Kim Lucas

Last night as I sat sipping a nice glass of wine with my boyfriend - looking a the most beautiful Buck Island view on the island - I realized once again how darn lucky I am to live in this St Croix!

My view from my home in Judith's Fancy is awesome..... I look over a lush valley to see the beautiful blue Caribbean with Buck Island in the distance. Christiansted Harbor sparkles at night - like jewels on velvet.

But Chuck's view from his east end home is a dead-on Buck Island view. It looks as if you could almost touch it. It's an intimate view - whereas the view from my house is expansive.

And then there's my condo on the beach on the west end of St Croix. Talk about up close and personal with the ocean....it's a very intimate relationship with the water there.

Living in St. Croix affords me the opportunity to swim and snorkel a couple of times a day and still get a full 8 hours of work in!

East end, west end, center island. You can't go wrong living in St Croix! It's one of the most beautiful places on earth!

Want to join us? St Croix real estate is a great bargain right now - give me a call/email.

Kim Lucas, Realtor
Coldwell Banker Land-de Wilde Realty
340-626-3758
kim@coldwellbankervi.com
www.kimlucasvi.com
www.retireinthevi.com

Recently, a customer of mine wrote me to tell me that she intended to put off her purchase for several years. She is about 4.5 years away from retirement, and she wants to get her debts paid off and her house sold before she moves here. She's looking at an adorable 2 bedroom 1 bath townhouse I have listed for $174,500 that has no monthly condo fees.

While I certainly respect her decision, I felt I had to point out few things...

1. The market is really good here right now - a BUYER's market. Not sure how long that will last - our gut feel is that it won't last much longer. We (the realtor community) feel the prices are most definitely going to go up as the economy shows some flicker of rebound and as people get tired of seeing their money sit around. Real estate - especially investment property - is still a money maker. And people are ALWAYS going to want to live and vacation in the Caribbean!

2. Interest rates are really good right now. Who knows what they'll be like in a few years.

3. There are very few rental units on St Croix that accept pets. This complex does, which means that it would be relatively easy to find and keep a long term tenant - probably for $1200 - $1500 a month. This would more than cover the mortgage payment.

4. Buying now and using the townhouse as a rental for four years will make it very easy to justify "fixing it up" really spiffy in 4 - 5 years when it's time to take it over to live in.

So - buying now and renting out the unit is a good investment - both financially and for future retirement plans! Visit my St Croix web site for detailed information on the Cost of Living and Investment Considerations. Then contact me to discuss the wealth of opportunities here!

Kim Lucas, Realtor
340-626-3758
www.retireinthevi.com
kim@coldwellbankervi.com

"Allawe" on the lovely island of St Croix are Irish for a day - and that day is the day of the St Patties day parade - which was last Saturday. Hundreds of locals, transplants, and tourists show up to drink and revel, watch or participate in the parade, and enjoy some wonderful live music. The festivities began around 9:00 a.m. - when throngs of us made our way to our favorite float to decorate it and ourselves.

This year, I was on the "Pickled Greek's" float. Pete is the magician (chef - second from left in photo below) for this new restaurant and he and his lovely and talented daughter Nikki (at end on right in photo below) decked us all out in green togas, headbands, pins and beads and armed us with pickles to throw at the crowd! I believe our float won this year - but no one seemed to care who won what - a good time was had by all.

The parade started around 11 and took several hours to wind its way thru the two main streets of town. The crowds were enthusiastic and eager to receive beads, pickles, pins, candy, or whatever we wanted to toss at them from the float! Afterwards, a phenominal Irish band - Finnegan's Wake - entertained us at a great watering hole (Angry Nate's) where the green beer and jamison were flowing freely. Later that afternoon - Banooba - a band from the states who always comes here for the St Patties' parade - rocked the stage at Club 54. Christiansted was packed and spirits were high - it was a beautiful and fabulous and fun day on the island!

Why don't you join us next year?

Contact Kim Lucas, Realtor
340-626-3758
kim@coldwellbankervi.com
www.kimlucasvi.com

I received this press release today, checked out the site, and definitely place it on the top of the list for recommended sites for VI visitors. Easy URL: VisitUSVI.com - take a look.

DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM UNVEILS NEW TOURISM WEB SITE

The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism will unveil its brand new Web site, VisitUSVI.com, at a special event at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort & Spa tonight. "Throughout the 18-month journey from research to site launch, we worked very closely with industry partners and community leaders to gain their insights and feedback about desired features for the new site," says Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty. "We are excited to finally unveil the Web site to our local community and introduce these new features, including site navigation which links our prospective visitors directly to our hotel and tourism partners."

A key strategy for the new site has focused on educating potential visitors about USVI offerings, and various navigation and design elements serve to meet this goal. Prospective visitors using the new web site enjoy functionality, allowing them to create trip planners and outline customized itineraries, featuring the Territory's various tourism entities. Additionally, a new interactive map listing points of interest for St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas entices visitors to get a deeper look at what the USVI has to offer.

Easy site navigation allows visitors to "hop" between island pages, exemplifying how easy it is to actually hop between the islands of the USVI. This style of navigation allows side-by-side comparison of each island's distinct personality and offerings.

Today's launch will outline the first of three phases of the new site, representing a $250,000 investment by the DOT. These funds were earmarked within an existing advertising contract with agency-of-record JWT, out of Atlanta, as JWT's sister agency Studiocom executed the site design and programming. Coming in a later phase and a direct response to focus group and other on-island feedback, VisitUSVI.com will feature a landing page devoted solely to the destination's packages and promotions, which will serve as a resource where offers for travel to the destination can be found. The remaining phases are scheduled to be completed by January 2010, when a booking engine will be added to the site.

As part of the site creation and research, a series of on-island focus groups representing niche segments including accommodations, culture and heritage, retail, dive, water sports, romance and meetings/incentive were conducted, and feedback stemming from these meetings has been incorporated into the new site. The unveiling of the new Web site is an integrated segment of the DOT's overall rebranding efforts for the destination, which kicked off in December with the introduction of the new Mocko Jumbie logo.

For more information about the United States Virgin Islands, go to VisitUSVI.com. When traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. citizens enjoy all the conveniences of domestic travel ? including on-line check-in, making travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands easier than ever. As a United States Territory, travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands does not require a passport from U.S. citizens arriving from Puerto Rico or the U.S. mainland. Entry requirements for non-U.S. citizens are the same as for entering the United States from any foreign destination. Upon departure, a passport is required for all but U.S. citizens.

Be sure and take a look at this new site - the presentation is of the highest quality and reflects the brilliant colors found here in the Virgin Islands. There is no real estate tab, so when you have finished eyeballing all the things to do and see, contact me for your real estate needs.

Kim Lucas, REALTOR
kim@coldwellbankervi.com
www.kimlucasvi.com
www.retiretothevi.com
340-626-3758

I was strolling along the waterfront last Friday night with a friend. The water was gently lapping the shore. Music from a local restaurant was playing. The Royal Palms were towering over us. The weather was a perfect 80 degrees and a breeze was slightly blowing. There was no one but us enjoying this scene. We felt like we were in a movie, and we both agreed that this place is just pure magic. It is heaven. And it is so completely undiscovered. We agreed that part of us is VERY happy about that - but as a realtor, I have to hope others find and enjoy St. Croix as I do.

Here's a good viewpoint from Virgin Islands Tourism Information: "St. Croix's rich culture and history, along with its beautiful beaches and world-class recreational activities, create an experience unlike any other in the Caribbean. Since the day Christopher Columbus first arrived at Salt River on St. Croix more than 500 years ago, sugar and rum have shaped the island's life and land. Fifty-four sugar mills, each with imposing windmill towers and factory chimneys, still rest in the shadows of stately eighteenth-century and nineteenth-century homes. Located on the west end of the island, Estate Whim Plantation is just one example of these 'greathouses.' With acres of rolling green hills, St.Croix's plantation estates also bore crops of okra, cabbage, corn, and other vegetables still prominent in Caribbean cuisine.

As the sugar industry declined after the 1960s, tourism became the most important industry on the island. Christiansted and Frederiksted, the two main towns of St. Croix, flourished as commercial ports during the eighteenth century and nineteenth century. Distinct architecture reflects the seven flags--Spanish, Dutch, British, French, Knights of Malta, Danish, and American -- that have flown over the island."

There is history, diverse geology, a wonderful mix of cultures, all on our small island. And the best part - with the economic downturn worldwide, prices are low and you can find some great values in both land and residential.

Contact me to discuss your opportunities.

Kim Lucas, REALTOR
kim@coldwellbankervi.com
www.retireinthevi.com
www.kimlucasvi.com
340-626-3758