{"id":3539,"date":"2014-11-28T11:15:16","date_gmt":"2014-11-28T18:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/qarichmondamerican.mdch.com\/blog\/?p=3539"},"modified":"2024-01-11T14:18:04","modified_gmt":"2024-01-11T21:18:04","slug":"why-buy-a-winter-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.richmondamerican.com\/blog\/why-buy-a-winter-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Buy a Winter Home?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Whether you consider yourself a winter visitor, sunseeker or proud snowbird, if you head south for the winter, you\u2019ll need a home away from home for weeks or months at a time. RVing and renting may be popular choices, but there are significant advantages to buying a vacation home of your own.<\/p>\n<h2>RVing<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re an impulsive traveler, especially one who loves the outdoors, you may be drawn to RV living. Any continental destination is just a road trip away and, with a minimum of prep time, you could hit the road and travel for as long as you\u2019d like\u2014no reservations needed. But, RVs do have some drawbacks.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Upkeep:<\/strong> Ongoing repairs, maintenance, insurance and unpredictable gas prices add up! Unless you have an RV garage at your primary residence, you may also have to pay to park your motor home while it isn\u2019t in use.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Depreciation:<\/strong> While a home purchase may build equity, a motor home typically loses its value over time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Limited creature comforts:<\/strong> You may have the bare essentials\u2014sleeping quarters, a kitchenette and shower facilities\u2014but few RVs can truly feel like home. Eventually, you may tire of cramped quarters, short showers and laundromats, not to mention the lack of entertaining space!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Accessibility:<\/strong> An RV can be great for rural or woodland getaways, but they\u2019re less convenient in big cities. If you long for cosmopolitan pursuits like fine dining, dancing, museums and big city nightlife, an RV may not be the right choice for you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><strong>Why own a vacation home instead?<\/strong><strong><br \/><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float: right; padding-left: 15px; padding-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 10px;\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/CABurkePatio.jpg\" alt=\"Second home patio\" width=\"325px\" \/><\/strong><\/em>Many Sunbelt suburbs put outdoor and urban adventures within easy reach, all without sacrificing the comforts of home. Buying a home where you winter gives you a stable base from which to plan your excursions\u2014one that has an opportunity to build equity and potentially provide tax benefits! Plus, you\u2019ll enjoy all the freedom homeownership brings: you can furnish it your way, decorate it to suit your personal style and invite family and friends to stay.<\/p>\n<p>Depending on your choice of locations, you may have the option to build your dream vacation home from the ground up. <a title=\"Read more about the advantages of new homes.\" href=\"\/blog\/tag\/new-vs.-resale\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New construction has many advantages<\/a> over resale, but it can be a particularly good choice for a vacation home if you\u2019re looking for personalized design options, like a fireplace in the master bedroom, a separate guest suite or a covered patio.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Looking for your winter hometown?<\/strong><\/em><br \/>Check out our \u201c<a title=\"Read our Best Places to Live series.\" href=\"\/blog\/tag\/best-places-to-live\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">best places to live<\/a>\u201d and \u201c<a title=\"Read about great places to retire.\" href=\"\/blog\/tag\/retirement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">great places to retire<\/a>\u201d articles! Once you\u2019ve narrowed down your options, call a New Home Specialist at 888.500.7060 to talk about our communities across the US. From Canada, call 1.888.500.7060; from China, Mexico, India or the UK: 00.1.888.500.7060; from Japan, call 010.1.888.500.7060.<\/p>\n<h2>Renting<\/h2>\n<p>If you think you lack the capital to buy, you may be leaning toward furnished rental accommodations. At first, this may seem like an attractive option because there\u2019s no commitment (other than your lease), there\u2019s no upkeep and you can still enjoy the space and comfort of a condo, apartment or house. Over time, however, you may find that renting isn\u2019t ideal for your lifestyle.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Availability:<\/strong> If you want to travel to a popular destination or at a popular time of year, you may have trouble finding a rental property with the right features, location and price range.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost:<\/strong> As demand for rental properties rises, rent climbs as well\u2014and that money is gone for good.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Risk:<\/strong> An unreliable landlord, a shady neighborhood or not-as-advertised home features could put a damper on your vacation enjoyment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>It\u2019s not yours:<\/strong> At the end of the day, you\u2019re living with someone else\u2019s furniture, surrounded by someone else\u2019s d\u00e9cor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><strong>Why own a vacation home instead?