Buying vacation home

Questions and Answers

My children are 16 & 19, both living in other states. I'm considering buying them property locally.?

Q) I'm not sure if they'd ever actually want to live here, but maybe have a vacation home or re-sell the land later. Would this be a good investment or not? Our area has been growing and property values rising since Katrina & Rita.

A) Always a good idea. Your kids can later on have something to fall back on at the least!

My Mum and boyfriend are coming here in 1 month, and I want to make it a great vacation for them both. Seeing?

Q) my mum is going to be a tear-jerker, we are best friends, and I had to go and move away from America to the UK, and I miss her soooooooooo much. Can anyone help me to enable John (instead of referring to him only as "the boyfriend",he treats Mum like the Queen she deserves it and more!) to have a memorable holiday by giving me advice regarding his fav' hobby; which is COIN collecting. He's really a nice guy,very laid-back, & when it comes to getting coins, he is not an annoying type of collector who looks for marks, etc. on the coin(well,don't get me wrong,he won't buy one that looks like crapola!)he buys brand new from the ""Mint" catalogues, and he buys from E-Bay back home, not fussy. I'm looking for suggestions of places to take him that sell coins., i.e.-conventions, great coin shops, auctions, something along those lines, can anyone help me with this please?

A) hi, you dont say where you live, but here in the midlands, we have the black country museum, in their shop, they have many many old coins for sale, its also a very intersting day out too.

Fathers then & now?

Q) Today is one of the first Father's Days of our new millennium. Fathers of 1900 didn't have it nearly as good as fathers of today; but they did have a few advantages: In 1900, fathers prayed their children would learn English. Today, fathers pray their children will speak English. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, a father's horsepower meant his horses. Today, it's the size of his minivan. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, if a father put a roof over his family's head, he was a success. Today, it takes a roof, deck, pool, and 4-car garage. And that's just the vacation home. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, a father waited for the doctor to tell him when the baby arrived. Today, a father must wear a smock, know how to breathe, and make sure film is in the video camera. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, fathers passed on clothing to their sons. Today, kids wouldn't touch Dad's clothes if they were sliding naked down an icicle. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, fathers could count on children to join the family business. Today, fathers pray their kids will soon come home from college long enough to teach them how to work the computer and set the VCR. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, fathers pined for old country Romania, Italy, or Russia. Today, fathers pine for old country Hank Williams. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, a father smoked a pipe. If he tries that today, he gets sent outside after a lecture on lip cancer. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, fathers shook their children gently and whispered, "Wake up, it's time for school." Today, kids shake their fathers violently at 4 a.m., shouting: "Wake up, it's time for hockey practice." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, a father came home from work to find his wife and children at the supper table. Today, a father comes home to a note: "Jimmy's at baseball, Cindy's at gymnastics, I'm at adult-Ed, Pizza in fridge." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, fathers and sons would have heart-to-heart conversations while fishing in a stream. Today, fathers pluck the headphones off their sons' ears and shout, "WHEN YOU HAVE A MINUTE.." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, a father gave a pencil box for Christmas, and the kid was all smiles. Today, a father spends $800 at Toys 'R' Us, and the kid screams: "I wanted Sega!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, if a father had breakfast in bed, it was eggs and bacon and ham and potatoes. Today, it's Special K, soy milk, dry toast and a lecture on cholesterol. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, a Father's Day gift would be a hand tool. Today, he'll get a digital organizer. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, fathers said, "A man's home is his castle." Today, they say, "Welcome to the money pit." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, "a good day at the market" meant Father brought home feed for the horses. Today, "a good day at the market" means Dad got in early on an IPO. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, a happy meal was when Father shared funny stories around the table. Today, a happy meal is what Dad buys at McDonald's. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, a father was involved if he spanked the kid now and then. Today, a father's involved only if he coaches Little League and organizes Boy Scouts and car pools. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, when fathers entered the room, children often rose to attention. Today, kids glance up and grunt, "Dad, you're invading my space." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, fathers threatened their daughters suiters with shotguns if the girl came home late. Today, fathers break the ice by saying, "So...how long have you had that earring?" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, fathers pined for the old school, which meant a one-room, red-brick building. Today, fathers pine for the old school, which means Dr J and Mickey Mantle. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1900, fathers were never truly appreciated. In 2001, fathers are never truly appreciated.

