The Countdown has Begun...

As the month has changed over again...mind boggling, I have to say...we've begun the countdown to our BIG ADVENTURE.  (Yes, I feel quite strongly that it has to be in capital letters.  Actually, so big that I slightly changed the name of the blog and it's description.)  We have our plane tickets booked, the house is shining like a new dime, with the trim freshly painted, the windows gleaming and everything in top notch shape.  There's no reason for someone who actually comes to see the house not to want it.  (Ron even painted the outbuilding to match the house and did a little decorative display.)

 We've had to list it, as the rental traffic was a little slower than we anticipated, so we're going to take whatever comes first.  (The Canadian government doesn't seem to think that actually owning a house and renting it out is any stronger of a tie than not owning a home...I`m not sure if that goes a long way to explaining the Mike Duffy incident or not.)  Anyhow, if we are deemed non-residents, so be it.  It took the g-men 6 weeks to send us letter stating that they've received our forms and will get back to us...glad to see that they are considering every minute detail before rendering their verdict.  (I mustn't be too critical at this point.)

It's hard to believe that we have less than a month to wrap everything up.  We've cancelled the services as of the end of this month, except the electricity, in case the house stands empty for a bit.  Just to give you an idea of how far the house has come here are before and after pictures:

 

Note the upgraded porch (with straightened posts), trim all bright and white, bay window insulated (okay, you can't see that, but it doesn't change the fact that it's better), no rotting wood, a tamed rose bush and a good solid, enclosed entry to the basement.  (No plywood sheet and caving in cinder block wall.)  The chimney is also insulated and capped of, to keep out the Nor'easters.  The back window is brand new and can be actually opened to enjoy a nice summer breeze.  (I know...what a concept!)  PS the siding has all been washed and the house actually looks yellow.

The back is also much improved:

 

See how nice and open the back deck is now?  No nasty cedar hedge that hides all the mosquitoes, just a pretty little colourful garden! (Nor rickety fencing that didn't really add any appeal and (again) porch posts that are straight.)  New windows downstairs and a pretty purple back door.  Not to mention the fact that the gutter is actually angled properly and drains using the downspout.  (Another mind blowing concept.)

Ron has put a lot of work into this place and it really shows, no more creepy PVC shower stalls with who knows what in the voids on either side, no more strange little privacy walls around the toilets or grubby stained carpeting in the living room.  No more leaky plumbing or shoddy electrical work in the bathroom.  There's an electrical outlet wired to the back porch and a properly hooked up outdoor faucet.  It really couldn't get much better.  Anyhow, that was my little walk down memory lane.  We have to get out of the house soon, as there is a showing.  Wish us luck...thanks for reading and we'll post again soon.