Water Island Real Estate

You're kidding right? Water Island is around 400 acres, largely undeveloped. No hotels and only a few private aparments and villas for vacationers.
St Thomas only JUST got high speed internet within the last couple of months, nothing of the kind on Water Island. No UPS, no FedEx, there isn't even a post office over there.
Not anyplace you could carry on a business of the type you describe. And to answer the question "Also, how do USVIers cope with hurricanes? Do they just leave or what?" Those of us who live there most of the time, take precautions and ride them out the same way folks who live in Florida, or Louisiana or Texas do. We LIVE there, we don't just up and leave the island when a storm hits.

Hi Joseph,

Thanks for your reply and for your information on Water Island. Corinne and I have never been to the Virgin Islands. We lived in Hawaii for three years, which I guess got us started into an appreciation of "island living". We returned to our native Texas after 3 years, because the Hawaiian economy just sort of slipped off into the Pacific Ocean, while we were there. It seems to be just now coming back after over 10 years in the briny deep. Under our particular circumstances, I suppose that it would be much more practical to look at relocating to Charlotte Amalie.

I probably should restate my previous questions, couched in terms of St. Thomas. Is it possible, for instance, to send and to receive FEDEX and/or UPS shipments overnight back and forth between St. Thomas and most large mainland US cities within one day's time? If not, then how long would it usually take?

Also, when you used the term, "high speed internet", specifically what does that mean? DSL? ADSL? SDSL? T1? Cable?

I will look forward to hearing back from you.

Charles Traylor

Charles: To answer your questions...As I understand it the postal sevice (which people here use more frequently than the others), FedEx etc. will not guarantee overnight delivery.Sometimes it happens, but only second day is guaranteed. Re: high speed internet, you might want to look at vitelcom.net, the DSL provider. The cable co is talking about service, but I am not holding my breath.

Now, about the advice you didn't ask for! 😉 While the Virgins are "Island living" for sure, they are different from Hawaii. You all might want to come for a visit with the thought of moving and establishing your business here. One question I have is, would your clients be building locally, or are these folks in the states? I ask, because your first question about hurricanes...the architecture here is very different, and bound by Dade County rules (we lost a lot of roofs in Marilyn and determined not to have that happen again!)...hurricane clips and shutters, lots of concrete construction, cisterns under the house, etc.

And maybe you would like to come visit this month and be here for the Tevas Society Chili Cook-off on Sunday, September 22 at Sapphire Beach. That way you could meet some of the fine Texans who have blazed a trail and dance some two-step in the sand!!!

Hi Joseph,

I suspected as much about FEDEX, etc. We had the same problem, when we were living and working in Hawaii. I will certainly get in touch with vitelcom.net to inquire about their Internet services. Thanks for the referral.

Our business, Archline CAD Services, Ltd., only provides CAD work product for other architectural firms, almost exclusively in the mainland US. We have done a couple of assignments in Hawaii for architects in that state, and we even did one for Douglas White, who is an architect there in your own USVI. Although I am a registered architect, I do not practice architecture as an architect-of-record. All the requirements about hurricans clips, etc., which might be required for any projects we would be involved in there locally would be designed and specified by the local architect-of-record.

It is encouraging to hear that some of our Texas citizens can be found living in your neighborhood. As you can imagine, I love chili, especially of the Texas persuasion, and Corinne and I would love to be there for the upcoming cookoff, but we have our home on the market for sale, and we need to be here for showings and hopefully possible offers.

We will be coming out there to take a look around as soon as this obligation has passed. I have already been in touch with Marjorie Roberts, who is a local attorney, concerning some of the legal issues we will have to deal with there, and I have been shopping around on the Internet for local real estate, etc.

I am very enthusiastic about everything I have been seeing so far.

You generous help and advice is greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Charles Traylor

Dear East Ender,

I am so sorry. I did not realize until I posted a reply to you that you are a different person from Joseph. Please pardon the identity confusion.

Regards,

Charles Traylor

Here is a re-post of a reply to a past question about Water Island. It is a bit different from what you are asking about, but may help give you an idea of what the island is like.

I imagine you would find the island considerably changed if you were here when the Hotel was in operation. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo devastated the Virgin Islands, and the Hotel and most of its related structures were destroyed--the Beach Bar, dive operation, marina, etc were all heavily damaged, and have since been mostly demolished and removed. Hurricane Marilyn in 1995 finished what Hugo started, wiping out most of the Hotel villas by Flamingo Bay Lagoon. The Beach Bar pavilion still stands, and was repaired to some extent by the VI Government at the time that Water Island was transferred from the Department of the Interior to the Virgin Islands, but there is nobody running any bar there, and the structure is open to weekend rental by groups and individuals wishing to use it for private parties, weddings, etc.

If you recall the terms of the operation of the Hotel, you'll remember that Walter Phillips originally purchased the lease of the entire island from the US Government (Dept of the Interior) in 1952, with the agreement that he would develop the island. He did so, starting the Hotel and subletting lots to individuals who built vacation homes here. In the mid 1960's, Mr Phillips sold his Master Lease to Edward McArdle, who continued running the Hotel and expanded it. The Hotel went through a couple of name changes and subleasings, but eventually came back to McArdle. Walter Phillips remained active in the running of the Island, but was no longer the Master Leaseholder. In 1989, Hugo hit and wiped out most of the infrastructure, leaving the island considerably battered. The Civic Association grew stronger at this time, as Mr McArdle, knowing that the leases expired in 1992, simply took his insurance money and decamped, leaving the islanders high and dry without any support services. Members of the community took over repair and maintenance of the beach, roads, roadsides, etc. In 1992, the leases expired, and the homeowners spent the next few years arguing with the Federal Government over a fair purchase price for the land they had built on. An agreement was reached in 1996, and eventually most homeowners purchased their land. The island was formally transferred to the Virgin Islands on December 12, 1996 (Transfer Day).

