David Fedeles, St. Croix Real Estate

Coldwell Banker St. Croix Realty

December Newsletter: Season’s Greetings

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Season’s Greetings from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands!

The U.S. Virgin Islands was just named the Destination of the Year in the Caribbean Journal Caribbean Travel Awards 2021!

For anyone planning to travel to St. Croix in the coming month, be sure to visit the USVI COVID-19 Travel Screening Portal. This will give you all the information you need to travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands. American Airlines recently started offering at-home testing through LetsGetChecked. We look forward to seeing you and would be happy to schedule a COVID-safe home showing if you’re in the market for St. Croix real estate!

This Fall, Governor Bryan announced his USVI Vision 2040 economic development strategy. Vision 2040 is an interactive, participatory process to produce a long-term economic strategy and action plan that positions the U.S. Virgin Islands as a vibrant, desirable place to live, work, and visit, and as a prosperous business location that is competitive based on its abilities to develop, retain, and attract a skilled workforce with creativity and imagination. There are many opportunities to share your ideas, priorities, and concerns for the future economy of the U.S. Virgin Islands, so be sure to participate in a virtual open house or submit comments.

In September, our own Stephen Swanton received the Good Neighbor Award from the St. Croix Board of Realtors. Stephen was recognized for his work with Virgin Islands Triathlon Federation. He was awarded $1,000 to support VITF’s mission and Coldwell Banker Schmidt Family of Companies matched the donation through their Schmidt Community Fund. As many of your know, Stephen exhibits the same focus and eye toward success in real estate as he does in competition. Team Fedeles is lucky to have him on board! Learn more about the Good Neighbor Award and Stephen’s work with VITF.

As a member of Ha’Penny Bay Beach Club, I’m excited to share our holiday offering of a one-year membership for half price! Become a member of The Club for $650 per person and no initiation fee. Club benefits include monthly lunches, dinners and brunches, use of The Club for private events, holiday and special events, use of the facilities when visiting Ha’Penny Beach, and more. Of course, for now activities and events are somewhat limited due to COVID; however, our open-air dining room is the perfect place to spend socially distanced time with new and old friends!

The St. Croix real estate market is very active right now. Congratulations to our Sellers of Romney Point and Meggie Hill! If you have been on the fence about listing, now is the time! In fact, according to the latest Market Watch, houses sold for 28% more and condos sold for 25% more as compared to the same period last year. Contact info@fedeles.com for an assessment of your property and to discuss how we can assist, whether to sell or to buy…it is a great time on both accounts!

Wishing you many joys this holiday season and a prosperous 2021!

Warm regards,
Team Fedeles

September Newsletter: Grab Your Toothbrush

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We hope this note finds you healthy and in good spirits. As St. Croix moves back into a “Safer At Home” mode, Team Fedeles continues to take precautions as we help our clients’ dreams come true.

If you’ve looked at The Wall Street Journal recently, you may have seen a spectacular St. Croix villa featured in the Mansions section. This was none other than our listing, La Belle Hortense, and our wonderful clients, The Stapleton’s, in an article about luxury turnkey properties. But don’t take WSJ’s word for it — grab your toothbrush and come to St. Croix!

We also received the kindest praise from The Jensen’s, who have owned two plots of land and two Villa Madeleine condos over the past 18 years. Team Fedeles recently negotiated the sale of one plot of land and, prior to that, their condo.

This has been a strange year to say the least. One of the highlights for me has been carryout and socially distanced meals from Ha’Penny Bay Beach Club — and I’m really looking forward to getting back to good times with my Ha’Penny friends this Fall. Tuesday dinners by Chef Loni are phenomenal (my mouth is watering just thinking about her chilled cucumber soup). Thursday game days are fun and again with Chef Loni’s amazing food for lunch! Our annual night with the Governor is such a special opportunity — here’s a photo of me with Governor Bryan taken at Governor’s Night. And I can’t imagine holidays without my Ha’Penny family. If you are looking for ways to connect with new island friends and would like to consider membership, check out the new Ha’Penny Bay Beach Club web site and like the Club on Facebook.

Are you ready to sell your St. Croix property? Per the Real Estate Market Watch below, home, condo and land sale prices are up, up, up! Contact us today for an assessment.

