[njbchbum]

we bought a pre-owned snowbird nest on the historic side and i was able to research the purchase of furniture on-line after getting great tips from the folks on totv re where they shopped for their furniture and accessories. we bought new furniture for the bedrooms, living room and kitchenette; but were able to bring lanai furniture, dishes, silverware, pots and pans, televisions, clock radios and stuff from our home up north - had lots of stuff packed away in the basement that we were able to use. i have also picked up incidentals at some of the great yard sales in the villages - one of my favorite sports there!

we stayed in a local motel for a few days before closing and did all of our buying while we were there so that everything could be delivered on out day of closing. we furnished ala florida since we have a seashore victorian in jersey and a cabin in the woods in maine! prior to move in we also had arranged for house cleaning and cable installation during the week before closing with the permission of the home owner. it worked out so well that we were able to have friends over to warm our house the nite we moved in!

i would guess that we spent less than $5,000 on furnishings...so we were able to spend money on improvements last year such as new lanai windows and a screened-in carport - this year will be new flooring and next year we'll add a golf cart garage. all of that will up-date our nest and we figure it's a good investment for the future value of the house.