The US Virgin Islands Best Guide

Real Estate on St. John, Virgin Islands

St. John is unique; it offers the opportunity to own a dream home with a magnificent ocean view on an island that is two-thirds protected from development by the National Park Service. Price tags for the fitting of a dream home nestled on a beautiful, protected Caribbean island are, of course, attached! The allure of St. John is in the lush green hills and beautiful white sand beaches. The island offers a slow pace of living and is home to a small community of about 4,200 people.

There are currently (February 2021) 121 houses on the market, ranging in size from a 1-bedroom 1 bath 400 square foot cottage in Bethany for $318,900; to 14.5 million for a 9 bedroom 11.5 bathrooms 15,975 square foot mansion in Cruz Bay. Most houses are designed with open styled floor plans, high ceilings and large decks to take advantage of the trade winds and the wonderful views. There are 41 houses listed below 1 million dollars. There are 86 houses listed that are over 1 million dollars.

House Sales

YEAR TOTAL HOUSES SOLD LOW HIGH AVERAGE
2000 41 $120,000 3.8 Million $633,768
2001 46 $130,000 1.8 Million $594,294
2002 57 $75,000 5 Million $837,129
2003 61 $180,000 3.2 Million $931,142
2004 43 $341,700 4.5 Million $1,242,627
2005 54 $450,000 8.75 Million $1,789,315
2006 33 $318,000 4.25 Million $1,454,373
2007 29 $295,000 14 Million $1,982,914
2008 23 $250,000 4.6 Million $1,502,872
2009 22 $240,000 6.5 Million $1,283,182
2010 20 $495,000 3 Million $1,285,075
2011 27 $135,000 12 Million $1,722,222
2012 28 $325,000 8.45 Million $1,183,607
2013 48 $165,000 3.5 Million $1,054,698
2014 40 $145,000 7.75 Million $1,049,862
2015 38 $189,000 4 Million $1,074,847
2016 53 $115,000 4 Million $3,025,000
2017 38 $225,000 3.6 Million $891,763
2018 60 $107,500 3,795,000 $1,049,483
2019 45 $250,000 9 Million $1,169,878
2020 51 $179,000 5.4 Million $1,216,419

Most residents finance their homes through conventional mortgages with local banks. Interest rates are slightly higher in the Virgin Islands than on the mainland. A typical down payment is 20 to 30 percent. Banks require earthquake and windstorm insurance with mortgages; the cost is around 2-3% of replacement value.

Presently on the market there are 233 undeveloped land sites for sale ranging in price from $64,900 for a 1/3 of an acre in Carolina; to 7.5 million for 4.5 acres near Maho Bay Beach. Looking for a private island? Recently Thatch Cay, 237 acres, was on the market at $24,000,000. Properties within the National Park but not park owned are traditionally the most expensive. Land development and subdivision, like in Rendevous & Ditleff, have increased the availability of land lots within the last couple of years.

Factors to consider when looking for land include; location, view, access to the property and any site preparations that might be necessary in order to build. The average lot size is half an acre.

Land Lot Sales

YEAR TOTAL LAND LOTS SOLD LOW HIGH AVERAGE
2000 80 $23,250 $2.5 Million $195,644
2001 96 $25,000 $1.1 Million $168,093
2002 141 $34,500 $2.4 Million $200,362
2003 167 $35000 $6 Million $370,202
2004 106 $85,000 $8 Million $530,141
2005 68 $110,000 $3.9 Million $560,389
2006 49 $179,000 $1.4 Million $496,144
2007 24 $92,500 $6,574,950 $726,519
2008 20 $115,000 $1.8 Million $440,475
2009 19 $60,000 $3.5 Million $380,553
2010 16 $75,000 $875,000 $248,125
2011 20 $72,000 $843,183 $287,865
2012 33 $55,000 $13.9 Million $776,664
2013 31 $49,500 $2.5 Million $396,016
2014 31 $65,500 $1.65 Million $408,782
2015 44 $63,000 $970,000 $208,680
2016 38 $45,000 $3 Million $309,874
2017 19 $46,250 $1,275,000 $203,053
2018 32 $35,000 $2,475,000 $280,547
2019 36 $30,000 $1,081,556 $248,815
2020 31 $32,500 $1,550,000 $296,524

Building a home starts at around $400 per square foot and is affected largely by materials used for building and finishing. Keep in mind that preparations and special structural requirements may need to be met making the total cost of the construction project more. A cistern for water storage and a septic tank are necessary components of a home on St. John. The cistern alone will account for almost 10 percent of the total building cost. Land owners should depend on the experts when it comes to building on St. John; plans must be prepared by an architect, engineer or drafts-person licensed in the Virgin Islands.

There are 20 condo developments on St. John, some are small with just a few units while others are large. Most are located in or close to Cruz Bay. Currently on the market there are 16 condos.

Condo Sales

YEAR TOTAL CONDOS SOLD LOW HIGH AVERAGE
2000 15 $68,333 $320,000 $181,900
2001 16 $85,000 $335,000 $219,852
2002 14 $90,000 $350,000 $209,457
2003 7 $225,000 $460,000 $350,358
2004 13 $220,000 $925,000 $567,885
2005 12 $350,000 $990,000 $689,750
2006 6 $425,000 $1,035,000 $635,667
2007 6 $275,000 $1,250,000 $613,000
2008 15 $390,000 $789,000 $634,923
2009 6 $222,500 $1,200,000 $605,583
2010 7 $200,000 $932,300 $467,043
2011 5 $375,000 $550,000 $430,000
2012 9 $290,000 $850,000 $501,667
2013 8 $343,000 1 Million $613,688
2014 9 $380,000 1.05 Million $714,924
2015 12 $172,705 $748,250 $363,054
2016 10 $287,000 $855,000 $569,300
2017 5 $455,000 $900,000 $690,500
2018 5 $425,000 $950,000 $600,000
2019 10 $475,000 $1,000,000 $760,750
2020 11 $220,000 $990,000 $715,227

There are 119 timeshare units currently listed. The majority of which are located at Virgin Grand Estates & Villas and Westin Vacation Club, both in Chocolate Hole. Timeshares range from $1000 for a week in July in a 750 square foot 1 bedroom 2 bath unit; to $99,000 for a 3-bedroom 3.5 bath unit in Chocolate Hole.

There are presently 2 commercial opportunities available. They include quest house and boutique.

The overall inventory of St. John real estate at this time includes 509 listings.

Market Inventory Table, St. John

DATE ALL HOMES LOTS TIMESHARE CONDOS COMMERCIAL
August 2005 372 55 157 135 12 13
April 2006 549 101 249 122 50 27
February 2007 589 124 262 135 51 17
September 2008 702 117 258 238 58 30
October 2009 735 126 251 299 40 19
August 2010 708 137 262 248 46 15
August 2011 663 147 248 213 42 13
May 2012 689 166 269 198 44 12
August 2013 616 142 266 172 27 9
March 2015 672 165 294 178 27 8
September 2016 643 161 276 170 24 12
April 2019 495 126 237 110 16 6
February 2021 491 121 233 119 16 2

The National Park protects about two thirds of the St. John leaving limited amounts of property for development, this factor adds to both the desire of owning property and the high prices. Contact the featured real estate agents listed above for more information on property on St. John.

Note: This section is dated February 2021; prices, property estimates and numbers reflect the market at the time this section was written. General Information and sales data is believed to be accurate but not guaranteed.

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