The View

Come see this 2 unit home in Estate Ross. It has a nice view of the Caribbean Sea and is close to town and Havensite. This house has a new roof, new parking area, new stairway, and all new appliances and cabinets. The upper unit has three bedrooms, stainless appliances in the new kitchen, and washer/dryer hookups. The lower 1 bedroom apartment has all new kitchen and remodeled bathroom. Great for rental income!

This is video of a condo that is for sale on the east end of St Thomas. List price is $185k. MLS 11-1733 Contact me if you have any questions!

On St Thomas the biggest animals we have are horses, deer, and donkeys. We dont have anything big and scary. We do have a few little and scary things however. Brown Recluse spiders, tarantulas and scorpions.

scorpion

If you encounter any of these small critters, don’t touch them! Their bites can be deadly for some people.

Here I am ‘working’ hard at Mini Mangos using their free wifi. This is a great place to kick back, relax, and have a drink while watching the cruise ship passengers come and go. I just found out that Mini Mangos is also renting out the Galaxy Tab for $20/day from Jont. You can connect using the 3G data network and take it around the island with you all day as your personal tour guide. It has places to go, things to see, stores, etc and how to get there all at your fingertips.

Here I live in the US Virgin Islands.  What a beautiful place to be!

When I was 15 my family went on vacation to Grand Cayman.  Ever since then I have wanted to live somewhere where it is warm all the time, palms are the most abundant trees, the water is aqua, and wearing your black flip flops means you are dressed up.

Well, it took a few years for me to convince myself that I could do it, but here I am.  I moved to St Thomas in October of 2004 and I have never looked back.  I am selling St Thomas real estate, along with St. John real estate and St. Croix in one of the most beautiful areas in the world and loving it!  Now I get to help other people find their dream home.  This can be a studio condo or a multi-unit income producing home or a piece of land.

The US Virgin Islands consist of St Thomas, St John, St Croix, Water Island, and various other smaller islands and cays.  I can help find commercial space for those of you looking to start a business or I can help you purchase an established business.

Feel free to email me at islandrealestate@joimail.com if you would like to find out what real estate is available or ask me any questions.

Karen Korsgren (”Island K”)

islandrealestate@joimail.com

ph: 340-514-4730

Hi everyone. I had a few people yell at me for not letting you know that I was on House Hunters International in June. They are going to replay my episode Tomorrow night. Im not in it much, but you are welcome to watch…

HGTV House Hunters International   July 8, 2010   11pm EST

The episode is with my customer Teri McKenna. You can Google ‘house hunters international karen korsgren’ or

go to http://www.hgtv.com/house-hunters-international/teri-mckenna-has-lived-and-worked-on-her-boat-in-st-thomas-for-a-year-and-shes-ready-now-to-try-life-on-solid-ground/index.html

How many times do you hear about a condo with a separate unit that you can rent out? Well here you go! This beautifully remodeled condo has a spacious one bedroom upstairs with a wrap around deckand gorgeous views of Vieques, Culebra, and Puerto Rico! The lower unit is a smaller one bedroom with all brand new appliances, its own entrance, deck and parking! You can live in one and rent out the other or rent out both!! Add in the beautiful pool area, great location to town, and low condo fees and you have a winner!

Happy Turkey Day everyone!  The holidays are a time when family gets together and catches up with each others lives.  Well, down here, lots of people are from the states and don’t have family on island.  Instead, we get together with other friends and have a ‘misfits’ party.  This year, the Texas Embassy hosted with beautiful views over looking one of the largest natural harbors, Charlotte Amalie on St Thomas in the USVI.

view from our Thanksgiving feast

inside before dinner gearing up for food!

out on the deck

gearing up for dinner

Our hosts did us proud!  There was tons of food!

cooking up a storm of stuffing And of course, after good conversation and great food...the 1st triptophan casualty

here's the second

I was just resting my eyes. No, really!

All in all, a great day!

I have been on island about five years now.  There are lots of different water related things to do such as snorkeling, SCUBA diving, night versions of both, jet skis, parasailing, boating…

One thing I hadn’t done before is go fishing.  We have different fishing tournaments here every year.  The US Virgin Islands is actually known for its great sport fishing off of the North Drop and the South Drop.  Some 21 world records in fishing have been set in recent years in the Virgin Islands. 

the fighting chair

The North Drop is part of the Puerto Rican Trench.  A 6 mile trench  a that runs east to west on the north side of St Thomas.  The ocean runs from where it touches the beaches and cliffs gradually out to a depth of about 300 feet -this happens over approximately 20 miles.  About 20 miles north/north east of St Thomas the bottom suddenly drops to a depth of about 28,000 feet.  (5.2 miles or 8,400 meters).  This is where the big fish hang out.  Some of the best Blue and White Marlin fishing is done here every year.

we caught one

The South Drop only goes to a depth of about 12,000 feet.  Shallow compared to the North Drop, but still deep enough to catch Yellowfin Tuna, Blackfin Tuna, Mahi Mahi, and Wahoo.

about 300lbs

Several boats can be rented  for 1/2 day or full day charters.  For our excursion we went out on a 65 foot fishing vessel with a galley and 2 heads (the lap of luxury) called Prime Time.  The captain and crew were wonderful.

