We are about to start the countdown to Puerto Rico, La Isla del Encanto (Isle of Enchantment). In approximately one month, on May 21 we will be on our way. We are planning on being down there for 2 weeks and we hope to close that Monday or Tuesday. We have lined up an air mattress (thanks Rosa and Summer and Stefan for this!) and will be staying our first few nights with the Kruses.
We’ve also called to cancel the other deal. We wish that it hadn’t worked out like that. The place in Isabela was an excellent deal with nice land and house, and we had every intention of buying it. On the other hand, if we hadn’t signed the contract for that place, we wouldn’t have been so bold with our negotiating to get the deal in Rincon talked down by $170,000 from what it was listed, and $270,000 discount from its original price! So it seems that everything has happened for a reason- it’s just sometimes you can’t tell it when it’s happening real time.
Our place will be sort of near the border of barrios Puntas and Rio Grande
Our lawyer David, a friend of the Kruses, is also willing to close in Rincon and has asked us to remind him to pull the title work the week before we close to make sure no last minute liens are placed.
We have our plane tickets to Aguadilla. We still need to secure the car rental and find out what the situation is with the water/electricity. I would like to talk with the current owners of the house and let them know they can leave the hammocks, books, etc. We would love to have them. I’d also like to find out the history of the place. When it was first developed, who the builder was of the wood house and the cement studio cabana, etc. Some of that we might find out from the title search.
In any case, there’s a lot to be excited about! We are scared and happy all at the same time. This is a culmination of a lot of hard work and focus. Britton always says, “Step one: buy a place in Puerto Rico”. Boy there sure have been a lot of steps to get to Step One!
So stay tuned! In about a month there will be some major activity…
How exciting! I am so happy for both of you. Listen if you can’t get all your “stuff” done while you are there such as water/electric or anything else that you might need to stay in line in a small tiny office for like an entire day…check around because there is a lady in Rincon that does all this running around for you for a small fee, she did our electricity and water for us so when we went back everything was done and we did not have to waste our precious time hanging around a tiny dirty offices..
It’s an unreal feeling to strive for a goal for so long and get to the point where it’s happening! Pretty cool.
So what is step 2? Learn how to relax?
We know the feeling exactly… We started our planning 11 years ago and now we’re here. Best of luck! Have patience (hard for type A’s like me); most things take longer than in the states, and there are usually unexpected delays. But when something happens quickly, it’s a pleasant surprise. — Fran
Rosa,
Thanks! If you have that woman’s contact info, we’d like to get in touch with her! We definitely don’t want to spend our limited time taking care of red tape if we don’t have to!
BAK, Step 2…well that could be a lot of things. I think ultimately it will be moving/living there. But just like for Step 1, I think there’s going to be a lot of steps to Step 2.
Fran, Glad to hear you guys are doing well there in PR. How did the move go? Everything running smoothly? Puerto Rico has its stresses, but I think it can help people like us who are used to getting things done to relax and ‘let go’ a little. Maybe? We hope so…
When I left PR in the late 70s, I said I would not return unless I was retired, so I could have time to deal with stuff. We had a full move, in a 40 ft. container, and Steve had his old SUV shipped (much cheaper than replacing it here). So much to do to get settled! Receive move and unpack (not fully done after 4 weeks), house insurance, water, electric, lawn service, pest control, pick up car, register car, get phone services, satellite TV, study for driving exam for license, deal with address changes (turned out to be huge problem), arrange for plumbing and electric when needed, learn how to deal with concrete construction issues (very different), learn where to shop for what, and much more. It took 4 weeks from signing the DirecTV contract to actually getting it activated. Amazingly, we were able to pick up the car in San Juan one day and get it registered in Humacao the next, even though it meant going to 4 different agencies and standing in 6 different lines. After 6 weeks here, on Saturday we finally found time to visit our land in Humacao. Everyone’s situation is different, but you get the gist. It took us a few weeks to get ourselves on island time; now for the most part, we just expect things to take a long time and plan accordingly. I still stress when I see so many unpacked boxes, but that’s just me. I could not have done this if I was still working! Steve just loves it here, although he doesn’t speak Spanish and not too many people in Humacao speak English. (He’s still shopping for a sailboat.) He was also initially shocked at the lack of adherence to and enforcement of traffic laws–especially being former military and a pilot! He’s used to it now, and we both are learning to “when in Rome…” when it comes to driving. It’s not easy to accept the way people drive, conduct business, litter, treat animals, etc., and you might be able to make small differences, but for the most part, you adapt. Because after all, this island is Puerto Rico for Puerto Ricans. Enjoy its beauty and wonders and learn to let go of the rest. — Fran