Second home 2 hours v 3 hours

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From DC there are two centers of gravity for high end magazine quality weekend houses and quaint towns. We don’t really have a high end ocean front area, though Lewes maybe is the closest thing.

The two are Virginia hunt country inside 90 minutes and Maryland Eastern shore inside 90 minutes. That’s where the premium properties are.

As you get outside 90 minutes the desirability and prices go down. This tells me that 90 minutes or less is easy. As you get further it gets harder. Going west, 3 hours has you at places like Lost River or Shenandoah Valley… lovely area but much lower cost. If Lost River were within 90 minutes I expect it would be much pricier. Locations in the Valley are lower priced than their counterparts to the east of the blue ridge… Even Orange and Keswick east of the blue ridge are lower priced than Middleburg.

So it boils down to what you can afford… the travel time is real and people are willing to pay a lot to shorten the distance and that should tell you something as you think of more vs less time to get to the property.

That's not accurate. Bethany, Lewes, and Rehoboth are generally more desirable second home locations than some that you mentioned. There's limited interest in homes in hunting and fishing rural areas. There was a spike during the pandemic but that demand has waned.

The Delaware beach fan club just will never acknowledge that they’re not in a high end destination for 2nd homes - they’re the equivalent of the upper segment of the middle tier of NJ shore.. maybe they get up to being nearly like Stone Harbor...

You’ve got GIC, certain eastern shore enclaves, and VA horse country. Those are renowned destinations that attract part time residents from an expansive area. The only people buying in Rebobeth are from Philly, Baltimore, and DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not gonna lie -- we would have preferred a house on the beach, sure, but the hassle involved just wasn't worth it to us. The closest beaches to the DMV are just too far and difficult to get to for a carefree summer weekend, and outside of the summer season they're dead and you can't swim anyway.

We ended up looking west, and landed on a place that we love. On a bad day it's just under 2 hours; most of the time barely more than 90 minutes. Saving an hour to 90 minutes each way is a game changer.

That's great that you found a place that you love. But I never understand when people just feel like they want a vacation home without a strong desire for a specific type of location, such as the beach or mountains.

Because in our case it's not a "vacation" home. It's a second home outside of the city. We "vacation" elsewhere. We "live" in our first and second homes.

Not that complicated.

Don't be so pedantic. I have a second home too (first home in NWDC then bought a beach house and also vacation elsewhere), but it still makes no sense to me why anyone would want a second home without first identifying the type of location you're compelled to spend more time.

Your ridiculous commentary on second home vs vacation home doesn't clear up the matter.

Oh go pound sand. I said what attracted us and why we like it in another post. Try reading for a change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not gonna lie -- we would have preferred a house on the beach, sure, but the hassle involved just wasn't worth it to us. The closest beaches to the DMV are just too far and difficult to get to for a carefree summer weekend, and outside of the summer season they're dead and you can't swim anyway.

We ended up looking west, and landed on a place that we love. On a bad day it's just under 2 hours; most of the time barely more than 90 minutes. Saving an hour to 90 minutes each way is a game changer.

That's great that you found a place that you love. But I never understand when people just feel like they want a vacation home without a strong desire for a specific type of location, such as the beach or mountains.

Because in our case it's not a "vacation" home. It's a second home outside of the city. We "vacation" elsewhere. We "live" in our first and second homes.

Not that complicated.

I think we are still all confused, but I guess you need to name the city.

I suppose I understand a one BR in NYC and then a house in Scarsdale.

Outside of NYC, it’s hard to understand doing the equivalent in any other city…maybe Chicago but the nice suburbs are much closer in for Chicago.

This is a DMV centered website. Also, in my first post, I said that the closest beaches to the DMV were a hassle to get to. So it should be pretty clear what city I'm talking about.

I said we're 90 minutes to 2 hours tops west of the city. That far out of DC is a whole new world. Our second home is not in the suburbs. It's in a rural area just outside of a charming small town with plenty of amenities.

This is why it's frustrating sometimes when non-DMV folks take over this website. You don't really understand our geography.

You are a very rude person.

Why? For pointing out the obvious?

I'm a going to hijack this as a New Yorker. I don't see a difference. Our vacation home is at the beach, 90 miles east of the city . . . and also a hassle to get to. Go 90 miles north or west, and you're not in the suburbs . . . you're in rural areas with small towns with differing charm and amenities.

And isn't that exactly how I described where we bought??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not gonna lie -- we would have preferred a house on the beach, sure, but the hassle involved just wasn't worth it to us. The closest beaches to the DMV are just too far and difficult to get to for a carefree summer weekend, and outside of the summer season they're dead and you can't swim anyway.

We ended up looking west, and landed on a place that we love. On a bad day it's just under 2 hours; most of the time barely more than 90 minutes. Saving an hour to 90 minutes each way is a game changer.

