Life in Naples.....so far

You have all been so kind in following along with my relocation progress. I have received quite a few emails asking about my current living situation and I thought an update would be depressing fun.

Chad Hoeft Designs via The Glam Pad

I was 100% sure that I would have found a property to call home by now. We actually put an offer in on one home, but lost to a higher bid. The listing agent never came back to us to see if we would have increased our offer and did not serve her client well. That home has since closed, and to be honest, I'm not sad about it. It was going to be a HUGE project and I think I really want a moderate sized project, instead.

There are plenty of homes on the market, for those of you who keep asking (dad!!) but not where I want to live. I have more real estate alerts on my phone, than these guys. 

What can I say, we fell in love with a specific section and apparently, those people are not selling at the moment. C'mon snowbirds....it's time!

The weather is hot, there are no two ways about it. My daily uniform consists of these shorts and versions of this top. The locals tell me that this is Naples' version of the winter we have back in the Northeast (indoor only, weather). So far, I have not had to shovel one bit of sunshine and everyone is still smiling....I disagree.

My husband and kids are well settled and content, and of course that makes me happy. The other day, my husband and I went to the supermarket (modern day date night) and the Manager bagged our groceries. It made us laugh, things like that never would have happened at the A&P.

Now if I could only find out where I can buy this seltzer, it would really feel like home....for now. Thanks for hanging in with me, I promise there is more to come.

 

Jane's Cafe

Hello Loves...can you believe that it is Monday already? This week, life returns school starts and everyday is no longer Saturday. Speaking of Saturday...my daughter and I had brunch at Jane's Cafe on Saturday.

Last May, I received an email from the mother of a girl my daughters age, welcoming us to the new school. She was very sweet and we put the girls in touch with each other. Once we moved down, the girls met for lunch and a movie....and then everyone became busy with their summer plans. 

Over the weekend the four of us met for brunch and the lovely woman is Jane from Jane's Cafe. The four of us sat and talked for over two hours. Jane is British and both our daughters were born in the UK. 

And now the food.....

I thought it would be odd to start snapping pictures while getting to know my new friend, so I found these on Instagram #Janescafe #Janesrestaurant

The cafe is located in Naples Third Street South district and the food is amazing. 

If you are coming for a visit, make sure you stop in for breakfast or lunch, you will be glad you did.

Good luck at school, everyone. See you at Starbucks!

 

Shopping Antiques & Restaurant Review

Whenever I have some extra time on my hands, I pop into a new store....for research purposes :). I was so happy to find Treasure Island Antiques. Of course I am not exactly in the market for anything at the moment, but that usually doesn't stop me. 

Bone inlay chairs...to die for.

A brass cube that shined like glass.

Brass dragons.

Love the lines of these chairs.

These lucite brackets would look amazing on a wall with blue and white ginger jars on them. 

Someone come get these....fast!

A Restaurant Review

I had the pleasure of meeting some new friends the other day for coffee. Both of them could not say enough great things about The Cider Press Cafe. It's a gluten free, vegan and raw food restaurant. I decided to take my daughter with me since the men in this house can be less adventurous when it comes to food. 

One of the owners (Rowland) greeted us and politely explained the raw food concept. We shared the Florida Roll and Coconut Spring Rolls (not pictured) for starters.

If you have never had raw vegan food (this was our first time) I would highly recommend giving it a try. Since nothing is cooked, the flavors really come alive. We could not believe that this was not real tuna inside this roll. The Spring Rolls were equally as delicious. 

For our main courses we enjoyed the Garden Lasagna.

And the Three Amigos.

Our only regret is that we did not save room for dessert. We can't wait to go back and next time, we would definitely bring the boys. 

On Thursday, I am trying a new hair stylist....that's always fun :o. 

 

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!

 

Hello? & Real Estate Stalking

Well, I didn't plan on taking a week off, it just happened. The weather has been spectacular and I am now a power walker (4.5 miles/day)...that's a lot, for me. I installed this app on my phone, and enjoy tracking my progress. Honestly, the stress of everything was getting to me and this has really helped. 

If you are getting this in your email, then welcome back and the blog delivery problem has been solved! When I mentioned that there was an email delivery problem, Kris sent me this link and I followed it, exactly. Thanks Kris!

Now let's get back to our mutual obsession for gorgeous real estate. My friends over at the Michael Lawler Group sent me some pictures from a new listing of theirs. Yeah, they know what we like to look at. 

I'll just say it now, don't expect my next home to look like this one...I haven't won the lottery, yet. To see more of this home, go here. 

Speaking of Florida real estate, we are headed down again next month to see if we can find a home. I am being super picky, so we may end up renting for a while. 

And now, can I trouble you for a favor....please?....If you were having trouble receiving my blog by email and today it worked...would you please let me know. Thank you!

 

A Beach House For Sale

You know how I love to stalk real estate...well, I have been obsessed with Michael Lawler's website ever since I toured one of his listings last May. The home wasn't right for us, but I have continued to check his site. The photography and home staging he presents is as impressive as it gets for real estate agents. 

Check out this beach house

Here's the location......I know!

All photos courtesy of Michael G. Lawler

In case you are wondering.....it's 17 Million. You can get all the information for this listing, here.

I am dying to tag along on one of Michael's listing photo shoots. And of course I would tell you what I learned. 

Do you play the Lottery? I think I may need to start.