Law of Attraction

I would imagine that where your husband's business is located would be the primary decision maker in terms of where/which island you chose to live.

If he works from home, it's not a factor but if you live in STJ and he works in STT, the commuting by ferry to work every day may get old pretty quickly. That being said many
do it but ferries don't always run on time and safari taxi's don't always drop you at desired location.

Your Jan. to July time frame also comes at the height of our busy tourist season here in STT/STJ so your associated costs for a rental may be higher especially when landlords who have short term rentals depend on making money "in season" and make more renting weekly than for a 6 month period to help them thru the "off season" summer months when they have difficulties finding tenants and vacation rental guests.
Most landlord hate having the rental period end in July as it can take some time to find suitable tenants to rerent their property.

Even if hubbys work is in STT and you live here, the job location and commuting distance may dictate your choice of what area to live.

While crime is in every community and concerns you, I will say that I have lived on STT most of my life and never had either of the properties I own, my tenants or myself impacted with crime and I don't live in a gated community.

If you wish to do so there are many nice locations that may be suitable such as Mahogany Run which have owners that have rentals there. They have both 1 and 2 bedroom units where many of the other condos only offer 1 bedroom units. If you don't need a 2 bedroom it opens up your options. No pets allowed in majority of condo assocations.

Good luck.

Thanks very much for the quick reply Alana. My husband will be able to work from home for the most part but may have to commute to downtown CA a couple of times a week at most so STJ would be fine commute wise. I just wonder, for living purposes, if we would not find STT more convenient and affordable if we were able to find accommodations that we felt safe in. As you state, I think our time frame will present a challenge, much of it being high season down there and I am guessing there might be more options on STT.

What I feel I need to do is research neighborhoods. Would you mind my asking what part of the island your properties are? We do have a young cat so I suppose that will complicate matters.

I've always lived on north side of island. Our neighborhoods aren't like those in the states so difficult to explain. Most areas do not have public transportation so you'll need a car to get around, shop, explore, go to the beach or out in evenings. Even if you live along a bus or safari route you have to walk to the road and wait for one to come along. They don't run at night.

STT would probably give you more options and be a bit less expensive but it's not impossible to find something on STJ, if that's what you prefer.

Having a pet can complicate matters as majority of condo associations don't allow and many homeowner's don't wish tho easier with a cat than dogs.

Thanks again Alana. We would plan on buying a second hand vehicle or, as I read somewhere on this forum, there are some rental agencies that do long term rentals which might make more sense given our split residency. I understand what you mean about the neighborhoods being different than the mainland. We have more experience with STJ and know the island well but have spent some time, not as much in STT. If we are able to make it down the winter we will spend time exploring STT in more depth.

so you are going to have a business here for the tax breaks?

i hope you enjoy your time here. and Law of Attraction, yep it does work

so you are going to have a business here for the tax breaks?

i hope you enjoy your time here. and Law of Attraction, yep it does work

Without getting into too much detail- don't want to jinx us- there is a service that my husband is uniquely suited to provide that is not currently offered in the USVI. He is working with some local professionals to develop a plan to market that service. The tax breaks sure would help. Hopefully it would be a win for the local economy and for us personally, as we would be able to realize a dream of spending the winters in our favorite place on earth.

You may want to consider a condo purchase once you've gotten your business established and figure out what's best for you. There are some condos that will allow small pets with board approval. (Mahogany Run is not one of them.) Then you can come and go, as you please, leave your car and not have to look for a new living situation every 6 months, lugging your things back and forth. It's an option.

You may want to consider a condo purchase once you've gotten your business established and figure out what's best for you. There are some condos that will allow small pets with board approval. (Mahogany Run is not one of them.) Then you can come and go, as you please, leave your car and not have to look for a new living situation every 6 months, lugging your things back and forth. It's an option.

That is our long range plan once we feel certain that we know where we want to be and are certain that the business will take off. Until then we'd be looking for furnished rentals unless there is a business that rents furniture by the month.

I am really looking forward to exploring more of St. Thomas, especially the north.

There are some condos that will allow small pets with board approval. (Mahogany Run is not one of them.)

I have several friends at Mahogany Run who have cats. They have to be kept inside.

Thanks Old Tart! Ours is an indoor cat. We have coyotes here. I will investigate Mahognay Run as well.

Just saying that while people may have them there, the board doesn't allow any pets per their association rules so it has to be done without their knowledge and hope your neighbors don't complain.

I would not want to start off a relationship with my new home deceiving anyone so I would only lease a property if they expressly allowed my cat. I have confidence we'll be able to find something, somewhere.

There is much to starting a company under the EDC program you husband may not know about. He will likely have to travel a lot he states on business, and none of those days will count. There is a lot more to it too in terms of costs and commitment. You can still go back to Boston for the summers, but this idea of renting for 6 months and having an EDC company is in la-la land. If you truly want to be full-time residents here, and are willing to spend all the money that is takes on island and to provide good jobs for people there are some benefits to be had, but it's a big commitment on your part to even get it off the ground.

i wish you nothing but luck and enjoy your time

If you like having a quasi-government entity telling you who you can hire, how many you must hire, how much you'll donate to charity and which charity to donate to then demand you file reams of paperwork regularly, being an EDC company is for you.

Just saying that while people may have them there, the board doesn't allow any pets per their association rules so it has to be done without their knowledge and hope your neighbors don't complain.

Checked today with a board member and he confirms that cats ARE allowed but there are restrictions on number and they have to be strictly indoors. He advises that anyone interested in purchasing a unit can obtain a full set of association rules directly or from the realtor involved in the prospective sale.

That's interesting as everything I've seen with regard to listings for rent or sale at Mahogany Run with the exception of the more expensive Patio Villas and private homes in the area all say "no pets" for the 1-2 bedroom condos.

Good to know.
It's always best to check and review the association rules.

Thanks for the input. H is well versed on the requirements and has very knowledgable people advising him. The proposal is not as whimsical as I may have made it appear. I just prefer not to discuss much detail here but simply gather what info I can that might assist in a relo.

To Chris's good point re the 6 month residency requirement will likely mean that we'll need an 8 or 9 month residency to give us/him the wiggle room to travel when needed. That works with our plan and would still put us up north during the nice weather. Not giving up the New England coast in summer, ever, if I can help it.

We are realistic and understand the necessary regulatory i's to dot and t's to cross. We'll venture forward with information and high hopes. I appreciate everyones' comments!

Great info OT, thanks! I will check out Mahogany Run! I have not golfed in several years but I do love it. My work schedule always seems to get in the way but that may change!