Team Fedeles, Author at David Fedeles, St. Croix Real Estate

The Views Never Get Old…

July 18, 2017 by Team Fedeles

We have to agree with our clients, The Runkle Family. St. Croix views never get old. They shared their 20-year Caribbean adventure that led to buying a home on St. Croix with us for our most recent Featured Client blog.

Speaking of spectacular views, Mario and I enjoyed an incredible vacation in June. A cruise along the Adriatic coast took us to Italy, Greece, and Croatia. Our favorite stop was Dubrovnik, Croatia — perhaps one of the most enchanting cities we have ever seen. In Split, Croatia , we saw a boat that looked very similar to the St. Croix-St. Thomas ferry. The architecture and food were fabulous every step of the way. And aren’t we lucky that the end of vacation means returning to St. Croix?!

On June 1, a new tax agreement between the U.S. Virgin Islands and Airbnb took effect. This affects all of our clients who use Airbnb as a booking platform for their vacation rentals. The main takeaway is that Airbnb will now be collecting the Territory’s 12.5% Hotel Room Occupancy Tax on behalf of hosts and remit the funds to the Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Last weekend was the 21st Annual Mango Melee and Tropical Fruit Festival — and it appeared to be the biggest one yet! More than 100 vendors were out peddling their goods to over 4,000 attendees. And Kristi was even a judge in the Mango Dis Mango Dat recipe contest. Check out the St. George Village Botanical Garden Facebook page for photos from the event.

I’m humbled and honored to have received the Coldwell Banker International President’s Elite Circle Award for the fourth consecutive year. Thanks to all who have trusted your properties to Kristi and I. Looking forward to many more opportunities to serve you!

Other News:

Island elements can be hard on appliances. And since appliances can be expensive to replace, it’s worth it to invest in basic maintenance and repairs to make them last as long as possible. Try these simple island appliance maintenance tips from Coldwell Banker St. Croix Realty and Sublett Appliance.

May 2017 Market Watch:

Coldwell Banker International President’s Elite Circle Award

July 12, 2017 by Team Fedeles

I am honored to have received the Coldwell Banker International President’s Elite Circle Award for the fourth consecutive year. This designation is based on 2016 performance. The President’s Circle is a level achieved by only the top 5 percent of the approximately 83,000 Coldwell Banker sales associates worldwide.

With the knowledge that my success is dependent on each and every client who chooses to put their trust in me, I thank all of the buyers and sellers who have given me the opportunity to work with you.

Featured Client: Did we mention the view?

July 10, 2017 by Team Fedeles

Originally from Indiana, the Runkle’s have lived all over the United States — Ohio, Virginia, Connecticut, Kentucky, Utah, Minnesota, Utah and now back in Westport, Connecticut. Brian and Beth were high school sweethearts, have been married for going on 26 years and have two kids, Brooke and Blake.

Buying a house in the Caribbean has been a 20-year adventure for the Runkle’s. Their search actually started in St. John. “It was beautiful … quaint … quiet and we thought perfect!” Brian and Beth visited St. John often, researching the island and housing. On one visit, they brought their kids and quickly realized that even with all the things they loved about St. John, it wasn’t quite the right fit for their family.

They were drawn to St. Croix for many reasons:

~Caribbean Views

~We were looking for a U.S. Property (u.s. taxes, u.s.contract law, and u.s.healthcare)

~Ease of access … getting from the mainland to the island

~Laid back culture

~Friendly people

~Lots of activities … for all ages”

After a 3+ year search on St. Croix, the family finally found their dream home in La Grande Princesse. We asked Beth if she knew it was “the one” when she first stepped in and she said, “When we walked into the house, we walked straight to the slider doors opposite the front door. THE VIEW drew us in. It’s up on the hill and overlooks Christiansted! Beautiful views during the day and the twinkling of Christiansted’s lights at night!!”

