Tax and insurance on St. John homes?

I think the insurance really depends on what the house is made of. My wooden home is MUCH more expensive to insure as opposed to concrete. My insurance is double what concrete homes pay.

Would that be because wood doesent hold up as well in hurricanes as stucko or cement? Do the newer homes have to be built with certain materials?

That's the theory, although my home is 30 years old and has never had any hurricane damage. When other concrete homes were destroyed, mine survived. I am not sure if the codes say that a home must be built with concrete or not. There are many factors that go into the reason why some homes are safer than others, one of them being where the house is built. There is a reason why homes were never build in certain areas. I would not want to be on Ditleff Point if there is a major storm.
Are you building or buying?

Buy, Just starting the looking process and where and what it will take to pull it off. I do know I want to be on St.John and up a hill and anything but the east end is in sight at this time. I don't want to but a wind whipped hurricane damaged home or possibly have one after a hurricane goes through. Coming from Michigan I have no idea what is good bad or in different so my homework will be months in the making. Then when I zero in I will ask for recommendations on a Realtor. Im having a blast just looking at all the homes on the MLS...

Just remember that homes depicted on MLS websites are not "always what they seem". Photos and descriptions are meant to "sell house" so they tend to show the good points and can overlook a house's shortcoming. Photos are not always "recent", rarely do they show what's next door and you'll never see one showing the crumbling wall outside or the damage from leaking water pipes, etc. so as the say, let the buyer beware. Do your research and try not to get too excited about a property until you've seen it in person.

As for budgeting for insurance costs, figure the annual premium will be somewhere between 1% and 3% of the replacement value of the home.

If you get the H&G channel (Home & Garden Channel) on your TV the have a program called House Hunters International. Every once in a while they have a segment on buying a home in the USVI's (as well as other Caribbean islands). It's interesting to watch and gives you a good idea at how much houses in the islands cost. On the USVI's in general and on St. John in particular you don't get a lot for your dollar so be prepared for sticker shock when you see what the actual house is like vs. what's shown on the MLS sites. Of course, if you are looking at $1 million+ housing then the photos are closer to reality.

Have fun searching for your dream home.

Thanks so much for the reply. Been to St.John many times. Only seen the homes we rented and drove by. I will admit every home I click on the MLS it protrays to be in perfect condition and no negatives so I'm sure that is to catch the interest of a buyer. I did see the St. John HGTV episode. It was so cool and knew where they were.I'm going to have to start asking more questions and pin down a few. I actually like some rentals better than whats for sale. I have so many questions not sure where to start or trust from a long distance. But I have time to do my own research for now. Thanks again

Insurance is generally 3% of the home price. More if it's a risky are or if it's made of questionable materials or it just goes up. Discounts are usually available for things like good hurricane shutters, but it's not much. If you can afford to buy a house outright it is up to you whether you insure it of coarse, if you have a mortgage then you must. Most condos include their insurance in their condo fees and that is one reason why they will seem astronomical to a new comer. But trust me a house will cost you about the same over the coarse of the year unless you are handy. The weather here is pretty tough on everything here.

I assume like stateside there are good home inspectors that can be hired? What did you mean by the weather is hard on everything there? Would that because of the humidity, winds, rain and hurricanes? Will the real estate agents there have answers to my questions such as who to hire, where to buy cars, how to get around all the islands, time frames for stores, mail etc?.....I could ask so much more but dont want to over ask as I need to take one step at a time.

Ok, Breathe.:S You need to read this board like it was a book. You will find honest answers to your questions and find questions you didn't think to ask. Number one rule is DO NOT buy till you have lived on island at least a YEAR. The pluses to island living are beautiful and obvious, but more people leave after a year or two then stay, for many reasons. Same goes for opening a business here, much much better idea to live here for a while.

Answers to your questions:
Home inspectors: Not one on stx that I would recommend and they are much more expensive. Here it is better to hire the best in their fields and have them check out your purchase.

Weather: yes what you said, it makes everything rust, destroy's electronics quicker, rots wood quicker, if you concrete house was made with beach sand it will start to fall apart, etc... The salt, wind, humidity will destroy everything more quickly.

Cars: If you have a good one and it's paid off, ship if from maimi, ft lauderdale etc... If you're moving to stj, you will need 4 wheel drive and at least 6 cylinder vehicle.

Real estate agents: Not all are created equal, make friends quickly so you have someone else to ask questions of and of coarse there is this board. This message board also has a search feature up top that will let you look up answers.

Mail is generally going to be a PO box, not mailboxes on any house I know of, but I'm sure someone has one.
Everything is much more expensive on stj and there's not much shopping at all. Many people take the ferry to stt and order stuff online.

Have you done a PMV or visited the islands yet? St John is only 25sq miles, it's tiny but incredibly beautiful I know, but there are not many full time residents.

Thank you for the reply, I'm planning on spending at least 6 months on st. john in a rental and hiring a real estate agent to show me some homes that I have found and just do alot of asking questions with the locals. I actually would like to be there during the hurricane season to get a feel for what the storms and heat are like. Check out car dealerships on Stt..I will be leaving my vehicle in Michigan..I really have alot to do and consider. I'm going to try to stay away from wood homes though. I have seen alot of nice rentals that I wouldn't mind looking into seeing if the owner would consider selling.

