Condo-lences

Where did I leave off? Ah yes. Wednesday. Which saw our realtor, A, showing us four places, identical layouts as in Beacon Lakes but in another area: Beacon Woods. The first was lovely: excellent shape, private, overlooking a par 3 (golf course), no furniture. I'm excited. Condo 2 - nope. Condo 3, possibilities: an older couple leaving Florida. It's the same layout, pool/club house across the road, great shape, furniture negotiable...umm. And last, a little end unit beautifully furnished, top of the line modern but no view. Too small.

I'm thinking hard about condo 1, as we hot tub under the palms that night. we love the pool area here; it's its most attractive feature as its situated next to the canal and lagoon filled with birds (allow me to digress: did I tell you about the night we were soaking when a big heron walked up the bank, not 6 feet from us with a fish sideways in her beak? She expertly flipped the fish around, despite its wriggling, til it was head down then she swallowed...several times. We watched the form of the still wriggling fish slalom down her beautiful serpentine neck. She turned and left us to fish some more, the mallard pair nervously waddling out of her way.) Back to business...

On the other hand, Beacon Woods has its own pool, hot tub, clubhouse plus many paved walkways throughout the community, a community civic centre (tennis!), a golf course (pricey!) and lower condo fees (no flood plain insurance but that's another story). We could get condo 1 for under $64K; we let all that percolate.

Back to the estate condo: I've found the name of a realtor who handled that particular file. I email her explaining our dilemma. She eventually replies she's willing to help but in the meantime, 3 things have happened:

• Thursday:, we re-opened discussions with the owner of the condo we thought we couldn't afford in the hopes she'll come down. We arrange to re-view it Saturday.
• Friday am: we're on our way to the Hard Rock Casino/Hotel. Our landlord is now willing to rent to us for another year should his condo (which we're in) not sell;
• Friday pm: the realtor - after having listened to me whine about the landlord's condo...poor shape, its worse location and its old furniture - negotiated a fine deal with our landlord - everything including the kitchen sink for well under $50K!
• Saturday am: we start the dream anew when pricey condo owner budges and actually negotiates! We're $5K apart on coming to a deal.

We drop the dream of getting the estate condo and I email the realtor: thanks but now too late. We give up on the idea of condo1 at Beacon Woods - wrong ambience. But now we've got 2 verbal deals on our hands: one, our somewhat pricey dream condo with no furniture; the other, a wonderful price, furnished but a handyman special and neither one of us is particularly handy. Both condos in Beacon Lakes where we want to be. We have to say "sorry" to someone. Who will it be?

Two dilemmas remain: what to do with the 9 piece rattan living room set we bought as our seller isn't ready yet to vacate the premises, and now we'll need more furniture as our dream place is unfurnished.

It's amazing how the world works to solve your problems...we're playing cards with our neighbours, discussing all of this, when H tells us that the people next door are getting rid of all their mother's furniture (she died about a month ago) and they'd likely gladly sell it to us otherwise it's going to good will. So, today, we'll call on them to confirm that and to check out the furniture. Funny how things have a way of working out. Next is a call to the U-Store-It place to make arrangements for 6-month storage, and a call to Two-Men-&-A-Truck. And you thought we were simply sitting around the pool down here!!!!

Again, I gotta go. E, my librarian friend, is replacing her minister at the nearby Presbyterian church so hubby and I are going to go listen to her preach. That there's a 15 minute hymn-sing before the service is icing on the cake - you know how I love to sing. Plus we've never been to a Presbyterian church before. Of course, ever the staunch Catholic, hubby is attending mass at his church first! It all makes me smile. Hope you're smiling too!