A) u rocking dude! take 5 * * * * *

Can I get high-speed internet in a Florida holiday home without signing up for a minimum contract period?

Q) Does anyone know how to acquire a no-contract (or, at least, a short term contract) high-speed internet service in the U.S? For example, when I head to the U.S. (Zip code 34134) for my annual vacation in December, if the accommodation I’ll be renting doesn't have it already, I'd like to try to sort out something for myself, and I wouldn't know where to begin. In the longer term, if ever I'm fortunate enough to buy a property of my own over there, I'd like to be able to acquire a broadband service for that too; not just for when I'm staying there, but also for the benefit of any renters that I might succeed in hiring it out to. Obviously, I’d need a high speed service only intermittently throughout the year - a month here and a month there, at most; so, ideally, something that could be activated and de-activated as and when required. I've checked quite a few sites already, but found nothing so far. Thank you in advance for any advice.

A) Most internet service providers will charge you by the month. You don't need any contract. Try getting internet service through your local phone or cable provider. Go to their websites and they should have the monthly cost for this service. In most cases you can even chat with a customer service rep on line and get the info you need.

You Are Dangerously Addicted to the Internet When:?

Q) You kiss your girlfriend's/boyfriend's home page. Your bookmark takes 15 minutes to scroll from top to bottom. Your eyeglasses have a web site burned in on them. You find yourself brainstorming for new subjects to search. You refuse to go to a vacation spot with no electricity and no phone lines. You finally do take that vacation, but only after buying a cellular-modem and a laptop. You spend half of the plane trip with your laptop on your lap... and your child in the overhead compartment. All you daydreaming is preoccupied with getting a faster connection to the net: 28.8... ISDN... cable modem... T1... T3... And even your dreams and nightmares are in HTML. You find yourself typing "com" after every period when using a word processor.com. You refer to going to the bathroom as downloading. Your heart races faster and beats irregularly each time you see a new WWW site address in print or on TV even though you've never had heart problems before. You turn on your intercom when leaving the room so you can hear if new e-mail arrives. When looking at a page full of someone else's links, you notice all of them are already highlighted in purple. Your pet has its own home page. You've already visited all the links at Yahoo and you're halfway through Lycos. You can't call your grandmother..... she doesn't have a modem. You realize there is not a sound in the house and you have no idea where your children are. You check your mail. It says "no new messages." So you check it again. You have commandeered your teenager's phone line for the net and even his friends know not to call on his line anymore. Your phone bill comes to your doorstep in a box. You code your homework in HTML and give your instructor the URL. You don't know the gender of three of your closest friends, because they have neutral nicknames and you never bothered to ask. Your husband tells you he's had the beard for 2 months. You miss more than five meals a week downloading the latest games from Apogee. You start looking for hot HTML addresses in public restrooms. You move into a new house and decide to Netscape before you landscape. You tell the cab driver you live at http://123.elm.street/house/bluetrim.html You actually try that 123.elm.street address. You tell the kids they can't use the computer because "Daddy's got work to do" and you don't even have a job. Your friends no longer send you e-mail.... they just log on to your IRC channel. You buy a Captain Kirk chair with a built-in keyboard and mouse. Your spouse makes a new rule: "The computer cannot come to bed." You are so familiar with the WWW that you find the search engines useless. You get a tattoo that says, "This body best viewed with Netscape 1.1 or higher." You never have to deal with busy signals when calling your ISP... because you never log off... You forget what year it is. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. You ask your doctor to implant a gig in your brain. You leave the modem speaker on after connecting because you think it sounds like the ocean wind... the perfect soundtrack for "surfing the net". You begin to wonder how on earth your service provider is allowed to call 200 hours per month "unlimited". You turn on your computer and... turn off your significant other. Your spouse says communication is important in a marriage... so you buy another computer and install a second phone line so the two of you can chat. You actually read through this entire list ;) Googleyworm: nah look again, got it! Evangelo: lol it really didnt take that long- i didn't make it up...

A) When you try to download food. I have my finger in the USB port but I still feel hungry.

Some Literal Signs?

