# Summer home location?



## ATXGrass (May 1, 2021)

Hello all. I live in Austin, TX, and our summers are very hot. I would like to buy a vacation home in a more moderate climate with low humidity, as we spend all day inside with AC when the temps are near 100F. I'd like to find a place with green grass, so no desert/dry locations. I want the kids to experience and explore nature, but I don't want a location with bears 

In your opinion, where are the ultimate summer home locations?


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

I think you are going to need to look into the mountains somewhere like Utah but you might have to deal with some bears


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## Getting Fat (Dec 31, 2019)

never been, but hear great things about Alpine / Marfa / Big Bend area


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

I used to own a vacation home. There are a lot of considerations to take into account.

The most important is duplicate carrying costs. You have to pay for a mortgage (unless you buy it outright) that will include paying interest to a lender. You have to have insurance on the place. Second bills for water, sewerage (unless septic), utilities (electric is must have, natural gas is nice), cable/internet/satellite (unless you unplug), furnishings, and the biggest can be property taxes. Yard work too. Housework is an issue. Basically, you have twice the work to do, or pay someone....

Second is driving distance. We bought a lake house that was a 45 minute drive away. Easy to get to on a Friday evening after work. Easy to get back "home" on Sunday night. Far enough to "get away" but not so far that going there is a burden. I love to drive, but it is a factor to consider.

You have to plan carefully if you go somewhere remote. If you forget something, it can be a long trip to get what you forgot. A 30 minute round trip for a gallon of milk is a pain. Plan your trips....

You need to consider security for the place, and how available emergency services are, or else plan around the long drive to the emergency room. I bought a lot of medical supplies to patch people up until we could make the 15 minute drive to urgent care. That came in handy more than once....

Climate may not matter if you can get access to a lake, river or pond to cool off on hot days. But one thing to consider is waterborne bacteria. A pool is better. No fish and fowl bacteria in a pool.

Terrain is important to consider - it is cool in the mountains, but lots are often sloped. That can be an issue for you or your guests; not a worry if you are all young and fit, but time waits for no one....

We enjoyed our lake house - best time of our lives, for sure. But it costs a lot of money and time to live that lifestyle. We made a lot of money when we sold it, so waterfront property if you can find it.

In the final analysis, we decided to just go to resort hotels and leave the taxes, insurance, chores and maintenance to the resort owners. Stay a week or two and then come home. No need to worry about hurricanes, blizzards, wildfires, floods, tornadoes, etc. Toss them the key and wave goodbye.

As to a place to escape the heat, forests and mountains are the choice. But bears know that too.

I would visit the place first, stay in a resort, get a feel for the place. Then buy if you decide to. We looked for five years before we bought the place on the lake. Ultimately, our vacation home became our primary residence. But we were young, strong, had the needed income, and would handle the extra duties and costs it all entailed. Do it before you get too old to enjoy it, would be my best advice on that. But the absolute best advice is to just pick a cool resort area, and pay by the stay for fun....


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## Monocot Master (Feb 28, 2021)

Mountains of North Carolina are really nice. There are black bears however, but I think that they are more of a nuisance than a danger, at least in NC.


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