Our Heritage Landing, Punta Gorda, FL. Journey
The Dream Begins:
It was the year 2000 when we, Katie and Mike Midgley, first dreamt of pursuing the American Dream.
As the years passed, life happened - work, business, raising kids, serious injury - but that dream lay buried, never really going away and was waiting to re-emerge.
In 2019, with our children grown up and moved out making their own way, their own houses, careers, we decided it was time to downsize and sell our beloved Plum Tree Farm in Sykehouse, East Yorkshire.
The New Chapter Begins:
We poured our heart and soul into the farm over 18.5 years, but now we found ourselves in a 3,500 sq ft house with just two sheep, three chocolate labradors, and a burning desire to relocate to the USA.
After completing a mini refit of our farm, the world went into lockdown due to Covid-19. Uncertainty loomed, but we held onto our dream.
Finding Our New Home:
Despite a slow market, in 2021 we finally sold Plum Tree Farm to a lovely couple who are now the proud custodians of this amazing place.
With more time on our hands, money to spend we were in prime position to pursue our dreams, we conducted extensive research and settled on Heritage Landing in Punta Gorda, FL.
We could have gone anywhere in the USA, but we chose this location for three key reasons:
- The quality of lifestyle in Southwest Florida (SWFL)
- The small-town feel of Punta Gorda
- The gated golf and resort community at Heritage Landing
Our Journey to Florida:
In September 2022, we flew to Florida to find our dream home - a nerve-racking yet exhilarating experience.
As we develop our blog, we'll share plenty of stories detailing our experiences in dealing with:
- House builders and realtors
- CPAs, law firms, the IRS, registering our companies in Florida
- Obtaining L1 and L2 work visas through the USCIS and the American Embassy in London
- The new construction house building process
Finance options, inc opening a USD$ bank account - and much much more.
Overcoming Obstacles:
During our visit, we fell in love with the cinder block shell of a 2 bed, 1 den, 2 bath De Angelo II condo at Heritage Landing Boulevard.
With lake views and full golf membership, our dream finally seemed within reach.
However, fate had other plans. Hurricane Ian hit Southwest Florida, causing devastation and delaying our move-in date by 6-8 months.
Perseverance and Hope:
Amidst political turmoil (Trussonomics) the ill fated 45 day tenure of Liz Truss as UK Prime Minister, and her trusty incompetent side kick Kwazi Kwarteng (the Uk Chancellor).
Both who all but crashed the economy to the point that the BoE (Bank of England) had to step in to protect the GBP£ from almost certain collapse along with the majority of the pension hedge funds.
The free falling exchange rates literally crippled our purchase by almost $0.30 cents in the dollar, we endured significant financial setbacks. Yet, we persevered.
Now, in April 2023, we're just two months away from our condo's completion and are traveling to Florida from the 1st May to finally achieve our American dream to live and work full time in the USA.
Being On Property:
We've decided to rent a similar condo in Heritage Landing for the two months of May and June 2023 to oversee the final stages of our new home's construction and start recruitment inside our Fort Myers office for our HubSpot RevOps agency at 6teen30 Digital.
Our journey has been a rollercoaster ride of excitement, frustration, joy, and tears, but we're ready to embrace our new life and document our adventures.
Join Us on Our Adventure:
Join us as we share our experiences, answer questions, and form new friendships along the way both online, and in the amazing Heritage Landing Community, Punta Gorda and the wider South West Florida region.
We hope to inspire and guide others who dream of embarking on a similar path, whether in Florida or elsewhere in the US.
Subscribe to our blog and please feel free to leave a comment or ask us a question, and join us as we begin this exciting new chapter in our lives.
Warmest regards,
Katie and Mike Midgley
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PS...head over to Instagram and follow us at @Our_FloridaLife
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