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Is a second home ever worth it?

Assume you spend 2 weekends each month and most of the summe...
180 electric furnace
  12/07/25
Yes
Hyperventilating vigorous deer antler site
  12/07/25
LJL
House-broken Floppy Lay
  12/07/25
but where would i get a million dollars
burgundy confused preventive strike
  12/07/25
Its consumption. But better than most consumption
bull headed turquoise shrine foreskin
  12/07/25
only if you're really locked into where you live + where you...
talented avocado kitty
  12/07/25
If you have kids seems a bit weird to have them spend summer...
Contagious Field
  12/07/25
Or you have a community with second home. Obviously not enti...
multi-colored associate
  12/07/25
You left out the part where said-Grandfather did a lot of mo...
Copper address potus
  12/07/25
that's why i kept asking for an invite up until i found out ...
multi-colored associate
  12/07/25
If you’re a nokidsmo or emptynestermo AND an outdoorsm...
stirring national main people
  12/07/25
nokidsmo. i like being outdoors but not an outdoorsmo
180 electric furnace
  12/07/25
For this purpose you don't need to be some Arcteryx adventur...
stirring national main people
  12/07/25
basically this It's a dogshit thing to do to kids IMO
mischievous vivacious jap area
  12/07/25
Depends on the type of home but most homes need a shitton of...
laughsome maroon fanboi personal credit line
  12/07/25
being middle class sucks, huh?
Adventurous Nursing Home Patrolman
  12/07/25
If you’re in need of tax deductions and have the infra...
sienna hairy legs set
  12/07/25
of course? its basically free? by the time you sell and d...
Medicated Office
  12/07/25
lol, you don't know wtf you're talking about.
Copper address potus
  12/07/25
As someone who grew up in a family with a vacation home - I ...
mischievous vivacious jap area
  12/07/25
(SP's kid)
Medicated Office
  12/07/25
I suppose you think you're making a fun joke here but you're...
mischievous vivacious jap area
  12/07/25
now I just feel bad. fuck. anyways, wanna shower?
Medicated Office
  12/07/25
wait, what? did you have your own “Uncle Dave?”
Adventurous Nursing Home Patrolman
  12/07/25
By "longer" I meant there were ages where it happe...
mischievous vivacious jap area
  12/07/25
...
histrionic coiffed box office water buffalo
  12/07/25
What the actual fuck.
French Station
  12/07/25
🙄
Adventurous Nursing Home Patrolman
  12/07/25
?
mischievous vivacious jap area
  12/08/25
I can’t stroke it to that
Adventurous Nursing Home Patrolman
  12/08/25
please let us know why. tyia.
opaque bossy mexican ladyboy
  12/07/25
yeah why's that? i have somewhat fond memories of a (small,...
histrionic coiffed box office water buffalo
  12/07/25
For me it was far more than occasional use. We went to the c...
mischievous vivacious jap area
  12/07/25
ty, and you didn't like it because you preferred being at ho...
histrionic coiffed box office water buffalo
  12/07/25
I would have preferred something approaching a reasonable hi...
mischievous vivacious jap area
  12/08/25
oh that sucks - and yeah you must've been going to the secon...
histrionic coiffed box office water buffalo
  12/08/25
I forgot to mention the #1 thing that was missing in my life...
mischievous vivacious jap area
  12/08/25
huh. i had sort of an opposite reaction: lots of religious i...
histrionic coiffed box office water buffalo
  12/08/25
so like a cottage or something? Yes, its worth it. I know lo...
exhilarant coffee pot
  12/07/25
Retiring in the second home is something of a pipe dream. ...
mischievous vivacious jap area
  12/07/25
i would definitely not want to retire in the second home. wo...
180 electric furnace
  12/07/25
Shit ton of upkeep on the high end homes sitting vacant. Ev...
Lemon provocative market half-breed
  12/07/25
We have a 3 season cabin on a pretty but pretty remote lake ...
henna comical brunch
  12/07/25
Why not just get an Air BnB? You don't have to pay any of...
Copper address potus
