stx econ boom?

We just visited in July. STX did seem a bid depressed. But we have not been there for a wile. Dh was there 17 years ago and things where different then. I certainly see the potential and there are several developers who have grand plans in the coming years. I think that with some good public relation marketing STX can certainly be what it ones was and better. Land is still fairly inexpensive. As you are a handy men that might be the way to go for you. I understand condo fees are high. If I where you and I had to choose between a house and a condo I would go the house route. I have the feeling you could fix up about anything. It is also good to be able to garden as food is expensive on the Islands. Constuctions are increasing from what I have read. But I am no pro so I hope some of the Islander will jump onboard and tell you more.

Iris

St. Croix is definitely not experiencing an economic boom, but on balance, things seem to be getting better. Construction is up nearly 100 percent over last year. There are a lot of new houses, including mansions, going up on the east end. Another tile and marble installation business might well be needed here.

I can't think of an Estate Tipperary here. I live off Tipperary Road, or Route 60, on the east end near Cheeseburgers in Paradise. If this is the area you mean, it's a solid middle class area with a mix of transplants, West Indians, and Puerto Ricans. Crime is low.

There is always a lot of talk about "grand plans," most of which don't materialize. However, some do, and I think we're seeing that now.

I, too, would buy a house, bkny, especially with your skills. A condo association might put limits on improvements you want to make.

thanks for the reply the house is 56 tipperary. according to the mls listing it needs some work but if the area is good than its worth it. We were talking to the owner of baci last year and heard some things about tourism, cruise ships runway taxes all negative. Wondering if there have been any changes and if the "grand plans" would impact the island to much and turn it into stt.

At the pace things happen here, it would take decades for Saint Croix to become like Saint Thomas, and frankly, I don't see it happening. The environmental groups seem pretty effective in blocking undue development, and islanders in general don't seem to want a lot of it.

From your post, I'm not sure if you've actually seen number 56. I could probably swing by if you want me to and look at the yard and outside of the house.

BKNY,

Good evening!!

Have you seen 56 tipperary? We looked at it a few weeks ago. E-mail me if you would like to know some details about the home. I think Hip Crip may have looked at it too. Needs a roof. Good luck!

Donnie

Ask your Friendly Realtor what happened to Tipperary and #56 in 1979.

bkny,

I've been inside the house you're looking at -- the MLS description is somewhat misleading in terms of its assessment as being in fair condition. The house needs major repairs, including a new roof -- the current roof is termite ridden and has large holes, apparently from where someone fell through. It looked (and smelled) as though squatters have been residing there, which wouldn't be surprising since it has been on the market for close to four years now. We guessed that it would need at least $125k in work to become habitable, but given your skills, you would probably be able to do a great deal of the work yourself.

We were told by numerous folks that Estate Tipperary is one of the hot property locations right now, and that home values are expected to rise. A major downside to that area is that the roads in that neighborhood are not paved and were laden with large potholes, many filled with standing water, when we looked at #56 and two other properties not listed with MSL last spring. The road conditions were one of the factors that turned us away -- we didn't think our small car would be able to survive the trips in and out of the subdivision.

The layout of the house is very unique. You enter through one of four iron gates into an open-air, covered central courtyard that has an old koi pond in the center. (There's also still a beer banner and old holiday lights hanging up from the last party thrown there.) There are four "pods" that can be accessed from the courtyard: to the front of the house is a kitchen/dining room, on at olne end and in the rear are two bedrooms with a shared full bath (shower/tub), and the other end is a living room. All pods are accessed through door walls. We absolutely loved the design, until we started thinking about trying to get from pod to pod during a bad storm as the wind and rain would likely blow through the courtyard.

The yard is enormous, and the house sits at the back end of hte lot. There is a paved driveway and paved parkikng area in the rear. The lot sizes offer a great deal of privacy and separation from your neighbors. Even though the lot is located in a higher elevation, there is no view of the water that we could see.

FYI, this property went on the market at $175k and was only dropped to the current asking price within the last year.

Despite the problems related to its current state of disrepair, we still have a warm fuzzy spot in our hearts for this place and would love to see someone bring it back ot its full potential. With the right work and lots of TLC, it could really be something.

HC

Hello Hip Crip

This may seem a dumb question, but I am asking anyway. What is the MLS Listing, and does it have a web site? Thanks in advance for your help.

Ray

Ray,

Not a dumb question at all! MLS stands for Multiple Listing Service, a giant nationwide database through which realtors can list properties that can bve searched for using many different variables like price range, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, etc.

While certain MLS info is available only to realtors, many realtors give the public access to the MLS listings in their areas through the realtor's web site. There are a number of USVI realtors that offer this service -- I've tended to use http://www.chrishanley.com/index.htm because it was an easy URL for me to remember.

When you access http://www.chrishanley.com/index.htm click on the text link called SEARCH LISTINGS -- it's the third link from the left side of the page in the narrow dark blue bar located just unde the logo. Select the search criteria you want to use, and the MLS database will display a range of info for all matches, including sq. footage, location, number of bedrooms and baths, appliances, year built, even if there are homeowners dues required. . Many will include at least one photo, but it seems rare that listings on MLS or even on the local real estate show will provide pics of the interior.

Like any database, garbage in equals garbage out. These are a good place to get some idea of what's out there, but take everything you read with a grain of salt and don't get too fixated on any one place being a real bargain or perfect for you until you have personally visisted the area in which it is located. The house we bought was pretty fairly represented except for one thing: the MLS said it was a beachfront home -- but the house is about as mid-island as you can get!

Hope that helps....

HC

Thanks Hip Crip. Interesting site. Very helpful. Hope you guys stay fairly dry down there with the new tropical depression moving through. We will be thinking of everyone, and praying for the best.
Ray

Uh, what happened at Tipperary and #56 in 1979?
Do tell.