In March, Governor Albert Bryan announced that he plans on making St. Croix 100 percent solar-powered by partnering with a major energy firm that could build and maintain a solar plant powerful enough to easily energize the 84-square mile island. He cites that the rising cost of fuel could cause utility bills to go up and this could threaten the economy. He hopes to accomplish this in months and said, “I told my people think about it as we need to get the whole island energized in 90 days…” and avoid the high utility costs that the island experienced in 2008 and 2009.
The Virgin Islands Consortium also reported that Governor Bryan why he is prioritizing St. Croix for implementation. He said, “The reason why we’re looking at St. Croix is because it’s the easiest in terms of topography. We already had a 25 megabit plant that we were looking to install here, so it’s just fast-tracking everything.”
Question: What kinds of technology do you use to create listings?
Chris’ Answer: Because so many Buyers are shopping for property from off island, it is important to include as many details, documents, photos, and videos in a listing as possible. The technology available to us really supports our efforts to create thorough listings. Buyers have told us that they feel that they have already visited the property because of everything we include! Besides excellent photos, we take walk-through videos using a stabilizing gimbal and audio editing software to narrate the property tour. We also use a Matterport camera, which gives a high resolution 3D self-guided tour and a “doll house” view of the property. A floor plan of the property is created so that people can see the layout and flow of the rooms. Often we use a drone to take aerial photos and videos to show the surrounding neighborhood and the view from the property.
Examples:
Play drone video above to view the aerial footage of featured listing 29 L North Slob.Click on image above to launch the Matterport immersive virtual walkthrough for featured listing 14 Boetzberg.
Play video above to view aerial footage with narration for featured listing 86 South Grapetree.
Christie’s Answer: When listing a property for sale, we do a detailed walk through with you. We discuss your goals, and answer any questions you might have about the selling process. During that time, we may suggest simple things that you can do to help make your property more attractive to potential buyers. Then, we search for similar properties which have sold within the past year for comparisons so that we can recommend a listing price. Once a price is agreed upon, and we sign an Exclusive Right to Sell agreement, we create the listing. We include accurate and descriptive writing, photos, videos, maps, and documents. Your listing then appears in St. Croix’s MLS (Multiple Listing Service). Once your listing is in MLS it then is advertised and promoted on our website ChrisAndChristiePowers.com, Coldwell Banker St. Croix Realty’s web site, Zillow, Realtor.com, and literally hundreds of other syndicated real estate websites. Additionally, we market your property in our monthly newsletter, on all of our social media platforms, where we maintain a robust presence, and through paid on-line advertising including websites that focus on St. Croix like Go To St. Croix and Visit St. Croix.
The newest addition to the retail space in downtown Christiansted is all about elevating style and fashion in sustainable ways. Introducing Southern Saint! Southern Saint is a premier island lifestyle brand founded on the shores of the U.S. Virgin Islands. It began as a shared vision three years ago by two entrepreneurs: Matthew Ridgway, owner of Caribbean Sea Adventures and contemporary artist Briana Casale Cox. From there, the idea between these two entrepreneurial minds further developed into creating clothing and swimwear that fit the unique personality of the islands: boat wear with a flair made of fabrics you want to live in. All items are designed on island in the studio by Briana and her assistant designer, Coral Hamilton and produced around the world.
“The name of the brand truly reflects the U.S. Virgin Islands,” said store manager and buyer Haylee Duke. St. Croix is the southernmost island of the three U.S. Virgin Islands “Saints” and the brand’s logo features the ever-popular mongoose; the animal originally brought in by the Danish to resolve the rodent problem on sugar plantations.
In the making for over three years, Southern Saint’s merchandise was ready to roll out at the start of the pandemic. Products were initially carried at St. Croix Surf Company before opening its doors of their retail space in September 2021. Here you will find swimwear for all shapes and sizes that allows ease of movement while working and playing on the water. There is no shortage of fashionable men’s wear either. According to Duke, Southern Saint is focused on giving men options to elevate their styles. “We noticed there was a gap in men’s fashion options on the island and we try to close that gap with Southern Saint.”
Sustainability is key for this luxury lifestyle brand. All clothes in the store are made from natural fibers like bamboo, linen and 100% organic cotton hand dyed with natural ingredients like roots and berries. The bathing suits are made from recycled materials, towels are made from discarded plastic water bottles and there is even a line of shorts made from coconuts! To shop their collection, visit southernsaintvi.com or check them out in person at their retail location on the corner of Queen Cross Street & Strand Street.
Article written by Anquanette Gaspard (agaspard@cruzanfoodie.com) for Coldwell Banker, St. Croix Realty
In addition to the physical beauty of St. Croix, it is often said that the sense of community and acceptance is what motivates many to pack their bags and make St. Croix their new home. This was the case when Julie Sommer and her husband boarded a plane to St. Croix with two suitcases and a 6-month-old baby to escape the brutal Midwest winter in the United States. What began as a winter escape 14 years ago turned into a permanent move geared towards offering occupational therapy, speech therapy and physical therapy to children of St. Croix. “I was surprised to learn there were limited private services available in this field,” said Sommer. With her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (OT) and Bachelor of Science in Health Science, Sommer hit the ground running using her skills, education and expertise in OT to help St. Croix’s children and families.
Before opening her own private practice, JS Therapies, Sommer worked with Department of Education, Seaview Home Healthcare, Department of Health and offered private OT services in collaboration with Island Therapy Solutions. “Helping children learn, grow and shine using a play-based and family-centered approach is what JS Therapies is all about.” Primarily pediatric occupational therapy and speech therapy, Sommer and her staff treat clients with a variety of conditions ranging from neurological disorders, autism spectrum disorders, genetic conditions, Down Syndrome and developmental delays, to name a few.
JS Therapies has been busy developing and implementing new services for children and families throughout the territory with offices in St. Croix and St. Thomas. On St. Croix, Sunny the Fun Bus is the newest addition to their offerings. This clinic-on-the-go provides pediatric speech-language and occupational therapy services across the island. One of the goals for Sunny is to increase community awareness of the need and benefits of speech-language and occupational therapy and provide better access to these services. “Particularly for those living on the west side of the island and families with limited access to transportation to our Christiansted clinic, Sunny is out there providing community education and outreach and direct therapy services to those in need.” Sommer shared that the value of the services provided at JS Therapies can be seen and felt throughout the community, which has increased their need for more therapists. “We want to offer enhanced services and specialty programs like aquatic therapy and feeding therapy.” With more staff, Sommer emphasized that they would have the flexibility to do more home and community services with increased accessibility across the island and the territory. If you’re in this field with the desire to live in paradise, now is a great time to get in touch with JS Therapies to discuss joining their team. Coldwell Banker St. Croix Realty will be on hand to help you find a place to live. Visit their website at www.jstherapies.com/careers and apply today.
Article written by Anquanette Gaspard (agaspard@cruzanfoodie.com) for Coldwell Banker, St. Croix Realty
