TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Buying a Home in SXM

My wife and I live in NJ and visit St Martin 3-4 times a year and always stay in Orient Beach. We are almost empty nesters and look forward to selling our home. We always thought we'd eventually end up in Florida but have yet to find an area in Florida we like and talked about buying a place in SXM instead but really didn't take it seriously out of fear of hurricanes as well as being outside of the US (namely healthcare concerns) for a prolonged period of time.

I think we've come around to the fact that there is truly no area that is safe from storms, etc and life happens.

We therefore would are entertaining the idea of keeping our beach house on the Jersey Shore, selling our main home in Northern New Jersey and investigating buying a place in SXM that we'd use of say 7-8 months per year.

While this sounds great on paper, we are totally ignorant as to the issues involved such as State taxes, healthcare, citizenship versus residency, and whether the French or Dutch side offers better alternatives for Americans. I am a planner by nature and don't want to make a decision based solely on the price of the unit and our love of the Island.

Would appreciate any direction any one can provide to help address issues like this. Thanks in advance.

What price range are you looking to invest. Do you want a 1/4 timeshare, full ownership condo or a stand alone property?
Mike from Remax is the best for real estate transactions. I prefer the Dutch-side but electric has been more dependable on the French-side. Good Luck!

Thank you. I have no interest in a timeshare. Would consider either a condo or stand alone home. As far as a price I'm a little all over the place. Assuming it was a home that I would use exclusively and I'd need to pay cash I'd like to be btwn $750k and $1M. If I could finance the property and/or get noteworthy rental income, that could move the needle as far as price. At this juncture, I just looking for information so I can help decide whether it even makes sense to engage a realtor to view places.

PMagisto--What IS your health situation?? Honestly, we made the decision not to move to the Caribbean before they happened, but we both have medical issues that ensure that there is no WAY that we would ever move to the Caribbean. If you have medical issues, you need to seriously think about NOT doing it.

Dutch side is more move friendly, because the French side has high property taxes.

If it were me, and I was doing it, I'd do a condo. You don't need to worry about exterior maintenance, especially if you plan on not being there for a significant period of time. Also, the condo complex will have exterior homeowners insurance, which is increasingly difficult to obtain.

Honestly, with the hurricane risk as it is now, it is scary moving anywhere.

Best of luck with your quest.

Go for it..... we're only hear on a visit and will be dead a long time.

We purchased a villa in St. Maarten in 2011 and luckely, sold it just before Irma. You don't pay any property taxes in SXM which is great especially for a water front villa that we owned.
We did rent it out for a few months per year and only had to declare the rental income in Canada. Hydro is costly and HOA/property management fees can be very high.

I think many return to the states for medical care. I am not sure what accounts for residency. I see people at the Mailbox in Simpson Bay picking up their mail, that's different. Banks are different than the states, sometimes very long lines to get in. I would be concerned about (1) Social Security income and Medicare and all that entails; and (2) how does the incoming country (SXM) tax your retirement income. Maybe have a small apartment to return to in the states for any medical appointments you need. I thought it was Dutch side no property taxes, French side does, but I am sure that's always up for discussion. If you buy a home on the French side and it comes with 4 employees, they are now your employees, they come with the house. For me, the island would feel claustrophobic after awhile, and so little greenery.

My wife and I owned properties in two different countries - the UK and Florida - and did the exact opposite of you.
The older we got the less inclined we were to deal with the hassle and worry of a second property thousands of miles away.
Especially - as this week is illustrating - in a hurricane region.
We sold up and now spend our winters travelling to different countries.
Health and medical issues also become more pressing as you advance into the twilight years (😂)
We've also encountered many couples who've bought a second home in a place they vacation in but after a few longer trips the attraction pales and the home becomes just another holiday rental/AirBnB which means it's rented out at peak times which is when the owners originally wanted to stay...
It's entirely a subjective opinion but if you can afford a million on a vacation home you can afford some really nice winter stays - and when they're finished you pack up and move on without a second thought and leave the insurance, maintenance and HOA bills to the owner.
Consider also home exchange. We have a small place in Ireland we bought years ago in my wife's home town, about an hour's flight from the UK.
We use it to visit her folks and the rest of the time have it as a home exchange. We've made 25 exchanges so far and visited countries including the USA ( Florida every year ), the Caribbean ( including our forthcoming visit to SXM ) Mexico,Thailand,Bali,Vietnam,Cambodia and Australia. Totally hassle-free. Our two-week stay on Simpson Bay is essentially costing us nothing but the air fare.
www.homeexchange.com is the biggest and best website to deal with.

Thank you for your responses.

Thankfully my wife & I are is good health. We plan on keeping a home in New Jersey whether we buy in SXM, Florida or any other area so we can have a home near family & friends.

I am seeking information on less obvious benefits, downsides & considerations of owning/living in SXM such as additional taxes/tax savings, health insurance, property & casualty insurance especially potential higher rates for Americans. I guess I'm trying to figure out if there are potential issues - good or bad - that you wished you knew before buying a place in SXM that may have impacted the decision.

Go to Curacao, and avoid the relentless threat of hurricanes...

Michael and I had considered a move to St Maarten upon retirement. We had a few friends down there remind us that it is all well and good when you are in vacation mode to have those traffic jams. But if you are trying to get somewhere? That might get old fast.

Take a look at Grand Case Beach Club. You can keep your unit for yourself totally, or in the rental division, which they manage for you. Wish we'd done it years ago. It's gated, safe, very well run with updates to the property every year.

I am putting my villa back on the market in November. If you want to tour it contact Mike @Remax. It is in your price range and the only reason we are selling after 34 years owning is because my health is not good and I am not traveling.

Rent for a year first, at least 6 months. Live like a local, not a visitor, before purchasing..

Elaine, I was hoping you'd chime in. Definitely the voice of experience!

For sure, life is surely different when you live there, versus visit.

Bill and Elaine could give you much advice but just say rent before you buy?

Yes, frankly, that is 100% the BEST advice anyone could give.

I gave advise, you tried to sell your home.