Second Home
News & Information
To
Rent or Not to Rent
As you consider your vacation home purchase, keep
in mind the hidden financial treasures you can step into: rental income
from vacation homes. According to the U.S. Bureau of Census, one-half of
all second-home owners leave their home unoccupied for more than 330 days
a year. Perhaps its time to be in the other half—the ones with vacation
homes paying for themselves.
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Landscaping
Your Second Home
Time spent in the garden is meant to alleviate
stress not add to it. So when you’ re ready to start landscaping around
your second home, consider the time crunch. Even the most passionate
gardener can use a break from weeding, watering, and planting. To get the
most out of your time and garden, keep it low-maintenance.
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Tax
Benefits & Second Homes
As you embark on buying your second home, the
financial advice you receive can make your decision sane, secure and
profitable. Your accountant or tax advisor should be a key part of your
decision making once you have found the location you want. Following are
several items to discuss with them.
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Considerations
for Buying Land
Have you ever had this experience? You’re driving
in your favorite vacation area and see a gorgeous piece of property, ocean
view, mountains behind, no neighbors, and your first thought is, “Why
don’t we just buy some land and build on it?” Good question. Buying
land is particularly appealing if you consider yourself a staunch
individualist, wanting things precisely the way you want them—your
design, your locale, your land. There’s a lot to consider, however, so
here is some of what’s involved.
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The
American Dream
The American Dream, as it pertains to vacation
property, goes something like this: You buy a vacation property at the
seashore (or on the ski slopes, at the desert or at the lake). You and
your family vacation at your private hideaway for two weeks each year. The
rest of the year, you rent it to other vacationers and the rental income
pays all the expenses.
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Finding
the Best Second Home Location
A second home is as much of a reflection of who you
are as your primary residence, and so deserves thoughtful consideration.
While you’re researching locations, here are some tips to help you
discover the best place for your vacation home.
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Financing
Your Second Home
As you consider purchasing a vacation home, the
financial decision is as important as the emotional one. There are plenty
of reasons to follow through on your purchase, providing you do your
homework first.
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More
Top
Three Reasons to Buy a Second Home
We at EscapeHomes believe the number one reason to
own a second home is for the sheer enjoyment it brings to you and your
family. While the financial implications of a second home carry
considerable weight, we hope that your second home is first a place for
fun, relaxation, and quality family time.
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News and Press Releases
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Tips
on buying a 2nd home THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER - Here are some guidelines to consider if you're thinking about buying a second home... Read More |
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Summer
Rentals: The Chill Is Off THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - What a difference a year makes. With the economy picking up, the tax cut kicking in and the strong euro luring vacationers from across the Atlantic, there are signs rental homes for this summer season are booking up earlier than they did last year. Read More |
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Have
you bought your second home? CNN MONEY - Are two houses better than one? A growing number of second-home owners seems to think so. Read More |
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The
Top 10 Places to Buy a Second Home MSN MONEY - Looking for vacation property that's a good investment as well? These communities offer weather, scenery and active real estate markets. Plus: 10 more up-and-comers. Read More |
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Top Ten Places to Buy a Second Home BUSINESS WIRE - Earlier this year, EscapeHomes.com conducted a survey of individuals considering the purchase of a second home. Nearly 55% of respondents said the Internet has been their primary source for researching second home properties and 95% said they have used the Internet at least once to look for properties. Read More |
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How
to Find the Perfect Vacation Home If you are thinking seriously about buying a second home, here are a few constructive things to consider, as suggested in part by the folks at EscapeHomes, an Internet research consulting firm specializing in vacation and retirement homes. Read More |
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Ride Second Home Wave THE REAL ESTATE ADVISOR - EscapeHomes plans to take advantage of the numbers. The San Francisco, Calif. - based company says the writing is on the wall for a big second-home market, thanks to high summer temperatures, the huge group of baby boomers and retirees now coming through the U.S. population pipeline and climbing real estate values. Read More |
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Thanksgiving
vacation-home rentals and other ideas CBS MARKETWATCH - Whether you'll be cooking for a family of 15 or a family of two this Thanksgiving, vacation rentals offer a way to meld travel with tradition. Read More |
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Investment
managers see gold as graying generation buys up retirement homes FINANCIAL TIMES - Randy Hecht's favorite hunting ground for fresh investment ideas may be Silicon Valley, but one of his biggest new themes has more to do with bricks and mortar than gigabytes and pixels. Read More |
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A
heaping second helping - Options abound in search for perfect
vacation home CBS MARKETWATCH - From Kiawah Island in South Carolina to Hokulia on the Big Island of Hawaii, the array of choices that confront U.S. vacation-home buyers is staggering. It's not just the location that can be exotic, but also the type of housing and style of ownership. Read More |
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New
meaning for 'retirement home' - Using real estate as part of
your savings plan CBS MARKETWATCH - Owning a second home used to belong to the realm of the affluent, but with the stock market in the dumps investors of all income levels are looking at real estate. Read More |
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Top
10 Emerging Second Home Markets REALTY TIMES - With the maturing of the second home market, and those who buy into it, online vacation home portal EscapeHomes recently compiled a unique group of up-and-coming second home markets based on the interests of second home-buyers. Read More |
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Looking
at retirement, boomers eye weekend getaway homes THE SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE - From cozy lake-front cottages in Wisconsin to deluxe pied-a-terres in Manhattan, second homes have been a part of the American fabric for well over a century. And they're expected to be a growing lifestyle choice for many more households as the baby boomer generation moves into its senior years. Read More |