That's great that you found a place that you love. But I never understand when people just feel like they want a vacation home without a strong desire for a specific type of location, such as the beach or mountains.

Because in our case it's not a "vacation" home. It's a second home outside of the city. We "vacation" elsewhere. We "live" in our first and second homes.

Not that complicated.

I think we are still all confused, but I guess you need to name the city.

I suppose I understand a one BR in NYC and then a house in Scarsdale.

Outside of NYC, it’s hard to understand doing the equivalent in any other city…maybe Chicago but the nice suburbs are much closer in for Chicago.

This is a DMV centered website. Also, in my first post, I said that the closest beaches to the DMV were a hassle to get to. So it should be pretty clear what city I'm talking about.

I said we're 90 minutes to 2 hours tops west of the city. That far out of DC is a whole new world. Our second home is not in the suburbs. It's in a rural area just outside of a charming small town with plenty of amenities.

This is why it's frustrating sometimes when non-DMV folks take over this website. You don't really understand our geography.

You are a very rude person.

That's why the second home works for them -- they don't have any friends to spend time with on the weekends

New Yorkers really are something else. Anyone from the DMV on this website knew exactly what I was talking about from my first post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I took a different approach, buying an expensive home locally with all the amenities I want, and just going elsewhere from time to time when I want a change of scenery. I can't imagine spending hours each way to go to a second home, paying for maintenance and insurance on it, tying money up in a more vulnerable RE market as are rural and vacation area, and being always tied to a specific location. You're signing up for financial and administrative commitments, and for a lack of flexibility. But, each to their own.

LOL. If you don't buy "an expensive home locally" then you can buy another that isn't local and together they can provide "all the amenities I want" and you can still "go elsewhere from time to time when I want a change of scenery." What this thread is all about is how many "hours each way" to do this makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From DC there are two centers of gravity for high end magazine quality weekend houses and quaint towns. We don’t really have a high end ocean front area, though Lewes maybe is the closest thing.

The two are Virginia hunt country inside 90 minutes and Maryland Eastern shore inside 90 minutes. That’s where the premium properties are.

As you get outside 90 minutes the desirability and prices go down. This tells me that 90 minutes or less is easy. As you get further it gets harder. Going west, 3 hours has you at places like Lost River or Shenandoah Valley… lovely area but much lower cost. If Lost River were within 90 minutes I expect it would be much pricier. Locations in the Valley are lower priced than their counterparts to the east of the blue ridge… Even Orange and Keswick east of the blue ridge are lower priced than Middleburg.

So it boils down to what you can afford… the travel time is real and people are willing to pay a lot to shorten the distance and that should tell you something as you think of more vs less time to get to the property.

That's not accurate. Bethany, Lewes, and Rehoboth are generally more desirable second home locations than some that you mentioned. There's limited interest in homes in hunting and fishing rural areas. There was a spike during the pandemic but that demand has waned.

The Delaware beach fan club just will never acknowledge that they’re not in a high end destination for 2nd homes - they’re the equivalent of the upper segment of the middle tier of NJ shore.. maybe they get up to being nearly like Stone Harbor...

You’ve got GIC, certain eastern shore enclaves, and VA horse country. Those are renowned destinations that attract part time residents from an expansive area. The only people buying in Rebobeth are from Philly, Baltimore, and DC.

When was the last time you priced real estate in Stone Harbor? Prices there are well above MD/DE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From DC there are two centers of gravity for high end magazine quality weekend houses and quaint towns. We don’t really have a high end ocean front area, though Lewes maybe is the closest thing.

The two are Virginia hunt country inside 90 minutes and Maryland Eastern shore inside 90 minutes. That’s where the premium properties are.

As you get outside 90 minutes the desirability and prices go down. This tells me that 90 minutes or less is easy. As you get further it gets harder. Going west, 3 hours has you at places like Lost River or Shenandoah Valley… lovely area but much lower cost. If Lost River were within 90 minutes I expect it would be much pricier. Locations in the Valley are lower priced than their counterparts to the east of the blue ridge… Even Orange and Keswick east of the blue ridge are lower priced than Middleburg.

So it boils down to what you can afford… the travel time is real and people are willing to pay a lot to shorten the distance and that should tell you something as you think of more vs less time to get to the property.

That's not accurate. Bethany, Lewes, and Rehoboth are generally more desirable second home locations than some that you mentioned. There's limited interest in homes in hunting and fishing rural areas. There was a spike during the pandemic but that demand has waned.

The Delaware beach fan club just will never acknowledge that they’re not in a high end destination for 2nd homes - they’re the equivalent of the upper segment of the middle tier of NJ shore.. maybe they get up to being nearly like Stone Harbor...

