All new buildings must withstand a minimum wind speed of up to 110mph and zone 4 earthquake provisions.
The Virgin Island real estate featured on this site is intended to reflect a cross section of the market in price and location. We have a wide selection of properties throughout the island.
For a complete information package about purchasing St. John real estate or if you wish to receive specific information about our listings, please contact us. As REALTORS and members of the multiple listing service (MLS), we can provide you with access to the entire St. John real estate and Virgin Island real estate market.
Below are the VI Government’s mil rates for calculating property taxes
Land – Unimproved non-commercial real property at .004946
Residential – Residential real property at .003770
Commercial – Commercial real property at .007110
Timeshare – Timeshare real property at .014070
More information is available at the VI Government Property Taxes web site
Available through banks and lending institutions; including First Bank of Puerto Rico, CitiBank, Banco Popular, Scotia Bank, Merchant’s Bank, First Liberty & Merrill Lynch. Most banks require the buyer to pay for the title search, title insurance, surveyor’s certificate, perimeter survey and the bank‘s attorney fees. Second home buyers can qualify for up to 70% loan to value mortgages.
Available and recommended.
There is a sliding scale government transfer tax (stamp tax) on residences and land at closing and is based on the purchase price.
A.) 2% for property valued up to $350,000
B.) 2.5% for property valued from $350,001 to $1,000,000
C.) 3% for property valued from $1,000,001 to $5,000,000
D.) 3.5% for property valued over $5,000,001
About 2% to 3% of property value for masonry/stone, more for wood frame construction.
Tropical Properties Real Estate has created this document outlining the zoning regulations for St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Click here to view the St. John zoning regulations: View Page
All new buildings must withstand a minimum wind speed of up to 110mph and zone 4 earthquake provisions.
From $300.00 a sq. ft. to $450.00 a sq. ft. A VI licensed architect or engineer must sign off on house plans. Building specs may be obtained from Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) at (340) 774-3320. Permits take 3-6 months for approval.
Supplied by underwater cable from St. Thomas. A backup generator is located on island that supplies Cruz Bay only.
Collected from the roof and stored in a cistern. Required capacity is 10 gal. of cistern for every sq. ft. of roof on single story homes and 15 gal. for a two story home.
USVI residents taxed on worldwide income according to standard (IRS) tax code. Non-resident US citizens taxed on income from USVI sources only. Corporations have a 10% surcharge on income with the exception of those enjoying investment incentives. Businesses pay 5% gross receipts tax on money earned from all transactions including services and may not deduct expenses. Ask about EDC and other tax incentives.
A maximum of 6% of invoice value of foreign goods, there is no local duty on US made products.
The range is from 2% to 15% of the net invoice value plus a markup of 5% on items brought into the islands for business use or resale. 1993 government imposed 4% excise tax on imported personal goods (large appliances and furniture) valued at $500.00 or more.
The US government purchased St. John from Denmark in 1917. A Naval governor ruled until 1931 when the Dept. of Interior assumed control. We are an unincorporated territory. Residents of the Virgin Islands vote for a local governor. We cannot vote for president of the United States. We do receive all other benefits awarded the (mainland) United States.
In 1950 Lawrence Rockefeller purchased more than half the island from the Dutch West Indies Company, developed Caneel Bay Resort and donated the remaining acreage to the US Government as public park land. Over the years the Park Service has purchased more land, and now the Virgin islands National Park is 7200 acres of land plus 5650 acres offshore.
The island is 1075 miles East South East of Miami, 50 miles East of Puerto Rico, 3 miles East of St. Thomas, with exact coordinates being 18.3368° N, 64.7281° W. To the North is the Atlantic Ocean, to the South is the Caribbean Sea . St. John is 19 sq. miles – 9 miles long and 2 miles wide. The highest elevation is Bordeaux Mountain at 1277 ft.
The 2010 census was 4,170. The St. Thomas census was 51,452.
The average rainfall is 43 inches, this coming mostly through Sept.-Oct. and May-June. The winter temp. is 77-84 degrees and the summer temp. is 82-93 degrees.
The private schools are the same tuitions as on the mainland. Parochial schools are less.
Schools on St. John : Cruz Bay to 9th grade (public). St. John School on Gifft Hill, Pre-K to 12th grade (private), St. John Christian Academy Pre-K to 4th grade .
Schools on St. Thomas : There are 4 private schools and 7 religious schools, Antilles School and VI Montessori School. The University of the Virgin Islands is located on a 175 acre campus with both bachelor and master degree programs.
Service provided through the US Postal Service as well as UPS, Fed Ex, DHL and American Airlines.
Cellular service is available from Sprint, ATT/Cingular, T-Mobile and Centennial.
Connections can be made through AOL, ATT, Worldnet, CompuServe/AOL, Innovative, Broadband VI, Choice and Virgin Islands Paradise Freenet (free online service). Western Union, World Communications and AT&T provide international telex and telegraphic services.
Air Service insurance is $260.00 annually for a family. Myrah Keating Smith Clinic on St. John (with helicopter pad) and Roy L. Schneider Hospital on St. Thomas (via ambulance boat) & private medical practices in all specialties.
The Daily News, Tradewinds and the St. Croix Avis are the local papers. USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and several US metropolitan and Puerto Rico newspapers are flown in daily. News of St. John also provides regular news via an email newsletter.
Grocery prices are 25% higher than in the Washington DC area and 20% higher than in Puerto Rico.
Grocery prices are 25% higher than in the Washington DC area and 20% higher than in Puerto Rico.
We have a wide selection of units available to suite every style and budget. On St. John prices range from $210,000 for an “in town” studio, to $990,000 for a two-bedroom unit overlooking the ocean.
If you’d like to explore real estate ownership on St. John , or just talk about trends in the market, feel free to call the Tropical Properties office or one of our agents directly. As members of the MLS, we have a wide range of properties to show you. We can assist you in arranging for financing, insurance and construction, too. Tropical Properties can help make your dream of investing on St. John become a reality.
Be confident that you have made the right choice in considering Tropical Properties, and we sincerely hope to help you find your piece of paradise on St. John Island. Contact Us today!