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Sea Glass Cares
Sea Glass has some exciting news! We are proud to announce that we have officially embarked on our journey of social responsibility to the U.S. Virgin Islands community. Too many times we have found ourselves asking, “how can we give back to a community that needs it so bad?” Sure, when you look at our properties, vacation villas, and beautiful pristine water, you see the plentiful and the beauty– you see “The Life”. However, just as all around the world, there is a true need for help in the Virgin Islands, and when one is in the position to help–how can you not? Thus, we decided it was time to take action.
Sea Glass has set up a fund with the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI), by the name of Sea Glass Cares. It is our specific aim to help raise funds for various educational projects in the local community such as after school programs, summer school, sports programs, and other activities. What is appealing about this fund is that 100% of what we raise will go directly to charities of the Virgin Islands– no overhead at all, so when donating you can be rest assured that your monies are going where you want them to go!
Furthermore, we have made our own personal pledge to donate a percentage of our profits from our vacation program. So, if you are looking for a vacation AND you want to make an impact… look no further, we have the answer!
This month is going to be all about community involvement in the Virgin Islands. So, stay tuned for a new post each week and a little more information about Sea Glass Cares and how you can help!
Please visit www.seaglasscares.org to learn more about the Emmanuel Benjamin Oliver Elementary School Summer Program. More to come on our projects!
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Just Listed! St. Thomas Waterfront Villa
One of St. Thomas’s finest luxury villas is now on the market for sale.
$10,500,000
This 2000 bottle wine cellar is one of the MANY reasons why this home is a must see:
Click HERE to learn more about Casa Sul Mare
D13&14 Lovenlund, St. Thomas Virgin Islands
or Contact: Nick Van Assche | 340-774-5277
Sea Glass Properties sells St. Thomas real estate.
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Beachfront Bargain Hunt St. Thomas
Preview of Beachfront Bargain Hunt on HGTV. Kerstin McConnell helps the Cassidy family find the perfect home.
Check it out!
Kerstin helps the Cassidy Family.
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Villa Pearl Auction (4-49 Botany Bay) March 22nd, 2016
The Villa Pearl Auction on St. Thomas is almost here.
Only 9 days remain until this view could be yours!
Location: 4-49 Botany Bay St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands
Date of Auction: March 22, 2016
CURRENTLY $14.5M | RESERVE $7.75M
Click Here to Request the Villa Pearl Auction Package
Villa Pearl is a 9,854 square feet luxury waterfront home located on St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands featuring 6 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms. This property is being auctioned off fully furnished. For a bidder’s brochure, contact us today!
View our previous posts:
http://www.seaglassproperties.com/blog/2016/03/villa-pearl-auction-st-thomas-vi/
http://www.seaglassproperties.com/blog/2016/03/4-49-botany-bay-auction/
http://www.seaglassvi.com/2016/03/03/villa-pearl-luxury-auction/
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Villa Pearl Luxury Auction (Formerly known as Villa Whydah)
Villa Pearl Luxury Auction (Formerly known as Villa Whydah)
Virgin Islands Real Estate
– Waterfront Luxury Home –
Location: 4-49 Botany Bay St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands
Date of Auction: March 22, 2016
CURRENTLY $14.5M | RESERVE $7.75M
Click Here to Request the Villa Pearl Auction Package
Click Here
Villa Pearl, located on St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands, that will be going to auction for the second time on March 22, 2016.
Villa Pearl, comprised of 19,000+ total square feet sitting on 4 acres was previously known as Villa Whydah. Originally listed in 2013 at $35m, the owner ended up selling the villa at auction in December of 2014. After reducing the price to $25m in October of 2013 the property was then auctioned off by Platinum Luxury Auctions with a reserve price of $6 million and ultimately closed for $8,855,000 (per the St. Thomas MLS). Currently the last sale remains the highest priced residential sale on St. Thomas.
The U.S. Virgin Islands is the only English speaking U.S. territory in the Caribbean, making it uniquely attractive to the US tourist market and beyond. Botany Bay remains one of the premier residential developments in the US Virgin Islands. Buyers looking to purchase in Botany Bay often look at other areas as well such as Water Point, Peterborg, and Mahogany Run on St. Thomas. Areas of similar price points on St. John include Peter Bay, Catherineberg, and Ditleff Point.
If you are interested in participating in the Villa Pearl Luxury Auction please call Nick Van Assche at 340.776.6666 or email nick@seaglassproperties.com
Download Auction Package
Click Here to Learn about St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
Click Here to Learn about Virgin Islands Hotel Tax Incentives
Broker Reciprocity.
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Sea Glass Virgin Islands Statistics
Sea Glass Virgin Islands real estate statistics consist of MLS and non-MLS data for Sea Glass Companies.
#1. We finished #1. in sales in the USVI: $80,792,495
#2. We finished #1. in number of transactions in the USVI: 350
#3. We sold $38.6m more in real estate than the nearest STT/STJ competitor.
#4. We had 129 more transactions than the nearest USVI competitor.
#5. We added Holiday Homes of St. John, established in 1960, to our family.
#6. We sold 9 more properties over $1m than the nearest USVI competitor.
#7. We generated over 40,000 visits to our websites per month.
#8. We have over 50 homes listed above $1m.