<br \/><\/strong><\/em>Read any of our \u201c<a title=\"Learn why buying may be a better option than renting.\" href=\"\/blog\/tag\/rent-or-buy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">buying vs. renting<\/a>\u201d articles and you\u2019ll find a host of reasons to choose homeownership over renting\u2014and most of them apply just as well to a second home purchase as they do to your primary residence. To those we add a few more benefits, just for vacation home owners:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>No blackout dates, and cancellations aren\u2019t a concern.<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019ll be surrounded by neighbors\u2014not seasonal strangers.<\/li>\n<li>Spend more time enjoying your trip; less time figuring out how to get to your nearest grocery store, bank, dry cleaner, etc.<\/li>\n<li>Find and keep the right healthcare providers for you.<\/li>\n<li>If you love it, retire there!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><strong>A vacation home may be more affordable than you think.<\/strong><\/em><br \/>According to the National Association of REALTORS\u00ae <em><a title=\"Visit realtor.org\" href=\"http:\/\/www.realtor.org\/news-releases\/2014\/04\/vacation-home-sales-surge-in-2013-investment-property-declines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2014 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey<\/a><\/em>, last year\u2019s typical vacation-home buyer was 43 years old and had a median household income of $85,600. Contact a loan officer at HomeAmerican Mortgage Corporation today to discuss your potential buying power (866.400.7126). Then, start shopping our Sunbelt homes!<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Search new homes for sale in Phoenix\" href=\"https:\/\/richmondamerican.com\/Arizona\/Phoenix-new-homes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-wplink-edit=\"true\">New homes in Phoenix, AZ \u00bb<\/a><br \/><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float: right; padding-left: 15px; padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px;\" src=\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/LaurenTucsonNook.jpg\" alt=\"Vacation home nook\" width=\"325px\" \/><a title=\"Search new homes for sale in Tucson\" href=\"https:\/\/richmondamerican.com\/Arizona\/Tucson-new-homes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New homes in Tucson, AZ \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Search new homes for sale in LA\" href=\"https:\/\/richmondamerican.com\/California\/Los-Angeles-new-homes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New homes in Los Angeles, CA \u00bb<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Search new homes for sale in Irvine\" href=\"https:\/\/richmondamerican.com\/California\/Orange-County-new-homes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New homes in Orange County, CA \u00bb<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Search new homes for sale in San Diego\" href=\"https:\/\/richmondamerican.com\/California\/San-Diego-new-homes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New homes in San Diego, CA \u00bb <\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Search new homes for sale in Jacksonville\" href=\"https:\/\/richmondamerican.com\/Florida\/Jacksonville-new-homes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New homes in Jacksonville, FL \u00bb<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Search new homes for sale in Orlando\" href=\"https:\/\/richmondamerican.com\/Florida\/Orlando-new-homes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New homes in Orlando, FL \u00bb<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Search new homes for sale in Boca Raton\" href=\"https:\/\/richmondamerican.com\/Florida\/South-Florida-new-homes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New homes in South\u00a0Florida \u00bb <\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Search new homes for sale in Las Vegas\" href=\"https:\/\/richmondamerican.com\/Nevada\/Las-Vegas-new-homes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New homes in Las Vegas, NV \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Whether you consider yourself a winter visitor, sunseeker or proud snowbird, if you head south for the winter, you\u2019ll need a home away from home for weeks or months at a time. RVing and renting may be popular choices, but there are significant advantages to buying a vacation home of your own. RVing If you\u2019re [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4896,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"ub_ctt_via":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[222,260,263],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.richmondamerican.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Snowbird-couple.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"rahblogadmin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.richmondamerican.com\/blog\/author\/rahblogadmin\/"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>Why Should You Invest in a Winter Home of Your Own?<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Whether you are a winter visitor or proud snowbird, you\u2019ll need a winter home away from home. 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