Y’all common down n grab a bite o grub!  The annual Texas Chili Cookoff is held every August.  This year it was on the west end at beautiful Brewers Beach where you can watch the planes take off and land from your comfortable seat in the sand.

The location has changed over the years and so has the chili.  Not the stuff the judges try, that has very stringent rules.  Over the past few years a lot of the contestants have added vegetarian or white chili to their ‘menu’.  Individuals, restaurants, and companies all vie for the chance to be the chili king of St Thomas.

There is also a costume contest.  Whichever booth has the most chili spirit gets an award as well.  The contestants for this particular prize form a parade and try to get more votes using their sparkling personalities.

Each island in the Caribbean has it’s own feel, it’s own flavor, it’s own style!  St Thomas has the cruise ships, St Croix has some great golfing, St John has hiking and camping.  They all have shopping and great SCUBA diving!  But when you want to get a stamp in your passport, the easiest way to do that is to enjoy a day on Jost Van Dyke.

White Bay

Jost Van Dyke (pronounced yost) is one of the smallest of the British Virgin Islands.  Jost’s population is about 220 people.  However, it has some of the most popular bars on it.  Foxy’s, One Love, and of course Soggy Dollar.  Soggy Dollar even has a web cam http://soggydollarbar.com/ 

Renting a boat for the day is how you get there.  There are several different boating options from a ‘bare boat’ to a three cabin yacht.

However you get there, it’s always a great day!

St John Carnival time is here!  Fourth of July weekend every year is cause for double celebration here in the US Virgin Islands.

Each island has its own Carnival to celebrate celebrating!  Jouvert (pronounced joo-vay) means first night.  Jouvert kicks off Carnival weekend with a parade commencing at 4am.   Colorful costumes, local music and food means everyone has a good time.

Summer is coming!  The breeze dies down, the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea get warmer…and the weather conditions are ripe for hurricanes in Florida and the Caribbean.  There are a few simple precautions to take to help safeguard you and yours. 

First, get some approved containers to hold fresh water for washing but dont forget your bottled drinking water as well.  Stock up on canned foods and other types of foods that wont go bad if there is no refridgeration.  Keep in mind that if the power goes out, it could be weeks before it is restored.  If you have a gas stove or grill, make sure the tank is full or have an extra one ready.  Have your hurricane shutters ready to go.  Make sure they are in good repair and you have plenty of extra screws. 

Have a full first aid kit, flashlights, and plenty of batteries.  Candles too.  You can purchase radios and flashlights now that you simply wind up, some even have an extra outlet on them.  If you have a generator, check fuel levels and make sure it is in good working condition.

Another good idea is to get together with your neighbors.  Work on the buddy system.  If there is damage in your area, once you are safe, get to your assigned neighbor and check on them.

If you have pets, make sure you have a plan for them.  Have extra food (and cat litter) and have their cages and any medications ready if you need to evacuate.  Make sure they are wearing a collar with name tags and up to date rabies tags.

Keep your fingers crossed that the U.S. Virgin Islands do not experience any hurricanes this summer.  If we do, we are prepared.

Well, the last hike was so much fun, we went again.  This time my brother and his family are on island so it was a great way to spend the day together in the sun without just sitting on the beach all day drinking (which is ok too!).

For this hike, we took the car ferry from Red Hook on St Thomas to Franks Bay on St John.  The people ferry is now $12.20 per person round trip and the car ferry is $53 round trip.  Since there were five people going and we were headed to the east end of St John it made a lot more sense to ride the car ferry.

Our destination for this hike was Rams Head.  This is a part of the island on the east end that when viewed from the trails looks like a charging ram.  It is an easy to moderate hike.  There is a parking area at the top, a smooth downhill walk to a sandy beach (perfect for a picnic lunch after the hike), after the beach is the Salt Pond, then a moderate trail to the top of Rams Head.  The views from the top of the trail are fantastic!

Make sure to bring plenty of water.  We had a beautiful but overcast day and even I went through almost a gallon of water.  After the hike we went to the car to bring down our packed lunch and enjoyed the rest of the day on the beach.  My friend and my brother went for a long snorkel.  I took a nap on the beach

I will be heading to St John this morning.  St John is a short 20 minute ferry ride away from St Thomas.  The ferrys run every hour on the hour from both directions.  Going to St John is a great way to spend a few hours, an afternoon, or you can make a whole day of it.  Some just go for lunch or dinner and come back. 

It is looking to be another beautiful day in the Virgin Islands and a friend and I will be hiking so I can get some exercize!  (ooohhh boy, its been a while).  We are going to take the 8 am people ferry and start out on a 2 mile trail.

St John is 2/3 National Park.  The Rockafellers used to own the island.  The Rockafellers donated  most of the land to the Government for use as a national park.  This means that  most of the land on St John can never be built on and will remain as beautiful and untouched as when Columbus first discovered it in 1493. The park service has made many hiking trails and there are several maps to help you choose where you want to go.  There are old ruins and petroglyphs and beautiful beaches to see, just pick your trail.

We picked an easy one for my first time hiking in ummm, well, years.  The trail begins just outside of Mongoose Junction when you head toward the National Park entrance/info center so we can walk to it from the ferry.  Wish me luck!