Giving Thanks for all we have on St. Croix

This year our list of things we’re thankful for may sound a little different than usual. We’re thankful for cell service and the internet. Leaves returning to trees and flowers starting to bloom. The hum of our generator. The thousands of aid workers helping our island recover. Hot soup and cold showers. The linemen who are working tirelessly to restore power. Some of us are even thankful for power!

The conversation around our Thanksgiving dinner table may sound a little different too. Animated stories of that fateful night — everything from “Remember that sound?!” to “Yes, I actually did doze off…” Memories from just last month when we stood in line for an hour to fill a 5-gallon gas can for the generator. The joy and awe we have for lush green landscaping that seemed impossible just two months ago.

There are now more than 700 linemen from the States in the USVI working to restore power. Downtown Christiansted and Frederiksted are both energized, as is Gallow’s Bay, where our office is located. The Virgin Islands Water & Power Authority (WAPA) does a great job at posting frequent progress reports on Facebook and their web site. Last we heard, more than 17,500 customers have had service restored territory-wide.

A few weeks ago, I shared an article on Facebook about government negotiations for a multibillion-dollar energy investment from the Chinese oil and gas major player Sinopec that would bring thousands of new jobs to the US Virgin Islands and Texas. This week, The Virgin Islands Consortium is reporting that Limetree Bay is seeking a permit to expand their marine terminal to accommodate very large bulk fuel carriers. This is very good news (dare we say “huge”) for St. Croix.

As for the real estate market, we’ve already welcomed “new lookers” to St. Croix, who hope to take advantage of some new “bargains” as they come on the market. We are patiently waiting to hear from insurance and FEMA adjusters, as it is a slow process. This will have some impact on pricing as we gauge how it might impact a Seller’s bottom line if they suffered some damage. We did get our first price reduction as a result of some minor “scrapes and scratches.” Check out The Aerie, which was just reduced to $299,000, and is being sold “AS IS.” As I said in our last E-News, I still expect some slight dip in pricing, probably by as much as 15%.

The Frederiksted Pier is home to a cruise ship housing a few thousand recovery workers. We expected our first tourist cruise ship on Saturday, November 11, but it was diverted to St. Thomas. We were pleased to welcome the Viking Sea, kicking off our cruise ship season on Wednesday, November 15.

We’ll leave you with this stunning video of Shoys Estate that includes one of our new listings. See for yourself how nature has rebounded! And, if you’re in the market for a property that weathered the storm beautifully, check out 165 Anna’s Hope. There’s another video that shows the incredible beach that’s a short walk away. If you’re here on St. Croix now, we hope you feel thankful for the beauty that surrounds us. If you’re elsewhere, we hope you can feel our warm well wishes from wherever you are.

Warm regards,
The Fedeles Team