Regional "Personalities" on St B's

Greetings,

One week from tomorrow, my wife and I will arrive for a 2-3 week stay on St. Barts. This will be our 5th trip to the island however this trip is a bit different. Our hope is to purchase a villa in the coming 12-18 months and we are going to begin the process.

A bit about us, I'm a retired veterinarian and my wife a general contractor. We live in Southern California on the beach. We love our little town of Hermosa Beach (the first certified "Blue Zone" in the US), are active in the community, and are passionate about protecting the environment.

Looking at St. Barts through the lens of becoming a resident is very different than thru the lens on a tourist. I ask your help and opinions.

I'm curious first of all, if the various regions on the island are different from one another, not only in their topography, but in their "personality"? If so, then can you please comment on the regions from the perspective of a resident. Are some areas populated more by locals, do some have more of a sense of community, some more isolating, more walkable, more "connectivity", better climate, etc.

Thanks for your opinions and assistance. I look forward to your replies. See you next week

David

David,

Enjoy your trip and your discovery process. We have frequent poster who live, or have lived, in nearly all the areas of the island. Hopefully they will offer some insight into your questions.

Location, location, location ...... St. Barths is no different than anywhere else ... it all depends on your intentions with your villa - and your lifestyle ..
are you going to rent it, are you going to 'stay put' while you are there, or will you be out and about day and night. I've been a real estate broker for over 40 years ... I'd suggest the same thing to you that I would to anyone else thinking of making a major move ...... If you are going to buy something I would not jump into a purchase immediately - spend a two weeks or a month in a rental - in various areas about every 3-4 months for a year. what is appealing to you and what is appealing to others can be totally different. See my PM about getting together

We had a home in Vitet, St. Barth for 14 years, and I spent 4-5 months of each of those 14 years on the island. With the help of some excellent artisans on the island, I rebuilt the home to comfortable, more modern standards. It was a labor of love and I made many great friends that I still enjoy.

I have a background in construction and resort property management. I also spent 9 years sailing various Caribbean islands before purchasing the home in St. Barth. Maintaining a home 2,000 miles away in another country with a different language and special culture presents its own unique challenges.

I would advise anyone considering such an investment to spend as many months possible on the island before taking the plunge. The St. Barth tax structure discourages those who are seeking big bucks flipping properties quickly. That isn't to say that some aren't making profits, but local knowledge is essential.

Also, vacationing on St. Barth when all you have to do at the end is to leave is entirely different from having to spend one's "vacation" time dealing with local administrative issues, utilities, contractors, storm preparation, etc. Of course, these responsibilities can be mitigated significantly if one has a capable, dedicated property manager and hundreds of thousands of idle dollars to devote to the cause.

Best of luck with your decision.

Another thread from last year

““Buying in St. Bart”





https://www.sbhonline.com/forums/threads/79896-Buying-in-St-Bart?p=868767&viewfull=1#post868767

The good news for those seeking to purchase now is that the dollar is quite strong compared to recent history.

Another difficulty for purchasers is the lack of restrictions on development in most areas of the island. One might find the ideal villa in a terrific location only to experience new building on an adjacent lot where the new construction occurs directly on your property line. The value of land on the island is high enough that some folks are even buying existing villas just to tear them down and rebuild. When electrical capacity isn't sufficient to operate all the "essential" modern conveniences, generators are sometimes employed. Generators can be noisy.

The dollar is strong but the prices for SBH real estate from what we have seen have shot up to at least pre recession if not quite a bit higher. The locals though know better than us tourists.