Apr 17, 2024 | Island News
Every year, a list of books representing the literary heritage of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands is distributed by the Library of Congress’s Center for the Book during the National Book Festival. The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) serves as the Library of Congress’s Center for the Book, U.S. Virgin Islands affiliate. The Library of Congress and its affiliate Centers for the Book work together to promote books, reading, literacy and the Library’s literary programming nationwide through public programs and initiatives designed to attract a diverse population and serve affiliates’ local audiences.
The two books selected for the USVI 2024 “Great Reads from Great Places” are “Ziggy on the Rock,” by C.M. Rohan and “The Lesson,” a novel by Cadwell Turnbull. Both authors grew up in the USVI. Congratulations to the authors!
“Ziggy on the Rock,” by C.M. Rohan, has been designated as the USVI’s youth Great Read for 2024. The book tells the story of Ziggy, a vibrant, adventurous and kind boy who is growing up in the beautiful U.S. Virgin Islands. The book follows Ziggy and his friends as they explore their island home and embrace their Caribbean culture.
“The Lesson,” a novel by Cadwell Turnbull, tells the story of an alien ship resting over Water Island. For five years the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands have lived with the Ynaa, a race of super-advanced aliens on a research mission they will not fully disclose. They are benevolent in many ways but meet any act of aggression with disproportional wrath. This has led to a strained relationship between the Ynaa and the local Virgin Islanders and a peace that cannot last. A year after the death of a young boy at the hands of an Ynaa, three families find themselves at the center of the inevitable conflict, witness and victim to events that will touch everyone and teach a terrible lesson.
Read more on the St Croix Source here.
Apr 12, 2024 | Island News
Monthly sales data, inventory, and days on market for the St. Croix, USVI real estate market is available in our downloadable Coldwell Banker real estate reports. The is a report for each category: Homes & Condos, Condos, Homes, and Land!
If you are not familiar with with the implications of the data, please give us a call or email us directly with any questions. We are Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR) and Seller Representative Specialist (SRS) and have the experience and local knowledge to help you in every step of the process. We can help you narrow down neighborhoods based on your priorities. We can also advise you on the market trends in your desired neighborhoods.
Open reports by clicking on links below:
Homes & Condos – March 2024 Report
Homes – March 2024 Report
Condo – March 2024 Report
Land – March 2024 Report
Note: The average sales price and the average days on market could be skewed greatly by only one sale or because of the small number of sales
Apr 12, 2024 | Island News
One of St. Croix’s most celebrated events is making a triumphant return for its 24th year! Taste of St. Croix returns on Thursday, April 18th to showcase St. Croix’s culinary scene from a host of restaurants, caterers, private chefs, and other culinary-based businesses throughout the territory. For the past two decades, Taste of St. Croix has uniquely captured the spirit and flavor of St. Croix’s hospitality industry by way of a celebration that is now recognized as one of the U.S. Virgin Islands’ premier food and wine events. Over the course of three hours, guests are welcome to sample a variety of local and international tastings and savor a selection of elegant wines from around the world.
Event Director Collin Hodge has been involved with Taste of St. Croix since its inception in 2001. “I was initially brought on as a consultant for the event and soon after came on board as event coordinator,” said Hodge. In 2022, the event returned to its original location, Divi Carina Bay Resort, after the property reopened following extensive renovations due to devastating damage from 2017 hurricanes Irma and Maria. Hodge shared that it feels good to be back home at Divi with Taste, and he looks forward to another successful installment of the event. This year, the event has added a five-course wine dinner as a prelude to the main event. On Wednesday, April 17th, guests can look forward to unique wines from Segura Viudas, Robert Mondavi, Elouan, and Quest, each expertly paired with food tastings courtesy of Grapetree Bay Hotel. Tickets are $250 per person and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
A 501 (c)(3) non-profit, Taste of St. Croix promotes and showcases the talent and potential of St. Croix’s hospitality industry through fostering partnerships, sponsoring training and industry events, and building public awareness of service-industry importance to the socio-economic future of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The 24th Taste of St. Croix will take place on Thursday, April 18th at Divi Carina Bay Resort from 6pm to 9pm. General admission tickets are available for purchase at $125 per person; VIP tickets are officially sold out. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.tasteofstcroix.com.
