ST. CROIX REALTY

Messagefrom Amy… Hello dear friends,

So many of you haveexpressed concernfor St. Croix since

Maria hit—thank you.And many of you herehave rolled up yoursleeves to assist in heraftermath—another big thank you.I hear of folks putting on hardhats and helping

with Broadband and AT&T or wherever they can.I read that Blue Water Terrace offered free mealsduring times when curfew was lifted. I know of agentleman who checked on homeboundoctogenarians every single day. They lived on ahill, high up a rugged dirt road miles away. AMississippi man who adopted a Crucian dog fromour Animal Welfare Center years back still followsthe AWC. When he heard about its misfortuneduring Maria, he entered an essay contest,writing about Wally, his rescue. If he wins the$500 prize, he will donate it to the Shelter. And there were missions of mercy. Having

rescued many Puerto Ricans, Royal CaribbeanCruise Lines’ Adventure of the Seas boarded 866people on St. Croix on September 29th andcollected another 560 from St. Thomas the nextday. The ship delivered all to Fort Lauderdale.Delta, Jet Blue, Norwegian Cruise Lines, andFlorida-Caribbean all made mercy trips to theUSVI.People have such big hearts.My friend Don ran out of propane the day

before the storm. A workman, still on the job,made an 11 p.m. delivery. Maria arrived withinhours. Just after the storm, while the curfew was

lifted briefly, my friend Jackie’s pool man showedup for his regular service, smiling. A man making his way to work near Point

Udall cleared the road as he went with a macheteand chainsaw.We Crucians are resilient. We’ll recover. One

day we’ll have landlines again. Meanwhile, textour cells!

All the best to everyone, AmyAmy Land-de Wilde, Broker/Owner

This newsletter written by Anne Salafia annesalafia@gmail.com

CLICKHERECLICKHERE

l coldwellbankervi.com

l info@coldwellbankervi.com

l stcroixforrent.com

l Gallows Bay Marketplace 340.778.7000

l Frederiksted 340.642.3333

Amy Land-de Wilde

St.Croix Real Estatereviews

St.Croix Real EstatereviewsFeaturing Real Estate Market Updates

and Local News of St. Croix, USVI

OCTOBER 2017

Hurricane Mariastruck St. Croix onSeptember 19thwith winds of 185mph and gusts of200 mph, it wasreported. Heavy rains poured downacross the islandand roofs, mainly onthe West End, lifted.Folks living eastfared betteralthough many losttrees and decks, andsome lost their roofsas well. Debrisislandwide madestreets unnavigable.Everyone lost power. National media

had boots on theground in San Juan, but St. Croix received little coverage.Fortunately, the St. Croix Source and the V.I. Consortium,two local online news sources, posted stories of the storm’saftermath and recovery efforts. Facebook played a key role, too. People posted their

status via cell phones when signals were available. Peoplehuddled in groups on tops of some hills where a couple ofAT&T bars were visible. Bit by bit, the island has begun steps toward recovery.

Islanders have every intention of rebuilding their lives hereand helping others do the same; spirits have not flagged.Days after Maria passed, container ships started coming

into port, and stores restocked shelves during lifted curfewhours. Gas stations opened, selling diesel and gasoline.FEMA distributed meals, initiated the grant applicationprocess, and provided tarps through its Blue Roof program.Seaplane service between St. Thomas and St. Croix

resumed September 28, and the Henry Rohlsen Airportreopened on October 5. Juan Luis Hospital, badlydamaged by the storm, opened for emergency services bythe month’s end. (Patients hospitalized during the stormhad been transferred to Atlanta and Shreveport.) We hearthat their cafeteria is open serving wholesome food in airconditioning!Here and there, businesses are reopening for limited

hours.

In RecoveryGetting Backto Normal…live with AmyClick here to see how St. Croix is recovering from Maria

St. Croix Real Estate Reviews, page 2

While Hurricane Irma spared St. Croix on September 6th, she battered our sister islands. St. Thomas, St.John, Water Island and the British Virgins took direct hits. And St. Croix leapt in to help.

