Feb 15, 2023 | Community Events, Island News
St. Croix’s ever popular Agriculture and Food Fair, also known as Agrifest, has returned with its 51st installment and back to its former glory! Since 1971, this three-day agricultural festival has attracted attendees from all over the world to the island to experience everything rooted in agriculture from locally grown fruits and vegetables to livestock, arts and crafts and local cuisine. Agrifest has returned to its original February dates which occur over President’s Day weekend. In prior years, devastating hurricanes and the recent global pandemic resulted in the event being postponed to Memorial Day weekend. The 2023 Agrifest will take place from Saturday, February 18th through Monday, February 20th at the Rudolph Shulterbrandt Agricultural Complex in Estate Lower Love. This year’s theme is “Agriculture: Growing Today for Tomorrow…You, Me, All Ah We… in 2023.” As food security becomes an important topic withing the Virgin Islands community, the theme shines a light on our need to focus on food sovereignty for locals and residents of the territory.
The rich, cultural experiences of St. Croix’s AgriFest are centered around the four F’s: food, fun, family and friends. Upon entry onto the fairgrounds, a myriad of captivating sights and invigorating smells welcome you with spirited delight. On the west side of the fairgrounds in the main exhibition hall is where the farmers market is held. This is where attendees will see an assortment of fruits, vegetables and spices with an assortment of plants on display and many available for sale. Several exhibits sponsored by local schools, youth groups, the Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture, and the US Department of Agriculture can also be found on display.
There is no shortage of fun activities for Agrifest-goers. The livestock exhibits feature goats, chickens, rabbits and peacocks. Stop in at the petting zoo for an up-close-and-personal time with island wildlife, have your little one ride a donkey or enjoy one of the carnival rides for an extra dose of fun. Give your ears a treat with the sweet-sounding tunes from local musicians performing throughout the day and learn something new at any of the informational booths throughout the fairgrounds educating attendees on a variety of agriculture-focused topics.
“This is a true Virgin Islands reunion,” said U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture Commissioner Positive T.A. Nelson. “This is where you see it all – our traditions, our food, and our people.” Get your fill of local delicacies: one-pot dishes like kalalloo, red peas soup and crab & rice, sweet treats such as gooseberry and tamarind stews, tamarind balls, vienna cake and butter cookies and hearty plates of roast pork, stew chicken and conch in butter sauce with the crucial Crucian trimmings of season rice, baked macaroni and cheese, coleslaw and potato stuffing. Pair your meal with a tall glass of tamarind juice, bush tea lemonade, ginger beer, peanut punch or passion fruit juice. Come out and celebrate the 51st annual VI Agrifest from February 18th to February 20th. Admission is $6 Adults, $5 Seniors, $4 Children 12 and under; Three days passes are available for $12 Adults, $10 Seniors, $8 Children 12 and under. The fair will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit https://viagrifest.org.
Article written by Anquanette Gaspard (agaspard@cruzanfoodie.com) for Coldwell Banker, St. Croix Realty
#viagrifest2023 #viagrifest #stcroix #virginislands #usvi #crucianfood #caribbeanfood #farmer #agriculture #foodexhibition
Feb 13, 2023 | Reports
There are a lot of visitors to sunny St. Croix during the winter season. If you are visiting, and hoping to buy a vacation home (or a forever home), contact us! We can show you listings that fit your lifestyle and meet your desired characteristics while you are here. If you are thinking about selling your home on St. Croix, it is a great opportunity to list now as there is small inventory on island at the moment, especially condos. Whether you are interested in buying or selling, we encourage you to take a look at the January Coldwell Banker real estate reports — available below! The sales data will be help you understand the number of listings sold, days on market, the median price listed and sold, and much more. If you have any questions, please give us a call or email us directly.
Open reports by clicking on links below:
All Property Types – January 2023 Area Report
Single Family Homes – January 2023 Area Report
Condo – January 2023 Area Report
Land – January 2023 Area 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.
