Some of the best memories you probably have are from vacations. One of the toughest things about taking vacations is the cost. That is why you started hearing more people talking about staycations. If you didn't already know, a staycation is exactly what it sounds like. A vacation where you stay where you are and just do things that you don't get to do regularly. At least this way you eliminate the cost of the hotel and traveling via plane. Have you seen the cost of a flight for a family of four lately? People do vacation around Jackson County Michigan often. They take in M.I.S., wineries, and stay at lake houses on the Michigan Center Chain of Lakes or one of the many around Brooklyn.
The benefits of buying a vacation home:
- Remove the headache of looking for a hotel and making sure it is a good one
- You get to vacation to the same area regularly and become familiar with the surroundings. This leads to a more relaxed stay instead of looking at maps and rushing around trying to fit everything in.
- There can be tax benefits with vacation homes. Talk to your tax professional before purchasing to see what benefits or perks may exist.
- Your vacation property can appreciate over time, meaning that it should be worth more when you go to sell in the future than what you paid for it.
- It may turn into your retirement home. If you are looking into retirement plans, starting on buying your retirement home now and having it paid off by the time you retire would be nice. You could even sell your primary home when you retire or rent that out for income in retirement.
- Locking in a mortgage allows you to fight inflation as costs for hotels and traveling go up.
- Watersports or just going for a boat ride on the Michigan Center chain of lakes, or one of Brooklyn's many lakes is a great way to unwind and be active.
If you decide to look at purchasing a vacation home or second home that is different from your primary home, look at loan options. Most lenders require a secondary or vacation home be at least 50 miles from your primary home for a vacation home loan. However, most can make an exception if the home is specifically different than your primary home. So, a home with lake frontage for example, or one in the mountains with great views (if you live near mountains) would be different than a traditional city home for example. You may like one of these loans as they offer lower down payment requirements and better rates than some other options you may look at.
by Korey Rowlson
Associate Broker
Five Star Real Estate
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