Staying in a condo while on a vacation sounds great doesn’t it? Sure beats staying in a hotel room. I’ll post pictures as soon as we get back home, internet connecting is too slow for uploading pictures, but in the mean time I can still talk about it. The condo, that is.

About 6 years ago my dad and two of his business partners/friends went in together and bought a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom condo in a condominium complex called Sterling Shores right on the beach in Destin, Florida. Since the condos in the complex are for rent and sale those that are owned can also be rented out. My dad and the two others pay a monthly mortgage and monthly HOA fees just like you would any other condo or home that your own. The only difference is that Sterling Shores can rent our condo out to people, just like they would rent out hotel rooms, for close to $3,000/week and the complex gets a small share while my dad and the others get money to help pay for the mortgage. I think they just recently paid off the mortgage but HOA fees alone are $600/month. Someone’s gotta pay for that.

That’s were the renters come in. People rent out the condo for a week or so at a time and pay that $2,800 something. The owners can stay for free as long as they want, Sterling Shores doesn’t care as long as the condo’s mortgage is paid. But because the HOA fees still have to be paid we only come and stay for one week a year, as do the other owners. Every once in a blue moon, though, our condo won’t br rented out for the upcoming week and we’ll have the chance to come and stay for free. Two summers ago my little brother John and his friends found out on a Thursday night that the condo was free for the next week and left two days later for a full week. I think he brought along 7 friends; that’s 8 boys to 1 king bed, 1 queen bed, 1 full bed and a pull out couch; 8 boys to two bathrooms and two bathroom vanities ! I guess boys don’t care too much about that sort of thing, though.

My dad gave Neil and I the option to come down a stay if the condo wasn’t rented some week this summer. We’ve already made a list of people we’re planning on asking if the opportunity arises and we’re able to go. Of course it would be nice for just the two of us to come down alone. Like a second honeymoon!

Pictures of the condo to come!