Q) In the offices of a loan company: "Ask about our plans for owning your home." In a classified ad: "Tired of cleaning yourself? Let me do it." In a New York medical building: "Mental Health Prevention Center" On a New York convalescent home: "For the sick and tired of the Episcopal Church." Outside a country shop: "We buy junk and sell antiques." In the window of an Oregon store: "Why go elsewhere and be cheated when you can come here?" In a classified ad: "Vacation special: Have your home exterminated. Get rid of aunts."

A) Ha ha literally very funny. :-)))

Where in Europe should I live?

Q) This is for fun, so please don't think I'm going to live somewhere I've never even visited before. But I am looking for some ideas (for vacation or living). I am an American, but I want to live in Europe. I work in computer networking, and would like to keep a job in it wherever I go. I don't want to live in a huge city like London, Paris, Milan, etc, but someplace that's only a half a million people or so would be fun. I'd also like a place that's not insanely expensive, as I'd like to be able to buy my own apartment, home, or loft (whatever there may be). I don't like weather below freezing, and I don't like weather above 35 or so. I won't have any friends when I get there, so a place where people are open and friendly to outsiders would be great. Finally, I want to go where the women are beautiful (like you English and Irish ladies :-) ) and where the men are ugly (so I can stand a chance with the women... ha ha ha)!! Any fun or serious suggestions are welcome. Thank you!!

A) Sophia-Antipolis, France = south of France, lots of tech employers, warm weather, Brigitte Bardot girls on the beaches...

month to month tenant?

Q) We rented out our house. Had also talked with tenant about him possibly buying it. Tenant insisted on land contract. We don't want to do that. We told tenant that we would sell to him for less than what we would list it for. Realtor was supposed to work with tenant on financing. Tenant told realtor that he is declaring bankruptcy. Tenant went out of town on short vacation. Left door unlocked. My husband & realtor walked thru. Tenant did have our permission to repaint, recarpet at his own expense. His idea not ours. He painted all walls, real nice. He recarpeted half the floor said he was going to fix the hardwood floor on other half. Hasn't done that. Now, tenant is yelling, wants to sue because we went into house when he was not home & brought realtor in. Realtor said to give this guy 30 day notice to vacate if he does not want to cooperate for sale by showing house. Can the tenant sue us for going into house when he is not home? What should we do? Month to month lease which states that either party can terminate tenancy with a 30 day written notice. Realtor said if the guy cooperates, the realtor can help him get a reasonable rental. If he fights us, we get him out, and dont give a good reference to other landlords

A) Woah! Depending on your state, a landlord doesn't necessarily have the automatic authority to show a house, without proper notice to the tenant. Him being out of town doesn't count, and yes, he could sue you, but I it would probably cost him more to do it, than he would get. However, he is technically correct. If your tenant is month-to-month, and you want to sell the home (and obviously this guy isn't in the financial position to purchase it from you), I agree with the Realtor and just give him a 30-day notice to vacate. The other reason I say this, is if he is not a good tenant, do you really want him leaving the house a mess every day while you are trying to sell it? Your market has to be REALLY good for that. I wish you luck...it's a tough spot to be in.

maintain my plants?

Q) i plan on going on vacation for about 20 days. i have 14 plants. I have bought some automatic dripping thingies that are supposed to slowly give the plants the humidity they need to survive until i get back home. do those stuff really work? It has a ceramic tip and a plastic lid that closes on a 1 1/2 litre bottle of water. Do you have any other ideas on how can my plants survive? i do not have any more money to spend on expensive stuff. saddly there is noone to take care of them while i am gone, cause they are going on vacation with me.

A) take them with you they'd probably appreciate the holiday.

New Years Resolutions you Can Keep?