You’ve got GIC, certain eastern shore enclaves, and VA horse country. Those are renowned destinations that attract part time residents from an expansive area. The only people buying in Rebobeth are from Philly, Baltimore, and DC.

You're the only person I've heard claim that the Eastern Shore, VA horse country, and whatever the GIC is are the most elite second home areas for people living in the DC area.

The DE beaches are the closest to DC, that's why they're popular. None of the places you mentioned are at the ocean beaches.

[Anonymous]

Our vacation house is ~3 hours away, and we go there often. For us, the difference of 2 vs 3 doesn't really change whether we go. Both distances warrant staying at least one night, and neither makes it unreasonable to stay only one night.

For a regular weekend, we eat dinner on Friday, kids brush teeth and change into PJs, and we head out. They are asleep by the time we get there. We get nearly two full days, and leave Sunday afternoon (and eat dinner on the way home) or evening just after dinner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our vacation house is ~3 hours away, and we go there often. For us, the difference of 2 vs 3 doesn't really change whether we go. Both distances warrant staying at least one night, and neither makes it unreasonable to stay only one night.

For a regular weekend, we eat dinner on Friday, kids brush teeth and change into PJs, and we head out. They are asleep by the time we get there. We get nearly two full days, and leave Sunday afternoon (and eat dinner on the way home) or evening just after dinner.

3 hours each way for one night is a lot. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From DC there are two centers of gravity for high end magazine quality weekend houses and quaint towns. We don’t really have a high end ocean front area, though Lewes maybe is the closest thing.

The two are Virginia hunt country inside 90 minutes and Maryland Eastern shore inside 90 minutes. That’s where the premium properties are.

As you get outside 90 minutes the desirability and prices go down. This tells me that 90 minutes or less is easy. As you get further it gets harder. Going west, 3 hours has you at places like Lost River or Shenandoah Valley… lovely area but much lower cost. If Lost River were within 90 minutes I expect it would be much pricier. Locations in the Valley are lower priced than their counterparts to the east of the blue ridge… Even Orange and Keswick east of the blue ridge are lower priced than Middleburg.

So it boils down to what you can afford… the travel time is real and people are willing to pay a lot to shorten the distance and that should tell you something as you think of more vs less time to get to the property.

That's not accurate. Bethany, Lewes, and Rehoboth are generally more desirable second home locations than some that you mentioned. There's limited interest in homes in hunting and fishing rural areas. There was a spike during the pandemic but that demand has waned.

The Delaware beach fan club just will never acknowledge that they’re not in a high end destination for 2nd homes - they’re the equivalent of the upper segment of the middle tier of NJ shore.. maybe they get up to being nearly like Stone Harbor...

You’ve got GIC, certain eastern shore enclaves, and VA horse country. Those are renowned destinations that attract part time residents from an expansive area. The only people buying in Rebobeth are from Philly, Baltimore, and DC.

You're the only person I've heard claim that the Eastern Shore, VA horse country, and whatever the GIC is are the most elite second home areas for people living in the DC area.

The DE beaches are the closest to DC, that's why they're popular. None of the places you mentioned are at the ocean beaches.

Says more about you than about me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not gonna lie -- we would have preferred a house on the beach, sure, but the hassle involved just wasn't worth it to us. The closest beaches to the DMV are just too far and difficult to get to for a carefree summer weekend, and outside of the summer season they're dead and you can't swim anyway.

We ended up looking west, and landed on a place that we love. On a bad day it's just under 2 hours; most of the time barely more than 90 minutes. Saving an hour to 90 minutes each way is a game changer.

That's great that you found a place that you love. But I never understand when people just feel like they want a vacation home without a strong desire for a specific type of location, such as the beach or mountains.

Because in our case it's not a "vacation" home. It's a second home outside of the city. We "vacation" elsewhere. We "live" in our first and second homes.

Not that complicated.

I think we are still all confused, but I guess you need to name the city.

I suppose I understand a one BR in NYC and then a house in Scarsdale.

Outside of NYC, it’s hard to understand doing the equivalent in any other city…maybe Chicago but the nice suburbs are much closer in for Chicago.

This is a DMV centered website. Also, in my first post, I said that the closest beaches to the DMV were a hassle to get to. So it should be pretty clear what city I'm talking about.

I said we're 90 minutes to 2 hours tops west of the city. That far out of DC is a whole new world. Our second home is not in the suburbs. It's in a rural area just outside of a charming small town with plenty of amenities.

This is why it's frustrating sometimes when non-DMV folks take over this website. You don't really understand our geography.

