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Just got bk from st john. i felt compelled to share my experience with future travelers due to my difficulty in getting answers to key questions. Housing was one of my biggest concerns arriving on the island. I researched and followed posts on message boards ( mainly this one) to try to better understand how i could find accomodations. Some people replied to my postings ( godbless them )so for those of you who haven't had there questions answered feel free to drop me a line and i will do my best to help! Now to better describe my experience let me first point out that to make a successful move from mainland to island you must be willing to live a certain way( don't be spoiled)! There is also a really big difference between islands. I stayed one night in st thomas and knew instantly that i didn't like it( i perferred a smaller town feel). I then took the red hook ferry to St John. There's no room for impatient or grumpy people here! be prepared to say good morning,good afternoon, good evening to any and every person that you make eye contact with. RESPECT is huge out here. I particularly loved that ! So if your not a social type of person you will be real quick. Word of mouth is how some people find work and homes so BE NICE! Now on St John there is a spot up to the right from the ferry dock called "connections". this is thier local bulletin board full of work,apts,houses, etc... plus it's a internet cafe and post office combined. great place to start your research!
Now where should you stay? for me the answer had to be affordable , clean, safe, and with AC. ( it's hot, plus i arrived in summer)The answer was The Tamarind Court! Loved the inn keeper and the breakfast was fantastic! I didn't call ahead but YOU SHOULD! I got lucky. The St John inn i heard is also a great place to stay. For those of you that are scared to travel alone, i traveled by myself, so for those of you that want to do it , DO IT! Last thg , work? Well i had an advantage i'm a bartender. lots of work in the hospitality bis.
some of you might ask why did i come bk. it's very seasonal, i found work and start at the end of october so i decided to wrk bk in florida , save money and come bk with a bigger savings account! YOU NEED MONEY TO RELOCATE! good luck to you fellow travelers i hope i helped at least a little.
Posted : June 20, 2006 9:36 pm
I am serving in the US Peace Corps in Jamaica. My two year commitment will end in August. I can't give up the island life, I am considering Virgin Islands. About how much should I expect to pay in rent? I am use to living in Jamaica, no AC, no hot water and a small apt. so my standards are low.
Thanks, Linda
Posted : June 21, 2006 2:11 pm
Linda,
There is a wide range depending on what it offers and what part of the island it is on. St Thomas and St John keep rent up because of tourism; St Croix has some tourism, too , but houses 'company paid rent ' for oil refinery workers, so rent here can be a bit inflated, too. We live on St Croix, and there is reasonable rent all the time in the newspaper - The Avis. It sounds like you are used to 'island living' and would have no problem finding a place. Safety would be the biggest concern if you are a single woman. Come make a visit of the islands and check out the newspapers - its off-season and a great time to find a place! Welcome.
Posted : June 21, 2006 2:24 pm
Linda:
I beg to differ with you......volunteering for the Peace Corps...I think "your standards" are pretty high.
Good luck in pursuing life in the USVIs.
F.I.
Posted : June 21, 2006 2:25 pm
Hi Linda,
My husband and I just moved here in February and we like it a lot, but IMHO the rental situation here is quite challenging. If your "standards are low" as you say, then you might be okay and might be able to find something BUT be prepared to pay a lot for precious little.
Just a few days ago I looked at a DIRTY, RUNDOWN, place for $2100 a month (PLUS utilities). I mean it was AWFUL. If I owned that place I would have been ashamed to even show it to anyone, let alone try to rent it out for $2100 a month!!!!
And this is just one example. Over the past several weeks I have looked at numerous rundown, sub-standard places that people want a lot of $$$ for. This seems to be the rule rather than the exception.
Sorry about the rant, but I have been on a "grand tour" of rentals on STT for the past six weeks, I have kept a very open mind and have looked at everything I could. And IMHO finding a good rental is very much like finding a needle in a haystack. It could be the time of year that I am looking for rentals, but I have talked to other people that have the same impression that I do.
I have seen a few decent places that met most (but alas not all) of my criteria, but they are far and few in between.
On a brighter note, I have met a lot of great people (potential landlords) very nice, good people, who just don't seem to have a good understanding of how to make a place presentable to renters.
Posted : June 21, 2006 3:06 pm
I am going to ST. john in about a month.. am going to give it a shot to find housing but dont want to move until after the 1st of the year..I think finding somethink in AUgust to move to in feb. will be impossible. where did you find a job?? thanks and good luck
Posted : June 22, 2006 3:54 am
Hi Lauren,
Finding a place in August to move into in February is nearly impossible, but not totally impossible and here is what I mean by this somewhat confusing statement:
We found our current rental last November during a PMV and moved into it in February of this year. We too had been told that it would be "impossible" for us to find a rental four months in advance.
We kept our expectations very low, but didn't give up trying and asking around. And Voila! Our networking paid off. We found an apartment that was under construction. Because the apartment was not quite ready, the landlord was more than happy to "hold" it for us until we needed it.
(BTW, the apartment was nearly finished so that we could see what it looked like, and could also see that it WOULD be finished in a timely manner. We would not have taken it had this not been the case.)
It was a win-win situation for both of us. He had a guaranteed tenant (we signed a lease and gave him the necessary deposits in November), and we had a place to move into when we arrived on island.
Here is my advice to you: Don't have your heart set on finding a place during your upcoming visit, but do network, network, network. It is somewhat of a longshot, especially on smaller St. John, but you never know, something might just turn up for you like it did for us.
Good luck :)!
Mell
Posted : June 22, 2006 12:58 pm
people can tour apartment houses and condo complexes during PMV's and at least know if they like the location and floor plans. Sometimes a unit at a complex you like will be available when you need it, but you probably didn't get to choose the specific unit months in advance. Houses are harder to see ahead of time what you might get somewhere down the road.
Posted : June 22, 2006 7:04 pm
Here is a link to the newspaper, Island Traders, where you will find Housing Ads, jobs and actually get to read the entire paper online.
Posted : June 23, 2006 8:12 pm
whats PMV's?
Posted : June 25, 2006 1:41 pm
Pre Move Visit (PMV)
Posted : June 25, 2006 2:48 pm
