House Hunting Failure

We are back from a frustrating house hunting trip to Florida. I am 100% certain that my real estate agent has never had a client like me. Let me bore you with the details.....my husband and I flew down with the sole purpose of finding a rental property. Of course we would look at properties for sale, but I was highly skeptical that an impulse buy would be on our agenda for the weekend. 

A few homes that were on the market a year ago....are still on the market. Would someone please tell these homeowners that if their home did not sell at that price 11 months ago...it is time for a reduction! I really don't understand the philosophy of waiting out the market. Remove your listing and try again in a season or two. 

Then there is the extreme taste specific design elements that are costly to remove. The thought of renovating to my satisfaction is not possible when the seller wants top dollar for this.

The rental market is a free for all. Agents don't want to help other agents....a short-term rental (6mos.) is not appealing to most, and then there is the dog. Yes, we have a dog over 25 lbs. After numerous phone calls, drive-by's and one showing....I have 2 leads on potential rental properties and should know within the next few days. We are on 'Naples' time...everything takes time...huge chunks of time.

Once we are settled into our rental, I will resume house hunting. We did manage to have some lovely dinners with spectacular views. This one was at La Playa Beach Resort. 

We sat at the table closest to the water. After dinner we put our toes in the warm ocean water. It was the perfect end to a stressful weekend. 

By the way, if you know of anyone wanting to sell their dated home in Naples, I am looking for a project!