So, it worked, for a day. We looked at Craigslist rentals. I found one immediately and Jeff said, "go for it, that sounds great". So I responded to an ad for a rent to own near a quaint little village called Olde Englewood. This was an area that our first waitress hinted at on our first day EVER in the Venice/Northport area. She actually continued to hint and we took the hint. How long did this take? January 22 to about February 6 or so, to be exact!
We decided that February 9, we had to be out of our RV park, so we were going to have a nice lunch in Olde Englewood around February 6th or 7th, stalk this place that I found (the owner responded back, stating that dogs were fine as the owner liked dogs, but there was no fence), then off to Punta Gorda to reserve space at the RV park. We loved the neighborhood instantly. There was an arts alliance gallery, a playhouse, gift stores, some antique stores and even a corner market (on the corner closest to the mystery property. I told Jeff that I did not have an exact address, just an intersection, so we were hoping there would be a for rent/sale sign to give it away.
We found the house and a couple fixing something on the side. It turned out to be the owner and her platonic guy friend. I apologized for stalking her property, but she laughed and said she was glad I stopped by. Jeff & I walked in. Instant Love. I am telling you, this was it. This IS it. The only thing there was to fix were a few things that the owner brought up. We even got a flooring/dishwasher allowance. We had a pool. We had a ONE level layout. We had a wonderful home. Now, about the closet space (my compromise in the real estate bullet): Dolly (owner) took ME (not Jeff) to see my future closets. Yes. I said CLOSETS plural. I had TWO walk in closets. Jeff has one closet in the bedroom and another shelving area near HIS bathroom. I am partly speaking in jest. Of course, he can use the master bathroom (complete with dual sinks, garden tub, vanity table and stool for me, closed off toilet room, spacious shower stall, fully tiled), but he has his own. That way, he can put his stuff around the way he likes and I promised I won't nag him. I am getting ahead of myself. We have barely finished the tour of the house. The pool /lanai room is another story. Wow! There are drains in and around the pool, a hurricane shutter (as well as special window coverings), and a pool closet for all the pool supplies. She took us on a tour of her property (both lots) and Jeff was very impressed with some water plumbing stuff I did not know much about. I think he also liked the shed ("I could do all my stuff out here"). I am thinking he really loved it too. I did not have a list of anything, but the carpet, to fix. That was pretty impressive and I told Dolly so (as I am pretty picky). We immediately liked Dolly and her friend. Dolly worked in Denver for quite some time and we knew of some of her work in the music industry. We were not dealing with the same mentality of person as we were just days ago. We knew we had to make a deal. She had some what of a deal with other people. We made it happen. We both knew it was "the house" for us. We went home and smiled all night and talked much of the evening about our plans to take care of the Colorow property. I didn't get sick. I didn't feel nauseated. I felt right. We realized that we had dodged a big bullet because we were meant to be ready for this opportunity.
The next day, we had everything ready for our closing. We got our paperwork pretty much done on February 8 & 9th and we moved onto the property on that Tuesday. We felt like even though we are going to make some sacrifices in order to get into this property before selling the RV or the Colorow property, the sacrifices were completely worth it. We are so excited about the new property. I will see if I can figure out the photo in the blog deal and show you a few pictures.
So a new chapter of our lives begins. I went out and got us new iPhones, which we love, with our new area code. I have submitted our new address changes to the USPS. I have been known to hit Walmart 1-3 times a day almost daily since our move date. At what do you know, I am about to head there very soon. For a person who was committed to NEVER going to Walmart, it is a sure sign that times, they are a changin'. Thank God, the Walmart is at least 6 miles from my house. We have no chains in Olde Englewood Village. We have a coffee shop with free wi-fi and it's NOT a Starbucks. We have a corner market for extras and it's NOT a 7-11. We have several hair stylists and none of them are Great Clips. I am truly happy. I have one fear and that is making friends. That's another blog. Another time.
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