That Was A Disappointment

After going to the Preston Law Firm in New Smyrna Beach to pick up the binder with all of the documents for our family trust, Terry and I went to Ruthy’s Kozy Kitchen for brunch. This is one of those local places that the tourists never find, and locals like it that way. Nothing fancy here, just good comfort food and fast, friendly service. I had a waffle with strawberries and whipped cream and Terry had avocado toast. Both were good, though I have to acknowledge that nothing compares to Terry’s overnight yeasted waffles.

From there, we stopped at a place to look at some big planter size pots, and when Terry didn’t find anything she liked there, we went to Lindley’s Nursery to check out what they had. We have done business with these nice folks several times, and they always treat us right. While she didn’t find any planters that suited her, Terry did spot some pygmy date palm trees that got her attention. She has talked about removing the banana palms at the edge of our driveway and replacing them with something else because all they do is make a mess. She wasn’t ready to make a decision right then, but I think this might be how things turn out.

My son and his wife have been talking about leaving Tuscaloosa, Alabama and moving to Florida for quite some time now. Apparently, they think we are “old” and they have to be nearby to take care of us. Looking around on Zillow I found a place for sale in Oak Hill, about 6 miles away, that had once been a church back in the early 1900s and then was converted into a residence at some point.

Travis is an avid gardener, and it has a huge yard with plenty of room for a garden, several trees on the property, including a lemon tree, two work sheds, and a huge three-space carport more than 40 feet deep. The price seemed very reasonable, so we contacted the real estate company and set an appointment to see it later in the afternoon. But a red flag went up almost instantly when the agent said, “Oh, by the way, this is a cash-only deal and cannot be financed.” Just about anything can be financed if you have good credit, I would think, unless there is a problem with the property

The outside of the property was great. One of the work sheds needed some TLC, but I could see my son being very happy growing things in that yard. And, to be honest, I could see my pontoon boat living in that carport. But then we went inside.

I have very little sense of smell, but Terry said she could immediately smell mildew. We had asked the real estate agent why the property could not be financed, and she said that there was some issue with a water leak and the water had been turned off, but that’s all she knew. The floors were spongy in several spots, which could have been from age but seemed more likely water damage, and we could see what looked to be black mold along the baseboards, but could have been mildew.

Upstairs, there was a can placed to collect water when it rained, and a couple of places in the ceiling showed water stains. I thought about having my friend Jesse Bolton look at the place since he can fix anything, but the more we looked at it, the more we saw dollar signs upon dollar signs being needed to even make it habitable. Well, that was a disappointment.

I told the agent that it looked like the best thing someone could do was buy the property and knock the house down and start over. She kept telling us about its historical significance as being the first church in the community. Well then, let’s pass the collection plate because whoever buys it will need a really big bank account!

Be sure to enter our latest Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audiobook of undone, the first book in my buddy Jason Deas’ Burt Bigsley mystery series. To enter, all you have to do is click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of sending printed books and Amazon restrictions on sending e-book codes to foreign countries, only entries with U.S. addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed.

Thought For The Day – If a turtle loses its shell, is it naked or homeless?