Friday, June 21, 2013

Sparky Comes Out!

No, not out of the closet.... :-)   As many of you have suspected, Sparky and Eldo have stayed in Sarasota for so long because we decided we loved Sarasota so much, we are buying a house in Bradenton, very very close to Sarasota. Yes, we are coming off the road after full timing for three years...Interest rates are very good but starting to climb, properties in Sarasota are HOT, HOT, HOT! So are the temps, but we are getting used to them. It's just a good time in the economy and our personal life all the way around for us to move from full time traveling back to a house in our retirement. So hot is the real estate in Sarasota County, the inventory has really dropped since we started looking a couple of months ago. Apparently investment companies are coming in and buying up houses by the dozens, driving up prices. Their plan is to rent them until the housing market recovers, then sell for big profits. Hm-m-m-m...that sounds like the beginning of the real estate bubble that burst back around 2008 when properties values crashed in Florida.

We are selling our Tiffin Phaeton, diesel pusher, 40 foot, QTH. We have ads online for it, on RVOnline and National Multi List, if anybody is interested. Down the road, (heheheh) we hope to get something smaller and still travel occasionally, but for now, we are going to stay put, fix up our house, and enjoy Sarasota to the fullest!
What does the house look like? It's beautiful, of course! Two bedrooms plus a den, AND a craft room for Sparky. And, Eldy is finally going to have a MAN CAVE! He's been looking at free standing bars and sports decor.....Here's Sparky's craft room...She's got LOTS of ideas to brighten and make this room a FUN room to create in!

The house has a pool, and it's on a golf course with a fantastic view out the back of the lanai. We will have a spare bedroom room for visitors.... :-)

It comes mostly furnished, which will really help our budget for awhile. The inside is white, white, white--- but there's lots of PINK, too. The previous owners liked pink--pink tile in the kitchen and baths, pink and mauve wallpaper on the walls. Pinkish kitchen cabinets....

This is the breakfast nook area....

Sparky is not too crazy about the pink tile floors in the bathrooms and kitchen, but we'll live with that for awhile. They swapped out all the appliances and put in all brand new, but left the really old cabinets in place.

We've had to think about getting some furniture to make more our own. We're not fond of mauve and teal everything. So we'll be refurbishing some of the finishes on some pieces, getting some new stuff, and donating some things.
Part of the great room
Guest bath...It already has palm tree towels and shower curtain!

Formal dining area...

We didn't want to say anything in the blog until it looked darn certain that everything was going to go through without a major hiccup. It was REALLY REALLY nerve wracking! So much information that the bank kept asking for, a roof repair that held things up for awhile, tropical storm Andrea that held things up...etc., etc., etc.
Guest bedroom
So THAT'S what we've REALLY been doing these past few weeks in addition to continuing to explore Sarasota. Window shopping for furniture, waiting to hear if the next step in the loan application was proceeding, looking at rugs, flooring, investigating all kinds of things we MIGHT do to the house on a limited budget. It's been really really fun looking and dreaming! First on the list of things to do---PAINTING....We're going with cocoas, browns, tans, and slate blues...We'll do some before and after photos as the weeks go by.....

Sparky just read an article about a guy who remodeled his house in Seattle with mostly Craig's List findings....to the tune of over $300,000. We'll be on a much smaller budget, lol...MUCH smaller! We'll check out estate sales, garage sales, you never know what treasures you might find.
pink and mauve everything in the master bath
We are closing on it soon....We'll keep you posted! Sparky will keep blogging daily until we have moved in, and then will probably blog about once a week....We still have another trip to do--to Red Bay and up to Indiana to empty out a storage locker up there....We'll be doing that in a few weeks.

And if you know anyone looking for a class A motorhome, spread the word about our Tiffin Phaeton, if you would...Email us for more information if you need it. We thank you!

Are we going to miss traveling? You bet, but all of you will keep us posted as to what's going on, cool places to be, great marvels to see, and who knows, some day we might be back out there joining you once again.