I know the DMV…why would you buy a second home in a random rural town that isn’t your vacation home that’s 90 minutes away…but it’s not your vacation home it’s just some random home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not gonna lie -- we would have preferred a house on the beach, sure, but the hassle involved just wasn't worth it to us. The closest beaches to the DMV are just too far and difficult to get to for a carefree summer weekend, and outside of the summer season they're dead and you can't swim anyway.

We ended up looking west, and landed on a place that we love. On a bad day it's just under 2 hours; most of the time barely more than 90 minutes. Saving an hour to 90 minutes each way is a game changer.

That's great that you found a place that you love. But I never understand when people just feel like they want a vacation home without a strong desire for a specific type of location, such as the beach or mountains.

Because in our case it's not a "vacation" home. It's a second home outside of the city. We "vacation" elsewhere. We "live" in our first and second homes.

Not that complicated.

I think we are still all confused, but I guess you need to name the city.

I suppose I understand a one BR in NYC and then a house in Scarsdale.

Outside of NYC, it’s hard to understand doing the equivalent in any other city…maybe Chicago but the nice suburbs are much closer in for Chicago.

This is a DMV centered website. Also, in my first post, I said that the closest beaches to the DMV were a hassle to get to. So it should be pretty clear what city I'm talking about.

I said we're 90 minutes to 2 hours tops west of the city. That far out of DC is a whole new world. Our second home is not in the suburbs. It's in a rural area just outside of a charming small town with plenty of amenities.

This is why it's frustrating sometimes when non-DMV folks take over this website. You don't really understand our geography.

I know the DMV…why would you buy a second home in a random rural town that isn’t your vacation home that’s 90 minutes away…but it’s not your vacation home it’s just some random home.

That's the part that I can't figure out about this poster. They just looked within a certain radius around the DMV and bought a house somewhere in such an obscure location that none of us can figure out where it is.

[Anonymous]

The Delaware beach fan club just will never acknowledge that they’re not in a high end destination for 2nd homes - they’re the equivalent of the upper segment of the middle tier of NJ shore.. maybe they get up to being nearly like Stone Harbor...

You’ve got GIC, certain eastern shore enclaves, and VA horse country. Those are renowned destinations that attract part time residents from an expansive area. The only people buying in Rebobeth are from Philly, Baltimore, and DC.

I have literally never heard of any DMV family that has considered or bought a home in Virginia horse country, but I know several objectively wealthy families with homes in Bethany and Lewes. There are many homes in my Bethany neighborhood that range from $6-9 million so I'm confused that you would believe that portions of the DE beaches are not a high end destination for second homes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From DC there are two centers of gravity for high end magazine quality weekend houses and quaint towns. We don’t really have a high end ocean front area, though Lewes maybe is the closest thing.

The two are Virginia hunt country inside 90 minutes and Maryland Eastern shore inside 90 minutes. That’s where the premium properties are.

As you get outside 90 minutes the desirability and prices go down. This tells me that 90 minutes or less is easy. As you get further it gets harder. Going west, 3 hours has you at places like Lost River or Shenandoah Valley… lovely area but much lower cost. If Lost River were within 90 minutes I expect it would be much pricier. Locations in the Valley are lower priced than their counterparts to the east of the blue ridge… Even Orange and Keswick east of the blue ridge are lower priced than Middleburg.

So it boils down to what you can afford… the travel time is real and people are willing to pay a lot to shorten the distance and that should tell you something as you think of more vs less time to get to the property.

That's not accurate. Bethany, Lewes, and Rehoboth are generally more desirable second home locations than some that you mentioned. There's limited interest in homes in hunting and fishing rural areas. There was a spike during the pandemic but that demand has waned.

The Delaware beach fan club just will never acknowledge that they’re not in a high end destination for 2nd homes - they’re the equivalent of the upper segment of the middle tier of NJ shore.. maybe they get up to being nearly like Stone Harbor...

You’ve got GIC, certain eastern shore enclaves, and VA horse country. Those are renowned destinations that attract part time residents from an expansive area. The only people buying in Rebobeth are from Philly, Baltimore, and DC.

When was the last time you priced real estate in Stone Harbor? Prices there are well above MD/DE.

+1 Rehoboth/Bethany and Ocean City are becoming popular for buyers in NY/NJ because the shore has gotten so expensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our vacation house is ~3 hours away, and we go there often. For us, the difference of 2 vs 3 doesn't really change whether we go. Both distances warrant staying at least one night, and neither makes it unreasonable to stay only one night.

For a regular weekend, we eat dinner on Friday, kids brush teeth and change into PJs, and we head out. They are asleep by the time we get there. We get nearly two full days, and leave Sunday afternoon (and eat dinner on the way home) or evening just after dinner.

3 hours each way for one night is a lot. Sorry.

Well, it works for us and OP asked for perspectives. We spend longer stretches there too, but we can do a regular weekend pretty easily. Usually 2 nights, but one is possible.