Seeker, like you, I was real-estate crazy -- and I built up a little nest egg.

That money is about to fly out the door, however, Buying a condo was a mistake. This one was ripped up by Hurricane Wilma two years ago, and is still under repairs. A big special assessment for the clean up gutted my equity. Add that to what I put into fix-up, and I will take a loss.

In the meantime, older residents who had lived here since the 70s, sold out after Wilma, before the assessment was levied. The quality of the people living here has gone down.

Oh, yeah, and my bedroom ceiling sprung a leak and the condo association will get around to fixing it within 6 months to 2 years.

This is my first condo and the decision has turned out to be a financial disaster. The money I spend and what I get for it is totally in other people's control.

Florida is dog-unfriendly, and I am not allowed to have one here. I could get a psychiatric excuse to have one, but I am working too many hours anyway, when I work plus a long commute, for that to be fair to the doggie.

On the other hand, I dread going back to being a renter. I don't know what I'm going to, but I figure it's going to take 2 years to be a financial position to do much of anything.

I'm considering living in an RV.

So I'm pretty much in the same quandary as you, Patty.

Hugs.