Swap For Location(s):
Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina

Will swap for:

Business
Multifamily or Commercial
Residential

We are primarily interested in trading for a home in he North Port, Tampa, Ft Myers area of Florida, but will also consider Georgia, South Carolina, or North Carolina, with Florida being our number one area of interest. We are especially interested in homes with acreage as we intend to have horses. We would also consider a home that also has an ag-related business incorporated as part of the property (i.e., horse boarding, aquaculture, fishing tours, agriculture, B&B, etc.).

What are we looking for in a house? We want an equestrian lifestyle, so we have specific needs. Ideally, a 5-BD home (or 4-BD plus MIL) on 10+ acres, fenced and cross-fenced for horses and dogs, with a barn and a pool. An ag-related business on the property is a plus. PLEASE NOTE: This is the ideal, but we will consider any property that allows us to create that lifestyle on it. If you have the perfect property but it does not have a barn or a pool, propose something anyway!

Acreage is an absolute must - that is the ONLY kind of home we are interested in. (But no raw land, please.) We do want to be in a secluded country-like atmosphere. And of course, good schools are important as well.

We are very creative and are interested in hearing all reasonable suggestions - if your property does not perfectly fit what we have described, propose something anyway.

Our only two NON-negotiable terms are these:
(1) The property we trade for must have at least 5 acres or more, preferably much more as we want horses.

(2) We will not take on additional debt - the ONLY way we are going to do a trade is if we own the house we move into free and clear and eliminate our remaining $265,000 mortgage in the process. Let's talk - there are a number of ways to work out the financial part of this.

We prefer emails to start. If you do not have a listing on goswap, be sure to include a description and a few photos of your house with your email, please.

Contact: islandestate4sale@yahoo.com or call 803-416-7062.

Description: APPRAISED JULY 2011 - $995K
Will sell or trade $950K - BELOW APPRAISED VALUE!
More info and photos at www.islandestate4sale.com

When you're having a tough day and you think, "That's it! I'm outta here!" - where does your mind travel?

Maybe it's to a three-story, 6100-sf, 5-bedroom home in the rainforest of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands? And maybe that home has a pool and an ocean view? What a dream!

For a growing number of people (people like us included!), the home of their dreams is increasingly more secluded, more remote, more "exotic." Yet for most of us, this kind of lifestyle is seemingly out of reach. We love to dream about flitting off to the Caribbean, setting up house in the middle of the rainforest, and ditching our cell phones. Then, reality hits. Our friends tell us we're nuts. And we (mistakenly) decide it's impossible.

We give ourselves all the best excuses ... we kind of like our ability to shop. What if we wanted to go out to dinner? Electricity is nice, too.

But the truth is, those are just excuses - you don't have to give any of that up. Today, more and more people - ranging from the elite super-stars of Hollywood to average every-day Americans - are finding out that they can have the best of both worlds. There are places that you can live (like in this house on St. Croix) that fulfill all your dreams, but still give you enough of a foothold in the "real world" to make things feel sane.

This house - Estate Annaly - is that place. It is a 6100-sf, three-story home nestled in the hills of the Caribbean rainforest on the exotic island of St. Croix.

You awaken in the mornings to the sound of doves cooing outside your window. A warm Caribbean breeze blows gently across the room, caressing you like the soft hand of Mother Nature. You hear nothing but the sounds of birds. You smell nothing but clean, fresh air. And you rest comfortably, knowing that no one is coming to bother you - not even the locals can find this house!

So, how do you stay grounded in reality? Whether you want a home like this to live in year-round, as a bed and breakfast, a corporate retreat, or just as a secluded getaway, you can have your rainforest and your cell phone too! We do. We both work from home, are connected to the Internet with high-speed DSL, use our cell phones to conduct business, watch satellite tv, and rely on our whole-house automatic generator as a backup in case the power ever goes out in our Caribbean paradise. In short, we have a normal life in an unusual place.

The home is built out of solid 8-inch thick concrete - it is very solid. It is tastefully decorated with tile and marble throughout in colors that resemble those found in the home's natural surroundings. The 80,000-gallon freshwater cistern ensures access to clean, pure drinking water, and a swim in the home's crystal clear pool with a view of the Caribbean Sea makes for a peaceful, relaxing end to the day.

You know those nature CDs you buy that help you go to sleep at night? The sounds come from the rainforest - and here, there's no need for a CD. Frogs welcome you with a strange-sounding, almost human "hello" type of croak. Graceful white egrets stroll through your lawn and strike a pose by the pool in the mornings. Wild cows - yes, I said wild cows - moo in the hills at night.

We have the best of both worlds. Our kids have gone to private school, and we have worked from home, while enjoying the natural beauty of this incredible island, learning the secrets of the rainforest and its healing remedies, and enjoying one of the most beautiful and serene places the world has to offer.

Things to consider before making such a move or even buying a vacation home like this? Do you want to stay in the United States? This can be helpful because neither you nor your guests - and you will have company - will need a passport. St. Croix is in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a U.S. territory, so for Americans, there's no passport required.