  12/07/25
Because an AirBNB would be too fucking expensive if you are ...
Maniacal step-uncle's house mother
  12/08/25
You can rent Airbnbs by the month for pretty reasonable pric...
Talking pit
  12/09/25
if youre actually rich sure. if youre a wagie then no.
big keepsake machete
  12/07/25
Buying a beach house and renting it for 80-90% of the summer...
lascivious weed whacker
  12/07/25
Summer = 9 weeks when kids aren't in school?
Brindle boyish institution
  12/07/25
I have looked at the mortgage payments on beach homes versus...
Maniacal step-uncle's house mother
  12/08/25
if it is close enough that you'll actually use it that much ...
Flirting supple international law enforcement agency theatre
  12/07/25
...
Copper address potus
  12/07/25
The sweet spot IMO is a 4/5/6 hour drive (or 1 hour flight)&...
French Station
  12/07/25
It depends on the scenery; you just want a different environ...
jet startling knife menage
  12/08/25
I think you also have to factor in getting away from the peo...
French Station
  12/08/25
I think anything you have to fly to kills it, flying is not ...
Flirting supple international law enforcement agency theatre
  12/08/25
Ideally if you’re flying you’re using your own p...
French Station
  12/08/25
lol tyvmft
big keepsake machete
  12/09/25
helicopter better for mountain cabin access and uses less pe...
exhilarant coffee pot
  12/09/25
six hours is really pushing it for regular weekend use
arrogant wonderful house chad
  12/08/25
Yeah. Even 4 is a stretch for regular weekend use. Assuming ...
mischievous vivacious jap area
  12/08/25
six is insane.
big keepsake machete
  12/09/25
its simply not feasible. its 2-2.5 hours or nothing
exhilarant coffee pot
  12/09/25
This is stupid. 4-5 hours is easily doable. You cut out of t...
French Station
  12/12/25
6 works for long weekends but not regular weekends. 4-5 is f...
French Station
  12/12/25
holy shit at all the pearl clutching analysis in this thread...
French Station
  12/07/25
Growing up my family had a beach home and a ski home, neithe...
jet startling knife menage
  12/08/25
...
Adventurous Nursing Home Patrolman
  12/08/25
your boomer parents bought houses for 1.5 and sold for over ...
big keepsake machete
  12/09/25
We have had a second house for 22 years. It's a winter escap...
dead slippery native wrinkle
  12/08/25
Sounds like a 180 set up. You've really got a wonderful life...
sienna hairy legs set
  12/08/25
I have been blessed.
dead slippery native wrinkle
  12/08/25
sounds cr. you seem pretty handy though, you haven't had to...
histrionic coiffed box office water buffalo
  12/08/25
The older I get the more I hire out. Second house is pretty ...
dead slippery native wrinkle
  12/09/25
ty
histrionic coiffed box office water buffalo
  12/09/25
Its worth it to have a second home in Italy.
Slap-happy glassy haunted graveyard meetinghouse
  12/08/25
Maybe counterintuitively I’d argue having a second hom...
French Station
  12/08/25
European countries are rapidly making it prohibitive to have...
Talking pit
  12/09/25
...
French Station
  12/12/25
I'm thinking of doing this because I live in a place where s...
Maniacal step-uncle's house mother
  12/08/25
But where will I get a first home
thirsty charcoal scourge upon the earth
  12/09/25
...
Adventurous Nursing Home Patrolman
  12/09/25
...
exhilarant coffee pot
  12/09/25
i had a second forever and it honestly was just of a pain in...
curious at-the-ready rigpig sneaky criminal
  12/09/25
this would be a lake cabin
180 electric furnace
  12/12/25
huh, wouldn't have thought of a few of those ty
histrionic coiffed box office water buffalo
  12/12/25
I have a lock picking kit and have access to dozens of unman...
Awkward cocky tanning salon roommate
  12/09/25
I like the idea of a vacation home in the mountains but it s...
Frozen yarmulke depressive
  12/12/25
It's not in the mountains and not isolated, but we are gone ...
dead slippery native wrinkle
  12/12/25
...
180 electric furnace
  12/23/25


