mommyx4 Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 So, my husband and I have been going back and forth over this topic. Thought I would address it to the hive and see what you have to say over the matter. We live in the piedmont of NC about 2.5 hours from the mountains. I absolutely love the mountains and can see us retiring there someday. Husband would love a small condo in FL as well. I would love to buy a small cottage near a cute town on a rambling creek up there. Tourism is great and we could rent it out sometimes. However, I've always loved to travel. We love exploring lots of places (although end up loving our same haunts). We love the idea of escaping to Florida or Charleston when January rolls around and the weather is gray and rainy in NC. We had a camper many years ago and all have very fond memories of our camping trips (in fact,they were some of our best vacations). We can only afford to do one at this time. I'm torn because our oldest children are going to fly the coop in a couple of years and I want to really cherish this time together. I did ask them and they said the camper, but I think it's because they are scared once we get up in the mountains, I won't want to come back home..lol The little ones don't care either way. Wanted to add, during the school year we are really busy with sports and extra curricular activities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 The mountains. Make those memories and be able to leave the place to your kids to make more some day. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 I'd go with the camper for now. You can still take it to the mountains, but you'd have the flexibility to go other places too and not feel stuck always vacationing in the same place. I'm not one for "leaving it for the kids someday"; I've seen too many people get saddled with their parents' camp or whatever that they don't want and can't get rid of. That's an expensive gamble. Plus, who knows where your kids will end up living? 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Personally I prefer Florida over the mountains because I love it here, but... I'd recommend choosing the camper because then you can enjoy both Florida and the mountains in NC or elsewhere. You can also explore other locations that might interest both of you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 According to Google,if you are in NC, then you are a day's easy drive from Jacksonville, FL and just a few hours from the mountains. I would totally do the camper and disappear in January AND in the summer. Go places! See stuff! Beaches in January, mountain trips in summer. Sounds like fun! Can I go along? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyx4 Posted July 17, 2016 Author Share Posted July 17, 2016 Lady Florida...I'm the total opposite. I grew up in Florida and couldn't wait to leave. (: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Camper. Much more flexibility right now. Lots of things you can do with a camper. The year my family lived in a camper was awesome. (Looking at the really tiny thing now is a bit shocking but I was smaller then... :) ). Think outside the box. Look up all the places you could travel to within a day or two with a camper. You might find tons of locations you hadn't even thought about exploring... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Camper, mountains, make memories. As an adult child whose parents are upset we will not buy them out of their vacation cottage, do not assume your kids will want a second home you invest in because they have no idea where life will lead them. Our grandbaby is in upstate NY, one child will eventually work for NASA or other aerospace industry so not based in Michigan, one will be in research so not living anywhere near the cottage, one due to getting arthritis young in his permanently damaged leg thus cold is hard, will move somewhere between Baltimore and coastal Georgia, so when dh retires, we will not be here so no use for the cottage. The camper gives you flexibility. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 There's a question about this? Get the camper, nix the vacation home. Nuff said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted July 17, 2016 Share Posted July 17, 2016 Camper. Go everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Camper. Flexibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 So, my husband and I have been going back and forth over this topic. Thought I would address it to the hive and see what you have to say over the matter. We live in the piedmont of NC about 2.5 hours from the mountains. I absolutely love the mountains and can see us retiring there someday. Husband would love a small condo in FL as well. I would love to buy a small cottage near a cute town on a rambling creek up there. Tourism is great and we could rent it out sometimes. However, I've always loved to travel. We love exploring lots of places (although end up loving our same haunts). We love the idea of escaping to Florida or Charleston when January rolls around and the weather is gray and rainy in NC. We had a camper many years ago and all have very fond memories of our camping trips (in fact,they were some of our best vacations). We can only afford to do one at this time. I'm torn because our oldest children are going to fly the coop in a couple of years and I want to really cherish this time together. I did ask them and they said the camper, but I think it's because they are scared once we get up in the mountains, I won't want to come back home..lol The little ones don't care either way. Wanted to add, during the school year we are really busy with sports and extra curricular activities. How old are your kids? When the kids are not too old campers are great but families do seem to grow out of them eventually. And a holiday place is a great place to catch up for family weekends once they are all out doing their own stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 I think it depends greatly on whether you'll really use the camper. It's not a scientific sample by any means, but I think I'd say that campers have had about a 70% failure rate among people I know who bought them. As in, many are interested, few sustain the use to justify the cost. And the camper is only going to lose value over time. Property in most places will grow value over time. I love the NC mountains. Just sayin. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xahm Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 I like the cabin idea, especially if you can make some rental money, invest that money (and probably some more) to create a "cabin trust" of some sort. Then it will be an amazing gift to the next generation as opposed to a financial burden. I also haven't heard of anyone having a hard time selling a cabin in the NC mountains. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 How much will you visit a cabin. Are you going to give up being active with extra curriculars and sports. Since you want to travel and want to be in the mountains a cover can be in both places. So the camper can get used the few weekends you have available, whether to go to the mountains, Florida or somewhere else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slackermom Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Personally, I would probably prefer a camper, but we are urban dwellers who don't even have a parking spot for our regular car. Where would I put a camper? If you have a spot, great. FWIW, DH's grandparents left their 3 daughters their family vacation house. For a while, it worked to share the place, but the 3 sisters have a total of 9 kids, all grown and married, with children and grandchildren, and there are definitely some hard feelings about how to fairly share with so many. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 We actually considered this a few years ago. We went with none of the above. Here is why.... Campers cost to store. They cost a lot to rent the lots to stay on. You cannot just not pay for storage while you are gone or you won't have a place to come home to. They cost a lot to move from place to place..gas mileage. And they simply cost a lot to own, taxes and the actual cost of the thing. We did not want to purchase a vacation place that was in one place, otherwise, we would always feel like if we could take off, we had to go there because it was already paid for. I got prices down on paper and found that financially, the best bet would be to just rent places when we did travel. Maybe our decision would have been different if we already owned a truck (we do not and have no interest) or had a smaller family. But with a motor home, you have to pull a car behind to drive around when you get there. With a 5th wheeler, you need to own a truck. With a travel trailer, you need to at least have a heavy enough vehicle to not get tipped over. Gas mileage is horrible when you have a camper so traveling would have been costly even just to get there. To stay the night in a lot it was $30-60 a night when we researched it, so it could be more now. In the end, we realized the camper was not the best way to go. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 (edited) Neither. I would not want to be tied down by a cottage that would sort of force me to travel always to the same place. One could, of course, go elsewhere, but once you own the property, it's a pretty strong incentive not to waste money on accommodations in another place. I would also not want a camper, since I don't plan RVing extensively instead of maintaining a residence, and I am not convinced that a camper is cost effective at all, compared to just renting lodgings when I travel where I want to travel. Edited July 18, 2016 by regentrude 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 I wouldn't mind always (or almost always) vacationing in the same place if it were a cool place. I would totally get a cabin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 (edited) Neither. I would not want to be tied down by a cottage that would sort of force me to travel always to the same place. One could, of course, go elsewhere, but once you own the property, it's a pretty strong incentive not to waste money on accommodations in another place. I would also not want a camper, since I don't plan RVing extensively instead of maintaining a residence, and I am not convinced that a camper is cost effective at all, compared to just renting lodgings when I travel where I want to travel. The only people who get into RV'ing because they think it's cost effective are people who haven't done any research about it at all. Most people treat it as a hobby that is anywhere from expensive to very expensive. The attraction for most people is the freedom, not having to worry about bedbugs or other nastiness that comes from sharing a room that thousands of other people have used, being able to easily take their pets along, being much closer to nature than when in a hotel room, etc. OP, we're very similar. We live in the piedmont of NC and we have an RV. In your shoes I would choose a cabin if I didn't have to rent it out in order to afford it. But that's from a purely selfish standpoint. I don't love traveling of any sort. I tolerate it only because DH and oldest DS enjoy it. A mountain cabin to escape to during hot/humid summers is my idea of heaven. But I can tell you that my brother and SIL own one, and over the years they've visited it less and less. We use our RV many more nights a year than they spend at their cabin (which is actually a full sized house, I haven no idea why they insist on calling it a cabin :lol:). Edited July 18, 2016 by Pawz4me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 FWIW you could certainly earn rental income from a condo in FL as well, so I think the rental potential goes either way. I like the camper idea if you travel a good bit because of the options. I think the upkeep on a second place is pricey and probably limits you as to how many other places you can go (or maybe not; obviously plenty of people have the means to own second homes and still do other things). We have struggled with this because my husband wants to live in FL, and the only way I'm doing it (all my kids/grandkids are here) is if we can keep our home here and split the time. I just am not ready to leave all my grandbabies even if it's only a 5 hour drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 We have talked about both as well, and finally decided we wanted flexibility and bought nothing. We like just renting a place for a week. We can rent anywhere. It is much cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 FWIW you could certainly earn rental income from a condo in FL as well, so I think the rental potential goes either way. I like the camper idea if you travel a good bit because of the options. I think the upkeep on a second place is pricey and probably limits you as to how many other places you can go (or maybe not; obviously plenty of people have the means to own second homes and still do other things). We have struggled with this because my husband wants to live in FL, and the only way I'm doing it (all my kids/grandkids are here) is if we can keep our home here and split the time. I just am not ready to leave all my grandbabies even if it's only a 5 hour drive. Yeah, DH has it in his head we are retiring in Florida. I told him NO WAY! First of all, my kids seem to love NC and feel this is home. Somehow I have failed as a parent because I thought they would all want to move back to California and we would all just go back. Nope, they have no desire to go back to CA, none of them! They all tell me they plan to stay in NC. Now, that could change, but if they are all here, or if most of them are here, there is no way I am moving to FL! I will get a condo there or a small house, but I will stay here. We may downsize here, but we will have a place here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Owning 2 places requires keeping up with 2 places. We know several people who have 2 homes and they are always working on both of them. Also I wouldn't figure on your kids wanting it when older. IL's would like to see dh's childhood home go to dh or sil. Realistically, neither family will that. It is in a much different place than jobs and is in a pretty high col area. I would only do a camper if it would be used a lot like most weekends. They are expensive and still need maintained and they don't last super long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Also there is no way to tell where your kids will end up once they are working and raising a family. I wouldn't bet that they will end up in NC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 I'd do a nice camper/rv. it is so much more flexible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 I would get a vacation place for these reasons: I personally think that vacation homes will get more expensive and McMansions will get less expensive as Baby Boomers sell their large houses and move to a vacation place. So, buy before it gets more expensive. Rental Income Much cheaper. Campers age much more severely than cabins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiof5 Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Camper a million times. More flexibility, not having to worry/take care of 2 homes. That vacation home could become a hassle (maintenance etc.). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 If I had to choose between the two, I'd get the camper now while the children are still around and sell the camper after they'd left home and get the cabin. I don't know that there's necessarily much less hassle and expense with a camper than a cabin, although you don't have to drive to it to fix it. But I vote for the neither option too. Campers are way more flexible than cabins but they're still fairly limited. We've gone with a mix of camping, hotels, and Airbnb when we travel and that works nicely for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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