In 1979, Amy Land-de Wilde was invited by a friend to visit St. Croix to go scuba diving. Little did she know upon accepting that invitation that her short visit would change her life. There’s no doubt she has a sense of adventure — originally from New York, Amy had lived all over the U.S. before that fateful island vacation. Here for only a few weeks, she knew St. Croix was where she belonged.
In the mid-80’s, she moved back to the States for a career change. She was running a radio station and was thinking of going into broadcast brokerage. Luckily, paradise called her home. In 1986, she came back and decided to go into real estate.
All of the reasons that Amy became a real estate agent then still ring true today. “I like the flexibility of the profession, all the stimulation, the communication and social aspect, and dealing with people making positive, exciting changes in their lives.” She started Coldwell Banker St. Croix Realty in 2002. Over the years, she has recruited a hardworking, knowledgeable, and caring team — and made some of her closest friends.
During her time on St. Croix, Amy also raised a beautiful daughter, Leah. Because of support from her island family, she believes that St. Croix was an easier place to raise a child than a lot of other places. As a mom, she also appreciated that class sizes in school were small. Amy says that even after going away to college, Leah’s island friendships remain the strongest. She’s pretty happy that her daughter has decided to call St. Croix home for awhile and lucky that there was a real opportunity for her here.
One may wonder how one of the most successful real estate agents on St. Croix goes about finding her dream home. Her answer: the same as anyone else. Amy has owned several homes on island, each specific to the time, her age and what was happening in her life at the time. Like many other buyers, the main features she looks for are location, convenience, view, and proximity to the water.
When asked how the island has changed over 38 years, Amy says, “In some ways, it hasn’t changed so much, but there are many more conveniences….the supermarkets are far more robust, for instance. Many more companies ship here. The island is cleaner! The communication services are better. And many more visitors have found us from all over the country, not just the northeast the way it used to be!”
When she arrived in 1979, Amy was an avid diver and spent lots of time under water. Now, the beach is still central to her life, but she spends most of her time above water.
Her thoughts as she enters Year 39: “Often during the week, I feel consciously grateful that I was lucky enough to find St. Croix and create a life here. I’ve made so many great friends through real estate who want to join me here!”
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