Q) 1. Gain weight. At least 30 pounds. 2. Stop exercising. Waste of time. 3. Read less. Makes you think. 4. Watch more TV. I've been missing some good stuff. 5. Procrastinate more. Starting tomorrow. 6. Don't date any of the Baywatch cast. 7. Spend more time at work, surfing with the T1. 8. Take a vacation to someplace important: like, to see the largest ball of twine. 9. Don't jump off a cliff just because everyone else did. 10. Stop bringing lunch from home: I should eat out more. 11. Don't have eight children at once. 12. Get in a whole NEW rut! 13. Start being superstitious. 14. Personal goal: bring back disco. 15. Don't wrestle with Jesse Ventura. 16. Don't bet against the Minnesota Vikings. 17. Buy an '83 Eldorado and invest in a really loud stereo system. 18. Get the windows tinted. Buy some fur for the dash. 19. Speak in a monotone voice and only use monosyllabic words. 20. Only wear jeans that are 2 sizes too small and use a chain or rope for a belt. 21. Spend my summer vacation in Cyberspace. 22. Don't eat cloned meat. 23. Create loose ends. 24. Get more toys. 25. Get further in debt. 26. Don't believe politicians. 27. Break at least one traffic law. 28. Don't drive a motorized vehicle across thin ice. 29. Avoid transmission of inter-species diseases. 30. Avoid airplanes that spontaneously drop 1000 feet. 31. Stay off the MIR space station. 32. Don't worry that the Y2K bug will cause the end of the world. 33. Get wired with high-speed net connections at home. 34. Don't swim with pirhanas or sharks. 35. Associate with even worse business clients. 36. Spread out priorities beyond ability to keep track of them. 37. Wait around for opportunity. 38. Focus on the faults of others. 39. Mope about faults. 40. Never make New Year's resolutions again.

A) think i shall definately stick to 34..

How does money work out for buying a vacation home in Outer Banks, NC?

Q) We are considering buying a vacation home to rent out at some point in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, possibly in the Whalehead Beach area. But I am having a hard time understanding how the money works out. Rough example: The house we just stayed in rents for $4,500/wk in season, which I am guessing is about 12 weeks long. If it was fully rented (and assuming we would actually get the $4500), that would be $54k. Let's say $70k/year income including some off-season rentals. It's on the market for $1,175,000. If we were to get a 6% loan that would be $70,500/year for interest alone. I have no idea how much insurance would be, but in a hurricane-prone area like OBX, I'd expect it's a lot. I'm guessing PITI would be $90k. My numbers may be a bit off, but that's still in the area of $20k/year in the red. If I'm way off, please tell me, 'cause I don't get how it would work out. Do you need sub-prime? And how in the world would one get down payment on $1m, or do people even make one?

A) I think you're asking this question about 4 months too late, based on the changes in the mortgage market these days. Likely you won't be able to qualify without 20% down, and your current income needs to cover the payments, not expected rental income. I can't confirm the specifics of your figures, but it's not too often that rental homes make lots of money. Here, the rental season is so short, so it makes it even harder.

Is buying a vacation home a wise financial decision VS staying @ a hotel for ppl who have few annual vacations

Q) I know several people who have purchased vacation homes. They generally use it about two weeks a year and on some weekends. Most of these people are not rich - they are in the medium income bracket, so the purchase of the vacation home has set them back a bit. Since they use this house sparsely, I was wondering what is the point of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a vacation home and having a second mortgage if they will only use it for about 2 weeks a year? Instead, they could simply stay at a nice hotel without any of the hassles having a house entails. In a case like this, why would anyone want to purchase a vacation home versus staying at a hotel?

A) It usually doesn't make sense - but sometimes it does. Here are some instances when it might work: 1. The vacation home could also serve as a retirement home. If you plan on retiring there, then it could be substantially paid for by the time retirement comes around. Your current primary residence could either be sold or rented out. 2. Some homes can be rented out for part of the year, and then used for vacation in the off-season. I live in San Diego, where there are some homes near the beach that command upwards of $2-$3 thousand per week. Some people simply rent them out during the summer and can use the houses themselves the rest of the year. 3. You can buy with several other parties and reduce the costs substantially. If 4 parties bought a $300,000 house, they'd only have to come up with $75,000 each and could each have the house for 13 weeks per year. I have to agree with you, though, that to really afford to be able to buy a vacation home that you otherwise don't use for 50 weeks per year, you'd have to be obscenely rich.

What is the link to yesterday's (8/31/2007) Yahoo Featured article on buying a vacation home?

A) Try this ... need more details to narrow the search.

Good real estate websites for buying a home in Nassau Bahamas---NOT A VACATION HOME?

Q) I am going to re-locate to the Bahamas soon because My boyfriend will not be able to work in the U.S. for sometime even after we marry and we are expecting a baby in feb. He is from the Bahamas and we planned on staying with family. We still want to look and see if we may be able to find a home here. One that we could afford. He is teaching and I haven't finished school yet so we are just looking for a family home nothing out rageous. If anyone knows any good real estate websites for the nassau area that would be great.

