We did it!

Well, we did it!  Gary and I went to spend a few days in Orlando together, visiting my friend Mickey and enjoying one another's company.  We also figured we'd touch base with the realtor to see what was going on with that town home we put an offer on months ago.  (FYI, "short sales" are not for the faint hearted...)

Our New Home

Anyway, we had some spare time on Saturday, so D'Anne (the realtor) took us to a few places we hadn't looked at before and we saw a place that had just been reduced in price because the owner was getting pretty antsy to sell.  Since our previous offer had fallen through (the owners decided to take it off the market and just let the bank repossess it) we were a little skittish towards anything bank-owned or labeled as a short sale, so since this wasn't either of those that was a big plus.


Also, since it was a vacation rental,, that was a plus to me.  I know that this is a tough time for a lot of folks and it's nothing personal and all that, but it's nice to know that I wasn't yanking someone's primary residence away from them while they went to live with their parents or whatever.  Also, since it's a vacation rental, all of the furniture (right down to the linens and kitchen items) are included, so even though I might want to replace items, I don't HAVE to buy anything in order to make it useable.  

Living Room

The picture above is of the exterior of the condos.  We have a unit on the ground floor, no stairs.  (That made Gary happy.)


When you come in the front door and look to your left, this is what you see.  The couch (which is barely visible in this photo) is a sleeper sofa.

Living Room

This is another shot of the living room area.  The dining room table seats six comfortably, though the condo sleeps eight.  (two in the master bedroom, two in each of the other two bedrooms, and two on the sleeper sofa.)  Plus there are two porta-cribs and a high chair.


The second and third bedrooms each have two twin beds rather than having a full sized bed.  They also have fairly ample closets.  One has a walk in closet, the other just a regular closet.  One is decorated with Disney bedspreads.  :)

Kids' guest room

There are two bathrooms, the one in the master bedroom has a tile shower, the one in the hall has a tub/shower combination.  Both have single sinks.  There is a closet in the hallway with a full sized washer and dryer.  The kitchen includes the fridge, stove, and dishwasher.

Adults' Guest room

Behind the front door is a securely locked, heavy duty closet called the "owner's closet."  This is a closet that the owner can use to store personal items so that when he or she uses the condo for their own use they have a place to put things they don't want renters to have access to.  (clothing, personal items such as curling irons, cosmetics, etc.)  It's not a huge storage area, but it's nice to have some space to put a few items, especially since Gary and I fly standby and the amount of stuff we can take with us has to fit in one carry-on suitcase.  

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Currently, the condo has some summer bookings that we can either keep or the rental  management company will re-book them elsewhere.  I think Gary and I are going to let them rent the place out for the summer.  For the most part, I don't go to WDW in the summer for 3 reasons:  first, it's too hot and humid.  Totally miserable.  Second, it's too crowded and too expensive.  It's Disney's peak season (which should make it easier to rent, too.)  Third, it's horrible to try to fly standby. Summer travel to busy tourist areas = headaches all the way around.  Since I don't plan to use it this summer, why not let the bookings stand and perhaps see if this is something we will do each summer to offset the HOA fee?


The last two photos are of the master bedroom, which also has a small TV. (There was a TV in the living room, too.)  Gary and I will replace the bed with a king, but not until at least after this first summer of rentals.

Anyway, TA DA!!