Caribbean Life and House Hunters

You never hear about cisterns, generators, condo fees, hurricane shutters etc. -- it is a scripted TV show.

Although it’s probably done more for the USVI than anything the department of tourism has come up with.

The folks on those shows have usually already bought and been on the island for a few months before they film the show.  A couple that was on one show in 2015 started the stxcalendar.com and only recently decided to move on to their next adventure.

We were on one with HGTV...We owned the house for about a month when we started filming

How did you end up being chosen for the show?  How was the experience?  I enjoy watching the shows on the USVI's.

Posted by: @40isthebetter20

So, I'm wondering how many of the people who are on those shows actually make it past 6 months or a year on the island....

I was watching one the other day and the couple had never been to STX before and it was pretty apparent they hadn't done much research by their questions. They were a newly wed couple (like - got married the week before) and decided they would just use their honeymoon one way to get down there, buy a property and find jobs. 

She couldn't understand why the condos and houses didn't have bathtubs because she liked to soak in the tub nightly after work. 

The look on the realtor's face was priceless.... ? ? ? ? 

I wish they would have filmed them getting their first power bill... ? 

Who knows- maybe they're now the most successful couple on the island... !? ? 

especially for those who bought before the hurricane. 

I have to laugh at the shows.....wife "I'm a butterfly surgeon" husband......"I'm a professional cat walker" our budget is 1.8 million dollars.

While the show is formulaic and predictable it is fun to watch.  It would be interesting to check-in on couples who bought 2, 5 and 10 years ago.  I wonder how many are still on the island.  They should do a reunion show.

Posted by: @stxsailor

I have to laugh at the shows.....wife "I'm a butterfly surgeon" husband......"I'm a professional cat walker" our budget is 1.8 million dollars.

Hahahaha! Or..."We definitely need a 3 bedroom home with a pool. And beachfront is a MUST!"......our budget is $200k.....

I was watching some of the older episodes and saw that our next door neighbors house was featured, but wasn't the house the couple bought.  I thought that was fun, my wife didn't seem to care.

i watched a few  the other day and i hated the attitude of the couple from california.  the one guy who married a local, loves the house they chose and would love to see an update. 

I guess since I've been researching this move for 10 years (all the good and bad) and I want to live there so badly, I get annoyed when they complain about small rooms and outdated cabinets but they have a beautiful view of Buck Island on the East End out of the entire front of their house which is just steps to the beach.  

Who gives a crap if the cabinets are ugly?! They work and there's plenty of them....HAVE YOU LOOKED OUTSIDE??? DO YOU REALIZE WHERE YOU ARE??!! lololol

Who plans on staying inside that much anyway?? I sure as hell wouldn't.... Give me a small garden, a grill and some outdoor projects and I'm golden. Also- my husband is a contractor, so we can fix pretty much anything. ? 

But in the latest news- we recently got back from a week in STT and my husband loved it so much he wants our next vacay to be in STX so he can get an idea about the island and we can talk about pulling the plug on the mainland. ? ? ? ? Maybe my dream of shitty cabinets and a million dollar view will come true after all.... ? 

Posted by: @40isthebetter20

But in the latest news- we recently got back from a week in STT and my husband loved it so much he wants our next vacay to be in STX so he can get an idea about the island and we can talk about pulling the plug on the mainland. ? ? ? ? Maybe my dream of shitty cabinets and a million dollar view will come true after all.... ? 

My guess is the islands (STT & STX) are very different and that there are STT people and STX people.  My family has deep roots on Martha's Vineyard (MA), going back to the 1930's, and one thing I've observed over many years is that while Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket are both "just off Cape Cod", they are two different worlds and they don't often mix.  In other words there are Vineyard people and Nantucket people.

My point is it will be interesting to see if you're drawn to one island or the other.  My wife and I vacationed a number of times on St John before we bought on St. Croix and I would say, as a seasonal resident, I'm more of a STX person than a STJ person, mostly because it's larger and offers more variety (IMHO).

@jaldeborgh 

You're absolutely right in that they're all very different. ? STX is my ultimate goal tho. 

The trip to STT was to show the hubs what all is possible on long weekend trips if we were to move to STX. Basically- that the possibilities are pretty endless and we wouldn't be stuck on just one island. We can ferry over and island hop and go to all the beaches there and in the BVI. Essentially- live like we do now when we take long weekend trips. We cook and hang around home mostly and venture out into downtown Nashville or the mountains occasionally. 

But with that- STT really has a bit of a faster pace, is a bit crowded and has a party atmosphere that my husband and I just aren't really into anymore. We love STJ and Water Island, but it's a little too expensive (we can do it- it's just more than I want to spend) and a smidge too remote- which I think would be fun at first but we don't want to have to depend on a ferry or boat to get bulk and standard goods. Although, he keeps mentioning Water Island and what all we'd need to move there. ? I am the kind of person that can live pretty much anywhere and put up with just about anything as long as it's not cold so WI would be more than fine with me. Haha. I adapt to new normals really easily. 

We went to STT before everything got crazy, but by the end of our trip, cruise ships were stopped, and things started to shut down. So I have a feeling that with almost no tourists at the end, it was more like STX than typical STT and STJ. It was pretty low key and most beaches we had almost to ourselves. 

From my understanding, STX is slower, more laid back but there's still a ton to do on and around the island. The cost of living is a little better according to real estate that I find, and private schools are less expensive. We're def looking for more laid back, quiet and a small town feel like we have now.  ? 

We'll def do a PMV next vacation! 

STX is much larger and flatter than STT - [3x larger] - STX does not have the large natural harbor that STT has which has always affected the cruise ship traffic and general commercial marine activity. And the favorable winds to sail in and out.

@jaldeborgh - I have to tell you that "deep roots" on Marthas Vineyard are not from the 1930's --  to the Islander families -- they will still consider your folks summer people, from away.

I’ve never cared what strangers think about me, I live to my values, given to me by my parents.  I have about 40+ relatives from 3 generations living on the same land that my Grandfather purchased in the 30’s.  For me that’s deep roots.  My family has only been in the US since the early 1900’s.  Everything is relative.  My DNA says I’m 68% Swedish, I guess that’s a different way of looking at roots.