A)

Vacation Home by Owner?

Q) Anyone know where I can get information on how to manage my vacation home? I just bought vacation home and want to rent out but this is my first time, is there any guide or site I should look up?

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I am considering buying a vacation/rental home in Hilton Head SC.?

Q) I would like to hear from any owners, please give me your insite into owning a vacational/rental properety?

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I am an American who wants to buy a vacation home in Scotland. What are some potential issues?

Q) The real estate site I looked at said that as Scottish law is different than U.K. law, it's best to consult a lawyer. I'm hoping to first get an idea of how difficult the process would be. I've never bought a house before; I would use this house as a vacation home...or maybe rent it out until I can afford to move there myself.

A) There are no issues. If you have the money and you get a good solicitor to iron things out you can buy property. OF course, you will have to declare all earnings and dividends as a result of this property to the USA tax office (IRS). ALL AMERICANS NO MATTER WHERE THEY RESIDE HAVE TO DECLARE ALL WORLDWIDE EARNINGS TO THE IRS. Happy property hunting!

Vacation home in Nicaragua or Costa Rica?

Q) I am looking to buy a beachfront vacation home / investment property in Central America. I just went to Costa Rica and it's great, but have heard that Nicaragua is still undervalued. Does anyone have experience with buying beachfront vacation homes in either country?

A) If you want a beach front home at a cheap price then choose Nicaragua. Ocean View Properties in Nicaragua start from as low as $25,000, Costa Rica has extremely expensive beach front homes compared to Nicaragua and Honduras. If you want a suggestion on an area to look into, i suggest the department of Rivas on the Pacific coast (especially the town of San Juan del Sur). There is a very diverse ex-pat community there. People from all over the world (U.S., China, Europe, and Palestine). Nicaragua has beachfront properties at 1/3 the price in Costa Rica. Also, if you decide to but in San Juan del Sur you can head to Costa Rica which is only 14 miles away by car. You mentioned you wanted a vacation home, when your not there you can rent it out. I have a cousin who bought a house there (overlooks the bay) and rents it out. He bought from RE/MAX and had no problem whatsoever.

Vacation Home Purchase?

Q) Has anyone purchasing an Orlando vacation home as their main property? What are the advantages and disadvantages of buying a vacation home as a couple's main property?

A) Their are some tax implications, check with the IRS. Other than that, make sure you are buying in a decent area of Orlando since a lot of Orlando is fairly urban and not easy for resale.

Is a vacation home worth it?

Q) We are considering buying a vacation home, but are wondering if it's worth it. We would like to have a place to get away but also like to travel. If you've owned a second home, do you find that you spend time doing both? How has it affected you financially? How far is it from your primary home and are you happy with that distance? Also, do you rent it out when you're not using it or keep it all to yourselves and why? Any other words of wisdom to add? Thanks! Just really wanting to hear from people that have a vacation home to see what their thoughts have been on the whole experience. Since we are considering renting it out as well I'd love to know more on that process as well.

A) It really just depends on how much you visit the area. We were going to purchase a home in Orlando, we visit there quiet often. But later decided to just stay at the hotels we always enjoyed. It feels more like vacation when you are in a hotel, and if it is clean, then it is just fine. Plus, we visit other areas a lot of do traveling around the world, so we wouldn't use it too often. We sometimes go to Orlando once a month, so we wouldn't not use it a lot. But during the time we weren't there, we didn't want to rent it out and just felt it was too much of a waste not to use. Having a second home can be costly and a lot of work. You techincally need someone to care for the home when you are not there, you need to consider how often you will be there, if you want to rent, etc. Also, you need to consider that any bills you have will have to double them. If you are financially able to support two homes, then it is worth it. It can be costly, but you then have a place to call home. That being said, we have vacation homes in a few differnet places and absolutely love them. It is places we visit quiet often, not as much as Orlando, and weren't able to find hotels we REALLY liked to stay at in the area. So, we decided to get a home instead. We spend some time at them, but not as much as we like. And not necessarily enough to make it worth the cost. We have them at distances just a few hours away and some across the country. We don't rent them out when not in use. We usually do a spur of the moment thing when we decide to go and renting wouldn't allow that. And, we don't like the idea of other people living (and possibly destroying our new home). I think the situation is going to be different for each person. Once you consider your options you will be able to decide what is best for you.