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For
Second Homes, How Far to Go? NEW YORK TIMES - For many people considering a second home, perhaps the most crucial question (besides "What can we possibly afford?") is "How far is too far?" Read More |
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Second
Helpings - Vacation home buyers keep their properties to
themselves CBS MARKETWATCH - People who buy second homes tend to be older, at an average age of 61, and have more household income, $76,900 a year, than the typical buyer of a primary residence. And rather than try to make extra money by renting their properties part of the time, the vast majority of vacation-home owners -- almost 80 percent -- keep their houses entirely for themselves and their families. Read More |
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Heading
Out to Pasture? Buy One NEW YORK TIMES - Sometimes reality comes at lunch. Sometimes, over pizza, a good friend who means well asks an honest question that reminds you how old you are. Sometimes your friends should just keep eating and be quiet. Read More |
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Investors
seeking safety in second homes THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS - Americans seeking a haven from the ravages of the stock market are putting more of their money into second homes. Read More |
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Top
Ten Affordable Vacation Home Towns REALTY TIMES - If you are looking for a vacation town flush with affordable second homes with double digit appreciation potential stop in South Carolina first. Read More |
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Second
Homes Tracked THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE - Utah's Park City area has placed in the Top 10 Towns for where homebuyers invest in second homes, according to the vacation residence specialist EscapeHomes.com Web site. Read More |
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Investors
looking to buy a second home can check out Top 10 Vacation Towns INMAN NEWS - Investors looking to buy a second home can check out EscapeHomes' list of top 10 vacation towns to get an idea where their money may be well spent. Read More |
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EscapeHomes.com
Alliance Boosts Second Home Niche REALTY TIMES - Underscoring the viability of second home market niche and the real estate professionals who serve it, EscapeHomes.com has formed a unique partnership with a group of innovative Rocky Mountain resort home real estate specialists. Read More |
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Out
of Stocks and Into What? NEW YORK TIMES - Some people have temporarily turned to cash as a safe haven. Others are hoping that real estate or bonds will be the coming decade's version of a can't-miss investment. Read More |
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Stock
market jitters help the second-home market NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL - Uneasiness about the stock market and travel combined with swelling ranks of Baby Boomers and advantageous tax laws and financing are spurring the market for second homes in the North Bay. Read More |
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The
perfect getaway spot - Ten tips for finding your dream vacation
home CBS MARKETWATCH - Americans are buying second homes and vacation properties in near-record numbers. Baby boomers especially are eyeing these retreats as a perfect place to stash inherited wealth or park some of the spiraling equity from their primary residences. Read More |
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U.S.
market for second homes 'extremely hot' USA TODAY - By rights, a triple whammy of recession, terrorism and wimpy stock performance should have knocked the stuffing out of the market for second homes by now. It hasn't happened. Demand is soaring for beach condos, lake homes and mountain cabins as American homeowners — mainly baby boomers — seek places to get away and to provide rental income. Read More |
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Looking
for Paradise Just a Hard Drive Away NEW YORK TIMES - Buying a weekend place or a vacation house isn't at all like needing to move because of a job transfer or a growing family. It's discretionary. It's fun. It may involve a search that continues on and off for years. Read More |
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Second-Home
Market Is Poised to Rebound BARRON'S - While both sales and prices are being temporarily dampened by the recession, which has made many people cautious about committing to big-ticket items, the market's long-term prospects remain robust, particularly in the most desirable locales, such as lakefront and oceanside communities and resort areas like Sun Valley. Read More |
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A
vacation home that's a good investment, too? CHICAGO TRIBUNE - An old maxim dictates, "You can't mix business with pleasure," but Americans buying second homes can at least try, experts contend. Read More |
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High
Country Havens ARIZONA FOOTHILLS MAGAZINE - The Internet is a fabulous tool for researching areas when you are in the beginning stages of choosing your dream home. There are many sites out there and one of the best is EscapeHomes, based in Orinda, California. Read More |
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How
do you find the vacation home of your dreams? KIPLINGER'S - How do you find the vacation home of your dreams? California real estate broker Clark Thompson thinks he has the answer. Two years ago he established EscapeHomes (www.escapehomes.com) to link prospective home buyers and sellers nationwide via the internet. Read More |
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Sky-high
gasoline prices not denting vacation home sales, real estate
agents report INMAN NEWS - Sticker shock at the gasoline pump may be prompting consumers to trade in their gas guzzlers for smaller cars, carpool to work and keep their tires properly inflated, but higher prices have yet to quell their appetite for vacation and second homes, according to real estate agents who specialize in getaway residences. Read More |
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Beating
a Retreat - New vacation-home markets reveal boomers' desire to
be different REALTOR MAGAZINE - Strong vacation-home sales over the past few years reflect a new reality in the second-home business: a marked expansion in the number of vacation-home areas. Read More |
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Lists Top Markets For Baby Boomers Seeking Second Homes THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - EscapeHomes.com, an Orinda, Calif.-based online portal for retirement or vacation homebuyers, says that these and other markets are likely to attract aging boomers because they are near activities or amenities -- like skiing, golf and the beach. Read More |
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Ashland
listed in Top 10 for vacation home sites ASHLAND DAILY TIDINGS - Ashland is among the Top 10 cities to buy a vacation home according to an Internet company that specializes in helping buyers find a vacation or second home. Read More |