Care Takers Wanted - Jacksonville, FL

We are searching for a retired couple to be the caretakers of our countrified five acre mini farm and our home in exchange for a private beautiful fully furnished one bedroom home with central heat & ac, a fireplace, open floor plan, table height bar that seats 8 and more and it is set across the property from the main house with it's own gated entry drive from the road that was appraised to lease at 350.00 a week had we chose to lease it out - of which we refuse.  It was built for a parent who had a hand in every detail of its construction and passed over upon its completion - so it has never been lived in for more than a couple weeks at a time and that was by company throughout the years.  It needs a deep cleaning prior to moving in as it has sat empty for quite awhile.

We need someone who is a jack of all trades to do minor repairs, preventative maintenance, helping my husband with the yard work (he loves doing most all of it himself as a stress reliever), washing windows seasonally, pressure washing the pool area when needed, helping feed donkeys, parrots, cats and dogs when we get a chance to travel - someone who is knowledgeable, able, willing & understands the humor and necessity of a honey do list.

We need someone who loves to be armed with; bleach, Ajax, Murphy's oil soap, Windex and more when battling a dirty home once a week, deep cleaning, extensive mopping (all tile/wood floors) and I mean "deep cleaning" - the two of us share our home with five dogs (three are old aged), five cats and four parrots - all are housebroken but my husband, lol.  We do not expect anyone to cook, do laundry or make our bed, we just simply want the house deep cleaned once a week. 

We want just eight hours worth of work each week to be done by each of our caretakers, the house takes just 5 hours to clean so the 3 could be spent cleaning out cabinets or one big thing each week to be discussed and agreed upon, the maintenance work for the property needed will be discussed and agreed upon each week with a fresh honey-do list wrote out.  We don't get to travel often except for ten - fourteen days each summer to see our eldest son and grandchildren up north, we would ask that our caretakers be responsible for taking care of our pet family, home and property in our absence no more than thirty days per year in our absence.

We are very private people of retirement age who work extremely long hours in a maximum stress environment in a business we own, he is 65, I am 50 and have MS which I am coming out of remission at this time and it plays havoc with our life.  We need to try and eliminate as much stress as we can and the choice to have live in caretakers seems to be the most intelligent idea yet as then home would be the haven it should be instead of overwhelming as it is.

There will be a 30 day probationary period to make sure it is a good fit for all four individuals involved, at the end of the 30 days we all sit down and if all are happy with the arrangement then we will have our lawyer draft an agreement and everyone may have a say in what goes in it so it is fair to one and all and conductive of peace and happiness.  If at the end of the 30 days and all vote and it appears it will not work out then the caretakers will have one week to vacate. The one year agreement will give the caretakers two weeks to vacate and each year another week will be added.

There will be a written agreement signed prior to caretakers beginning their 30 day probationary period which states that the 30 day may be ended at any time if any of the few rules we have are broken or it is not working out for any of the four individuals involved and if such occasion occurs then the caretakers will be asked to leave and will have 72 hours to do so without fail or hindrance. If law enforcement is involved you will be escorted off the property by law enforcement as per agreement and state law immediately.

We suggest that for the 30 day probationary period that the caretakers travel lightly and simply bring clothes and personal items needed as if one was going on vacation to a fully furnished condo.  Do not bring all of belongings, but do store them if necessary for the month.  The home offered is furnished to linens, flatware and all needed to make home with, after the 30 days the caretakers may pick which items in the home they wish to remain for their personal use and which items will be packed for us to store away that they do not need or want to make room for their own furnishings and such.  We can offer some secure storage for use by caretakers for personal storage as well as a 10 x 16 outdoor garden shed.

We have no tolerance for anyone coming onto the property without our prior consent, again, we are very private people.  All visitors will remain in the caretakers home and their private area of the property at all times and never be in the main home or private area around it.  We will not tolerate drunkenness, drug addicts nor drama of any kind.  We live behind a secured 6' perimeter fence all about the 5 acres, have a gated entry and camera surveillance - we really enjoy our privacy and being buffered from the outside world.  However, we welcome the thought of having "neighbors" so to speak which would be a major plus in finding the right caretakers for our needs.  

We have a pool company that takes care of the large screened in pool, there is a quaint place about the pond with welcoming chairs that sit around the fire pit to relax in and everyone who has ever been here just falls in love with it - I won't be enchanted again until the roughened edges of neglect are knocked off of it again where it shines once again as a peaceful heavenly haven that it was once before I became ill.

It would seem that I have written a long story wanting to leave no detail out, we have been searching for the right couple off and on for years and now it is time to quit procrastinating and search in earnest.  We are just ten miles from the ocean and the many protected barrier islands that grace the coast.