Written by Anquanette Gaspard
Mar 29, 2024 | QA
Question: “Why is a home not selling?”
Chris’s Answer:
Here are 6 common reasons why a property is not selling on St. Croix:
- It’s in a problematic spot. As they say, in real estate it’s all about location. Tough locations aren’t always a reflection of the neighborhood. If your home backs up to the highway, lies directly in the flight path for the airport, or faces a street which feels bustling, Buyers may hesitate. If you can’t change a less-desirable element of your location, work with it. Try to turn it into something positive, or deal with it in pricing. Use landscaping to block an undesirable view or muffle noise, reframe an oil refinery overlook as “evening lights,” and highlight a busy street as a convenient way to get around island.
- It’s dirty or cluttered. We recommend making your home as clean and impersonal as possible, at least for the photos. Repaint, pack up your extensive assortment of travel souvenirs, and remove litter boxes and pets before your showings. The Buyers need to visualize themselves living in the home with their own belongings.
- It needs maintenance. When Buyers see deferred maintenance or a house unkept, they begin to worry about the things in the home they can’t see. It makes a bad first impression. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Do whatever maintenance you can. Repairs will show up in the property inspection, but this is about first impressions.
- Poor curb appeal. The way your home looks when potential Buyers arrive or drive by is important. The first time the Buyer sees the home, they begin passing judgment. A fresh coat of paint on the door, welcoming pots of flowers, and maintained landscaping are simple fixes which go a long way and help the Buyer feel interested.
- An unattractive or inaccurate listing. The description and details of the property need to be accurate, any documents included, and the property should be mapped correctly so that people can find it. Photos should be thoughtful, well-lit, and properly-framed images and videos which show your home or condo at its best. High quality photos and videos matter, and the order of the photos is very important. If there is a view, this should be featured in the first 3 photos.
- The price is too high. Some sellers do not realize how valuable initial pricing is. Besides the main photo, it’s the first impression of a listing. Sometimes Sellers have a belief that their home is worth more than the market will support. We provide current market analysis to assist with initial pricing. Feedback from showings and the number of showings are helpful in determining whether the price should be lower.
Contact us with any questions about real estate on St. Croix!
First published on our March 2024 Newsletter
Mar 29, 2024 | QA
Question: “What makes an attractive listing?”
Christie’s Answer:
Some of the sale listings we see on MLS (Multiple Listing Service) surprise us and NOT in a good way! The photos show the owners’ personal items on the counters or all over the bedrooms, photos are taken vertically instead of horizontally so that less of the rooms are visible, the lighting is poor, the descriptions are uninteresting, the skies are grey, or there are no walkthrough videos or drone videos and photography. Properties are sometimes even mapped incorrectly. We have seen some mapped off-shore in the Caribbean Sea!
In our listings, we take time creating them so that they are accurate, descriptive, and attractive. We have crisp clear photos with most of the personal items removed or hidden, videos to show the property (sometimes including a self-guided 3-D tour), and include any helpful documents such as maps, surveys or plot maps, list of improvements, rules and regulations, and floor plans.
We have sold properties to off island buyers sight unseen, which makes us a little nervous. If the listing has poor photos, or if there’s something our Buyers particularly want to see, we take those photos or videos. Once a Buyer asked for close-up photos of all of the plumbing fixtures. One house was on a rough road, so we took a driving video. We have done FaceTime calls to walk through the property with Buyers answering their questions as we went. The first time they actually saw the house was after it had closed and we handed them the keys!
Contact us with any questions about real estate on St. Croix!
First published on our March 2024 Newsletter
