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Westin St John [Master Thread] - Part 2 (June 2014 and forward)

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DavidnRobin

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2014 WSJ-VGV Property Taxes

Virgin Grand Villas - 2014 USVI Property Tax

Dear Virgin Grand Villas Owner,

The Office of the Tax Assessor of the United States Virgin Islands has announced that the 2014 property tax bills are being issued to all property owners of record as of January 1, 2014. Payments received by April 9, 2015 receive a 5% discount. Property owners are encouraged to pay the 2014 tax bill by August 31, 2015 in order to avoid late payment charges.

SVO Management, Inc. (SVOM) has not yet received the 2014 tax bills, however, the Office of the Tax Assessor is expected to posted the 2014 tax bills online within the next week. Please follow the steps below to submit your payment by April 9, 2015 for the 5% discount. To locate your information online, you must have an established Parcel Number or your loan must have been paid in full as of January 1, 2014. Please be aware that payment of taxes online is not available.
Click here {link to USVI Property Tax site} to search the Property Tax database using your name and Parcel Number.
Select the 2014 Tax Year to view the amount of tax due and print the detail page.
Choose one of the following payment methods:

Payment by Check:
Make your check payable to the Government of the United States Virgin Islands.
Write the Parcel Number on your check.
Payment by Credit Card:
Print and complete the USVI Credit Card Authorization Form in its entirety.
Write the Parcel Number in the “Apply Amount to” section of the form.
Provide a copy of the cardholder’s passport or driver’s license.

Include a copy of the detail page for the Parcel that shows the tax amount due.
Request a paid receipt and include a stamped self-addressed return envelope. Please be sure to retain your paid receipt for future reference.
Send your check or credit card authorization form, via certified or registered mail with return receipt requested, to:

Office of the Lieutenant Governor
Property Tax Collection Division
P.O. Box 447
Cruz Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, 00831
We anticipate receipt of the tax bills this week and will begin mailing to Owners shortly thereafter. If you choose to pay your tax bill using one of the methods described above, please retain the tax bill you receive from SVOM for your records.

SVOM is happy to assist you with any questions you may have on this matter, however, please understand that SVOM does not have the ability to adjust your tax bill. Furthermore, contacting SVOM will not preserve your protest rights with the Office of the Tax Assessor. The deadline for filing appeals with the Board of Tax Review regarding tax assessments is September 15, 2015. Please click here to access appeal forms and information regarding the tax appeal process.
 
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suzannesimon

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Marriott Frenchman's Cove, Hyatt Sunset Harbor, Harborside at Atlantis, Marriott Aruba Surf Club, Marriott Grande Ocean, Westin Kierland Villas, Westin Lagunamar
I received my tax bills from Frenchman's Cove on Friday. I don't know if they send them all at once or in batches.
 

bobpark56

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<snip>
Please follow the steps below to submit your payment by April 9, 2015 for the 5% discount.
<snip>

They sure don't allow much time for this, do they? We are in Spain at the moment and not returning home until 9 April. I guess that means we lose the discount.

Will they accept a grumpy note with our payment?
 

Henry M.

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WSJ Bay Vista Taxes - Paid by HOA

Only VG owners pay their own taxes. This is what I got from the BV HOA:

Bay Vista - 2014 USVI Property Tax

Dear Bay Vista Owner,

The Office of the Tax Assessor of the United States Virgin Islands (Tax Assessor’s Office) recently issued the 2014 property tax bills. The Tax Assessor’s Office is to send all Bay Vista property tax bills to SVO Management, Inc. (SVOM). Should you receive a property tax bill for your Bay Vista Vacation Ownership Interest (VOI) directly from the Tax Assessor’s Office, please disregard it and do not make a payment. No further action is required of you.

All payments for Bay Vista are handled by the Bay Vista Owners Association, Inc. (Association). Please do not make any payments directly to the Tax Collector’s Office for payment of property taxes for your VOI.

As a Bay Vista Owner, you are billed for property taxes as part of your annual assessment statement from the Association. The Association then remits payment to the Government of the United States Virgin Islands, Property Tax Collection Division (Tax Collector’s Office) when the property tax bills for the respective tax year are issued. Payment of all 2014 property tax bills will be made by the Association.

Sincerely,

SVO Management, Inc.
 

carpie99

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Only VG owners pay their own taxes. This is what I got from the BV HOA:

Why can't the VG Association do the same ... the tax process is annoying with return envelopes, etc etc.

I am just going to go to the office in Cruz Bay in July and take care of all of the bills ... but still.
 

Henry M.

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Get with your HOA and ask them to handle taxes the same as the other HOA's at the resort.

