KingM Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 Or a cabin or timeshare of some kind. Do you use it as much as you thought you would? Is it just a big headache that you wish you hadn't done it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 I co-own two weeks of timeshare with my mom. She bought one together with my dad more than 20 years ago, the other 20 years ago. To tell you the truth, I wouldn't buy a timeshare. It's too expensive. The maintenance fees are exorbitant and my mom can't even sell it for the price she paid back then! That said, they are lovely rooms (luxury 2-bedroom, 2-bath apartment-style with full kitchen) and we loooove staying in them. When my dad passed away I inherited part of the ownership. I would keep it if my mom still has it. To dh and I it makes sense because all we would be paying would be the maintenance fees, which to us are not too much as we earn money (my mom is retired, she's in her early seventies) and have not forked out any initial money. We love the fact that we can exchange too, to stay in any 2-bedroom suite in any place of the world we desire that is of the same network as our hotel (which is thousands of resorts to choose from). You have the right to a room with the same amount of bedrooms as you have. As a result, we have spent two glorious weeks in the Hawaiian islands for our honeymoon, weeks in Aruba, Bonita Springs, Miami, Orlando, Cape Cod and are planning a trip right now to possibly California or North Carolina. In short, if I had paid for the actual share I would be losing money but since my parents bought it it's very advantageous as your children can inherit it (depends on which type you buy I suppose). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 This doesn't really qualify, but we live in a rectory and own our own home. The house we own is about 2.5 hours from us--and it's a pain in the neck. Dh has to use his one day off a week to go mow the lawn, weatherize, etc., about once every 5 weeks. The hoa charges $500 a year for the pool, which we probably use a total of 3 weeks in the summer (it also includes maintaining the trees, playground, tennis courts, etc in the common areas). If it were my dream home, I'd probably be ok with it, but we bought it so we'd have time to pay some of it off before they kick us out of the rectory :D. And, it has gone up significantly in value--we have a home equity line of credit now to help pay for ds' school, since I'm not working like I thought I'd be when college rolled around (too in love with homeschooling...). My parents own 3 weeks of time share. They bought those money-suckers because my mom knew my dad would only go on vaca if he had already paid for it. They tried to unload one of the weeks, but no go. As it is now, they do use all 3, and also rent a place in FL during the 2.5 months or so they bail out of NH for warmer climes. I think TS' are a terrible idea--it's much cheaper to rent a place in the locations they want to visit--but it has worked for them. Are you looking to buy a vaca home yourself? What area would you consider to be your perfect spot? Having to be tied down to one place for vacation would be my main reason for not wanting one--how about you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in NH Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 we have a summer home in maine. The kids and I go up the last weekend in May and we come back in mid September (2 days ago...still unpacking). DH goes up every weekend and on vacations and sometimes tries to work from home a few days (via computer). We go up for the week of Thanksgiving to close the house for the winter. My 7 year old now loves kayaking, and fishing and just about all watersports. My 9 year old loves collecting eagle feathers from a nearby island. we get to see my mother (also has a summer place there) and my in-laws. My aunts and uncles also have places up there so we see cousins/relatives that we normally wouldn't see. The only thing I hate really is the unpacking and we don't have internet up there so I am without the computer for months at a time. We bring our school work up there and still school in June and on rainy days throughout the summer. We bought the house 3 summers ago and I spent quite a bit of time with my father that summer. At the end of that summer he had a stroke (he was 82) and died 10 days later. Because I got to have so much time with him that summer I will never regret buying that house. My kids now really know their Grandmother too, so I she passes away, I won't have to think...wow I wish I spent more time with her.... Now, to get back to that unpacking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingM Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share Posted September 18, 2009 Are you looking to buy a vaca home yourself? What area would you consider to be your perfect spot? Having to be tied down to one place for vacation would be my main reason for not wanting one--how about you? Right now we take our vacations to different places and I'm not really into the timeshare thing because my preference is not resorts unless I'm skiing or at Disney or something. However, we own an inn and my hope within a few years is that we'll be able to shut down during the very slow months of April and November. It might be nice to have somewhere warm to go to. Somewhere with a lot of interesting culture. My two thoughts are a little village in central Mexico or somewhere in the south of France. When we went to Provence, we rented the house from an American couple who had locals managing the place for them. I thought this might be an option. Maybe rent it out on occasion to help pay the upkeep. We could also make it available to extended family and friends as a way of making sure it wasn't just sitting there unused all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 We own a mountain house about an hour and half away. We love having it and there is very little upkeep to it. The HOA wants the lots to look natural so there is no grass and we have left everything natural. It has been an investment both in terms of money and in time. We have made some wonderful memories there. We go up at least twice a month and for several weeks in the summer. Our Christmas is now up there too and that has been very special for all of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 :lol::lol::lol::lol: sorry, couldn't resist. The home we have is falling down so the thought of owning a vacation home just struck me as amusing. In the hysterical, can't stop laughing or I'll cry sort of way. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 :lol::lol::lol::lol: sorry, couldn't resist. The home we have is falling down so the thought of owning a vacation home just struck me as amusing. In the hysterical, can't stop laughing or I'll cry sort of way. :) I feel the same way! I'm sitting here looking at the hole in the wall where I discovered that carpenter ants have been eating my house away, and I truly wish I had a vacation home to go to about now! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 Growing up, my family had a vacation trailer, but it was parked in one place for about a dozen years or so. We spent our entire summers there when school was out, every spring and fall weekend, and occasional weekends during the winter. But that was fairly simple for us because it was only an hour away. I live in a resort area now. Most of the people who own vacation homes in our community only spend a few weekends and maybe a week or two in the summer. They tend to rent their houses out to other vacationers when they're not here. It works out pretty well since we're a year-round destination. There are many companies available to manage the rental details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 We owned a vacation house, and we rented it out through a management company when we weren't using it. Dh and the kids loved it, but it became a big PITA for me. (I managed all the finances, taxes, and details like repairs) Our library had quite a few books on this topic, you might check your library, or get some from Amazon. They were very helpful. We sold the house :) and now I am enjoying renting other owner's vacation houses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacie Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 We have a small log cabin about 1.5 hours away. We use it to get away. It's on about 100 acres and has a pond, stream, and trails. We're working on a putting in an orchard. My dh uses it a lot in the fall for hunting. Our favorite "vacation home" is a travel trailer. It is our vacation home in the mountains, beach, historical sites, prairielands, big cities, Disney, etc. It gets used much more and has been a very worthwhile investment. Unfortunately, I doubt this could work well in your situation. Unless you buy one in each area and keep it in storage until you need it. Good luck making your plans! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 My family has a cabin in the mountains that has been there for 60 years. My great-grandfather built it, now it is owned by my mom and her siblings. We grew up going there every summer. Really, it is all paid for - the only costs involved are taxes and utilities. It is inaccessible during the winter - and even if we could get there, it's a log cabin with no heat. Not my idea of a fun vacation. I love it - but it's more emotional than anything. I can't imagine not being able to go to the cabin in the summer, but we really don't use it so much anymore. I'm sure that's not terribly helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brilliant Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 We have one. We used it all the time and LOVED owning it when we lived 90 minutes away. 3 years ago, we moved so that our cabin is now a 6 hour drive. We haven't used it nearly as much, and it is now for sale. :( If and when it sells, we will take away lots of great family memories. I'll never regret owning it. But I do regret not selling it 3 years ago when we moved. It has been a headache since then. So it all depends on your circumstances whether owning a vacation home is worth it or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdeveson Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 We own a vacation home on a lake in rural Nova Scotia. Beautiful! We drive all the way from Miami almost every summer and spend two or three months there. Last year, dh wanted to do something "special" during our summer vacation, so he went to summer school at a little Waldorf place in our village. Their summer program was all art/music/play. (Only a homeschooled kid would ask to summer school for his vacation!) Best money we ever spent. We love the time we spend there. And it's dh's college fund. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Not yet....but we will. :) I want one on the other side of the world though. I want to go to Italy or the South of France and have a place there - in the country. I definitely don't want it to be an hour or two from where I live now. That wouldn't be "getting away" enough for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyRyan Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 We have a house on Lake Michigan, on the same street my parents, siblings, cousins, etc. have theirs. It's very nice: middle of nowhere, no neighbors but relatives, we have a horse farm out there, the beach is incredible, and it's extremely cheap (for a vacation house anyway). We use it much more than our family members because dh's flexible job and the homeschooling: we are out at least 2 months each summer and for about a month from Thanksgiving through New Years: the snow can't be beat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommyRyan Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 We have a small log cabin about 1.5 hours away. We use it to get away. It's on about 100 acres and has a pond, stream, and trails. We're working on a putting in an orchard. My dh uses it a lot in the fall for hunting. Our favorite "vacation home" is a travel trailer. It is our vacation home in the mountains, beach, historical sites, prairielands, big cities, Disney, etc. It gets used much more and has been a very worthwhile investment. Unfortunately, I doubt this could work well in your situation. Unless you buy one in each area and keep it in storage until you need it. Good luck making your plans! I am sort of, extremely, painfully jealous that you have a trailer! I've always wanted to do it, but am way too scared to with my family's size and kids' dispositions. That must be such an amazing experience every year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 My in-laws own a cabin home on a lake. But they are retired and live there half of the year from April-Oct. We travel up to the lake every summer and spend 2 weeks with them. Great memories! If it were up to me, the lake home is a lot of work... not sure if I would like the chores or burden of having 2 separate homes. MIL loves it. FIL hates it and wishes they would sell one home and live full time in the other. They are 73 and have done enough traveling in their RV (3rd home). Not sure if this info helps? Having a second home is a lot of work and $$$. But us children and grandkids love it! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 we have a timeshare that we inherited from my mom who got it from my gma. we have used it to transfer a few times. right now I have 3 weeks in the bank and no vacation plans! I hope my mom will pay the transfer fee and use a week this spring! I like having it. I find it hard to find a place to go I want to go/can afford to go. I think in the future when the kids are older it will be easier. Or when they are off to college ;-) the fee is due right after Christmas, so it's a pain. but overall it's still a good deal. I have done the presentations at some places and would never buy one...but since I got it free I will use it :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyg Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 My parents owned a lakehouse 90 minutes from their home for nearly 20 years. They used it frequently. They loaned it out frequently. They hosted church retreats there regularly. Many young couples spent their honeymoon there (free of charge). My brother had his wedding rehersal dinner there. They did put a lot of work into it; and, honestly, I don't know how they kept up with it. I honestly don't do too well keeping up with this one house. :( But they both enjoyed the house project. All this is in past tense because my dad passed away about six months ago, and my mom was overwhelmed at what to do with the house. She's not quite ready to get rid of it, but it won't ever be the same to her without him. So, she's fixing it up to rent it out through a vacation rental agency. It remains to be seen how that will go, but I suspect it will work out. She'll get to keep a certain number of weeks a year, and they'll rent it out the other weeks. Personally, I would not want a vacation house; but they certainly enjoyed theirs. Also, my grandparents-in-law had two (small, plain) houses for 50 years. They spent their winters in Florida and their summers in the mountains of NC. I don't know how they made that work, but they did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 No, we don't, but we are grateful to people who do and rent them to us. We have friends with a vacation home at the beach and rent from them once a year in the spring and we've been renting a mountain cabin once a year in the fall and it's been wonderful. We really have no desire to own one of our own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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