Sold on St. Thomas -  An 1800 sq. ft. home with three bedroom two bathroom and an income producing apartment. All located on the South side of the island in Sorgenfri. This home sold for $360,000.00    This solid concrete home contracted prior to the two hurricanes. A well constructed home, withstood both Hurricane Irma and Maria with the only damage being a short piece of guttering blowing down. Delays  in the sale were unavoidable due to general conditions on the island, causing govenment offices to be  closed.     Located in a solid neighborhood, residents include a sitting senator, law enforcment officers,  a few Realtors, some retirees, young families and old families and many other good citizens of the island.       I never tired of showing this home because as you entered the ... 12/13/2017

Van Blake-Coleman Realty just closed this home on St. Thomas  in the U.S. Virgin Islands at 95% of the asking price. When priced right, this is a common trend for sales in the Virgin Islands.It is  a wonderful family home with two bedrooms, one and a half baths. Fantastic down islands views. Driveway, main entry and first floor interior are handicap friendly, a rare thing in St. Thomas. The home sits on a flat very well maintained 0.5 acre lot, with an additional untouched 0.5 acre lot, located in front; which insures an open view and privacy. Danish style stone walls adorn the entry, living room, and dining room along with a functional triangulated Danish kitchen. Master bedroom has custom closets and en suite half bathroom. Below the home is a full one bedroom one bath apartment that ... 08/12/2017

As winter bears down on the northeast corridor, I’m filled with gratitude and optimism. Here I am, in one of the most gorgeous places on earth, marveling at a panorama of Caribbean islands and azure seas as I wipe sweat from my brow.I’m a Virgin Islands realtor. By all accounts (reality TV notwithstanding) I should be wearing a tailored suit and 3-inch pumps, sitting in an air-conditioned office or driving a German import to my next multi-million dollar listing.In reality, I’ve just come from a morning trek in the woods to eyeball boundposts that were exposed by the seller but that have gone undetected by my client, the buyer. I was shown the boundposts so that later today, when my client leaves her 9-to-5 job, I can enter these woods again and show her exactly where they are.The parcel... 01/20/2016

The Legend of Blackbeard the Pirate   Blackbeard’s Hill has been a prime residential neighborhood since colonial times. As you stroll through this old historical district you can easily imagine what life was like in centuries past.   The Danes took possession of St. Thomas in 1671 and built Fort Christian. The observation tower, Skytsborg, better known as Blackbeard’s Castle, was built in 1697, and guaranteed safety for the area’s wealthy residents who could seek refuge if there was an attack by man or nature.                 It Stands Against The Test Of Time   The attacks by man never came, and nature’s destructive forces have failed to put a dent in the Tower. It has withstood hurricanes and earthquakes and served as a vantage for the deadly fires that swept the town of Charlotte Ama... 02/13/2015

Things to Do in St Thomas, USVI There is so much to do, see and explore on St. Thomas. The island offers fun activities, great food, breathtaking sights, sandy white beaches and an expansive stretch of charming shops and boutiques. Listed here are some of the best things to do on Saint Thomas.   02/10/2015

Blackbeard's Castle Hits the Market! By William True Since 1967, a local family has accumulated and preserved almost three acres, including eight centuries-old estates, in downtown Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI. This unique compilation includes Estate Skytsborg aka Blackbeard’s Castle, Haagensen House, Villa Notman,  Hotel 1829, Bank House, Magens-Pedersen Estate, Mendlicott Estate and the Brittania House. The grounds, restored homes and botanical gardens are absolutely stunning. This rare collection of connected properties is being offered for $18,000,000. A licensed real estate professional with a successful buyer stands to earn as much as a $135,000 referral fee or up to $540,000 in commission for those licensed in the USVI. If that's not enough, the owner, a retiring licensed r... 02/02/2015

Mahogany Run is a well established residential area on St. Thomas know for it's homes, condos and the only full golf course with wonderful ocean views on St. Thomas. An applications was submitted by Jaredien Design Group to the DPNR (Department of Planning and Natural Resources) on February 4, 2014, for a zone variance for parcel D-34 Lovenlund, No 2 GNS,  3 acres of  land, located across from the entrance to the golf course. The application requests permission to allow for the construction of a 24000 square foot, two level commercial structure. This will be a significant change for this North side neighborhood. Questions being raised at an up coming hearing and a meeting in the community are: How will this effect traffic and security in the community? How much noise and construction "n... 03/03/2014

