Condos in St Croix - an update

I've been corresponding with a woman who will be retiring soon and wants to move to St. Croix. She has a price range for a condo chosen within her means, and wants to walk to shopping, the beach, events, as much as possible. She'd also like a new complex.

If you would like to move permanently to St Croix, or consider an investment you could rent out for a few years, here is the answer I gave to her questions.

"You are embarking on a journey that I took 5 years ago - the quest for the perfect retirement spot! I traveled extensively looking at LOTS of islands - and believe me - St Croix is about as good as it gets. It is a wonderful place to live and work - all the benefits of being part of the USA - but with an island culture. Doesn't get any better than that. St Thomas is crowded, overpopulated, and dirty. I would not want to live there. St John is prohibitively expensive and not a real "livable" island - although it is the most beautiful of the 3 US Virgins. St Croix does have its share of crime - but we have a great governor who is working diligently to get things under control. Most of the crime here is petty - like in most tourist destinations - but it's a big nuisance and needs to be stopped.

"Currently there are NO new condo complexes on the island, but thankfully some are planned. There's going to be a new development near Christiansted that will include a variety of housing options, a "town center" and of course beautiful sea views. It's called Orangestad and I will send you some listings showing the plans.

"Right now - condos range from $65,000 to about a million. Big range, I know, and what influences the price is LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION. The safest complexes with the most security are also the most expensive. I don't know of any condo complexes that are in walking distance to grocery stores, shopping, etc. Orangestad will be the closest to that concept.

"Condo fees range from $250 - $1200 a month. The fees include insurance, sometimes cable, sometimes pest control, and of course landscaping and pool maintenance."

I could say so much more, about our Buyer's Market, about the low low prices sellers are asking, about how St Croix is poised - because of Gov. deJongh and his efforts - to recover boldly and early from the worldwide economic downturn, about his plans to make our island self-sustaining and protect our resources. But call or email me yourself and I'll tell you all that, and how great it is livin' the dream in our Caribbean paradise.

Be sure to visit my web site if you are planning for retirement, and you will find the answers to a lot of your questions. That's all for now, I'm off to the beach,