I love travelling by train which means that for most of the times that I had to attend to my medical check-ups in Sydney, I took the bus as far as our nearest railhead at Bomaderry (or parked the car with friends in Wollongong) and jumped on the train from there.
My medical check-ups are just about all done now but I would love to continue with my train travels, so why not make Bomaderry our new home if and when (if ever!) we downsize and sell "Riverbend"? We already have friends there, and Nowra, the commercal hub with a population of over 20,000, is just across the Shoalhaven River.
I could wander down to the train station with no more than a carry-bag and explore all the stops from Bomaderry to Sydney as well as north of Sydney as far as my OPAL-card will take me for $2.50 which is the only government concession I am entitled to as a "self-funded retiree".
Of course, selling "Riverbend" will take some time but the longer it takes, the longer we can enjoy this wonderful place. When the time comes, I will list the property for sale without an agent because I'm not overwhelmed by the calibre of agents in Batemans Bay - I'm not even whelmed; as a matter of fact, I'm underwhelmed which is a term specifically coined (by me) to describe real estate agents in the Bay.
Last time I listed without an agent was several years ago and I met with a huge response, including a canny Chinaman who specialised in picking on listings which had been on the web for some time, thinking that he could strike a below-market-price bargain with a desperate vendor. It didn't work with me because "Riverbend" was then priced for sale at around $1.6 million which I thought was already a bargain at the time.
He must be kicking himself because, in line with the rest of the market, the price of "Riverbend" has since more than doubled. By how much it has doubled will depend on whether or not buyers can detect a comma in my reply, "Well, above three million dollars will get you started!"
P.S. Ernie and Michelle, if you're reading this, take a bow: we're having "Leberkäse" for dinner tonight washed down with some hot Glühwein!