First let me warn you that if you are where you need to be quiet, you might want to turn off the sound on your device.   A good friend came to visit me in St. Thomas and I played tourist on St. Thomas and St. John as well. My friend is one of these very organized traveler and had selected some things to do while visiting St. Thomas.   Zip lining is not something I would ordinarily do in St. Thomas or anywhere for that matter. But, trying to be a good host, I agreed.     "Tree Limin' Extreme" is definitely something I would recommend if anyone asked me about things to do when you visit St. Thomas. There are six lines and two bridges. It is extremely well built and managed.   Located on the North side of the island I guarantee you will have a good time here if you are looking for somethin... 09/04/2013

It has been a while since I have written about the  real estate market on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. If you have read some of my previous bloggs you know the real estate market in St. Thomas lags behind the mainland by at least six month and sometimes more than a year in trends.  I took a look at the satistics for what has been happening in the real estate market on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, from 8/26/11 to 8/26/12 as compared with 8/26/12 to 8/26/13. Here is what is going on:   For the Sale of Residence- # Sold                 Average Sale Price                       Change                    Percent of Asking                 Change 2012       2013        2012                2013                                                   2012       2013 60           68           ... 08/26/2013

I wrote about speculation of which bar Kenny Chesney was singing about in the song "When I See This Bar" (you can see that post here).  I thought it was Ivan's Stress Free Bar on White Bay, Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands.  I was right, but the new video came out today and not only is Ivan's in the video but a host of others.   I have been to all of the ones in the video.  Here is a break down of those bars.   Ivan's Stress Free Bar        Foxy himself!                Soggy Dollar Bar, JVD (I think that may be my boat at 2:40 into the video?)     Latitude 18 - Red Hook STT          One Love on Christmas     Woody's (this is where he is sitting down with the guitar) STJ (Notice they whited out the top of the sign in the video?)       Quiet Mon STJ   Beach Bar STJ      Customs... 07/18/2013

Should You Buy a Vacation Home in the Virgin Islands?   My intention of this blog is not be advertising my real estate brokerage on here, but rather give readers what it is like to live here in St Thomas and the Virgin Islands. I though I would take a look at how owning a vacation home here may work for some!Does it make sense to own a condo here in St Thomas?  Well, after doing some math, it may make sense! I have a one bedroom, one bath, 780 Sq Ft condo for sale near Sapphire Beach. It is currently listed for $139,900. Now let's say you purchase this condo for list price. Now you rent this condo out on VRBO.com as a vacation rental for $125/per night and you only have it occupied 50% of the time. Of course you will want to spend some time using the condo and of course your friends and... 06/24/2013

  Happy Summer - Virgin Islands Beer Club Micro Brew Beer Festival - Sat. June 22nd!   I will have to admit, one of the things that I miss from stateside is a plethora of micro brews to chose from, either when you are eating out or when you are at the grocery store, kind of like my Taco Bell habit?  Being I went to the University of Colorado at Boulder and lived in Boulder for 12 years, microbrews are like the fine wine of the beer world, with Colorado being the Napa of Beer!I heard about this festival last weekend at King of the Wing and nothing will be stopping me from going tomorrow night, especially to taste one of my old friends and some delish BBQ from Chris! Here are the details and if you need directions to Compass Point Marina, contact me!  I would also bring some lawn chairs ... 06/21/2013

Tuesday, June 4, 2013 King of the Wing - St Thomas USVI June 15th, Megans Bay   Mark your calendars folks!Our favorite special event on St Thomas is coming Saturday, June 15th, King of the Wing Contest!If you love chicken wings, this event is the grand daddy of chicken wing tasting in the World! Last year's event was awesome and we have never tasted so many variations of chicken wings before all in one place!This years event is going to be even better as they have moved the venue from Lindquist Beach to Megans Bay, home of one the World's Top Ten Beaches! According to their Facebook page, there are 36 entrants in this years event!Don't miss out on this great event!   For more info on this event, please contact King of the Wing at https://www.facebook.com/alpinekow?fref=ts   On another n... 06/04/2013

