shoulda brought it with. Lesson learned lol.

Why the CRV? (I'm guessing this is the honda CR-V?) because of the roads? can you expand a bit on that?

I'm finding it harder than I thought to find an "island" car. Mainly I am assuming because if the high season, the Honda CRV is a perfect car for here. We actually almost bought a CRV today until I had a mechanic look at it and tell me it needs some major work. It would have cost 2300 to ship and everything but would have been worth it to have a car that I knew the history on, even with 170k miles.

I was prepared for the roads here but NOT for the steepness of the driveways. There are some REALLY scary ones lol!!! After a few days I've gotten a bit better but my stomach flips when I look up those driveways... Plus we rented a really tiny car, hahahha!

Anyone catch that rainbow today? I got a killer pic of it.... So amazing, I'm betting their common but wow how beautiful

Also saw a pair of Zebra Longwing butterfly's dancing on a flower right by me at lunch. They are so pretty.

I was prepared for the roads here but NOT for the steepness of the driveways. There are some REALLY scary ones lol!!! After a few days I've gotten a bit better but my stomach flips when I look up those driveways... Plus we rented a really tiny car, hahahha!

lol, you get used to driving on the rock, it really makes driving pretty much anywhere else easy.

I'm finding it harder than I thought to find an "island" car. Mainly I am assuming because if the high season, the Honda CRV is a perfect car for here. We actually almost bought a CRV today until I had a mechanic look at it and tell me it needs some major work. It would have cost 2300 to ship and everything but would have been worth it to have a car that I knew the history on, even with 170k miles.

I think I tried telling you this before you came out there!:D

 

You could contact John at Pelican Heights for temporary or maybe longer housing.
He might even have a car t rent you until you find one.

I'm finding it harder than I thought to find an "island" car. Mainly I am assuming because if the high season, the Honda CRV is a perfect car for here. We actually almost bought a CRV today until I had a mechanic look at it and tell me it needs some major work. It would have cost 2300 to ship and everything but would have been worth it to have a car that I knew the history on, even with 170k miles.

I think I tried telling you this before you came out there!:D

Oh I think you did, a few did and I TOTALLY shoulda listened! Sorry, and damn it lol!!

 

i had a firend not thinking say "the driveway must a a bitch when it ices up in the winter" Boston mentality.

you know terry, i was gonna say " i told you so " too

Best of luck to you! We moved here in Dec and can't wait to get out way touch crime!

Sorry! Stupid auto correct! Way to much crime for us here!!

JnTtega - please fill us in on your experiences. Why do you say there is too much crime?

Sad to say ----crime is indeed here on St Croix. And in my homestate, RI, and in PR,,,,and in..........

Crime is everywhere, but just like anywhere else, parts of St Croix you dont hang out at , or be at certain times. This doesnt guarentee crime will not find you, but being street smart keeps you away from the high risk areas.

For instance, one former tenant always yaking about the crime and how he has been robbed 2 times in 3 years. But he doesnt tell the whole story, both times he was in downtown Christiansted after 2:00AM walking the streets drunk when he was robbed.

tHe former tenant is allways complaining----- how he hates St Croix and he to cant wait to leave. However, I still run into him and 5 years after he moved here, he is still here. Although he has all his family in the states and has visited numerous times to the states since being robbed-------and always returns.

Like many of our friends say, you either love it here or hate it. More people love it than hate it.........and if you hate it, just move on.

Druggies in the streets all night, getting buckets thrown at us cause we are white, getting called names, talked to people who have been robbed and everyone we have talked to says do not walk home after dark! Just don't feel safe, I know crime is everywhere but been more exposed to it here!! Even walking in the day we have been asked if we need a "street pharmacist"

Hard to figure. This is my third year living on STX 24/7 and I haven't had any of those experiences. Robbed by WAPA? Sure. Bad service from Innovative? Yep. But no violence, no thuggery, no thefts. I must be doing something right or you must be doing something wrong for there to be so much difference in how we've been treated by the island.

We greet everyone with respect and say good afternoon! I don't see that as doing anything wrong!!

RHSTOO, it has nothing to do with whether you do something right or wrong, it is just "the luck of the draw". We have had things done where we did nothing to warrant it as did many other posters on this board. being in the wrong place at the wrong time will get you killed, robbed etc.
or just being asleep in your house will get your car broken into or worse.

I think rhstoo comments are from the majority...........so the majority of us are doing something right, as I am white----100% Italian......PARK MY CAR accent...............and stick out like a fish out of water St Croix.......................AND HAVE BEEN TREATED BY THE LEVEL OF RESPECT I SHOW by most locals..............ST CROIX IS PARADISE TO MOST.

Pretty much every week have a murder in the territory. The yearly average is is around 50 for a population of 100,000 residents. That's about 100X times higher than the national average. Many of those murders are of INNOCENT people, who lead normal everyday lives. Many of these murders go unsolved. HEARTBREAKING! The blame the victim attitude is disgusting! It horrible enough to grieve for your son, (husband, brother, friend) without hearing some idiot go off about he "probably deserved it". My heart goes to out the mothers who lost sons this year. May you find peace.
Anyone who is stupid enough to publicly deny that the VI is overwhelmed by crime is a BIG part of the problem.

Since the OP will working at the STX court house, I'm sure he'll/she'll gain an understanding of the crime situation pretty quickly. Wasn't a STX court house employee murdered a few months ago (shot in the back)?

And, before anyone else mentions it, yes discussing crime on a public forum is bad for the torrist business....

Thats ok we read the Vi paper.

...Crime is everywhere...

Although true as a statement, that statement makes for a rather pitiful argument. It's a matter of degree, isn't it?

I think rhstoo comments are from the majority...........

Not the majority that I know.

I've been here for almost 7 years and nearly everyone I know - at least those I've spoken with about it - have been victims of crime. Property crime is extremely high.