I am a retired engineer. I own this unit together with my wife and my brother and sister-in-law.

In my former job I worked as a senior manager in the investment planning division of Ontario Power Generation. My unit analyzed investments and re-investments in physical plants (as opposed to financial investments).

Of interest to potential renters is my understanding, developed over 35 years of working in the electricity industry, of the importance of adequate maintenance. I apply this understanding in maintaining my condo.

In the short run, maintenance looks like a cost, but even in the medium, and most certainly in the longer term, postponing maintenance results usefulness and increases costs. we apply this understanding to maintaining our unit. We are looking for repeat business and if we do not maintain our unit we will not get that.

Additionally, we use the condo ourselves when it is not being rented out and our own enjoyment depends upon the quality of maintenance.

I still keep my kind active doing volunteer analysis for the University of Waterloo institute for Sustainable Energy (Wise).

My wife Sue and I are pictured above during a trip to China.

Jim Kirby purchased this condo in 2012

There is nothing between our private 14th floor balcony and the sparkling waters of the gulf but the condo large swimming pool and the white 'sugar sand' of Long Beach. The sunsets seen from the balcony are spectacular. I started with the balcony since it is my favorite spot. I am disabled (more like mobility challenged) so sitting out of the balcony watching the Gulf, reading a book, or doing my volunteer work on a a portable computer. The unit has Wi-Fi, so do not forget yours, if you are so inclined.

Long Beach set a high standard and is the major reason for renting this unit, but our newly renovated unit matches it.

This one bedroom, 850 square foot unit, has two full washrooms and can sleep up to six. Here's how. There is a King Size bed in the master bedroom, a Bunkie and a brand new queen size pull out couch in the living area. (Many adults would find sleep in the upper bunk a challenge.) The unit comes equipped with a washer-drier (no Laundromats for you), a microwave oven, a dishwasher and a well stocked kitchen.

When we bought this unit we replaced most of the furniture, tore out aging broadloom and replaced it with ceramic tile throughout, repainted, fixed the crown molding, replaced a broken air conditioner and replaced the hot water heater because it was getting corroded (maintenance).

In 2017 we bought a new memory foam bed.

When you rent directly on the beach you do not have to fight the traffic to get to the beach, and do not have to circle around looking for a parking spot. After a day in the sun swimming in the gulf or the large outdoor pool, sunning yourself on Long Beach, hunting for seashells, jogging, walking, building sandcastles, or fishing off of a nearby pier you do not have to pack up to go back to a motel.