Do you may have questions about the current market for Homes, Condos and Land on St. Croix? Putting your property on the market for sale or buying a property in the current market is a big decision. Our area reports compare recent and historical sales activity for all property types; single family homes, condos, and land. The reports are available below and we encourage you to take a look at them. If you have any questions, please give us a call or email us directly. We would love to work with you to list your property for sale or help you find the property of your dreams on our wonderful island.
Question: Why should I buy property now if I’m not going to move to St. Croix for a while?
Chris’ Answer: St. Croix is a very diverse island. The east end is different from the west end. The north shore is different from the south shore. The more you move west, the more rainfall you’ll get. Some people like living higher in the hills, and others want to be in flatter areas, or on the water. Sometimes it’s important for people to be near the activities they like best, for example, eating at their favorite restaurants, diving, hiking, or just lying on their favorite beach.
Every property here is unique! It’s rare that you’ll see two houses that are the same. Even condos in the same complex will have different views. That’s why our advice is that if you find a house, condo, or land which appeals to you, buy it now! If you wait, you will probably not find a property which is as good a fit as the property you didn’t buy when you had the opportunity. If it takes you time to move here, you can rent a home or condo long-term, or as a vacation rental. Our experience includes years of property management. We are happy to share that knowledge with you and can steer you in the right direction.
Christie’s Answer: Some of the sale listings we see 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, the lighting is poor, the descriptions are uninteresting, there are no walkthrough videos or drone videos and photography, properties are even mapped incorrectly — they are literally shown in the wrong location on St. Croix and occasionally even off-shore in the Caribbean Sea! These mistakes and omissions are detrimental to the marketing of your property.
In our listings, we are as accurate and descriptive as we can be. The personal items are removed or hidden. We have crisp clear photos, videos when we feel they can help give the buyer a better feel for the property (including a self-guided 3-D tour), and any documents which may include maps, surveys or plot maps, list of improvements, floor plans or anything else which would give buyers useful information. We even use drone photos and videos when those are appropriate.
We have sold properties to off island buyers sight unseen. If the listing has poor photos, or if there’s something our buyers want to see, we take those photos or videos. One house was on a rough road, so we took a driving video for the buyers, and then did a FaceTime call to walk through the property with them. We answered their questions as we went. The first time they saw the house was after it had closed, and we handed them the keys! It’s important to us that each sale is the right fit for the buyers, it’s always “the moment of truth” in these type of situations, but our Buyers were totally delighted and excited!
St Croix, the big island, is just over 84 square miles in size. While that might seem small, the island has so many different areas to live in. The big takeaway from this month’s area reports is, that across all property types, the average sale price increased by just over 38% and the Days On Market (DOM) decreased by over 41%!
We understand you may have a lot of questions about the current market for Homes, Condos and Land on St. Croix. Putting your property on the market for sale or buying a property in the current market is a big decision. Our area reports compare recent and historical sales activity for all property types; single family homes, condos, and land. The reports are available on our website, and we encourage you to take a look at them. If you have any questions, please contact us. We would love to work with you to list your property for sale or help you find the property of your dreams on our wonderful island.
St. Croix is a well-known residency destination for many artists seeking a fresh environment to reflect, research or create new work. Over the last four decades, the island has seen several notable art galleries established. The latest addition to this list occurred in December 2020 when Sonia Deane opened Cane Roots Art Gallery in downtown Christiansted. Her decade-long dream finally came to fruition when the opportunity to rehabilitate a 2,800 square foot building revealed itself, resulting in a complex of residences and an art gallery. Today, Deane’s desire to merge her belief in education and her love of art into a space where collectors can appreciate and purchase art from around the world has been fulfilled.
Originally from Guyana, South America, Deane shared that she has been blessed to have the cultures of Guyana and Suriname in her DNA. At the tender age of 11, she migrated to New York City with her family. Her love story with St. Croix began in 1989 with several visits to the big island over the years. Since the gallery’s opening, Deane has been committed to maintaining her dream of merging art and education. One of the gallery’s first openings did just that. “Remembrance – A Tribute to Leo Carty” was a living legacy exhibition of the late artist whose impressionistic paintings depicted the lives of everyday people in the St. Croix community during the early years of the 20th century. All proceeds from the exhibit supported the Leo Carty Fine Art Scholarships. Four $500 scholarships were awarded to graduating Virgin Islands seniors who would pursue the visual arts following their graduation and demonstrated their commitment to any of the visual arts.
Cane Roots Art Gallery is also dedicated to highlighting Virgin Islands culture in its various exhibits. During the Crucian Christmas Festival Season, “We Ready for deh Road” photo art exhibit lit up Company Street as feathers, costumes and glitter adorned the gallery walls, complementing the photography of the three Crucian artists whose work was featured. Most recently, “Expressions of Freedom” opened at Cane Roots Art Gallery on June 23rd. The show, which consists of 15 artists, invites the community to experience the arts through a sense of freedom: Juneteenth; V.I. Emancipation Day; U.S. Independence Day; and Aug. 1, Emancipation Day in other Caribbean countries. The show will remain on display at the gallery until September 23rd.
Cane Roots Art Gallery is located at 24 Company Street in downtown Christiansted. Normal hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday from 12pm to 4pm. The gallery often hosts evening receptions and sneak peeks of upcoming shows. To learn about their events, current exhibits and featured artists, visit www.canerootsartgallery.com or call 340.718.4929.
Article written by Anquanette Gaspard (agaspard@cruzanfoodie.com) for Coldwell Banker, St. Croix Realty
