St Croix Real Estate Agents

Well we obviously don't know all your details but the typical lecture is don't buy property until after you have lived on island for a year or two. Many reasons- you may decide you don't like island life and want to leave and properties typically take long to sell, you will want time to contemplate where you want to live which may be dependent on where you might be working if applicable, etc. St Croix Island Life is good to work with and you may have seen Chris and Kerri Hanley on HGTV.

I just had a friend and her husband visit here last month with the plans (dream) of doing just that very thing. But, after two days here they knew they weren't suited for island life. I've said good-bye to more people that I've met here in the past 20 years.

It's not a vacation when you live here. And, no, you can't spend your every waking moment just staring at the ocean as I see so many glazed over eyes say they would on HGTV.
Houses do not sell quickly here and like many you could get stuck.

Rent, there's plenty on the market fully furnished. STX is a big island and you really won't know exactly where you fit in until you actually experience living here. After 20 years, I still don't know where on this island I want to be. I could've bought, sold two houses in the states, but, here you are more slave to home maintenance than in the states. I now pick up the phone and call my landlord and it is soon fixed.

Oh, and if you plan to have cash on hand after your move. Take what you think you need and double or triple that amount. Cash gets away from you quickly here.

Thank you for the replies!

The visit is very exploratory in nature. I realize the common wisdom is to NOT buy right away and we are by no means feeling obligated to do so. When looking for real estate there we're not necessarily seeking our forever home... in fact it is meant to be more of an investment that we could use as a rental for cash flow in the future. It would be a way for us to have our foot in the door though and give us a place to stay, and we could always rent in another location of the island if we found we did not like the location of the property.

Anyway, the rental market and financial considerations are also things we would like to discuss with an agent, so just seeking recommendations as a way to gain more knowledge for now.

Thanks again!

I hope you realize a Realtor probably will fudge your having a seasonal rental rented most of the year here. Look for statistics and not just accept the Realtor's numbers. They do work for the seller, not the buyer. I'm speaking from position of a former Realtor. Not every investment rental is rent here all the time. We have a short season for snowbirds and tourists. Call Coldwell Banker Real Estate and get them to send you one of their extensive catalogs. They have a good one. Tons of property for sale here now.

12 weeks of vacation rental/year would be considered good.

I don't believe any good Realtor will "fudge" on what a seasonal rental can do or cannot do. It is also very dependent on the property, it's location, amenities, how well it's maintained, managed and marketed.

Most reactors want their buyer to be educated and happy with their choices.

Hate spell check!