Thank you TuffGong! I am paying 18 million J. My Jamaican friends tell me that's expensive but coming from Boston it seems cheap to me. In Boston a tiny house on a tiny plot of land is at least a million *US*. And this is a big house on a big plot of land. I considered other islands to retire to (St Lucia, Trinidad, ...) but they are more expensive than Jamaica. Plus I love Jamaica and have been visiting for 20 years and have many friends there. There have been some delays but I am expecting to close soon. Initial move-in will be maybe July?

The house exists which is good because I'd prefer not to get into the hassle of dealing with contractors. It needs very little work. I might just put in A/C since in spite of my many visits over 20 years I still can't take the mid-summer heat in the lowlands. Oh, and I want to put up solar panels. Do people do that in Jamaica? They should, there's such an abundance of sunshine!

The land was a functioning farm until recently (owner/seller is no longer farming it). He was growing sugarcane but I need to decide what I want to grow. Suggestions welcome . No I am not planning to grow 10 acres of weed. I want to grow fruits and vegetables that I like to eat.

Current plan is to go back and forth (6 months/6 months), for a few years. Retaining my home in the US for now. Depending on how things go, maybe move full-time eventually.

I have to admit, I don't really know what I'm doing. It's an adventure and there are all sorts of things that can go wrong. Some of my American friends say I'm gambling with my retirement savings and my future. True. But you gotta do something, at least try to live your dreams, or else you're just waiting to die.

Peace and love to all,

RIchard