UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE !!!

So the nice apartments we moved into here in West Palm Beach from New Smyrna Beach, with the three bedrooms and nice neighborhood and gated community, it's not around anymore. This place got real ghetto real quick. Let's see in the past month, and this is just what we've heard of, our neighbors below us had some bikes stolen from their patio after someone cut open their screen and lifted the bikes over the railing (of course the screen is repaired and more bikes have replaced the stolen ones, duh); two cars were stolen and several others broken into in the townhome area of the development; and police raided an apartment in another building for drug dealing (we heard the concussion grenade and shouting across the parking lot and through our doors and windows). Needless to say we have actively been looking for a new place to go when our current lease is up at the end of September.


Bad news on that front first. Our credit sucks so we wouldn't be able to get any kind of a mortgage with even horrible interest rates. So we won't be buying a place anytime soon so we won't be able to use that $8000 tax credit that expires in November. Our credit isn't even good enough to get an FHA loan from the state (I think that's where that comes from). Also our first choice of where we would have bought into wouldn't even be acceptable to use an FHA loan because of the amount of empty units, units owned but rented out, foreclosures in the area. FHA wants at least 50% of the area to be occupied by non-renters.


Good news on that front now. We spoke with a very nice and very helpful person from Rent 1 Sale 1 who found us six places in that original area where we wanted to buy that are for rent. From those six, 3 of them showed promise due to price, acceptable pet restrictions, and pretty pictures available. So that day she took us to see all three of those choices and two of them made the cut (the second one we saw had not been well cared for by the previous tenant, holes in the walls covered with tape and painted/plastered over, nails and screws still in the walls, and damaged doors and hinges). We're waiting to hear back from the R1/S1 lady after she speaks with the owners of the two units we liked on how much they want down and if they'll hold it for a month before we actually start to move in.


This is a VERY nice neighborhood continuously patrolled not by hired security but by PB Sheriff's officers who live there and also as part of a deal with the county I suspect. The two places we like are very nice and each have a different floor plan and have their own pro's and con's so it will be difficult to decide which to agree on between us. One is a 3-story plan with the kitchen and living room on the second floor and beautiful bay window in the kitchen and a half bath on that level. One bedroom is downstairs with a full bath and the garage (this is where "they" will be). The third floor has the master bedroom with 2 walk-in closets and a bay window as well as the third bedroom with its own full bath. The bonus on this one would be that "they" are far away from us. The con of this one is that the stairs are somewhat tricky when bringing furniture upstairs as they go up then have a switchback to continue upwards. The other unit is a 2-story with a large living room and dining room, beautiful kitchen and breakfast nook room. upstairs are all three bedrooms with two of them sharing a full bath. A half bath and the washer/dryer are downstairs near the front door. The bonus to this place is it's $250 cheaper, a larger balcony and awesome kitchen. The con to it is that as you come up the stairs...there are all 3 bedrooms, including "theirs".


Jeanne and Amy have started with Avon so if you want any of that stuff talk to them, they have a website to sell from as well. Chris apparently is starting school again at PBCC but who knows what will come of that. He does however have a "job" of sorts but we aren't allowed to discuss or go into that since other people might actually read this. Aflac is still going slow for me as I have only signed a single direct policy so far and opened no groups. But I am now working under someone else instead of the original person who wasn't all that helpful in the first place. He is still there but this new person is just under him and has taken control of the majority of training and helping out new folks, so that has been a large help so far since it has started.

Our cruise to the Bahamas and Key West was awesome. Hot as hades and more humid than ever but we still had a great time. Dinner was the highlight of every day with the great food and great waiter/asst. waiter that we had (they were brothers). Saw some really neat sights in the Bahamas and in Key West Jeanne started marking off places for us to go in the spring when her mom comes to visit for places to go and see. It was simply great to not have to give a crap about anything for a whole week.