Chapter 9

Ted quickly came to the realization that making preparations to relocate was a really big pain in the ass. There were a multitude of things he needed to do in relocating. Giving his notice at school saying that he wouldn’t be coming back in the fall resulted in a number of people wishing him well and saying a few nice things about knowing him. Some of the players on the team seemed disappointed that he was leaving. Ted squashed any ideas a few fellow teachers had of having a going away party.

Listing his condo for sale had him contacting Lois Montgomery who was the mother of a former student of his. He sort of chuckled to himself in that a number of the people he had dealt with in the past or was dealing with now seemed to be the parents of former students.

Lois came to his condo and did her thing about measuring the rooms and listing the all the items that would go with the unit as Ted was selling the unit as a “turnkey.” She also brought some listings on units that have sold in this condo building complex from the beginning of the year. After discussing this information with Ted she asked him what was the sale price he wanted to list the unit for and Ted gave her a figure.

Lois surprised him a little when she said, “Ted, I think that price is too low and if we were to list it for that amount the unit should sell in a week. I could get my six percent and everyone involved would be happy. I just wouldn’t feel right in listing the unit for that amount and I would suggest we should ask for about fourteen percent more. I say that because of the view it offers along with how nicely this unit is decorated and furnished. It is ready for someone to just move right in. With the right buyer, I think we could get close to what the unit would list for. If after a while the unit doesn’t sell we can always lower the price.”

Ted thanked her for being honest with him. He gave her a set of keys to the unit and the name of his attorney who would be handling the sale. He laughed to himself again because his attorney was the father of a former student. He told Lois that unless things changed he planned on leaving at the end of the month.

The next thing Ted did was to phone Chambers Realty and he asked to speak to Jessica. She answered the phone and heard him tell her who he was and why he had plans to move to the area. He said he would be arriving July first and would need a place to stay. He wanted to look at properties listed for sale since he needed to purchase a place to live. Being unfamiliar with the area he said Don Carlson had recommended her and told him to rely on what Jessica said.

Jessica commented that Don was “good people” and she knew exactly what to do about Ted’s forthcoming arrival. After doing some checking she said she had a condo that wasn’t on the water and would be rented to him at what he thought was a reasonable rent. She would be happy to show him various properties that were listed for sale. She did ask for him to mail in a deposit on the rental and when he arrived in St. Pete Beach he should stop by the office and she would give him the keys and directions to the rental unit. It would be either her or Jenny that would show him the properties that were listed for sale.

Ted continued to think about what he needed to do to make this move. He phoned Don and asked if he could send him some boxes which contained some of his personal effects and some clothes. Don said “no problem.” Two days before he was to leave he returned his cable box and modem. Lois said she would handle giving the other notices that were necessary once the unit sold.

Finally, on June thirtieth, very early in the still dark morning with his SUV fully packed, Ted locked his condo door for the last time. He had some memories both good and bad that he thought about on his way to sunny Florida.

It was a long but easy drive on the interstate highways to Florida. The cruise control with its feature of varying the car’s speed depending on traffic was a big contributor to his thinking that it was an easy drive. He stopped for the night just south of Atlanta. The following morning after filling up on the continental breakfast at the motel he was on the road and made it to St Pete Beach just after two.

Finding Chambers Realty was easy because it was located on Gulf Boulevard which was the main drag in St Pete Beach. In entering the office he told the receptionist who he was and asked to speak to Jessica. Ted was told she was out of the office but that Jenny was available.

In about a half minute a lady walked out of an office and up to him extending her hand which he shook. Ted thought that Don was absolutely right when he said that Jenny was attractive but he probably understated it in saying that.

To Ted, it looked like Jenny was about thirty years of age and about five foot six with shoulder-length blond hair. The white pants and white blouse showed that she had an hourglass figure which he would guess was 35-22-36. A very pretty face with a little sun tan just showed her to be a beautiful woman. In Ted’s opinion, there was only one thing wrong with Jenny and that was the diamond engagement ring he noticed on her finger.

They introduced themselves and he followed her to her office with his eyes on her backside.

In her office, there was a little small talk before she gave him the keys and directions to the rental condo along with an information sheet. Jenny asked him what he was looking for in the way of a property to purchase. Ted told her he wasn’t sure since he was unfamiliar with the area. She told him there were basically two types of properties here, condos and houses. Those types were further distinguished by those that were on the water and those that weren’t on the water.

Jenny suggested that Ted go to the rental unit and settle in. He might want to drive up and down Gulf Boulevard to familiarize himself with the area and the stores that were there. He could also drive to downtown St Petersburg just to see what was there. She said the office opened at nine and when he comes in tomorrow she will show some of the listings they have on the types of properties they discussed.

Ted left the office and did what Jenny had suggested. Finding the rental condo was easy. After unloading the items he had in his car, he did a drive up and down Gulf Boulevard. He didn’t go to downtown St Petersburg but instead drove farther north on Gulf Boulevard going up to Clearwater. There he stopped for an early dinner and a cold beer.

The next day when Ted stopped by the office he found that Jenny was ready to go. She again was wearing a white blouse but the kaki-colored pants she wore were tight enough to show her very nice backside. She started out by showing Ted condos that were for sale. Jenny showed him two units that were in the same building where Don owned a condo. She said that Chambers Realty managed the renting of Don’s unit. The units and the location of the condo building being on the beach were in Ted’s opinion nice and gave a scenic view of the gulf. What Ted thought wasn’t nice was the asking price of a unit which was close to being double what he was asking for his condo up north. The five hundred and twenty-five dollar-a-month maintenance fee was another turnoff.

Jenny then showed him two houses that were on the water and had their own private pier. There in Ted’s opinion wasn’t anything outstanding about the houses except for the asking price which was double what was being asked for the condos that were next to the beach. A further turnoff was the cost of the three policies of insurance that a homeowner would need to purchase, fire, flood, and windstorm. The total cost was close to the yearly total of maintenance fees for the condos next to the beach.