Until next time.....   Jeannie and Eldy

23 comments:

  1. Well that's big news!! Your house looks wonderful and I hope you make many happy memories there.

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  2. I am sure this was a challenging time making the decision to change your lifestyle, waiting for everything to get approved, and keeping your plans quiet. One thing is for sure, you have chosen to "settle" in a place that really lights you up. We also love that part of Florida and will be back in Cortez for at least two months next winter. Look forward to seeing your new place (and your fabulous craft room) then. We will also be sure to let people know about your lovely Phaeton. Congrats!

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  3. Oh WoW !!!!!
    I would say, WELCOME TO SARASOTA but that just will not fill the bill since you both are AMBASSADORS for this town !!!! You know more about what to do and where to go
    than most natives !!!! And that's the truth !!! I Know you will be very happy in your new home !!!! It looks beautiful and when you get the paint splashed around the way you want it everything will have the Sparky-Eldo glow !!!! Have fun and what a great new adventure !!!!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sally. Will call soon when the dust settles! :-)

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  4. Congrats you two enjoy Sarasota...

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  5. Glad to hear the closing went off without a hitch...hey...hey...hey. Looks like a great place where you'll have lots of fun and lots of winter guests from Indiana. :-)). Congratulations!!

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  6. Congratulations on your stix & brix purchase; hope the sale of the Phaeton is speedy.

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  7. Does not surprize me at all. The way Eldy has been looking and the way you have been raving about the area.
    Was nice to meet you guys last fall while you were still on the road.

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  8. FABULOUS. . .and all that updating should keep you busy for awhile. . .you can refinish those kitchen cabinets and make them look brand new. . .have FUN! Glad for ya. . .

    Janice
    ReadyToGoFullTimeRVing Blog
    FaceBook.com/ReadyToGoFullTimeRVing

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  9. I figured something must be up. Congratulations!

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  10. Good for you guys! I had my suspicions ;) Your new digs are just beautiful!

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  11. Congratulations. It sounds a bit familiar since we just went thru the same process a year ago after over five years on the road.

    We decided that we were still going to travel but did not want the big diesel pusher anymore and found the simplest solution for us was to trade it for our new Winnie 24 foot View. Good luck and have fun:)

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  12. I'm so glad the closing went well and you have been able to move into the new house. I remember Bradenton fondly as the first place we made an open water dive, and it hooked us on scuba diving forever.

    It's nice the house was furnished. Have fun painting. It will make a huge difference, I'm sure!

    Good luck selling the Rv.

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  13. Sweet house...good luck selling the rig!

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  14. Congratulations. We will have to get together sometime. We are now making our home in South Pasadena - not too far from you.

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  15. Settling down again can be quite a change, but you chose a really nice place for it, so it kinda balances out. Good thing the home repairs didn’t hold you up too long, as that could’ve been a deal-breaker. Have fun in your new home! Cheers!

    Lino @ Arrys Roofing

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  16. Having a man-cave would really be nice! At least he has his own space to tinker around and just amuse himself with his hobbies. Shame about the pink bathroom tiles. You could always treat it as a project one of these days when you have the time. Aside from that, the house looks amazing! Can’t wait to see what you’ll add to it once you’re done looking for furniture.

    Herb Koguchi @ Kroll Construction

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  17. I just read that you purchased a home. You may remember us we camped next to each other in Missoula Montana at Jim and Mary's RV Park a couple of years back. You may remember our blog "America By RV" (http://america-by-rv.blogspot.com/).
    If you kept up with us then you know we also came off the road and back into a "sticks and bricks" after just over 3 years of the full time RV lifestyle. We've been in our new home for about 8 months now and so far haven't missed the open road.
    Good luck in this new chapter in your lives!

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  18. The house looks fantastic! Though I am eyeing that pool with the frames set up. Are you guys planning to make some sort of sunroom with a pool inside, or are you just gonna keep it as an open area and put some kind of roofing over it?

    Chantay Smithingell

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