Just to clarify on the allegedly racially motivated crimes on St. John, they have been pretty specifically targeting certain individuals and it seems to be retaliatory in nature. People are not being randomly victimized just because of race and I think that is very important to make clear to the potential visitor.

In echoing what some others have said,
I would ask if there is a safe on the property.
One said that she only had her rings, but what about passports, credit cards and a few hundred in cash or your ATM card.
When we go off for the day, we like to take only what is necessary and leave the rest behind.
The last villa that we rented did not have a safe and we really missed it.
We usually "hid" valuables in "places".
Another point to ask may be if it is safe to sleep with the bedroom doors open to the outside.
I know that when we build ours, you will be able to go to bed with some doors open to let the breeze in and listen to the surf!
We have stayed at several villas over the years although never on St John, but as has been said before, common sense where ever you are.
We have been broken into on vacation before and that incident has made us much more savy..............

........and if you ask around you may hear that some villas may have more of a history of being broken into than others.
Some properties just lend themselves to breaking & entering than others.
Seems to me that a reputable rental agency would give you that info as opposed to an owner. Just a thought.
After we were robbed, we found out that the area that we had been in was "noted" for robberies!
The owner hadn't mentioned that!
Perhaps that is why it was for sale???

In response to the original question, absolutely, positively, ask if there is active construction going on nearby, and how close. Our recent vacation was very much impacted by construction noise right next door, starting every morning (saturday and sunday included) at 7:00am.

Also, to address one criterion you listed in a later message ("Walk to beach--we will rent a car but would like to be able to not always need to drive"), generally, this may be difficult, as relatively few villas are within walking distance to a beach, at least the bigger and nicer beaches.

We rented in Chocolate Hole, which, in my opinion, is not the best if you want to reduce your driving. From there, we basically had to drive everywhere, and that usually meant a drive through Cruz Bay. True, Cruz Bay is small, but driving to or through it several times per day made us a little weary after our 10 days.

An additional question to inquire about is the access road to the rental unit. Some homes on St. John are on very steep unpaved roads. Great for views, not so great for driving. This can limit how often you feel like returning during the day. It may not be a dealbreaker but it's worth knowing before you arrive.

There are a couple of major construction projects which might seriously effect the enjoyment of your villa and one is in downtown Cruz Bay, the continuing work at Enighed Pond/Marina, and housing on Gifft Hill. I'd stay away from these areas. If someone is just remodeling a villa nearby, it shouldn't pose too much of a problem, but it certainly doesn't hurt to ask.