Matt and Sarah Ridgway, lifelong Crucians, opened a Go-Fund-Me relief account the very next day.Matt owns Caribbean SeaAdventures, and the siblings loadedhis Buck Island excursion boats withpallets of water, food, clothes andsupplies. Islanders assisted at thedocks; supermarkets, local businessesand residents made donations. By Friday, the Coast Guard had

approved their mission and the BettyAnn and the Milemark, bothpowerboats, set out across the 40miles of open water to St. John. BigBeard Adventure Tours soon joined inwith its catamaran, Adventure.The Caribbean Sea Adventure

boats made several round trips daily,carrying relief over and returning withevacuees. Restaurants, includingGalangal, Un Amore, Rowdy Joe’s,and Above the Cliff, met them at thedocks with hot meals and hugs.“Several restaurants took turns.

Kat from Un Amore took the lead onfood, and I brought the drinks,” saidGreg Worrell, one of the locals whovolunteered. “I brought ice, water,soda, beer and Gatorade. Peoplegetting off the boats were emotionaland grateful.”Meanwhile, under the operation of

VITEMA, the QE IV ferry made twodaily trips to St. Thomas,transporting Red Cross workers andsupplies.Then Hurricane Maria beelined for

St. Croix sadly halting our reliefefforts beyond our shores andfocusing them here.

St. Croix Shonein Irma Aftermath

St. Croix Real Estate Reviews, page 3

A born storyteller,Apple Gidley canspin a grippingtale. Her novelFireburn hitbookstores onOctober 1st, theanniversary of St.Croix’s bloodyworker rebellion in1878. And thatwas no accident.

Fireburn coversthe era from 1876 to 1887when St. Croix’s once vibrantsugar industry was crumbling.Gidley weaves history into thetale of Anglo-Danish AnnaClausen, her decaying familyplantation, and her struggle towin the trust of disgruntledfield workers. Crucian DanicaDavid painted the book’scover. “I’m hooked on writing

historical novels,” Gidley said.While she loves writing shortstories and memoirs (ExpatLife Slice by Slice), this genresuits her well. “Researchfascinates me,” she said.Gidley fell into the genre by

accident: Isabel Brady,Gidley’s Coldwell Banker realestate agent, invited her toTransfer Day celebrations in

2014. Festivitiescommemorated the March 31,1917 transfer of the VirginIslands from Denmark to theUnited States, and talk turnedto the approaching centennial.“I wondered what it was like

to live on our beautifulisland in those days, andthe seed was sown,”Gidley said. Researchlead her to theFrederiksted fireburn; herfocus detoured. (She’llreturn to 1917 inFireburn’s sequel,Transfer of the Crown.)Like her passion for

writing historical fiction,Gidley’s home indowntown Christianstedwas a chance find.“We searched for 20

years for somewhere toretire,” said Gidley, whohas lived in exotic placesaround the world. Whenshe and her husbandJohn spotted the houseon Coldwell Banker’swebsite, she flew to St.Croix.“I just knew it was our

place, not only the house, butthe island,” Gidley said.“People have been so very

welcoming.” Taxi drivers intown fondly call her ‘theEnglish lady on the hill’.Gidley plans a December

14th book signing atUndercover Books and one atthe Blue Mutt in January.

We're happy to report theirbeloved home survived therecent hurricanes.

Fireburn, a Tale of Passion and STX History

We call her Bry, rhymes with wry. It’s short for Bryoni, an old Irish name thather mother dearly loved. Bry Locher joined our Coldwell Banker team on September 1st. She comes to

the table with energy and know-how. She understands the finer points of buyingand selling St. Croix properties, and she introduces her clients to thecommunity. We welcome her aboard!“I show my clients what I love about the island,” said Bry. “I help

them make the transition, whether it’s finding volunteer work orchildren’s activities.” Community is what Bry loves best about St. Croix. “Look at what happened after Irma. People here took

time off work to help. They were on the docks loading heavy pallets of water and supplies onto boats,” saidBry. “We have a tight community. I love showing my clients how wonderful it is.”Having lived most of her life in Ohio and Virginia, Bry tired of the cold, and who wouldn’t? After a trip to

St. Thomas with girlfriends and a seaplane hop over to St. Croix, Bry was sold. She and her fiancée Mark became engaged and planned a honeymoon at Chenay Bay Resort on St. Croix.