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From my office window
I am blessed to be able to say I live in the US Virgin Islands all year around. As I sit in my office I can see tourists getting on a sailboat for a day trip snorkeling in the beautiful blue Caribbean waters that are less than 5 minutes from me at any time. I can see a cruise ship that hosts thousands of people – each one looking for a little bit of the beautiful sunny days I get to enjoy all of the time. I can see the gorgeous mega yachts with their spiffy crews always making sure the boats are clean for their owners. I have been on a few and they are just as wonderful inside as they are outside. I moved to the USVI over a decade ago to live in the sun and fun and I still love waking up every day looking at the blue sky and even more blue Sea. I have beautiful views even from my office window. Contact me if this is what is on your mind.
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Peter Bay St John Auction
St. John Real Estate
CLICK HERE TO VIEW INFORMATION ABOUT VILLA PEARL – ST THOMAS AUCTION
– Auction Canceled –
Click Here to Learn More About Villa Rivendell
June 13th, 2015
Villa Rivendell is a 4 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom luxury home located in the prestigious neighborhood of Peter Bay on St. John in the US Virgin Islands. This property sits on 1.04 acres and offers an outdoor dining area, gym, backup generator and newly updated pool and deck.
This villa is located in Lower Peter Bay St John and is a short walk to the beach.
If you are interested in learning more about Villa Rivendell and the Peter Bay Auction please call Nick Van Assche at 340.776.666 or email nick@seaglassvi.com
Click Here to Learn about Peter Bay St John
Click Here to Learn about St. John, US Virgin Islands
Click Here to Learn about Virgin Islands Hotel Tax Incentives
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The History of Reef Bay
St. John is abound with hiking trails through its gorgeous and expansive National Park. The Reef Bay trail is one of our favorites as it taks you through an expansive valley or “gut.” While we reference this amazing trail often, we rarely get the opportunity to talk aobut the history of the Reef Bay Valley. This month we are talking about history of the Virgin Islands and Reef Bay is a great spot to start!
One of our favorite resources for St. John history is from Gerald Singer and his incredible book, St. John Off the Beaten Track. It is a fun read with a plethora of knowledge about the history of St. John, the best beaches, trails and more. In his book, Gerald also tells us about the history of Reef Bay Valley:
“The first human inhabitants of Reef Bay were hunter-gatherers who arrived in St. John almost 3,000 years ago. These primitive peoples were conquered or replaced by a farming-oriented society who were the biological ancestors of the Tainos, the people who Columbus encountered on his voyage across the Atlantic. The farmers, like the hunter-gatherers, migrated from the South American mainland and up the island chain of the Lesser Antilles arriving in St. John about 2,000 years ago.
When Columbus sailed past St. John in 1493, he reported the island to be uninhabited. The Tainos that lived on St. John may have already fled the island in the wake of Carib raids or they may have gone into hiding at the approach of Columbus’ fleet, later to fall victim to the depredations visited upon them by the Spanish colonizers.
In the early sixteenth century, St. John was reported to be re-inhabited by Amerindians feeling Spanish persecution in St. Croix and Puerto Rico. By 1550, the island appeared to have been totally uninhabited, and it remained that way for about 100 years.
Between 1671 and 1717, St. John was intermittently occupied by small groups of woodcutters, sailors, fisherman and farmers.
St. John was officially colonized and settled by the Danes in 1718. By 1726, all of the land in the Reef Bay Valley had been parceled out to form 12 plantations. At first, these estates were devoted to a variety of agricultural provisions such as cotton, cocoa, coffee, ground provisions (yams, yucca, sweet potato, taro, corn, etc.) and the raising of stock animals as well as to to the productions of sugarcane.
By the later part of the eighteenth century, the 12 plantations were consolidated into five, and sugar became the dominant crop in the valley. Only Little Reef Bay never switched to sugar, growing some cotton but primarily concentrating on ground provisions and animals that were sold to the neighboring plantations.
….
By the end of the eighteenth century, when sugar productions was at its peak, and the population of the valley was at its greatest (300), about half of Reef Bay Valley was classified as woodland.
In the nineteenth century, agriculture in the Reef Bay Valley began to decline. By 1915, only Par Force and Little Reef Bay in the lower valley were still active, but with only ten acres planted in sugar. Otherwise the plantations were devoted to cattle and other livestock, coconuts, fruit trees and ground provisions.” (excerpt from St. John Off the Beaten Track by Gerald Singer, Copyright 2006).
Gerald Singer’s “St. John Off the Beaten Track”
When hiking the Reef Bay Trail, one can take the quick trail to the Petroglyphs to stop and see carvings that were likely created by the Tainos prior to Columbus’ arrival. (look closely, you may see the familiar Caneel Bay logo carved in stone).
You will also see the remains of the Par Force plantation, the ruins of Josie Gut Sugar Estate, the Reef Bay Sugar Mill (which is still in great condition) and more. It’s a stunning hike through some of St. John’s rich history as well as an opportunity to learn more about the trees and plants of St. John.
Reef Bay Sugar Mill
We highly suggest picking up a copy of this book prior to a trip to St. John, or even as a resident, as there is so much rich history and so many incredible stories about St. John that even locals may not know! You can also learn a bit here as well!
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The History of the Virgin Islands
Welcome to our theme of the month– The History of the Virgin Islands! With transfer day occurring just last month we felt it appropriate to delve into the details of the history of St. Thomas, St. John, St. Croix and Water Island. We hope to provide you with some new information and fun facts about our tropical paradise! Stay tuned for a new post each week from our agents and staff at Sea Glass.
Click the infographic below to expand and read about the History of St. Thomas!
History of the Virgin Islands
Information in this infographic is credited to www.vinow.com
I hope you enjoy learning all things history of the Virgin Islands this month! Stay tuned for a new post each week!
-Alison