Back in Doylestown, I had a month to prepare for settlement on the Florida property. The first week in May, I would return to Bradenton to complete the process. There were so many things to do before I left. Business was rolling along and the boys were doing their thing. All was good. In addition to the Florida activity, I had begun negotiations to rent a store inside the Quakertown Farmers Market. Not enough going on right? I was busy! A good friend of mine, Bruce Snyder, was a mortgage magician. Already handling several mortgages for us, Bruce knew how to handle the intricate processes involved in dealing with self employed applicants. The whole ordeal can be very stressful especially for a second home. With all of our approvals in hand and inspections complete, I flew back into Tampa and made my way down to Bradenton.
Donna Rogers, my realtor, was eager to meet me the next morning to complete the walk through inspection. What a great property! I couldn’t wait to get to the Remax offices to sign the papers. The place looked great and away we went. Lori had to give me Power of Attorney in her behalf to complete the paperwork so I had to sign both of our names. I thought my hand would fall off! It took about an hour to complete everything since the seller lived in California but it was well worth it. Fairview Terrace was ours!
I was going to be in Bradenton for three more days and had to get moving with my plan. Donna had hooked me up with some handymen that did work in the area. They would be meeting me that afternoon to give me an estimate for the renovations that we wanted done. New tile floors in the Great room, painting, ceiling fans throughout, etc. They would accompany me to Lowe’s as I picked out and paid for everything, then loaded their truck up with all of the goodies. They were great. We discussed the job at hand and I ended the day with a trip to Walmart to purchase an air mattress and some snacks to put in my new fridge! No more hotels for me. I’m sleeping in my own home tonight. My Florida home. I called Lori and took in the moment that evening of how blessed we were to get to this point in life after all that we had been through. Wow.
The next morning, the guys showed up to start working and I began taking measurements…of everything. And pictures, lots of pictures. My plan was to furnish the entire house with furniture, household items, knickknacks, pictures, linens, etc…. from Doylestown. As soon as I got back, the adventure would begin. I left the house in good hands the next day and headed home. I would have about six weeks to buy everything we needed. The return trip was already planned and time as usual would be of the essence. Let’s get it!
Next up: 22 Hours In A Uhaul