S T. C RO I X R E A LT Y

MessagefromAmy…

Several of thearticles in thismonth’s

newsletter have ledme to consider goodhealth – mental andphysical – and howfortunate we are to live and work insurroundings that enable a healthy lifestyle.Most would agree that good food, plenty ofexercise and lively social interaction are thefoundation of good health. Here in St. Croix,all of those elements are readily available.Our weather encourages year-round outdooractivity, more and more nutritious food isproduced locally, and there’s no lack of thingsto do and interesting people to meet. One ofthe great benefits of living on an island is thatour daily (and nightly) activities take us intocontact with a wide swath of folks from allover the Caribbean and the world whose livesand decisions have led them off the beatentrack. Things are not as socially stratified hereas in much of the U.S., and that is one of theaspects of island living that makes our livesvery rich.

As I write this, St. Croix’s triathlon is justwinding down. Hundreds of elite athletesvisited our island to enjoy the very things I’vepointed out and scores of Crucians madethem welcome and volunteered their time,and even their homes, to make the occasionmemorable for everyone, not just the winners.

As for “interesting,” have a conversationwith Toni Lance, who’s featured in this issue,or almost any Crucian for that matter, andyou’ll have food for thought (and possiblysome duck eggs) for days. So here’s to goodhealth and to St. Croix! Crucians really areremarkable.

AmyAmy Land-de Wilde,

Broker/Owner

St.Croix Real Estatereviews

This newsletter written by Sandy Baldauf sandybaldauf@gmail.com CLICK

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St.Croix Real EstatereviewsFeaturing Real Estate Market Updates

and Local News of St. Croix, USVI

MAY 2016

l coldwellbankervi.com

l info@coldwellbankervi.com

l coldwellbankervi.com/vacationrentals

l Buccaneer Hotel 340.718.7000

l Gallows Bay Marketplace 340.778.7000

l Frederiksted 340.642.3333

Amy Land-de Wilde

Imagine, if you can, charging into Christiansted Harbor at6:30am to begin a 1.24-mile swim, then hopping onto abicycle to race a 56-mile course that includes an uphill

battle with “The Beast” on the north shore. Finally, you arriveat the finish line in Christiansted town after a two-loop 13.1-mile foot race around the east end of the island.

That was the scene on Sunday,May 1st, as 251 athletes raced toqualify for 30 spots in an upcomingWorld Championship Ironmanevent. This was the 28th St. Croixtriathlon and, as usual, spectatorslined the roads to cheer runners andbikers on while volunteers ensuredthat the athletes’ paths stayed clearof obstacles and offered cups ofwater. The day before the race,three inches of rain and wind hadblown harbor buoys and transitionfences off course but, thanks to theefforts of the Department of PublicWorks and a number of hard-working Crucians, everything was in order by Sunday.

Categories, in addition to the main event, included a relaywith 3-member teams competing on the same course as half-ironman competitors and a Sprint division consisting of a750-meter swim and an 8-mile bike course with a 4-mile runto finish. Bridget Klein made Crucians proud as she finished2nd overall in the Sprint event. Frenchman Francky Favre wasthe overall winner of the main event with a time of 4:43:14.

As a festive prelude to the highly anticipated TriathlonJump-Up on Friday night, on Friday afternoon the VI Trackand Field Federation and VI Pace Runners hosted the 18thAnnual Children’s Run from Sunday Market Square to FortChristianvaern. More than 200 children aged 13 and underparticipated, each receiving a trophy and a medal uponcrossing the finish line. Then it was time for the festive Jump-Up, and stores and restaurants stayed open late toaccommodate visitors and locals mingling with musicians andmocko-jumbies.

For triathlon race results, please go tohttps://www.sportstats.ca/search-results.xhtml.

The 2016 Captain Morgan Triathlon

St. Croix Real Estate Reviews, page 2

Christianstedis arguablythe most

beautiful town inthe Caribbean, butit’s more than justa pretty face. Oneadmirer — theNational ParkService no less —boasts that “noplace in theCaribbean stilldemonstrates thearchitectural,economic, and political influence ofEurope like the ChristianstedNational Historic Site.” The site isseven acres close to the Christian-sted waterfront, and includesbuildings constructed in the 17thand 18th centuries for St. Croix’scolonial society and its plantationeconomy. St. Croix’s history isdramatic, often heart-wrenching,and certainly worth investigation.• Fort Christiansvaern was the firstpublic building to be built by theDanes after they purchased St.Croix from France in 1733. The fort

was built to pay homage to theDanish king and also to meet theurgent need to protect St. Croixagainst invasion from Europeanpowers, smugglers and pirates!The yellow-ochre color of the fortand other historic buildings is thecolor used to paint the Nybodernaval barracks in Copenhagen,planned and built by King ChristianIV in the 18th century. • Just across from the fort, anexhibit in the Steeple Buildingdocuments the religious history ofSt. Croix. The graceful steeple is a

reminder of theLutheran congre-gation that onceheld services there. • Next to the fort,the sweepingstaircase of the OldCustoms Houseprovides excellentphoto opportun-ities. The buildingis now home to theNational ParkService offices anda wealth of infor-

mation is available there.• The Old Scale House on the wharfdisplays the heavy-duty scale onceused to weigh barrels of rum andsugar before shipment to Europe.• Governor General Peter vonScholten maintained his office andofficial residence in splendid fashionin majestic Government House onKing Street. All of the buildings are open to

the public. Please see the NationalPark Service website athttps://www.nps.gov/state/vi/index.htm for more information.

