Fixer-upper

  
We’ve been thinking hard about buying real estate down here. However, it just doesn’t seem to make sense… Even though Christiansted is more vibrant than Frederiksted, where we stayed last time, much of the town is literally in ruins.

The sugar industry made sense when slave labor was available. Then, an oil refinery came in and propped things up for a while, but its owners took their billions and left a few years ago. Now, the locals are just learning about good governance and how to compete for tourist dollars, and they’re hampered by US tax and immigration rules. Yes, it’s a buyer’s market, but it will be for quite some time to come.