One thing that is useful about paying your own taxes is that they are more obvious when it comes time to file your tax return. You don't have to dig through HOA financial reports to find them.
 

DavidnRobin

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Get with your HOA and ask them to handle taxes the same as the other HOA's at the resort.

One thing that is useful about paying your own taxes is that they are more obvious when it comes time to file your tax return. You don't have to dig through HOA financial reports to find them.

Unfortunately - not that straight-forward. The Property taxes are not consistent between similar VOIs. Crazy, but my week 23 and week 24 have slightly different tax rates because it is somewhat based on purchase price.
 

Henry M.

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How do they handle it at BV? People have paid different purchase prices for the same unit size over time, as Starwood has raised its sales prices.
 

DavidnRobin

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Don't really know -have to ask a BV Owner in the know. I can only assume that the valuation (non-Land) is equivalent for all. Probably the only way to know is to get a detailed view of the Budget, and perhaps look at the CCRs. VGV property taxes are more aligned as valuations were reset - mine our closer now, than before (1999 rate). VGV owners pay their own taxes (Land/Building) - already high - and the potential to go higher if USVI Gov't gets their way. They already tried to double them a few years back with a StJ premium on top of a TS premium w/o success… so far...

Regardless - the VGV HOA is not set-up to pay them and then to put towards MFs - either in logistics, and perhaps by CCRs - which are quite convoluted as SVO TS's go. E.g. 100% vote with 100% turnout to change the sliding walls in pool villas to a fixed wall - at no cost… and couldn't even find all the owners - and 1 person voted no for one of the buildings (see HOA letter from a few quarters back). Their database is not aligned with the Property Tax database - and this would be a logistic issue.
{btw - I know this because of searching the USVI database back in the days we were trying to contact VGV owners outside of SVO-WSJ's system - see beginning of WSJ Thread #1}

Their address database is not aligned with).
 

bobpark56

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....and how does Coral Vista get thrown into this taxation mix?

....and how does Coral Vista get thrown into this taxation mix?
 

DavidnRobin

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New Water Toys at WSJ

New water toys at WSJ - about time...

CB WaterSports says trampoline, slide, and jungle gym are all in and ready for fun in the sun!

35a82729c7940dbff13289c3eb534c2e_zpsjshyzmc6.jpg
 
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DavidnRobin

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Unfortunately - not that straight-forward. The Property taxes are not consistent between similar VOIs. Crazy, but my week 23 and week 24 have slightly different tax rates because it is somewhat based on purchase price.

2014 VGV Property Tax Bills arrived in time to make April 9th deadline for 5% discount. August 31 is deadline w/o penalty.
Tax Rate on assessed value is 1.4070%

The assessed value for our 2 weeks (23 and 24) are now the same.
 

YYJMSP

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Coral Vista

Anyone manage to get a stay in one of the new units?
 

DavidnRobin

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Anyone manage to get a stay in one of the new units?

I will get to see them in a couple of months - will take photos (and post) as I usually do the Owners Update at WSJ. They should be about finished.
I like the Update there (mostly) as I get info on the island - looking to live there for 6-8 months someday.
June soon come.
 

YYJMSP

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I will get to see them in a couple of months - will take photos (and post) as I usually do the Owners Update at WSJ. They should be about finished.
I like the Update there (mostly) as I get info on the island - looking to live there for 6-8 months someday.
June soon come.

Thanks, we're there in July...
 

bobpark56

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SPG available for week 39

I just signed us up for a 5-night SPG stay in a WSJ studio during week 39 for 2016...to fit with our week 40 pool villa week. Studios are currently available on SPG for 48,000 starpoints (5th night free, + $40/day resort fees). Virgin Grand and Coral Vista are both available.

FWIW, the last time we did this, we got upgraded (as owners at WLR) to a 1BR Virgin Grand villa and were charged the $40/day fee for only 2 days.

The time before that, we got upgraded to a 3BR pool villa (no $40 fees)...which lured us into buying a repossessed unit EOY for $11,000. This has been our splurge (the maintenance fees), but we enjoy it, as members of our family can come with us, without cramping our style or theirs.

Hope to see you there.

--bp
 

DavidnRobin

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And typical of USVI - likely no one will get prosecuted. But now that the DOJ is getting involved - perhaps...
Island life... be careful out there.
Our travel companions had a medical issue last June - luckily we were on Tortola (BVI) at the time as there have a small ER/Hospital in Road Town. If it were on St John they would have had to make it to St Thomas - which would have been a problem. Even bigger medical issues - mean an airlift to Puerto Rico, or Miami.
Carry proper insurance - and be aware you are no longer in the States.
 
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