Whoops I meant that to be a happy smiley, not a snarky smiley, first and last time I try clicking instead of doing my own. Best of luck to you.

Like Hiya says the "weather is hard on everything" - the sun's UV light plays havoc on materials - fabrics (even sunbrella fabrics) fade or deteriorate quickly. Plastics become brittle - I've replaced my outdoor hand held shower fixture 4 times in 8 years and gone through countless water hoses, beach lounge chairs and similar products. Hardware items like door knobs, door hinges, screws rust or become pitted quicker than you can imagine. Leather products like shoes rot or become mildewed - forget about having leather furniture - that's just asking for trouble. Exterior wood trim on the house needs repainting or re-staining almost yearly especially if it gets lots of exposure to direct sunlight. Anything made of metal (appliances, cars, etc.) rusts almost before your eyes. If you happen to live in an area with frequent power outages the electrical surges will play havoc with your electronics and that includes any appliance with an "electronic control panel" like you find on most "modern" microwaves, ovens, dishwashers, clothes washers, dryers, TV's computers, etc. In other words if you like things to look nice and work as they should you'll be replacing those items 2 to 3 times as often as you do now.

FYI - any one island doesn't get a hurricane every year (you can research the frequency of hurricanes on any given island by going to the "Climatology section at www.stormcarb.com). During hurricane season we may just get periods of heavy rains, ocean swells or both but not necessarily high winds. We basically have two seasons with only about a 5 to 10 degree difference in average temperatures between the hottest days (in the summer) and the coolest (in the winter months). The biggest difference is in winter we get cooling breezes (very welcome indeed) vs. no breeze and higher humidity in summer.

Do spend some time 6 months to a year before buying or making a permanent move - in the long run you'll be glad you did. St. John is small and you can develop "rock fever" (a desire to get off the island and "back to civilization" every once in a while) so factor that into your future plans. I love living in the Caribbean but I have to go "off-island" every 3 or 4 months otherwise I go crazy. Many of my friends feel the same way.

Do as much "personal" research as you can, don't rely solely on what you see/read on the internet or in books - see it first hand - everyone's vantage point is different.

Good luck following your dream

That is gret information. Thanks you so much..I will make notes of all the tips I can get and run them past the real estate agent or any large purchase I make. Any more tips, suggestions or personal experiences I would love to read.

Hi Leslie

As most know on this (and other) forums my husband and I are both Realtors on STJ so I did send you a PM.

Have a great weekend and happy "searching" 🙂

Pia

It is a fairly common statement ' if you want to leave the Vi with $1M - come with $2M.' On STJ you may want to double or triple that $ entry fee.

Hey, if you can afford a home on St John, don't sweat the taxes and insurance!;)

Im finding on the St.J MLS that homes for sale under $400,000 seem kinda run down and are older in age. Although the views are just wonderful. The pics look good but I have to stare at it and read the info.and have more questions than when I started. Oh this is going to be fun long distance.

AHHH! The reality of home buying in the Caribbean is beginning to sink in - $400,000 won't get you very much on St. John. Housing costs throughout the Caribbean are "high" and they are even "higher" on St. John (it has some f the most expensive real estate in the islands). I don't know where in Michigan you are from but as a general rule housing on St. John will cost you anywhere from 75% to 100% more than for comparable housing 'back home".

I don't know what your current housing situation is like or what your housing budget actually is but if you are hoping to maintain the same lifestyle (house-wise) as you do now you may find that you'll have to increase your budget substantially. The alternative is to set your sights lower.

There are no bargains in the Caribbean.

Yup, I totally understand this and couldnt agree with you more on St. J home prices. But St.J is where I want to be and will pay dearly for it I know this as well. I do have the time to be selective for the right home. I have alot of so called homework to do. But nothing on any island is a surprise to me. Inluding the 6.99 gallon of milk. lol

Interesting topic and discussion. Leslie if you have the time please keep us updated. Afriend, Hiya-Excellent insight which I'm sure many are absorbing. I know I am.;)

I sure will, as each day will bring me more insights and house hunting the long distance way. Any info, suggestions, opinions and experience will be greatly appreaciated....:-)

You really should live on-island for at least 6 month before starting your search in ernest. That will give you time to figure out which area will be right for you and to do some networking.

Yup, I did mention that 12 post up that I would spending 6 months or so in St. John to be able to get a feel for the island and ask the many questions before signing on any dotted line.

It sounded more like you're going to be home shopping during those six months. Why not just enjoy the island first? See if it's a good fit? I know your thinking why are these people trying to crush my dream or keep me from coming but most of the regular posters here have lived here a while. And we see the turnover rate, it's extremely high and selling a house here is just hard. You'll still be an islander even if you rent. 😉 Just trying to give you good honest advice, waiting a year would be better, that's about when the honeymoon starts to wear off and you see the island for what it is, good and bad. Although if you are retired (and don't need to work to supplement your retirement), or just rich enough you don't have to work, the island drawbacks may never bother you.

400k I would be looking at condos and not houses (on stj), Unless you are very handy. 400k on stx would get you a nice starter home in a good area with a good view, nothing huge and fancy.