April Newsletter: Resilience 2.0

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If there’s one thing Virgin Islanders prove time and time again: we’re a resilient bunch. While COVID-19 is a new type of challenge, our community is responding in the only way we know how. With resilience.

Like most of the U.S., the U.S.V.I. is under a stay-at-home order through April 30. Our beaches were temporarily closed for the safety of all residents and re-opened on Monday, April 20. Only “essential” businesses are open with adjusted/limited hours and extra safety precautions. Many restaurants have responded with carryout ordering and grocery stores have impressively taken the situation in stride. No shortage of toilet paper here! See below for links to various resources.

Thankfully, real estate has been deemed an “essential” business and our clients who had been excitedly waiting to close have been able to do so. In fact, we’ve had one buyer and two sellers close in April — Congratulations to all!

Here’s how we are adapting our showings to keep sellers and prospective buyers safe:

  • Sellers are asked to open all doors, including bedrooms, bathrooms, closets, balconies, etc., so no doorknobs or handles need to be touched.
  • Similarly, all lights are to be turned on and blinds/curtains drawn, so no touching of switches or cords is necessary.
  • Buyers and agents are advised not to touch anything and to remove their shoes.
  • We are practicing the recommended 6-feet social distancing.
  • Masks and gloves are worn as deemed necessary.

We’re also capable of preparing a 100% virtual listing presentation, and we use Google Hangouts and DocuSign for meetings and paperwork.

COVID-19 U.S.V.I. Resources:

U.S.V.I. Restaurants & Businesses

We urge you to continue supporting these businesses and restaurants as you are able. If you’re not local to order carryout, consider purchasing a gift card for a restaurant or excursion for your next visit. Send a gift from a St. Croix shop. Write a review on your favorite business’s Facebook page.

Stay safe and healthy, wherever you are!

Warm regards,
Team Fedeles

February Newsletter: Taking the Leap

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It’s Leap Year! Are you ready to take the leap of becoming a homeowner on St. Croix?

We’ve been having fun on Facebook showing off some of the incredible features of our clients’ listings. From a home with two pools to a condo with its own private pool, we can help you narrow down your search for St. Croix real estate with a pool. Or maybe it’s important to you to find a home with furnishings, like this impeccably decorated home (with a killer closet, we might add!). Buck Island view, we can help you find that too!

It’s also been a joy getting to know The Keane’s as we seek the next happy owners of their stunning two-home beachfront property, Paradise Found, in Cotton Valley. In their Featured Client blog, they shared what they love most about their home:

“The Caribbean ocean at our doorstep, the ability to snorkel or scuba dive right off our beach, as well as paddle-board. Lying in the hammock between the palm trees and unobstructed views of Buck Island. We really love sitting at our pool with a glass of wine looking out at the sailboats and catamarans gliding past!”

In January, Governor Bryan gave his second State of the Territory address. Watch the video or read the transcript. A key theme throughout is how his administration has improved the Territory’s financial position, laying a solid foundation for continued improvement of our economy. The Governor was also in Washington, D.C., last week discussing GERS, Medicaid, National Park land and federal tax legislation impacting the territory with senior White House officials. Follow Government House – US Virgin Islands to see a new Facebook live series of interviews with the current administration, The Press Box, as well as other updates from the government.

We were thrilled to see the recent news that the BMV Launches “Skip the Line, Renew Online” Vehicle Registration. Now, vehicles that are 6 years old or less do not require a physical inspection and vehicles between 6 to 10 years old are inspected every two years. If your vehicle fits that bill, be sure to register online. If you’ve ever had business at the BMV in the USVI, you know how great this is!

We’ll leave you with this Meet Team Fedeles video so you can get to know Stephen and me a little better. We hope your extra day this month involves taking a leap into something exciting!

Warm regards,
Team Fedeles

December Newsletter: Home for Christmas

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One of my favorite songs this time of year is I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Bing Crosby.

I’ll be home for Christmas
You can count on me
Please have snow and mistletoe
And presents under the tree

Christmas eve will find me
Where the love light gleams
I’ll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams

This time of year, we enjoy welcoming our snowbird friends “home” for the season, as well as new and long-time visitors. Like clockwork, folks arrive to escape the cold or for their favorite holiday festivities, like the Christmas Boat Parade (view our photo gallery) and Coquito Festival. The St. George Village Botanical Garden hosts their traditional Under the Mistletoe tree auction fundraiser and Christmas Spoken Here, which is a wonderful day to shop for gifts from local artisans and vendors.