Do you need some "normal," non-touristy shopping? No problem, mon. On St. Croix, you'll find K-Mart/Sears, OfficeMax, Payless Shoes, McDonald's, Subway, KFC, Domino's Pizza, and first-run movies in the movie theater. Worried about bugs and snakes? No problem - there are no poisonous snakes on the island of St. Croix - none! - thanks to the mongoose which was brought in to protect the sugar cane from rats but ended up eating all the poisonous snakes instead. No horrible bugs - well, except maybe the occasional centipede. No rabies on the island either. The ticks don't even carry any people-diseases. It's truly paradise here. Worried about it raining all the time - nope, doesn't do that either. The rainforest is not named that because it rains all the time. In fact, most days, it doesn't rain at all. On the days when it does rain, it is usually very minimal - a few minutes in the morning and you're done for the day. There are very few all-day rains. Are you looking for some peace and quiet? Something away from crowds, traffic, bustling offices and crowded airports? Choose a property like Annaly that is truly secluded, yet within 10 minutes' drive to shopping and fun activities. And 15 minutes from the airport, so you can easily jet off to important business meetings when you need to.

What you will find is unparalleled beauty - a kinship with nature like you've never experienced. From the seashore and its gorgeous sunsets, to the "talking" beach that sounds like a rainstick, to the tide pools where you can swim in crystal clear water with tropical fish - all of this is just minutes from the house. Minutes. That means you can do these kinds of things whenever you like - you don't have to wait for that once in a lifetime vacation - you live here! We once overheard a tourist saying to her friend, "I don't want to go home." We just smiled, contently, thinking how lucky we are that we are home. Now, because we are about to embark on a new adventure, you can call Annaly your home. Ask us to send you some pictures. And trust us, the pictures don't hold a candle to the real thing.

When you make a move like this, people will tell you you've lost your mind. Your response? "You only live once."

Some basic information:

This lovely home is 6100-sf, sits on 11 lush, green acres, in the rainforest of St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The home has a large pool and from the pool or any of the home's three balconies, you can see the Caribbean Sea at Sandy Point. You never need any heat or air conditioning - the weather is always 85 degrees or so year-round and in the rainforest, there is always a fabulous cooling breeze - but just in case you're really attached to air conditioning (we used to be as well) - the house does have three room-sized air conditioning units - in the Master bedroom, the guest bedroom and one of the two home offices.

This 5 bedroom, 4.5-bath house features a wonderful combination of indoor/outdoor living with an open porch with double doors from the family room overlooking the pool, the rainforest and the sea. There are balconies off the two master bedrooms (one on the middle or main floor and one on the top level).

The entire lower level of the home can also be an efficiency apartment that could be rented out for as much as $2,000 a month (it has its own entrances and can be closed off from the rest of the house if desired).

So, think of it this way ... it could be:
* a large single family permanent home
* a corporate retreat
* a bed and breakfast
* a second or vacation home
* an investment property (the house itself can be rented for $4,000 a month)

INFORMATION AT-A-GLANCE

Gorgeous three-story, 6,000+ sf estate in the Caribbean

5 bedrooms & 4.5 baths

Large 40,000 gallon swimming pool.

80,000 gallon fresh water cistern

27K full-house, auto-start generator

All concrete construction

Garage

Great room with 36 foot cathedral ceiling with tongue-in-groove cypress and stone fireplace.

Custom, gourmet kitchen with stainless steel appliances including 48 inch refrigerator, Viking gas range/grill with vent hood, and two eating areas.

Two home offices.

Downstairs can be an efficiency apartment or large game/family/theater room. Mini kitchen and additional eating area off game room. This area is 1,200 sf.

Three balconies

Spacious closets

Approximately 750 sq foot red paver patio surrounding the pool

View of the Caribbean beaches and sea off the western shore of St. Croix

Fruit trees! Mango, papaya, guava, soursop, coconut and more

Sugar mill ruins visible in the forest in 3 directions

Easy access to water sports, hiking trails, beaches, mountain bike trails, and horseback riding

Close to historical ruins, museums, shopping, and dining

A botanist's dream!

Realtor estimates value of the house between $1.3M and $1.525M even in today's market

Wonderful private schools (pre-k through 12) only minutes away

10 minutes from restaurants, beaches, gas and groceries yet......so private you feel like you're a world away...


If you haven't been here before, St. Croix is a U.S. territory. It flies the United States flag, the president is Barack Obama, and we have representation in the U.S. Congress. U.S. laws apply here - it has U.S. zip codes/post offices, U.S. area codes, and a U.S. school system. The only difference between here and anywhere on the mainland U.S. is that we drive on the left! St. Croix has all the same shopping you are used to on the mainland U.S., including favorites like Wendy's & McDonald's (crucial if you have kids!), Domino's and KFC, K-Mart/Sears, Payless Shoes, Office Max, and many more. In addition to the public schools, there are a number of private schools here too - Country Day, Good Hope, The Manor, Free Will Baptist to name a few. Got kids in college? Try the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) - a fabulous campus just 15 minutes from the house. In fact, as remote as this house is, we are still within 10 minutes' drive of everything you want or need - groceries, gas, schools, beaches, tourist attractions, restaurants, and shopping. The photos of the beach in this ad were taken at Frederiksted Beach, just 10 minutes from our house and on Scenic Drive, which is aptly named for its immeasurable beauty. They are actually pictures I took with my own camera, but they look like a postcard! It is gorgeous here - come visit ... but plan to stay!

For more information, email us at islandestate4sale@yahoo.com or call us at 803-416-7062.

Come on, mon. You only live once.

Swap Type:

I can add other assets
I will offer owner financing
downsizing
swap even

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