After we return from Spring Break in Puerto Rico, I say to my friend Alyse: “I now know where I am going to retire.”  I’m not sure if she took me seriously, but I am committed to see this through.  I read stories about how challenging the process of buying a home could be, given records on home ownership and liens need to be investigated and confirmed.  I guess we will cross that bridge when we get there.  This tends to be my philosophy in life, don’t over think anything, we can figure out the details as we go along.

I start looking at Zillow and other property sites.  My realtor Raul sends me listings and videos.  My budget is low, I am looking for a simple home.  The most important requirement is some land around the house to plant flowers, fruits and vegetables.  I do not want to be in a touristy area, I want to live with the locals.   Since the garden is so important, a beachside community is out of consideration.

Most homes in Puerto Rico are in gated communities for safety reasons. This would be optimal for us as we would be flying back and forth.

 On 5/27/18, I send an email to several girls friends, saying “Hey there, I know I have spoken to most of you about how much we loved PR and that I want to buy a home there for investment/wintering/retirement purposes. Well, the relator facetimed a prospective home and I want to go see it. Santosh says he cannot take off work at this time, so rather than going alone, I’m inviting you all to join me….”  I continue to explain what the trip would cost, the itinerary etc.  I am thrilled that 3 friends and my daughters were able to join me.

It is an epic trip, we rent a small Airbnb in Luquillo, walking distance from the beach.  We are worried about sharing the single bathroom, but find we all prefer the outdoor shower. Together.

We discover breadfruit (pana).  At the Kioskos, a young man on a bike sells us these unfamiliar fruit.  He is a good salesman. We take them home and work hard at prepping and cooking.  We had so much, we end up sharing it with the family next door.

Raul took Supriya and me to look at the homes on my list.  There was one house, a foreclosure, that looked terrible in the listing but was attractive because of the size of the house and the land.  I kept it at the end of the list.  Unexpectedly, none of the homes were exciting till we got to that last home.

It is hard to get to.  You get off the highway then travel through narrow roads, sharp turns and steep intersections.  Finally you reach a residential area with a number of gated communities.  The house is at the end of a cul-de-sac. 

It is a hot mess.  The driveway is black with mold. The exterior needs TLC.  The yard is over-grown.  Actually it is more of a jungle.

Supriya and I walk through the carport to the side of the house.  There is a dilapidated deck of sorts and then the side yard.  The side yard is mostly a hill that meets the wall of the gated community.  Towards the back there are two fruit trees that are over flowing with fruit.  The first, we do not recognize.  The second is a starfruit tree.  Supriya, an avid gardener,  exclaims “This is the house mom!” 

I tell her we should see the house first.  We walk in from the back and are immediately struck by the open design and sunlight streaming in from both sides.  There is a garden atrium room in the front.  The house has four bedrooms and two and half baths.  It all needs work but looks structurally sound.  I agree this is the home.

We facetime Santosh.  He too falls in love with the fruit trees first.  He identifies the first tree as a Rose Apple or Pomarosa. 

The next day, we take everyone back to the house.  Reena joins us as her flight came in the next day from Albany.  We don’t have the realtor with us, but somehow manage to get through the security gate.  We enter the home through the sliding glass door which does not lock.  As we are exploring the house and imagining a future home, a security guard comes and yells at us in Spanish.  We really should not be there without the realtor.  We quickly grab some of the fruit and take it home with us.

It’s a short but fun filled four-day trip. We visit El Yunque, Old San Juan and several beaches. We meet men on those beaches who introduce us to Medalla, quenepa’s and passion fruit all of which we consumed in the ocean. It’s a new experience to chill in a still ocean with a cocktail in hand.

I promise Raul that we will make an offer on the home after I return to PA.

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