We have a lot of options and decisions right now. That is both good and bad. The good is that it is usually better to have many options than few, the bad is that we kind of have a deadline to make some decisions on them. The funding for 3/4 of my job at the county will end on July 30, 2010. We had hoped that during this last trip to Puerto Rico we would have found something that “spoke” to us.
Another house we saw
We saw some properties that we liked but were either too expensive, weren’t situated on the lot very well, were too far from the west coast, were just land with no house, or had virtually no land (the Goldilocks story without the “just right”). We also didn’t see as many properties as I would have liked to. You would think a week is enough, but it really wasn’t. So now we are back and we are trying to figure out our best course of action given some assumptions:
A) Britton hasn’t been cleared to work remote yet, so we would have to plan on moving with very little income
B) I won’t have a full-time job come August 1. I need to either start looking for another job now, or plan for our move, or ??
With these basic assumptions, we have a variety of options:
1) Buy one of the larger places in PR and create a guesthouse. With this option, Britton would probably have to stay in Colorado while I got the place up and going, but if it works, we would have income. But because of Britton not being able to be there with me, it is not ideal. We are kind of a package deal. It would be hard to be apart for very long.
2) Buy a smaller property, but low-ball it so that we would be able to move there more quickly without much income. None of the smaller properties were exactly our “dream house” so this is not ideal either.
3) Buy another rental here in Colorado to provide more income potential for when we are in PR. We are comfortable with this as we have done it before, but it will take a chunk of our savings that we were hoping to use in PR to do it.
4) Buy a house here in Colorado that has a little bit of land (around an acre or so) and rent out our house. Then we could have a hobby farm here in the spring/summer/fall without much grief from the city and we could spend our winters in PR renting a house and looking for our ideal. I could do some part-time work as an instructor or possibly work on starting up an Internet or consulting business that could be done in PR as well. So, far, this sounds the most promising, but it puts our PR plans on hold which sucks.
So this is where we are at: a crossroads. I feel like I am in limbo and it is driving me nuts. I am a planner and right now I don’t feel like we have a solid one. And I hate pushing our dreams back farther. These life decisions are tough! But I am thankful for the options!
Well we really have an infinite number of possibilities. We could decide to move to Kansas (not ideal), I could go back to school and get my commercial pilots license, we could buy a house in Longmont so I wouldn’t have to spend an hour and a half driving to work and back, we could sell everything and hike the Pacific Crest Trail, we could each buy a Mazda Miata and enter a spec racing series, we could buy an airplane and travel around north and south America, we could have kids and Cassie could stay at home with them and not work, we could even decide to open a Marijuana dispensary.
Of course none of these bring us closer to our goal of moving to PR, but they are options 😉
Relax and visit again! We put money down on a house in St. Croix and dreamt about it for 4 months or so until after inspections made us pull out of that dream. I thought the dream would never happen and I would die in Duvall WA being cold and miserable but that too didn’t happen. Then we came, visited for 10 days and bought our PR house. It is not ideal (most things aren’t) since the pharaceutical companies in town (Johnson and Johnson and Fenwal) aren’t hiring and Jeff has to work an hour and a half away… We love our house and style of living. We didn’t compromise on the type of house and land. It is bigger than we need but well ventilated with views we love, it is in the country with less rain than the north but more than the south and country living only 6 minutes off the hiway.
If you wait a little longer until you “know” when a house/property is “right”
maybe the economy will be on the upswing..it has only gotten worse since we bought the house 3 years or so ago. It’ll happen..just keep selling stuff off so you are ready when it does! katrina
I don’t have much to say, but what I can say is that frank and I said “let’s just do it, even if it is not 100% right”, and we did do it and we are happy with what we have. Yes, we could have a house with much more flat land than what we have, but we made the decision and even though it is not perfect, it is perfect for us. Oooh, we would love flat land for a pool and gardening…but that is Ok, the sunset from our deck makes up for all the things that we do not have. Good Luck and I always pray that God will show me the way!
