What's New - David Fedeles, St. Croix Real Estate

Being Prepared During Hurricane Season

August 8, 2017 by Team Fedeles

Though hurricane season officially starts on June 1, we start to see more activity in the Virgin Islands right about now.

5 Tips to Prepare Your Home for a Hurricane

Stock your home with provisions, especially water, non-perishable food, and important medications. Drinking water is important, but keep in mind that if power is out, you may also want water for household tasks, like cleaning and flushing the toilet!
Check your inventory of flashlights, batteries, candles, and matches. Rooms become very dark once those hurricane shutters are up!
Store any outdoor items that aren’t attached to the ground. This includes potted plants, patio furniture, pool accessories, grills, etc.
Fuel your generator and your vehicle. Restoring power to homes across the island can be a slow process.
Check your gutters, downspouts and cistern overflow to make sure everything is flowing properly. Trim brush that could blow into your home.

Thank you to GoToStCroix.com for sharing this useful guide from NOAA and the National Weather Center.

If you’re new to island, my best advice is to watch others around you. If a local or seasoned St. Croix resident starts prepping their home, follow their lead. You’ll hear folks start to talk about a storm about a week before it’s due in the Caribbean. Day-by-day you’ll get a better sense of its path.

Interesting Facts About Hurricane Names

As I was considering this blog post, I came across some interesting facts about hurricane names on geology.com, for instance:

For each year there is an alphabetical list of 21 names. Q, U, X, Y and Z are omitted.
The names alternate between men’s and women’s names.
Names can be repeated after six years.
Names of especially severe storms are permanently retired from use. Hugo was retired in 1989.
In the early days of naming hurricanes, people living in the Caribbean Islands named storms after the saint of the day from the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar for the day on which the hurricane occurred such as “Hurricane San Felipe.”
Here’s the line-up for the next six years:

Names used for Atlantic Tropical Storms
2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Arlene	Alberto	Andrea	Arthur	Ana	Alex
Bret	Beryl	Barry	Bertha	Bill	Bonnie
Cindy	Chris	Chantal	Cristobal	Claudette	Colin
Don	Debby	Dorian	Dolly	Danny	Danielle
Emily	Ernesto	Erin	Edouard	Elsa	Earl
Franklin	Florence	Fernand	Fay	Fred	Fiona
Gert	Gordon	Gabrielle	Gonzalo	Grace	Gaston
Harvey	Helene	Humberto	Hanna	Henri	Hermine
Irma	Isaac	Imelda	Isaias	Ida	Ian
Jose	Joyce	Jerry	Josephine	Julian	Julia
Katia	Kirk	Karen	Kyle	Kate	Karl
Lee	Leslie	Lorenzo	Laura	Larry	Lisa
Maria	Michael	Melissa	Marco	Mindy	Martin
Nate	Nadine	Nestor	Nana	Nicholas	Nicole
Ophelia	Oscar	Olga	Omar	Odette	Owen
Philippe	Patty	Pablo	Paulette	Peter	Paula
Rina	Rafael	Rebekah	Rene	Rose	Richard
Sean	Sara	Sebastien	Sally	Sam	Shary
Tammy	Tony	Tanya	Teddy	Teresa	Tobias
Vince	Valerie	Van	Vicky	Victor	Virginie
Whitney	William	Wendy	Wilfred	Wanda	Walter

Visit USVI Advertising Campaign

August 2, 2017 by Team Fedeles

The United States Virgin Islands Department of Tourism just announced a new advertising campaign they’re calling “Real Nice”. In partnership with their ad agency and videographer, they have produced three television commercial spots, 16 digital videos, and 10+ print ads featuring local Virgin Islands talent and crew.

“To a Virgin Islander, ‘real nice’ is more than a phrase; it’s a feeling of positivity that speaks to the way we live and embrace each other as a people,” said Beverly Nicholson-Doty, the U.S. Virgin Islands’ Commissioner of Tourism. “These advertisements dive deeper into showcasing the authenticity of our destination.”

The three television commercials have “real nice” themes of “State of Mind,” “Live How We Live” and “Free To Explore”. The digital videos highlight food, culture, people, and and the natural beauty of the USVI. Watch on the Visit USVI Youtube channel to see how many St. Croix landmarks you recognize!

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.

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