We found a great house to rent yesterday!!! We stumbled upon a wonderful house that is nearing completion of major renovations and the “Se Renta” sign went up just hours before we meandered by. Signs had been placed on a few bulletin boards yesterday, but I had looked and jotted down numbers on Monday, so I wouldn’t have found it that way…

Here’s what happened. We took a drive-by a house for rent that I didn’t think we wanted… we had scheduled an appointment to see it this morning… but while we were peeking at it from the road, we noticed a couple nearby and as it turned out, they were who we were supposed to meet this morning. We were caught in the act and couldn’t remember the man’s name! I was right, from the outside it looked too small and dark (we had driven by several days ago before knowing one of the “bungalows” was for rent) and I was simply showing Keith where it was so we could decide together to call and cancel our appointment. They had a time crunch and couldn’t let us in, so we thanked them and cancelled the appointment in person.

When we got into the car, I drove up the hill to have a look and we stumbled upon our new home! We had been to this neighborhood on Friday, I think, and had talked to a man about his house for sale which we had stumbled upon. He invited us in and we looked around, but felt he was asking too much for the house. Anyway, I thought his house was on the last street up the hill and was drawn back to that area (looking for what, I didn’t know!) – the rental house was on the last street up (so consequently has a better view than the house for sale) and that’s where we stopped. All very serendipitous!

We have a gentleman’s agreement that we will take it and are going back on Saturday to have a thorough look. I was so blinded by the beautiful view and that it was the right size for us, that I can’t remember if the bedroom has a dresser nor do I know if the windows open properly! The house is great and not outrageously priced because it’s a bit far away by Lakeside standards (15 - 20 minutes from here). The gate was open as the workers were in and out and we rather boldly, in our best Spanish, asked one of the workers if we might enter. (Sometimes the workers will let you into a home they are fixing up, so far they’ve been vacant). Well…the owner was there and he spotted us out his kitchen window. It was a little embarrassing, but he didn’t mind showing us around. We liked what we saw. We slept on it and called this morning.

It’s a huge relief to have nice accommodations and to not feel like we have to make a decision to buy just because the rentals stink or won’t allow pets. It is east of Chapala in a less populated area. We’ve been exploring the area for about a week now and kind of like the thought of being away from the hub-bub, but we are not 100% sure we would like to permanently settle that far out of the “hub.”

This will give us a good idea. We will commit to a 6 month lease and plan to extend it if all goes as we hope. Although the owner made a sad face when we finally mentioned “the kids” he had talked to us long enough to have a feel for the kind of renters we will be and he acquiesced on the pet issue. :-)

The new house has an awesome view of the lake and that’s been one of the things we’ve really wanted. The view is mesmerizing and quite compelling with sunrise and sunset views. The lake speaks to my soul and I’m thrilled my angels have delivered on my requests! I set my intentions a while ago and I’ve been praying for a good outcome. We have a nice yard and garden as well and the rent includes a gardener. We have an orange tree and an avocado tree (my two favorite things) and the orange blossoms smell so sweet right now - it really is great!

Rent includes a TV system that will allow me to watch football next season - IN ENGLISH!!! Wooo Whooo - I had to watch my team win their 3rd Superbowl in 4 years in SPANISH! The whole season was a bit odd, but luckily if you know the game, you don’t really need the commentary. I actually like the commentary, as that’s how I learn.

Of course, this is Mexico and sometimes things are not as they seem, but we are optimistic that this will be a good fit for us and that we’ve thought of everything we should, yada, yada, yada. We’ve seen several houses both for rent and for sale and this one feels like the best one for us so far. Yeah!! Your home is your castle and it’s amazing how unsettling life can seem when you’re not in an environment that feels like your castle… we’ll be in mid-March and should know pretty quickly if we’ve made a good choice. I’ll keep you posted.