relocating to st.thomas

Drinda,

1) Even many stateside landlords are leery about renting to someone with three pets. Also, October is when the seasonal workers begin to return and it becomes more difficult to find rentals until they leave again next spring. What you're asking for is possible but not "easy." The 2-3 bedroom rental home above the beach that you envision will probably be very expensive if you can find it. A homeowner with a home walking distance to the beach has a valuable amenity and would likely have that home on a weekly rental program.

2) Cisterns and septic systems are not difficult to take care of but they do require some basic regular attention. Also, water is scarce and if you need to purchase water for your cistern you'll probably notice that desalinated water is different from rainwater.

3) Electric is incredibly expensive, landline telephone service is unreliable, high speed Internet service is much slower in the islands than on the mainland.

4) Whether or not you can one stop shop for groceries depends on how tenaciously you are wedded to the idea of eating a particular item or obtaining a favorite product brand. If you're willing to adjust your eating habits to what is available in the store when you get there you can get everything you need in one place.

5) With respect to shipping household goods, it depends on your wallet and your requirements. If you don't require much and are flexible about what you end up with then you can find what you need when you arrive. If you have expensive tastes and can afford to indulge them you can rent a furnished place until you purchase your home and then order furniture. Some people ship their cars, others don't. Previous discussions of this lead me to believe that a shipped car and an island bought car cost about the same so I would buy an island car simply to have an established relationship with a repair facility.

It is important to note that living on STT is not like living stateside. If you are seriously considering moving to STT you will increase your chances of being happy with your decision if that decision is an informed one. Much of the information you need to make an informed decision cannot be gleaned second or third hand, even through a terrific board like this one, so seriously consider visiting before you make any commitments to move here.

Drinda: Have you ever been to the USVI? If you have a job waiting, and if you can't come look around first, my humble recommendation would be to leave your stuff in storage, leave the pets with friends and try out living here for a period of say, 6 months. That would give you enough time to figure out if you really want to go through the trouble of shipping furniture and allow you to find animal friendly digs. DO NOT buy anything until you have lived here awhile.

Living here is not like living in Mexico, but it's not like Palm Springs, either. For one thing, it's a *wet* heat! (LOL! I tickled myself!) As d8 said, goods and services are more expensive and less available. There is a certain inefficiency in most govenment and business interactions that drives people who are accustomed to instant gratification crazy. On the other hand, there are trade-offs. While every place may not be right above a beach, it is hard to find one more than a couple of miles away.

Well said, East Ender! I saw Drinda's post, read dntw8up's detailed response and kept thinking - why doesn't SOMEONE advise her to do a REAL PMV?

Drinda, it appears (correct me if I'm wrong) that you and your significant other (since you said "we") are sort of thinking about moving here sight unseen which is a really big mistake, particularly since you have an obviously familial situation replete with furniture, vehicles and animals.

If you research this board you'll find the answers to many of your basic questions but you simply MUST make a PMV (pre-move visit, if you're unfamiliar with the term) before making any grand moving decision. Coming here stone cold is not something to be recommended.

All the best to you but do your research and plan that PMV!