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Honored Contributor
Posts: 19,395
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

No we do not. Not interested in doing so either, because we like to vacation in different places, not the same spot every year.....So wouldn't be practical for us. 

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,902
Registered: ‎11-24-2011

@barb40   Yep, my horse barn is my second home, I sure spend alot of time in it but I love it !!!!

Super Contributor
Posts: 261
Registered: ‎12-28-2015

I had a friend who had a house in the Philly suburbs and one at the Jersey shore - about 2 hours apart.  When she was at the vacation home, she felt guilty about not being home doing stuff there.  When she was at home, she felt guilty about having a 2nd house that she wasn't using.  They could have rented it, but didn't want to miss out on any opportunity to go down.  They hardly used it and eventuall sold it.

 

I would never buy with friends, family or strangers - if you want it, get it for only you and your immediate family.  That way, you can do what you want, when you want.

Valued Contributor
Posts: 685
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Thank you all for your very interesting replies!

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,180
Registered: ‎04-10-2012

@Cpagal So far we are really enjoying the motorhome. When meeting up with family for instance, have our own space with our own bed and bathroom, and no lugging bags to a hotel. As far as repairs there is the occasional thing but nothing big so far. We love it 😊.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,074
Registered: ‎10-03-2014

Re: Do you have a 2nd home?

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Oh, my...NO!  Don't want this headache.  Not any mentioned.  

 

Would rather rent a house at different locations, let the owner worry about it.  No relatives, friends, acquaintances, no compromises, fights...you get the message.  

 

But, at this point, I traveled a lot, lived in 5 states, north, south, east, west, lived along the ocean, and more recently, have no desire to travel or vacation anymore.  For me, something I wanted no longer was special anymore after living there or visiting.  Longed to get back "home."

 

Not too much I'd want to see...other than spending a few weeks Christmas in an historical New England town.  

 

But, I like my Northeastern house...prefer to stay home.  

 

Before buying anything, try the location out first several times to make sure beach life is what you want permanently. 

 

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,652
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Do you have a 2nd home?

[ Edited ]

 

 

@barb40 , we had a cottage.  I got smart though and made my home my cottage.  We built our retirement home on a beautiful lake.  Now there aren’t two lawns to mow, two sets of bills for everything.  Smartest move we made.  When we want to get away, we rent.  Perfect answer.  

 

My sister bought a home in a sun destination to snowbird.  Bad move for her family.  Bought high, sold low and actually hated it (the everlasting heat).  Rent.  Best of both worlds and no ownership headaches.  LM

 

PS, I would NEVER, NEVER, NEVER share ownership of a vacation location  or any other home with anyone.  You will not be friends at the end of it.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,613
Registered: ‎03-12-2010

We have a second home on a lake (resort area) two hours from our first home.  We live there full-time from Memorial Day to Labor Day and go on weekends the rest of the year.  I like the distance because it is close enough so we can come back if necessary.  

 

Ours is a single-family three bedroom home with a small yard that takes about 15 minutes to mow.  We have a boat and a jet ski on hoists right out our back door.  We originally tried to buy a condo, but they would not allow our 33 pound dog.  I'm glad that happened because I know the house has worked out better than the condo would have.  We have more indoor and outdoor space and we spend a lot of time outside.

 

Our homeowner's association does not allow short term rentals.  It would not work for us to own it with other people because the summer season is short and we want to be there all the time.  Our DS and family come often in the summer and we occasionally have other guests.  

 

I could not have managed two houses when I was working, but now that I am retired, I love it.  It is truly my happy place.  Real estate on our lake has increased in value significantly since we purchased our home.  It has been a good investment for us.

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,604
Registered: ‎10-25-2010

My husband and I have an RV permanently placed near a Lake.  We are there from April to October off and on...Love it.

 

We also have another RV that we use if we want to go to a different destination.  The winter before last, we spent 6 weeks in Florida. We also go to Cape May, NJ every year and have traveled to New Orleans clear up to Maine.  Love it too.  No worries about bed bugs, dirty bathrooms, etc.

 

When  I was a kid, my parents owned a second home at the Jersey Shore in a residential neighborhood. My dad's brother wanted " in" and against my mother's wishes, my dad allowed him to be a co-owner.  It wasn't awful, but from that experience, I would not want to co-own a vacation property.

 

My uncle once went there for two months during the summer and we wanted to use it at the same time.  We spent one week there with them and with nine kids between the families, it was not pretty.  We left early.

 

When we got there, my uncle had painted the light gray house siding, bubble gum pink.    LOL it was ugly.  My mother was livid.

 

 My uncle did all kinds of stuff without discussing it first.  And, they left it in less than clean condition when they vacated.  Everytime we went, we had to clean it first.

 

They also raided the food pantry.  My mother would not allow us to eat their food, but they sure ate ours.  If you left something there, it might be gone or broken when you went back.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 30,916
Registered: ‎05-10-2010

No we don't, there are times when we both wish we did but that door has closed.  While it would be nice to have a weekend or vacation home; the upkeep and taxes and repairs would not be so nice.