Side Trip to South Florida

This is a summary of our October 8 - 13 trip to South Florida to find a place to live.  Our original plan was to get a furnished condo to rent in Miami for six months while we searched for a place to buy, having sold our home in Miami Beach in May. On this visit home we would stay at Jonny’s brother, Andy’s and spend time with their 93 year old mother, Janice, Andy’s partner Ed, and try to see some of our friends.

But first we had to check out the condo that we had a contract on.  We met Tom, our realtor, at the condo on Tuesday morning.  Lynn loved the space and the layout, especially the large well equipped kitchen.  But what she and Jonny didn’t love was the ground floor location just 30 feet from Biscayne Bay.  And Jonny was not happy with the limited water views and the larger number of parking lot views.  Even so, we decided to go forward with the inspection that was scheduled for the next day.  We also had our friend Aileen come over to see what improvements were needed and to give us a ball park estimate of them.  She had done a great job of managing the renovations to our Rivo Alto Island home while we were on our last extended cruise.  To make a long story short, we decided not to proceed with the purchase due to the ground floor location, the less than desirable views, the small balconies and the fact that the work that was needed to fix it up eliminated the value proposition that the price offered.  Lynn agreed with the decision but was somewhat disappointed because the condo was so large (3 bedrooms and 3 baths) and had such an interesting layout and kitchen. It would have been a great space for entertaining and for out of town guests. 

We spent the remainder of our time that week having Tom show us an array of condos for rent in Miami.  We found one that was reasonably  priced (for the area we wanted) in a condo community called Cite’ which we had our eye on all along. It’s close to where we used to live and is within walking distance to the Arsht Center where we are active volunteers.  Unlike most Miami condos, it even came with two parking spaces.  We can be comfortable there while we look for a place to buy, maybe even in the same complex.  And it’s right across the street from a nice park right on Biscayne Bay.

In addition to visiting with Andy, Ed and Janice, we had a delicious dinner at Aileen and Michael Haerting’s new condo where Michael cooked one of his amazing dinners.

We also met Michael and Christina Bracken for lunch at the Key Biscayne Yacht Club.  Andy made a great dinner for us one night and we went to one of our favorite Italian restaurants in Pompano Beach where he lives.  (Can you tell how much we prioritize food?)

We are so appreciative of the support that Andy and Ed have given us that allowed us to take this seven month trip to Canada.  Andy has received and reviewed all of our mail and most importantly taken full responsibility for always being there for for Janice.  Ed has supported him in his efforts and kept our car in his carport for these seven months.  He picked us up at the airport in it having just had it washed and detailed it to look much better than how we left it with him!