Now they are spending time giving the house their own touch. They are incorporating furniture that came with the house with their own ideas and some new pieces; giving it a good scrub down inside and out; and repainting all of the walls. Beth shared this photo of their favorite feature of the home: the view!

The house will be a vacation home and rental for now, with the plan to move to St. Croix for retirement. They hope to have it on the rental market by October. You can look for Casa de Vista, the name they all agreed to after a brainstorming session. It truly is their

house with a view.”

Their favorite things to do on St. Croix are take in the views (“they never get old“), access to nature, and relax by the pool or on the beach.

When asked if they have any tips for families considering moving to St. Croix, Beth said, “If you have a dream of coming here … do your research … talk to the locals … have a plan … AND … MAKE YOUR DREAM COME TRUE!!”

Congratulations to The Runkle Family for making their dream come true!

Mango Melee on St. Croix

July 7, 2017 by Team Fedeles

It’s time to celebrate St. Croix’s prized and prolific mango at Mango Melee! The 21st annual festival is on Sunday, July 9, from noon to 6pm, at the St. George Village Botanical Garden. There will be a mango eating contest, arts and crafts vendors, food vendors with local treats, live entertainment, a beautiful assortment of tropical fruits, and a mango recipe contest and tasting.

The Mango Dis and Mango Dat recipe contest is judged on best use of mangoes, taste, creativity and presentation — and has two prestigious judges: my colleagues Kristi (real estate sales assistant and homesteader extraordinaire) and Renee (web site manager and foodie). Check in your entries in the categories of Sips, Salsas, Sweets and Stuff between 11am and 12:30pm on July 9.

Homeward Bound

June 29, 2017 by Team Fedeles

All good things must come to an end, but aren’t we lucky that the end of vacation means returning to St. Croix?! But before we made our way back to reality, there were plenty of adventures (and great meals!) to be had in Croatia and Italy.

Split is the second largest city in Croatia. Though not as picturesque as Dubrovnik, you really need more than an afternoon stroll to take it all in. While wandering around, we saw this boat that looks very similar to the St. Croix to St. Thomas ferry! Being on the shore of the Adriatic Sea, there were many more impressive yachts.

Our final cruise stop was Primosten, an islet in the south of Croatia before spending four days in Venice. In case you’re wondering what two island guys do while traveling the Mediterranean….take in the beach and as much fresh fish as possible, of course! Sea bream and dorada, plus oysters, mussels, clams and octopus, were all on the menu. I had vongole, small, sweet clams, for almost every meal in Venice!

Primosten, Croatia	Venice, Italy
Venice, Italy	Venice, Italy

Mid-Vacay Update: Italy, Greece and Croatia

June 22, 2017 by Team Fedeles

Ciao! Yassas! Bok! Mario and I are taking advantage of the slower season on St. Croix to take a summer vacation. We are on a spectacular Mediterranean cruise and I thought I’d share a few highlights. So far we have made stops in Italy, Greece and Croatia. Given that my mind is always on real estate, it’s no surprise that I am drawn to the incredible architecture, as are many.

The waters in Gytion, a charming old port town in Greece, remind us of the Caribbean.

A beautiful Palazzo on our home tour in Lecce.

Lecce, Florence of the South in Italy, is rich with Baroque architecture from the 14th century. It is all done with their own sandstone called Piense Leccese, or “stone of Lecce”, which was quite interesting. The houses are still inhabited from extended families since that time. We took a tour of homes, which included lunch in one Palazzo — Mario had to hold me back from sneaking upstairs! I asked why they open their house to private tours and the owner said it was to create an income stream to help defray the expenses to maintain their house.

Dubrovnik, Croatia is one of the most enchanting cities we have ever seen. There are walls that run almost 2km (1.2 miles) around the city. The wall system is intended to protect the city; however, the Walls of Dubrovnik have also been a popular filming location for Game of Thrones. A small 1-2 bedroom flat starts at 300,000€ ($335,000 USD) in the Old Town.