Making a change won’t get any easier for you two. This is the time to try something new. The only thing that can’t be undone easily is Brittons job. You don’t have kids and you are losing your job. This is a perfect time. Don’t buy anything. Simply move here and rent for a while. If you don’t like it or can’t make a good living then move back. The only thing lost is Brittons job and some money you had saved. You could be living here August 1st!
It is always like this when making a big decision, especially when it’s not a conventional one. . .I can’t tell you how many times Matt and I had maddening circular conversations about our future without having any relevant information or control over what might happen. I will say the constant for us was deciding to act in a way that moved us forward, even if we weren’t sure things would work out exactly as we planned them. And they haven’t, always, but being in process feels better than being in limbo. For us, anyway. . .good luck!
Cassie, since you know that you will be out of the current job you hold, have you thought of a business of your own that would be portable? I know you have ‘enterprises’ outside the box but look to yourself and what you want to do that will provide income and fulfillment and take it with you. Plus you will have a few months (probably not enough time but there never is) to try out any ideas to see if they will be successful before your current position ends.
Thanks everyone. It does help to hear what you did or what you recommend. We have been thinking of some “portable” type businesses but they are still in the prototype phase. We have been trying to play out all of these scenarios and then some…
Before any decision you make please read this blog NEDERLAND COLORADO RINCON PR.Story kind of similar that you guys have .Young couple lived in PR for 2 years at the end they end up in Colorado.Still i believe your better of living in CO but if you are willing to move to warm weather there is the state of Florida good luck
I guess the question I would be asking at this point is.. are your properties here completely mortgage free? That would have the BIGGEST impact on my decision. While you currently have renters, they can simply up and leave at any given moment leaving you with potentially an empty house with no payments coming in and a mortgage still to pay.
If the homes aren’t paid off, I would be looking for a place in PR to purchase while both of you have jobs (easier to get financing if necessary). Turn that property into a vacation home (see blog above), securing blackout dates for your own visits. Even if you can’t fill the vacation home with people, you could still cover the mortgage. When the properties here are paid in full, then I would move to PR. The properties here generating your income flow (in case you can’t find a job or other source of viable income).
If the homes are paid off.. I would say find the property that can be fully sustained by income generated from your rental properties here in the states. Britton’s job then becomes a moot point because your living expenses are covered.
I think you said in one of your posts, that your move all depends on the level of risk you are both willing to take.
Kinda sounds like you aren’t quite financially “ready” to make the break for PR.
Britton’s job sounds well worth conserving, plus his knowledge helps with any digital/internet/ blog business you may want to pursue. Perhaps his idea of a Longmont house makes sense. You could rent out your current home, and Cassie would have many more opportunities for career pursuits and even education living so nearer to Boulder and Denver (not to mention the restaurants, music, concerts, shopping!). .
With your financial discipline, you could make a 2, 3, or 4 year plan to buy a place in PR or another sunny warm beachy place after paying down some of the mortgages on the rentals.
It seems like a lot of work though!
And what of Britton’s music? He is talented. Where can he play with a band the easiest (or does that matter?).
You actually are in an enviable position, with so many talents, options and financial resources at your disposal.
What has consistently worked for us is to make short-term (one year, 3year, 5 year, 10 year) dream plans for savings, vacation, family goals (we wanted our two children to be well-educated, independent and find happy partnerships, all the while maintaining good relations with us!), education (went back to grad school and learned Spanish), housing (new homes), rental purchases and retirement. We planned heavily for leisure activities, too, such as travel, which take time and money. We accomplished all our goals, and now have a new list!
One of the biggest obstacles is the resistance you will receive to life changes and planning. For some reason, people who drift are “threatened” by those who plan and reach goals.
Knowing you two, with your determination and intelligence, just about anything you plan, you will accomplish.
Annie and Torrie,
I think you’ve nailed it. We aren’t quite ready. I think if we make some 2-3yr goals we will be though. Its tough to be this close but have to go that ‘extra mile’.
I know we will accomplish our goal, its just a matter of getting back into the whole “achievement” mindset. It takes its toll to do it.
I appreciate your comments and support!