Today, there is nothing standing on the knoll where the Hotel once stood, except for the remains of a tennis court and a few palms, plus a couple of private homes which survived the storms. The small "lighthouse" structure at the marina, as well as all of the marina buildings, are all gone. The ferry dock was trashed in Hurricane Georges in 1998, and has yet to be rebuilt, though funds have been allocated. We use a floating temporary dock at this time. As I write this, the Bureau of Reclamation is completing agreed-upon cleanup of the villa area, demolishing about 10 ruined villas and removing the debris. All land that once belonged to the Hotel and wasn't purchased by private individuals now belongs to the Virgin Islands, and we now pay property taxes and are full residents of the VI.

The island is still beautiful--one of the best-kept secrets in the Virgin Islands, as we have so little exposure and hence many people know little about Water island. As a result, we have virtually no crime, and we have developed a very strong community, where people look out for each other and everyone pretty much knows everyone else. We are seeing signs of development as some of the older homeowners have died or moved to the States and their homes have been sold, and new residents move in and renovate or rebuild some of the damaged homes. We're pretty much back to normal now, after the storms, but you can still find ruined homes on the island. Real estate has become desirable, and prices are pretty high since there's a good demand for homes here. I have sold 13 properties in the last couple of years (I'm a property manager for about 35 homes on the island, and hold a Realtor's license as well), and we have only a few listings left at this time, as there's not much turnover. The last few years have seen a decrease in hurricane activity, which has given us much-needed time to rebuild and restore the island. I personally find it the best of all places to live--I may be a bit biased!-- I love the peace and quiet, the friendly and caring neighbors, and the generally easygoing pace and attitude here. We have few goods or services--no police, fire department, schools, stores, or restaurants--but we are working on forming a volunteer fire department, a resident has started a licensed mobile food service which serves lovely dinners and lunches on Honeymoon Beach every weekend, the Civic Association looks after general beautification and interacts with the local government on issues important to WaterIislanders, and we have full US Postal service through the new mail facility at the ferrydock. We have a book exchange, the islanders have built a float for entry in the Carnival parade for the past couple of years, and we are fond of potluck dinners, cocktail parties, and ice cream socials on the beach. All in all, a pretty laid-back place!

I hope this helps to answer some of your questions--if you ever get the chance to visit, let me know, as I do handle a few rental homes here on Water Island, and could probably help you find a place to stay. If you want me to forward some photos of the island, let me know, as I have a large collection of photos on file in my computer for real estate purposes, and would be happy to send some to you.

Best regards,
Mary Coe

Charles,

As concerns high speed internet there is ADSL from Vipowernet. www.vipowernet.net. We are a network consulting firm and can assist you with your network setup. If needed we can also get you a T1 line from a leading telecom players.

Hi Mary,

Thanks for your very descriptive and informative response, concerning Water Island. I almost feel like I have been there, even though in reality I have never been there at all.

Corinne and I have our home for sale right now. After we get a contract and close on the sale and move out, we are planning on coming down to the USVI to have a look around. I would be interersted in more details about the rental homes you handle there on Water Island, and I would also appreciate seeing your photos of Water Island.

Regards,

Charles Traylor

Hi Charles--

Thanks for your comments--as noted, the letter you refer to was originally written to another individual--a former Water Islander asking for an update on the island and inquiring about real estate-- but I believe the content applies to some of your questions as well.
As to the state of high-speed internet, I think the other repondents are quite accurate--it is available, but still in a somewhat formative stage here. I have been told there is a waiting list for installation here on Water Island, but don't know this as fact.
I use overnight mail and Express Mail, but I find that "island time" often applies to the mail delivery here, and I frequently just send things Priority--I have had items sent overnight mail take 2-3 days to arrive--though to be fair, I'm sometimes pleasantly surprised by an on-time delivery. FedEx and UPS can't deliver directly to Water Island--I keep a very reasonably-priced mailbox in Crown Bay Marina on the St Thomas side of the water to accomodate such deliveries, as my business sometimes requires it. Both UPS and FedEx are pretty pricey, and I find US Mail serves my purposes quite well. Contrary to other reports, we do have full mail pickup and delivery on Water Island, though at present we can't buy stamps or get special services. However, the afore-mentioned mail service in Crown Bay Marina can provide a wide range of mail and light secretarial services. Also, DHL Worldwide Services has an office nearby.
I hope you are successful in your search for a buyer for your property in Texas, and would be delighted to send you more details on Water Island real estate, as well as rental info. Please contact me via my email address--hsewrks@viaccess.net--and I will also forward photos to you.

Mary Coe

They have to check you telephone line to see if it can handle the ADSL line. That takes a few days, then you can hook up your modem that they will then give you and you should be ready! I would tend to doubt that because you are on WI it would be any different than STT.
Ronnie