We bought a beach house!!

So we just achieved our long term goal of paying off our mortgage and what did we do?  We got another!
J and I bought a great 1/2 acre lot on the ocean front that had a small bungalow on it already.  It was built in 1950.   64 years old.

Still standing.   But the previous owners had inherited it. They did noting to maintain it, in fact, they did more to bring it to ruin.   They had it for 8 years.  It was disgusting.   I am not sure but I think it was a brother and sister.
They had several years of back taxes due.  We learned at closing .  Also since then,  there was a process server note taped to our door, with the previous owners name.  Lots of past due bills.

Well they got about a half million,  so I hope they pay their bills.

There is a enclosed porch.  It had one window secured with tin foil.  It looked like a crack house.  The oven was free standing with grime an inch thick, rusted pans beneath each heating element and grease baked on.

We tossed that out within the first week we arrived AND miraculously, within 30 minutes of setting it on the curb for bulk trash pick up, someone drove by and took it!   They also took the very disgusting sanitarium style bathroom sink and the non-working window air conditioner too.

Amazing!

But the house had hardwood floors, granted they look pitiful with several areas of water damage.  But the floors are one good feature.   I have already got two estimates to repair, sand, seal the floors: $5000.
Why is everything 5k?  Why not 1 or 2 k?  It seems all quotes are 5 k!

Now we of course made many mistakes already.  Just in the two weeks we have been here already!

I had arranged for a contractor to redraw all the upstairs.  He, of course,  did not get the permit I told him the city required and so all our best laid plans have since fallen to the wayside.

No we are scrambling to get work done as we pay holding costs on out household goods.     No room to place our belongings until the upstairs is completed.  Very frustrating.

But on a positive note, we have a very superb new mailbox.  The old one was so sad......it was plastic, with several plastic numbers falling off and it was askew the rusted metal pole that was slipped onto a one inch PVC pipe jammed into the ground. All supported with two to three bricks to keep it somewhat upright.   It was leaning far more than Pisa!
The new box is bright white metal with a very secure post that is perfectly level in the hard concrete. We added a decorative seahorse motif  that I special ordered.  It looks fantastic!   We also ordered a brass address plate but that has yet to arrive.  That takes a few more weeks.

I bet the mail person is happy.