Loved this outline of St. Croix on the “Sea Feather” during the St. Croix Christmas Boat Parade

Maybe you’re looking for more of an island-themed jingle. This year’s Crucian Christmas Festival will honor Stanley and The Ten Sleepless Knights for 50 years of music! There will even be a Carnival village named “Stanleyville,” according to the St. Croix Source. TSK holiday favorites include Mama Make Your Johnny Cake and Guavaberry.

The USVI Festivals Facebook page can help you plan your Crucian Christmas Festival experience. We found this handy calendar of events that says the date when each activity will take place.

As we look toward the start of a new year (and decade!), big things are happening on St. Croix. Limetree Bay hosted a community open house in November to share information about the refinery restart. I shared a row on a recent flight with two gentlemen who were on island to help secure the pipeline and it sounded like all was going according to plan. You can learn more about the effort in this article, Restart of idled St. Croix oil refinery set for early 2020 after delay.

Finally, if you’ve ever enjoyed a sunset from St. Croix, we think you’ll agree with #1 from this list of 20 Destinations With The Most Stunning Sunsets. “St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands is a special place for many people. Yet, it is not as big of a tourist destination as some of the other areas on our list. However, it is one of the most naturally beautiful and affordable places you can visit.” And, we might add, to live!

No matter your playlist this holiday, may there be plenty of presents under the tree and the love light gleam all around you. And if you’re ready to replace snow with sand, we can help you find the home of your dreams on St. Croix!

Warm regards,
Team Fedeles



October Newsletter: Living the Dream

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We’re all about helping our clients live their dreams — and we’re pretty lucky we get to do it right here in paradise.

Our clients, The Williams’, were recently featured in the Coldwell Banker blog, Homes for Dogs Project Winning the Hearts of Sellers. We admire Tom and Diane so much for all they have done to help the animals of St. Croix — and we’re grateful that they entrusted us with their listing, in part because of our shared love of dogs.

The Williams’ listing overlooking Salt River Bay, complete with solar net metering.

Waterfront living is a dream for many people who have their sights on St. Croix. If you are one of them, we thought you might appreciate this Waterfront Neighborhoods article by our Coldwell Banker colleague. Contact us to learn more about communities with a beach just steps away, like the prestigious Estate Shoys listing that is featured below.

This spectacular villa in gated and guarded Estate Shoys features unique works of art, net-metered solar and hurricane windows.

There are many big milestones for St. Croix businesses coming up in 2020. Centerline Car Rentals is celebrating 30 years with a St. Croix vacation giveaway, while two of our favorite resources, GoToStCroix.com and the St. Croix Explorer Map, celebrate 20 years. Congrats to all three for fulfilling their dreams of becoming such vital parts of the St. Croix community over the decades.

Caribbean Journal recently published an article with an update on the Marriott Renaissance reopening. The property is set to open in Spring 2020 and will be managed by Aimbridge Hospitality, the largest third-party hotel management company in North America. We also understand that Divi Carina Bay is targeting Spring 2020 to re-open.

Make note of these upcoming dates:

  • Oct. 31: Galloween, stop by the Coldwell Banker office in Gallow’s Bay to trick-or-treat ?
  • Nov. 3: Fall Back for the end of Daylight Savings Time — remember, the U.S. Virgin Islands are on Atlantic Standard Time (AST) and do not fall back. Starting on Nov. 3, we will be one hour ahead of EST.
  • Nov. 21: the first Art Thursday of the season
  • Nov. 29: Thanksgiving Jump Up!
  • Dec. 8: Beauty & The Beast Triathlon (we’re looking forward to watching our own Stephen Swanton show what he’s made of!)
  • Dec. 14: Christmas Boat Parade

About David Fedeles

Twice voted Best Real Estate Broker on St. Croix. Coldwell Banker President's Circle three years in a row. Read More…

St. Croix and New York

David Fedeles is a licensed real estate broker in both St. Croix USVI and New York. If you are looking for your dream home in America’s Paradise, David is ready to work with you!

Contact David Fedeles today!

Tel: 340-778-7000
Cell: 340-690-4665
info@fedeles.com
Office Location:
Coldwell Banker St. Croix Realty | Gallows Bay Mkt
5030 Anchor Way, Suite 12 | Christiansted, VI 00820