  Home owners in St. Thomas the U S. Virgin Islands, often close in an attorney's offices. Title companies are not usually used here; although many law firms have closely affiliated title companies.     At the closing table from the left to right: Ann Picard, selling Broker; Amalie Parrot, seller's attorney; Attorney Leigh Goldman and his Paralegal, representing the buyer and the bank; a peak of the buyers hands, Leah and Johnny. And, oh yeah, that is my junk in the foreground. I was the listing Broker.   Proud new home owners in St. Thomas. Leah and Johnny receive the keys to their new home.   Leah an accomplished violin player, graduate student and founder of the St. Thomas Philharmonic and Johnny who customizes and repairs motor cycles (Harley's are his favorites) and construction en... 05/31/2013

I am pleased to announce the opening of my new real estate brokerage in St Thomas, US Virgin Islands, America's Caribbean Realty. I am here for all of your Virgin Islands real estate needs!    04/29/2013

  VITEMA- The Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Authority, the entity that notifies us of hazardous spills, hurricanes and earthquakes; sent out an e-mail this evening warning resident there will be seven cruise ships in port in St. Thomas tomorrow. They noted we should use extreme caution around tourist attractions.   The average cruise ship arriving in St. Thomas, holds somewhere around  5,000 people, some more. The general population of St. Thomas is usually 56,000 people, Which means that our population will increase by about 60% for about 8 hours. Wow, we are excited to see you all, I hope each person has a memorable time. And we are certainly proud we remain the most popular cruise ship destination in the Caribbean.   For those of us who have to get around the island... 03/26/2013

The 40th Annual Rolex Sailing Regatta blew into to town this past weekend!   They have several classes of sail boats with 3 days of racing around the Island of St Thomas and St John. Headquarters for the Regatta is at the St Thomas Yacht Club. Every night they had live entertainment, food and drink.   Friday we headed over to the Yacht Club. They had a large screen going of the recap of that day's races. The bar was great. And there was a BBQ with food for purchase. Out in the water they built a bandstand. They had some really nice chairs out on the beach and was great to take in the video and then listen to the great band Cool Session Brass Band from St John and dance in the sand under the stars! Here is a video.       Saturday we gathered a group together to go out on our boat to watc... 03/25/2013

Move out of the way Saint Thomas, we have Saint Patrick taking over for the day!  Believe it or not, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated here in St Thomas.   Most of the action takes place down in the Red Hook area with all the bars having their own celebrations with drink and food specials.   We ventured down for our first St Patty's day in the warmth.   Although the weather took a turn for the worse with some much needed rain showers (much needed as it has been very dry this Winter) it was still fun.  Most of the action centered around Molly Malone's Irish Bar with live music and a parade that went around the Red Hook center. This certainly was no NYC type of parade by any means. We had one bagpiper!   03/20/2013

St. Thomas is a diverse and interesting place to live. I have blogged before about the Reichhold Center for the Arts, an open air theater and Tillet Gardens is an enclave of artistry. Via an e-mail I was notified the Pistarkle Theater, located in Tillet Gardens, was featuring, "A Raisin in the Sun". I have not seen it in the theater before but it is one of my favorite old movies, staring Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee. It opened on March 7 with a pay as you can, performance with repeat performances March 8, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22 and 23 at 8 pm. I was able to purchase my ticket online and print it at home. This evening, two friend and I decided to have dinner at the new Italian Restaurant at Megan's Point Resort. I arrived first and grabbed a table by the pool, enjoyed the cool breezes and wat... 03/08/2013

Country music star Kenny Chesney has a new album coming out in April called Life On a Rock. From what he was quoted in a recent interview, the songs will reflect living on an island.  Funny! A few things here: 1. Kenny Chesney owns two houses on St John (one is for sale).  2. We always say we live on "The Rock" otherwise known as St Thomas.  3. The video for "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem was filmed at Ivan's Stress Free Bar on Jost Van Dyke. The songs insperation came from a sign in front of One Love Bar on Jost (see picture).    "When I first went to the islands, I met a lot of people who were making a life beyond anything any of them knew... They were boatmen, bartenders, waitresses, real estate folks. They were all loving life, living a dream and coloring outside the lines with thi... 02/05/2013