Come For A Visit, Stay For A Lifetime!

You may wonder about our slogan, "Come for a visit, stay for a lifetime." As 50 and 60 somethings consider where to spend their later years, there is a process to follow. When Mark and I closed our business in Atlanta in 2001, we were in that mindset. First, we spent a long weekend in a little place on Bradenton Beach. We put over 800 miles on our rental car driving along the coast to check out locations! From Naples in the south to Clearwater in the north, we covered it all. The result of that trip is that we were still young and wanted easy access to travel and other lifestyle amenities we had in Atlanta, so the Tampa Bay area seemed to give us exactly that. We were set on the west coast because of the sunsets and chose a rental directly on the beach in Indian Rocks Beach to find out if beach front living was for us... yet not commit to selling our home and bringing all the furniture down until we were convinced.

Before long, our daughter and my mother were visiting more and more frequently. When I emailed a cute little 2-bedroom condo in a beachfront complex, mom called me and said that was the one! (I didn't know she was looking!) She bought the condo and has now been there over 5 years... just loves it. Our daughter Lambdin was next! She bought a condo on the intercoastal and did a remarkable renovation to it. She became a realtor with The Purtee Team and was amazed at how many young people are in the area! She became an active volunteer in the community and member of the Junior League. When we saw her marry on the beach last year, right at sunset, we knew this place was home! Now we have Mark's father in the area, too! One of his brothers is now here frequently as well.

I have two articles to share today...
First-time homebuyers race clock
Just 12 weeks remain for eligible buyers to find and close on a home to qualify for the $8K federal tax credit by Nov. 30. Read more.

Mortgage relief program picking up speed
After a slow start, nearly one in five eligible homeowners have been offered help under the "Making Home Affordable" plan. Read more.