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
Mar 4, 2024 | QA
Question: “What are the top 5 hidden costs to buying a home or condo?”
Chris’ Answer:
We get this question a lot. In the excitement of finding your island home, keep these costs in mind:
- Closing costs, prepaid fees, and other fees. Getting a loan costs money. Plan on paying for your loan to be processed along with an appraisal fee. Closing costs and prepaid fees generally range between 3% – 5% of the purchase price.
- Inspections. An inspection by a licensed home inspector is key to any home or condo purchase. This will inform you as to the condition of the home or condo so that you better understand what you are buying. The owner will disclose anything they are aware of, but an inspector will give you a full detailed report. For a home or land, you will want a survey done. Often an appraisal is needed.
- Association fees. Condos have have HOA fees associated with them. Some homes do, too. These fees will be pro-rated for the year at closing.
- Maintenance, repairs, and decorating. Your monthly budget responsibilities could include landscaping, pool maintenance, pest control, garbage pickup, cable TV, and internet. There might be a few minor things for you to repair after closing. Also, you will want to make your new home YOURS. So, budget for decor, paint, landscaping, furniture, or anything else you may want to change. Sometimes just adding new decorative pillows will change the look of your living room and make it more personal!
- Utility bills. Don’t let budgeting for utilities get lost in your excitement. Think about the energy you will be using (water, electricity, AC, pool, washer/dryer, etc.), and add that to your monthly budget.
Contact us with any questions about real estate on St. Croix!
First published on our February 2024 Newsletter
Mar 4, 2024 | QA
Question: “What are the most important features to think about when looking at St Croix properties?”
Christie’s Answer:
Consider the features that suit the needs of your lifestyle both now, and in the future:
- Outdoor space. Because of the temperate climate, be sure to think about creating wonderful outdoor spaces. Even in condos, there will be galleries. You’ll want enough space for you to relax and enjoy the view and breezes, and maybe entertain outside.
- Air flow. Unless you intend to use AC all of the time, having cross breezes and ceiling fans are important. This will keep you cool, and having fresh air circulating will deter mold growth.
- View. What do you want to see when in your outdoor space or looking out your windows? Many people want a sea view. It can be an expansive one, or just small. Some people love a view of the rolling hills or of a garden. Others want to see the old buildings in one of the towns.
- Activities. Do you like to be near diving or snorkeling? Do you like to hike or bike and want to be near places to do that? Perhaps you are an artist who would want to be near the Botanical Garden or historic sites? If you have a boat, you may want to be close to where it’s moored. If you are a star gazer, you may want to be in a more rural area where the glorious moon, stars, and planets will shine brighter!
- Pets. We live with our dogs and cats, all Crucian rescues. We have enough space for them inside and outside. Although they are not pets, we have created garden spaces with flowering plants for hummingbirds and banana quits (sugar birds). We have several bird baths, bird houses, feeders for the sugar loving birds, feeders for finches, and we put out cracked corn for the doves, pigeons, and the 2 peacocks which roam the neighborhood.
Contact us with any questions about real estate on St. Croix!
First published on our February 2024 Newsletter
Jan 31, 2024 | QA
Question: “If I am unsure if St. Croix is where I would like to buy, what would be helpful in making the decision?
Christie’s Answer: Travel + Leisure described St. Croix as a “true gem” with “laid-back character” (read the article here). To understand what it’s like to live on this beautiful island, we encourage you to talk to local residents. We would be happy to answer all of your questions about the island or island living. Since we’ve lived here 20 years, if we don’t have the answer, we know who to ask!
If you haven’t been to St. Croix before, come and take the first couple of days just driving around getting to know the island. It’s so diverse – from dry and arid on the east end, to lush tropical rainforest on the west end. We recommend that you stop to get lunch or a cold drink at different spots and talk with people. See if you like it!
Once we know what you are looking for, we can send you listings so that you can choose what you’d like to see. The more we know about what you want, the easier it is for us to help you find a great island home! If we don’t find what you’d like while you are here, we can work remotely by doing a video or FaceTime call. Or, if you want close up photos of certain things, we can do that, too. We have sold properties sight unseen. That’s where driving around the island learning about the different areas is really helpful.
First published on our January 2024 Newsletter
Jan 31, 2024 | QA
Question: “I want to buy a condo or house in the Caribbean. I have never been to St. Croix, what are the first steps to exploring St. Croix as a place to buy my dream home?”
Chris’ Answer: Since every island in the Caribbean is different, the first step is to gather information about St. Croix. We’d be very happy to talk with you to answer questions about the island or real estate, and send you listings so that you can begin learning about the real estate market here. On our website, you can do a search on St Croix listings, and read our blog articles about St. Croix. We also encourage you to take a look at our past newsletters (access them here). In each one there is real estate information and also news articles about our island which we find interesting.
Two great sites for St. Croix are Go To St. Croix (link here) and Visit St. Croix (link here). Although they are created with tourists in mind, you will learn so much by going through their many pages and seeing their wonderful photographs. They also have web cams so that you can see what’s happening on island in real time.
First published on our January 2024 Newsletter