A n artist par excellence and an animal advocate in equalmeasure, Toni Lance is well on her way to becoming aCrucian legend. In 1980 Toni arrived in St. Croix and

launched what has become an intensely interesting andchallenging career that combines her talent as an artist with herlove of wildlife. Toni’s artistic talent came naturally, and herfascination with wildlife, particularly birds, was fostered by herfamily’s love for animals and her father’s penchant for collectingwooden duck decoys, an interest that resulted in considerablefamily time spent observing all types of birds.

The wild birds rehabilitated at her south shore aviansanctuary frequently star in Toni’s widely sought-afterwatercolors featuring pelicans, egrets, hawks and their kin innatural settings. Her skill, combined with respect and empathyfor her subjects, provides viewers with close-ups of birds thatmost of us only see from a distance.

The morning we visited the sanctuary, a young frigate birddemonstrated how well his injured wing was healing. Thispatient probably had only hours left to survive when CaptainSam Halvorson of Dive Experience untangled the line and hookthat held the bird to a buoy. The frigate began the road torecovery at Toni’s sanctuary and is doing well — thank youSam! Then came a brief visit with a baby egret that had fallenout of a nest in Frederiksted. Toni explained that if you can getwithin 2 feet of a bird, it is definitely in distress. She added thatrehydration is the first step to recovery. To leave an injured creaturealone in the sun means that it will surely die after suffering for as long asfive days. The expectation is that this small egret will gradually begin toexplore its surroundings before taking off on its own.

A recovering red tail hawk is caged some distance from the house and, closer, several parrots have a lot tosay. That there are dogs, cats and chickens strolling the premises goes without saying. It seems fitting thatempty cages and frames keep company in a storage space; the sturdy cages to shelter injured creatures andthe frames ready to showcase paintings of them.

Toni has been arranging presentations for public and private school students for years. She acknowledgesthat preparing the birds for a road trip is challenging, but she adds that the students’ response makes theeffort worthwhile.

There’s a lively video of Toni Lance and her birds on YouTube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V2n6R2_eoQ) and you can call the St. Croix Avian Sanctuary at 340-773-1839 to find out how to make a tax-deductible contribution that will help support the sanctuary and Ms.Lance’s work. You’ll find examples of Toni’s paintings at www.tonilance.com.

SPOTLIGHTon

Toni Lance

Historic Christiansted

St. Croix Real Estate Reviews, page 3

ST. CROIX REAL ESTATE MARKET WATCH249

2014-2015 AVERAGE DAYS MEDIAN 2015-2016 AVERAGE DAYS MEDIANSOLD ON MARKET SOLD PRICE SOLD ON MARKET SOLD PRICE

Home Sales 146 303 $263,750 141 320 $265,000 Condo Sales 129 276 $135,000 104 254 $146,450 Land under $39,999 35 343 $28,500 27 354 $25,000Land over $40,000 33 440 $90,000 40 402 $86,000Commercial 11 327 $250,000 16 480 $335,000

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 : 4/3-/14 –4/30/15 VERSUS 4/30/15 – 4/30/16

e Good News…Median SOLD

Price for Condos

was UP 8%

during April this year,compared to April of

last year.

Casa Del Mar5F Cotton ValleyThis modern Caribbean villa sits waterfront along St. Croix’s East End shoreline and has big views of celebrated Buck Island. Mature professional landscaping including tropical palms and colorful flora and fauna lead the way through the gated brick entry to the grand double doors beneath a covered portico. This 3-bedroom, 3-bath home features soaring cathedral ceilings in the open great room, French doors, a spacious master suite with an auxiliary room (perfect for a nursery or office), a refreshing swimming pool and agourmet kitchen outfitted with top-of-the-line stainless steelappliances, granite counters and mahogany cabinets. Easy wateraccess is simply a hop, skip and a jump down a convenient set ofstairs located just off the sea side deck and voila you're in yourkayak and off to nearby Buck Island! And if activity isn't on theagenda, just lounge in a chaise or enjoy a cocktail on thewaterfront deck, be it under the warm Caribbean sun or a canopy oftwinkling stars. MLS 16-673 $1,290,000

Feature Property of the Month

ISLAND PROPERTIES210 La Vallee

Incredible opportunity to buildyour Caribbean dream home onthis almost half acre homesite.The lot is set amongst the lushrural beauty of the north shore

with a nice elevation forunparalleled Caribbean Sea

views. In the popular Cane Harbor subdivision, it’sjust a short drive to Cane Bay beach, restaurants

and golf at Carambola. MLS 13-1094 $49,999

161 Anna’sHope Great familyhome in gatedBuccaneer BayEstates near afabulousswimming

beach. This spacious 3-bedroom home has a greatroom with cathedral ceilings, lovely coveredgallery that leads to the pool and plenty of yardspace. An additional 1-bedroom apt. is ideal forguests or extra income. Excellent investmentproperty, vacation home or full-time residence.

MLS 12-1131 $595,000

DEAL OFTHE

MONTH2A and 2BQueen

Magdalene You can own condo/office space in historicdowntown Christiansted at Queen Magda-lene Court. This 3,043 sq. ft. space iscurrently used as office space. However,with vision and creativity, there is thepossibility to turn it into a plush penthouseor bed and breakfast overlooking Christian-sted Harbor - the opportunities are endless!This property comes with a secure vault andfully equipped kitchen. Several rooms/officespaces have views of the Caribbean andChristiansted Harbor, and it’s all withinwalking distance to restaurants and shop-ping.

MLS 15-1577$191,709

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informationaboutthese

amazingproperties!

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Photos by Al Dorsa