Not having a second / vacation home makes me feel poor & depressed. Anyone else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This post made me laugh. Thanks OP.

+1

[Anonymous]

Life hack: buy a very nice PRIMARY home so that you actually enjoy being there and don’t feel the need to “escape” from it. Too many people buy crappy homes and then waste money on a second crappy home. Stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Life hack: buy a very nice PRIMARY home so that you actually enjoy being there and don’t feel the need to “escape” from it. Too many people buy crappy homes and then waste money on a second crappy home. Stupid.

This, actually. If your primary residence is large enough, nicely-located, and feature-rich, you don't feel the need to escape from it. Owning a second home is arguably a foolish financial and lifestyle choice, locking you in to a specific property in a specific location while providing only the ego gratification of being able to refer to your "beach house" or "mountain house" or whatever. There is a case to be made that a much greater luxury is having the wherewithall to be able to go wherever you like, for as long as you like, when you want to, simply by staying in top hotels or by renting villas or yachts. That's more difficult to do if you're locked in to a second piece of real estate you have to maintain and support with real estate taxes and other costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You realize there is a huge percentage of the American population for whom homeownership is out of reach?

Please.

Find another thread if you don’t like the topic…please.

[Anonymous]

We’d rather explore a new city and location every time. I have no desire to keep returning to the same place, so I don’t care about a second home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Life hack: buy a very nice PRIMARY home so that you actually enjoy being there and don’t feel the need to “escape” from it. Too many people buy crappy homes and then waste money on a second crappy home. Stupid.

Who wants to just sit/stay in one location? Also, just buy a nice 2nd home (not a crappy one) in addition to nice primary home. Why would you assume 2nd home owners own crappy homes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Life hack: buy a very nice PRIMARY home so that you actually enjoy being there and don’t feel the need to “escape” from it. Too many people buy crappy homes and then waste money on a second crappy home. Stupid.

Who wants to just sit/stay in one location? Also, just buy a nice 2nd home (not a crappy one) in addition to nice primary home. Why would you assume 2nd home owners own crappy homes?

This. A lot of people like to take a break from the DC metro area not their home. Having a 2nd home at the beach is opposite of DC environment and a wonderful “escape.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re selling ours. It’s a time and money drain. I spend half the time there either doing work or scheduling people to come out to do work. Due to kids’ sports and activities, we don’t use it enough to justify the expense. And, finally, I’d rather travel than go to our weekend home.

This! I don't love the beach/lakes, so even if we had the money I'd rather use it and our limited vacation time to go abroad or to visit another city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yesterday, I washed windows and today I am trimming 60 shrubs on my property while my DH does other projects. And this is on my primary home. I have zero interest in maintaining a 2nd house. If you want to live at the beach, move.

I feel the same way. We've rented our favorite cabin for three separate trips this summer and that is good enough for me.

Renting gets old and requires too much planning, so it doesn't measure up to the casual comfort of owning when you come and go whenever you want. You and kids can't establish roots and friendships; nearby owners disregard you. And of course renting is just flushing money... to the actual owners.

This just isn’t true. People lose money on second homes all the time. It just really depends. Real estate is a gamble. Renting and actually investing instead of just sinking money into properties that aren’t generating sufficient income often makes more sense financially. Again it all just depends on the individual situation.

This is a cope because you can’t afford a second home. You think you can masquerade you’re investing all of your money and that’s why you rent. Bless your heart dear because literally nobody believes you.

So true!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, I’m the opposite: having a second home to maintain would depress me (and probably make me feel poor).

If it would make you feel poor then you can’t afford it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Life hack: buy a very nice PRIMARY home so that you actually enjoy being there and don’t feel the need to “escape” from it. Too many people buy crappy homes and then waste money on a second crappy home. Stupid.

Who wants to just sit/stay in one location? Also, just buy a nice 2nd home (not a crappy one) in addition to nice primary home. Why would you assume 2nd home owners own crappy homes?

We do. I feel like I'm on vacation every time I step into my garden with a glass of wine and sit with a book under my favorite tree, which I planted myself.

We do like to go on vacation, but we love coming home. I appreciate my friend's choice to have three very nice homes in three different locations. They love it. But, for me, the up keep, managing the home managers, and just the travel between them is not my jam. I would be exhausted and depleted by it, but it brings them great joy, which is wonderful too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Life hack: buy a very nice PRIMARY home so that you actually enjoy being there and don’t feel the need to “escape” from it. Too many people buy crappy homes and then waste money on a second crappy home. Stupid.

Who wants to just sit/stay in one location? Also, just buy a nice 2nd home (not a crappy one) in addition to nice primary home. Why would you assume 2nd home owners own crappy homes?

We do. I feel like I'm on vacation every time I step into my garden with a glass of wine and sit with a book under my favorite tree, which I planted myself.

We do like to go on vacation, but we love coming home. I appreciate my friend's choice to have three very nice homes in three different locations. They love it. But, for me, the up keep, managing the home managers, and just the travel between them is not my jam. I would be exhausted and depleted by it, but it brings them great joy, which is wonderful too.

Okay, got it. You can’t afford. Enjoy your home and move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re selling ours. It’s a time and money drain. I spend half the time there either doing work or scheduling people to come out to do work. Due to kids’ sports and activities, we don’t use it enough to justify the expense. And, finally, I’d rather travel than go to our weekend home.

Money drain? Vacation homes have exploded in value in recent years.

[Anonymous]

I'd rather stay in a hotel, have someone else wash the towels and cook for me. I don't want to clean or manage another place.

[Anonymous]

I don't want to have an expensive property sitting vacant 10 months a year and I don't want tacky vrbo people in my home either.
The place I want to vacation is two long flights away. Not a weekend getaway.