USVI Sotheby's International Real Estate - My new affiliation!!!

Hi Kim,

I am pleased to find your site. I once spent a lovely day in St. Croix about 24 years ago, while on a cruise . Now I am seriuosl contemplating and planning for retirement. I remember the great experience. As an  beach lover and aficianado of island living and hiking, with a need for affordable quality, St. Croix also meets my desire to retire to an "exotic"  warm weather location under American rule where Medicare (when I eventually need it) will be accepted and where it is easy to travel to and fro.

I am heartened by the available listings I've seen on your site for affordable, beachfront condos that also have a beachfront view from the unit ( such as in the examples I saw located in the Mill Harbour and Coral Princess developments). Although I'd sworn off of buying another condo due to the unpredictability of condo fees, the condo purchase prices are affordable enough that I could buy one outright. No longer havibng to deal with a mortgage this time would make paying the condo fee and the insurance fee from just retirement income, realistically sustainable for the duration of my retirement, which I expect, God willing, to be decades long. I am about 6 years away from being eligible for full Social Security benefits. So, of course I know that things could change drastically between now and then. Not only with the price but with the condition of the property, potentially driving up the final price paid.

Therefore, I am interested to know if you have any owners who are interested selling their property through owner-financing, which would of course guarantee them a steady income from a totally committed buyer (me!).  it would give me a vacation place in the interim as I transition from work ot retirement and a part-time writing & consulting business.

I used to own a beacfront condo in Pacific Beach, CA. Sold it to relocate to Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of Fl. for a job relocation. Although FL is gorgeous and tropical like the Caribbean, FL's humidity and bugs are a bit much!  Although I remember it was humid in St. Croix in November, it wasn't nearly bad as in FL! St. Croix (and the other Virgin Islands) was a nice balance between CA & FL.

• What has been your experience with medical care on St. Croix?
• How big/friendly is the American retiee/ex-pat community?
• Is there a network through which I can communicate with them, while still Stateside visa email or a newsletter perhaps? (I just noticed the link to your website on retiring in St, Croix and will check it out. So if my questions here are duplicating ones you answer there I apologize in advance).
• What is the cost and reliability of landline and cell phone service?
• What is the availability of groceries? I eat a mostly vegetarian diet (fresh fruits, vegetables and dark leafy greens and a little wild pacific salmon); not much processed food other than organic yogurt or Ezekiel breaad, for example. 
• What are the transportation options/roads like-including streetlights for driving at night? if not very good, are car services available for a reasonable cost?

These are just  a few questions. Of course I know there is nothing like a personal trip of at least a couple of weeks to assess things, but I also consider the personal opinion of someone who has lived and worked there invaluable.

A former international  flight attendant and airline and cruise line sales account executive, I've had a chance to travel to many locales and the the American Carribbean remains a favorite-exotic but also very comfortable, in that I didn't feel "foreign". 

Thank you for any insights you can provide,

Vee Gill

Very pleased with the alternative care here - I prefer that to traditional.  A few encounters with the ER - and all positive.

Fairly large - VERY VERY friendly retiree/expat community.

You can sign up on www.vimovingcenter.com - there's a forum to ask questions and talk with people.  Be warned, there are some very negative people on that site.  Don't let them taint your views of STX!

Phone services same as US with regard to cost; some areas of island don't have good cell reception.  AT&T is best network for cell service here.

You can find anything you want here food-wise.  It will be expensive but you can find it.  The produce here is not as good as in the states and doesn't last as long - and it's more expensive.  there are also local markets to buy produce - but you have to get up really early to get the good stuff.  You can find Ezekiel products and other vegan things everywhere.

Roads are good for an island, bad by stateside standards.  Main roads have streetlights.  Taxi's are in town but that's about all.  Buses are unreliable and don't run at night.  You need a car....