Blue Water Realty

What Blue Water Realty does

Blue Water Realty is a privately held, single-agent real estate brokerage operating in the U.S. Virgin Islands under the personal brand of principal broker Marsha Maynes, CRS, GRI. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in St. Thomas, the firm represents buyers and sellers of residential and commercial real estate across the three main USVI islands — St. Thomas (primary), St. John, and St. Croix — with coverage spanning 40+ gated communities and neighborhoods and 100+ active listings. The company's core deliverable is personalized, relationship-driven brokerage service backed by 30+ years of local market expertise, including niche positioning around 1031 tax-deferred exchanges (USVI being the only U.S. possession where these are permitted) and luxury properties in estates such as Botany Bay and Peterborg.

The technology footprint is a custom real estate website (marshamaynes.com) with MLS integration, an interactive map, and a structured property search tool that filters by location, property type, price, bedrooms, and bathrooms. The site is supplemented by an active social media presence across Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, and YouTube, which serves as a top-of-funnel lead generation channel layered on top of personal referrals and the principal's professional network through the St. Thomas Board of REALTORS. There is no proprietary software platform, no API exposure, and no AI/ML component; the website is a marketing and inquiry tool rather than a transactional product.

Revenue is generated entirely through traditional brokerage commissions on closed transactions, with no disclosed diversification into ancillary fees, property management, or subscription services. Customer segments focus on vacation and second-home buyers, full-time relocations, real estate investors (including 1031 exchange users), and luxury property buyers. Pricing levels are highly variable, ranging from $80,000 studio condominiums to $3.75 million single-family homes and $2.1 million estate lots, with all pricing publicly listed on the website. The business is owner-operated, with no reported parent company, funding rounds, or institutional ownership.

Name

Blue Water Realty

Legal name

Blue Water Realty

Website

https://marshamaynes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blue Water Realty is a single-agent USVI real estate brokerage led by Marsha Maynes, CRS, GRI, representing buyers and sellers of residential, commercial, and land properties across St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. The firm earns traditional brokerage commissions and supports clients with niche 1031 exchange and luxury property services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Real Estate Brokerage

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Real Estate Brokerage (Buy/Sell) (FSAEAJAA)

Keywords

• Residential real estate brokerage
• Property listings
• Buyer representation
• Seller representation
• Vacation home sales

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Thomas

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Commissions: Traditional real estate brokerage commissions earned on property sales transactions. The company represents buyers and sellers of residential and commercial properties in the USVI market, earning a percentage of each completed transaction.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Blue Water Realty is a single-agent residential real estate brokerage in the U.S. Virgin Islands that represents buyers and sellers of homes, condominiums, land, and commercial properties across St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. The firm is operated by principal broker Marsha Maynes and earns traditional real estate commissions on completed transactions, supported by a custom MLS-integrated property search website.

Product overview

Blue Water Realty is a US Virgin Islands real estate brokerage offering a unified real estate services platform. The core offering includes property listings search for homes, condominiums, land, and commercial properties across St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. Supporting services include buyer resources (financing guidance, market analysis, offer strategies), seller resources (valuation, pricing strategies), a comprehensive USVI Real Estate Guide, 1031 Exchange services, and detailed community information for various neighborhoods and gated communities. The company is led by Marsha Maynes, a CRS and GRI designated Realtor with over 30 years of experience in the USVI market.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Buyer Representation Services Full-service buyer representation for individuals purchasing residential properties in the US Virgin Islands, including MLS access, property search guidance, offer strategy, and closing support.
• Seller Representation Services Full-service seller representation including home valuation, pricing strategies, and preparation guidance to maximize sale value for properties in St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix.
• 1031 Exchange Services Guidance and facilitation of tax-deferred property exchanges under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code, leveraging the USVI's unique status as the only US possession permitting such exchanges.
• Real Estate Property Search Platform MLS-integrated website allowing buyers to search homes, condominiums, land, and commercial properties in St. Thomas and St. Croix with filters for location, property type, price range, bedrooms, and bathrooms.

Quantifiable outcome

• CRS designation held by less than 4% of 2 million real estate licensees nationwide
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• USVI Sotheby's International Realty: A luxury real estate brokerage operating across the U.S. Virgin Islands with Sotheby's branding. Competes directly with Blue Water Realty for high-net-worth vacation home and luxury estate buyers in St. Thomas and St. Croix, with comparable inventory in gated communities and waterfront properties.
• American Paradise Real Estate: Boutique brokerage serving the U.S. Virgin Islands with residential listings across St. Thomas and St. Croix. Directly comparable in business model (commission-based, full-service buyer/seller representation) and target market (mainland second-home and retirement buyers).
• Island Real Estate Team: A team-based real estate operation in the US Virgin Islands, focused on residential sales across St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. Competes with Blue Water Realty for the same pool of buyer and seller clients in the territory.
• Holiday Homes of St. John: A St. John-focused boutique brokerage operating in the Virgin Islands market. While geographically narrower (St. John only vs. all three islands), it competes for second-home and vacation property buyers in the same USVI ecosystem.
• RE/MAX St. Croix: RE/MAX-affiliated brokerage in the USVI offering residential and commercial property services. Comparable franchise-style brokerage model competing for the same Virgin Islands consumer base, with similar inventory of condos, homes, and land.
• Coldwell Banker St. Croix Realty: Franchise-branded brokerage serving the USVI market, particularly St. Croix. Operates a similar residential real estate agent model with property listings and buyer/seller services in the same Virgin Islands geography.
• John Foster Real Estate: Long-established boutique brokerage in St. Croix, USVI, serving residential buyers and sellers in the Virgin Islands market. Comparable in size and operating model to Blue Water Realty, with similar focus on full-service local representation in the USVI.
• Chris Hanley Real Estate: Independent USVI brokerage serving residential buyers and sellers in St. Thomas and St. Croix with a similar personalized, agent-led service model. Competes head-to-head with Blue Water Realty in the niche of experienced local-agent boutique representation.

Broad incumbents

• Compass (Caribbean Operations): A technology-forward national brokerage with expanding luxury Caribbean coverage. While not a deep USVI specialist, its brand power, tech platform, and agent-recruiting model represent an emerging threat to traditional boutique USVI brokerages like Blue Water Realty.

Emerging players

• 8 Strand Real Estate Group: Caribbean-focused real estate firm with presence in the USVI and broader Caribbean islands. Offers comparable residential sales services with partial overlap in target market (lifestyle/investment buyers) and a more diversified geographic footprint than Blue Water Realty.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/results?search_query=Virgin+Islands+Real+Estate+-+Marsha+Maynes
• Facebookfacebook.com/MarshaMaynesBlueWaterRealty
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blue-water-realty
• Pinterestpinterest.com/marshamaynes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blue Water Realty