Ok, so my husband and I moved to tropical paradise February 1, 2008. We rented a home for 3 months on South Banana River Drive in Merritt Island. This gave us time to scope out the area, gave me time to get my Florida Real Estate license and find a broker here. We loved the area from the first time we came out to check it out in 2007. Our price range and personal preferences led us to search for a permanet home from Satellite Beach to Merritt Island. We learned a lot in those first 3 months of searching the MLS, viewing For Sale By Owners and subscribing to a forcelosure Web site. And we found the perfect home for us in Merritt Island. I found a great broker and my husband has a mere 35 minute commute to work. Our neighborhood is comprised of a diverse age group. The guys get together once a week for happy hour and the women have a monthly organized ladies night, alternating homes to host the neighborhood get-together.
While we were in our rental home we had visitors. My best friend from California came out for a week, our friends from Texas stopped in on their way to and from their cruise from Cape Canaveral, my family visited at Easter, my husband's friend and girlfriend came from Austria and my girlfriend from New Jersey came to visit. We found our home and closed before the end of April. Since we've been in our new home we've hosted more visitors---and repeat visitors. My husband's buddies came from several states to help us move our belongings from storage to our new home. My girlfriends from California and New Jersey returned with friends and family in tow. Our buddy from Norway came for a few days. My parents are coming next week and my husband's mother is coming next month for a 3 week visit from Holland. Although it's a bit hectic---with a revolving door---we are having the time of our lives. Everyone wants to come see us in tropical paradise!
And why not? There is so much to see and do here. We can go for a boat ride, kayack, swim in the pool, go to the beach, visit the Kennedy Space Center, drive to Orlando to visit one of the many attractions from Disney World to Aquatica. The weather is fantastic. Although it's summer it's always quite pleasant with a breeze in the back yard (outdoor ceiling fans on). One warning though, not all people can handle Florida's no-seeums. They are so small that they get through the screens in the lanai. When you move here make sure you have plenty of bug spray with deet. Our friend from CA had an allergic reaction and it wasn't pretty. Have Benadryl on hand. But really, doesn't everyone know Florida has bugs?
Our cat climbs on the roof, crosses the lanai and eats at least 3 lizards a day. I think she realizes that we have moved to tropical paradise. We see manatees, dolphins and pelicans on a regular basis. Now this is living....and can you believe how affordable it is? This area is an undiscovered gem. Several of our friends and family are looking into ocean front condos---under $350K and guess what...there are plenty to choose from. There was an article in the Real Estate section of Sunday's paper titled "Condo market improves", I've been researching this market and will offer more thoughts on this topic in my next blog. If you want to know more about it feel free to contact me.
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