#stcroixusvi #usvirginislands #virginislands #realestate #realtor #coldwellbanker #caribbean #caribbeanhomes
Feb 10, 2023 | Island News
Whether it’s your first time, or you are dreaming of a revisit, this is a great opportunity to visit St. Croix (for less). Escape from winter cold weather and snow and take advantage of the air credits and discounted room accommodation rates now available for a vacation to sunny St. Croix! The V.I. Dept. of Tourism introduced discounted air and hotel packages for travel to USVI that provide travelers with $200 per person air credits and 10 percent savings at selected hotels and resorts with a five-night minimum stay. Bookings made through March 1, 2023, for travel through April 30, 2023.
Why visit St. Croix?
The U.S. Virgin Islands has received top honors from several prestigious media companies for 2023 and accolades for a successful 2022. Porthole Cruise and Travel Magazine, Yahoo! Life and Frommers all underscored the territory for its ease of travel and new developments. Condé Nast Traveler highlighted the USVI as one of the Best Places to Go in 2023; Travel + Leisure ranked USVI as one of the 50 best destinations to travel to thanks to our beach vibes.
Since the USVI is an American territory, no passports are required to enter St. Croix. Major airlines, including American, Delta, Spirit, and Jetblue, offer direct daily flights from the U.S. mainland and Puerto Rico to St. Croix’s Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (check airlines for the latest itineraries).
Winter Air and Hotel Package Details (book by March 1, 2023!)
Bookings must be made through the participating hotels using the VIBE2023 promotion code. This offer is for people over 16 years of age, does not apply to current reservations, and must be packaged as air and hotel together with back-to-back room nights. Bookings without purchase of a flight to St. Croix do not qualify.
For full information of the package offer details and all the participating partner hotels, go to https://www.visitusvi.com/vibe. Reported by VI Consortium in this article.
Here are some of the participating hotels and resorts’ contact information:
The Buccaneer Hotel – https://www.thebuccaneer.com/
Address: 5007 Estate, Christiansted, St Croix 00824, U.S. Virgin Islands
Phone: (800) 255-3881
Club Comanche Hotel – https://www.clubcomanche.com/
Address: 1 Strand St, Christiansted, St Croix 00820, U.S. Virgin Islands
Phone: +1 340-773-0210
Jan 30, 2023 | QA
Published on our January 2023 Newsletter
Question: “What are the basic qualifications for a 1031 Exchange?”
Chris’ Answer:
Your new purchase also needs to be an investment property and not a primary residence. The new investment property must be of “like-kind” to the property being sold.
Vacation homes or condos can qualify.
- Key Considerations:
- To achieve the maximum tax benefit, the reinvestment must be of equal or greater value.
- The Qualified Intermediary must ensure that all eligibility requirements are adhered to. The investor must not have access to the funds from the sale.
- There are limitations on the amount of capital gains that may be tax deferred.
Did you see our other article about 1031 exchanges and how can you benefit from them? Read it here.
*For more information on 1031 Exchanges, their requirements and additional stipulations, consult a licensed tax professional before making arrangements to begin a 1031 Exchange.
#taxbenefit #realestate #realestateagent #realtor #coldwellbanker #1031exchange #investmentproperty
Jan 30, 2023 | QA
Published on our January 2023 Newsletter
Question: “What is a 1031 Exchange, also referred to as a Like-Kind Exchange? How could I benefit?“
Christie’s Answer:
If you have owned investment or rental property for at least 2 years, a 1031 Exchange enables you to defer some of the tax liability from the sale of that property by reinvesting those proceeds into a similar kind of property of the same or greater value.
With the sale of your property, the funds go to a Qualified Intermediary who will hold those funds until you purchase the next property. Usually you close the sale of your current property before you close the sale of the new property. Although, a “Reverse 1031 Exchange” can be done.
There is a 45 day period after the sale of your property to identify up to 3 properties for your new purchase, and a 180 day period, which runs concurrently, for you to close on your new investment property.
In addition to deferring capital gains taxes, other advantages could include:
- The potential to increase investment income by moving to more profitable real estate markets.
- Property consolidation; combining multiple investment properties into a single property.
- Diversification; dividing one investment property into several properties.
For the basic qualifications, visit our other article here.
*For more information on 1031 Exchanges, their requirements and additional stipulations, consult a licensed tax professional before making arrangements to begin a 1031 Exchange.
#taxbenefit #realestate #realestateagent #realtor #coldwellbanker #1031exchange #investmentproperty
