Please note that the way Blogger works does not allow me to put every category (post) on one page as I would have liked to, but they are all linked to on the right side of the page. Specifically, at least in my Chrome browser, the Master Bedroom and Downsides posts do not show up on this initial page and their links to the right must be individually clicked on to be seen.
Two bedrooms and one bath in Bradenton, Florida. 12 ft wide by 51 feet long. Lot rent is $285/mo plus water and sewer comes to a little over $300/mo total, billed by the park. Electricity usually runs between $25 and $50/monthly and is paid to Florida Power. It's located in a quiet little 55+ park with nice neighbors and comes furnished with:
- Refrigerator
- Propane stove
- Kitchen table & chair
- Desk-type chair on rollers serves double duty kitchen/computer
- Couch
- Recliner chair
- Outdoor shelving
- Indoor shelving
- King size bed in master bedroom
- Two air conditioners
- Lots of little things!
I bought this place about five years ago after I came to Bradenton to be my father's guardian, but he has passed away and while it's nice to have this place to escape the Maine winters, it's time to let it go. I have made a number of improvements like outdoor motion-sensing lighting and a dusk-to-dawn light out back, interior lights, a two-way powered ventilation system for outside air when the temperature is nice, and I recently added two outdoor water spigots one in back and one in front. I have optimized the place for energy efficiency and my nightowl tendencies by covering most of the windows with insulation which helps tremendously to keep the power bill down and the sunlight out, but it would not be a problem to unscrew and remove the insulation panels if you prefer a lot of light in the daytime and a higher power bill.
Shown in the outdoor pictures is an awning or 'lanai' space with a concrete floor that is partially obscured with lattice. Many people in the park have fully enclosed their lanais to gain extra living space, but I haven't really needed extra space for that and instead have used it to keep my car under cover, or at least mostly under cover when I'm here. When I go to Maine I squeeze my good-sized Mercedes completely in the space and cover it with a custom car shroud. It has worked out well and I have also installed shelving outside for storage.
The place is wired with cable by Brighthouse Network which I only use for Internet but which could also be used for cable TV, and there is a Verizon FIOS box installed too which I have never used but which has recently been tested and found functional so if you wanted ultrafast fiber optic service you would save on the installation charge.
The bathroom has a toilet, two sinks, and a bathtub shower, but the bathtub's water fixture only supports showering, not using the bathtub. That could be upgraded if you wanted to. There is also space and hot/cold water supply in the bathroom for a small washer/dryer setup like one of those under/over types, but I just use the pay laundry that is conveniently just across the driveway. I have installed a switch on the hot water heater so that it is convenient to turn it off when I leave for extended periods.
The roof has been coated twice in two consecutive years with the highest-grade white reflective elastomeric coating available at Lowe's, each coating guaranteed for 15 years (but that doesn't mean it will go 30 years without maintenance!). I borrow a ladder from one of my neighbors every winter to clean the roof, check its integrity, and trim the greenery back.
The back yard is long and narrow but has a nice view onto an adjacent park that is well-kept as you can see in the photos. The water that can be seen is a drainage ditch (I call it my 'waterfront property') but it is filled with small fish and a few turtles so there are few mosquitos, so few that some of my neighbors leave their doors wide open all the time and aren't bothered by them. The backyard has a Sable palm (Florida's official state tree which isn't technically a tree at all), some very healthy Aloe plants, small banana trees, some sugar cane, a whole bunch of ferns, and a young mango tree almost 5 feet tall that I planted two or three years ago.
The place is not without its faults, but they're fairly minor. The Astroturf on the lanai is funky and should be replaced or just removed and the concrete painted. There are some panels in the bathroom that could stand replacing. The floor of the hallway is a little bit tilted and so is the floor in the master bedroom, but they could be fixed by jacking them up from underneath, which I have partially done already. There's nothing that makes the place unlivable. You might think because it's Florida that roaches would be a problem, but they're not because I have laid down nontoxic boric acid powder in all the cabinets and places where they might hide, and so roaches are very rare as are spiders, I can't remember the last time I saw a spider inside. Wasps do show up sometimes but never indoors and I keep a spray can of wasp killer outside to deal with them as needed. Once in a while a little green Florida lizard will get in somehow and I have to catch him and put him outside so he doesn't starve. Overall it is a very pleasant place to live and if I didn't have my place in Maine I would happily remain here, but I have to make a choice and my girlfriend lives in Maine so that's that. Let my loss be your new home, or home away from home!
PLEASE NOTE while this mobile home is in what's supposed to be a 55 and older park, it is possible for younger people (minimum age 40) to move in with management's approval, but no children or teenagers are allowed. Cats and smaller dogs are allowed but they can't run loose outside. In all cases management must approve new residents prior to sale, and that includes a credit check. You needn't worry much if your credit isn't all that great, the main reason for the credit check is to screen out convicted felons. This park used to have problems with a few shady characters but new management has gotten rid of them all and the place is now very safe and cleaned up.
Also, the place isn't sitting empty, I am living in it right now so if you buy it I will need some time to vacate so I will be out of the place no later than the first week of May and sooner if I can.