Several visits later, they bought one way tickets.“We said ‘Let’s take a chance’ and we’ve been here nine years now,” she said. Their daughters, Olivia and Madison, were born at Juan F. Luis Hospital and attend Good Hope Country

Day School where her husband Mark teaches technology and is Associate Director of Technology.The real estate business brings Bry opportunities to work with families, something she enjoys. “I meet a

wide variety of people and walk them through one of the largest purchases of their lives,” she said. “Making a new place your home is important.” she said. We welcome Bry to our Coldwell Banker family!

“Making a new placeyour home is important.”

Spotlight on Bry Locher

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St. Croix Real Estate Reviews, page 4

ST. CROIX REAL ESTATE MARKET WATCH249

2015-2016 AVERAGE DAYS MEDIAN 2016-2017 AVERAGE DAYS MEDIANSOLD ON MARKET SOLD PRICE SOLD ON MARKET SOLD PRICE

Home Sales 171 318 $232,000 173 296 $290,000 Condo Sales 122 290 $151,500 124 230 $149,000 Land under $39,999 26 426 $25,000 46 370 $24,250Land over $40,000 45 446 $85,000 41 513 $82,500Commercial 16 345 $300,000 10 471 $374,500

Information from the St. Croix Multiple Listing Service * The average sales price and the average days on marketcould be skewed greatly by only one sale or because of thesmall number of annual sales.

CLOSED SALES COMPARISON :9/20/15-9/20/16 VERSUS 9/20/16-9/20/17

e Good News…CONDOS SOLD

21%FASTER September 1-20,compared to

September 1-20 oflast year.

Feature Property of the Month

Simplyclick ontheseimagesto seemore!

ISLAND VALUES39 Candle Reef II This 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath, upper level, end unitcondo has straight onBuck Island views and islocated only steps from asandy beach lined withtropical palms and crystalclear water. MLS 17-1514 $495,000

16Elizas

Retreat This over

threequarters ofan acre homesite in the private Eliza's Retreat neighborhood is

set amongst lush foliage and dramatic rolling hills, all whileenjoying expansive Caribbean Sea views that include Buck

Island. MLS 17-1341 $96,000

1B ShoysThis Caribbeanestate in the Shoysenclave has a bigswimming pool,multi-level decks, a3 bedroom/3.5bath main home,two apartments,beautiful sea viewsand even a deededbeach access just ashort walk from thepool deck. Themain home has abig open greatroom with a wall ofwindows on the seaside of the homeallowing the brilliant blues of the sea and natural light to fill the space. The great roomis flanked by French doors that open to sunny decks and it seamlesslyflows into the kitchen. The Shoys community has nicely paved roads, anentry gate with a 24/7 security guard and a beautiful, crescent shapedsandy beach with calm waters. Shoys abuts The Buccaneer Hotel & Spawhere one can golf, dine or have a spa day at their Hideaway Spa - the resort lifestyle is at your fingertips!

MLS 17-1512 $1,200,000

241-I La Grande PrincesseWelcome to the secret garden ofLa Grande Princesse! This 3-bedroom, 2-bath mid-island oasiswith a sea view has lush foliageand vibrant fauna. The home alsohas two spacious apartmentsgreat for visiting guests or extraincome. The 0.80-acre propertyhas ample flat yard space ideal forplanting an edible garden or anabundance of colorful, fragrantflower beds! Call Amy if you wouldlike to receive the listing once itgoes live!

$460,000

COMING SOON!

Date of Hurricane Maria