Poast new message in this thread



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 11:08 AM
Author: 180 electric furnace

Assume you spend 2 weekends each month and most of the summer

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491142)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 11:13 AM
Author: Hyperventilating vigorous deer antler site

Yes

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491150)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 11:25 AM
Author: House-broken Floppy Lay

LJL

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491177)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 11:28 AM
Author: burgundy confused preventive strike

but where would i get a million dollars

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491181)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 11:15 AM
Author: bull headed turquoise shrine foreskin

Its consumption. But better than most consumption

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491152)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 11:16 AM
Author: talented avocado kitty

only if you're really locked into where you live + where you weekend. otherwise, just do airbnb's

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491154)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 11:16 AM
Author: Contagious Field

If you have kids seems a bit weird to have them spend summers away from friends unless you're an ultra-richmo where your circle just moves around accordingly.

If you don't who cares the money isn't going to do anything for you when you're dead so might as well

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491155)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 1:31 PM
Author: multi-colored associate

Or you have a community with second home. Obviously not entirely applicable to OP, but knew a buddy whose grandfather had bought a lake place that his dad then inherited. Everyone else around the lake had bought at the same time, so his dad grew up with the other kids who now bring their kids there and it's like a second community where everyone knows each other.

If you're an extrovertmo you could probably recreate that.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491492)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 2:46 PM
Author: Copper address potus

You left out the part where said-Grandfather did a lot of molesting while alone at the lake house.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491675)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 3:10 PM
Author: multi-colored associate

that's why i kept asking for an invite up until i found out the grandfather died

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491726)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 11:44 AM
Author: stirring national main people

If you’re a nokidsmo or emptynestermo AND an outdoorsmo, then it absolutely makes sense to have two homes and migrate seasonally. Very few other circumstances where it makes sense.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491234)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 12:16 PM
Author: 180 electric furnace

nokidsmo. i like being outdoors but not an outdoorsmo

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491316)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 2:39 PM
Author: stirring national main people

For this purpose you don't need to be some Arcteryx adventuremo or Basspro sportsmanmo. If you like gardening or jogging or cycling on a path or sitting on your deck and watching boats pass by or whatever, it's worth being somewhere nice.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491658)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 12:53 PM
Author: mischievous vivacious jap area

basically this

It's a dogshit thing to do to kids IMO

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491394)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 12:34 PM
Author: laughsome maroon fanboi personal credit line

Depends on the type of home but most homes need a shitton of maintenance and it seems not worth the bother. We can barely manage to take care of one house and there's a long list of projects we need to get to and we don't have the time to deal with it.

If you're retired or generally have a lot of extra time on your hands then maybe it's worth it.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491346)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 2:42 PM
Author: Adventurous Nursing Home Patrolman

being middle class sucks, huh?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491664)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 12:46 PM
Author: sienna hairy legs set

If you’re in need of tax deductions and have the infrastructure for proper management and upkeep, I have known of people who profitably ran portfolios of secondary homes. Location and amenities are everything. You have to keep them rented out. And most importantly, don’t use debt and use other sources of income to live on.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491368)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 12:48 PM
Author: Medicated Office

of course? its basically free?

by the time you sell and deduct all you spent on having the home, you broke even or came out ahead, so you had a free 2nd home during that time.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491371)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 2:49 PM
Author: Copper address potus

lol, you don't know wtf you're talking about.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491681)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 12:51 PM
Author: mischievous vivacious jap area

As someone who grew up in a family with a vacation home - I would be extremely wary.

I would rather have grown up in a family without one.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491388)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 12:52 PM
Author: Medicated Office

(SP's kid)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491392)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 1:14 PM
Author: mischievous vivacious jap area

I suppose you think you're making a fun joke here but you're closer than you think.

The tick checks went on longer than they should have.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491453)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 1:34 PM
Author: Medicated Office

now I just feel bad. fuck.

anyways, wanna shower?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491499)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 2:43 PM
Author: Adventurous Nursing Home Patrolman

wait, what? did you have your own “Uncle Dave?”

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491666)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 8:18 PM
Author: mischievous vivacious jap area

By "longer" I meant there were ages where it happened where it shouldn't have. The sessions weren't longer than necessary for the stated purpose.

I now think there wasn't any intent of sexual exploitation. But does this person's intent matter? IMO, what matters is how the other person feels. And at the time I felt highly exploited.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492474)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 10:59 PM
Author: histrionic coiffed box office water buffalo



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492837)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 11:18 PM
Author: French Station

What the actual fuck.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492871)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 11:50 PM
Author: Adventurous Nursing Home Patrolman

🙄

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492931)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 8th, 2025 12:20 AM
Author: mischievous vivacious jap area

?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492980)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 8th, 2025 12:38 AM
Author: Adventurous Nursing Home Patrolman

I can’t stroke it to that

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492994)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 1:55 PM
Author: opaque bossy mexican ladyboy

please let us know why. tyia.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491538)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 2:41 PM
Author: histrionic coiffed box office water buffalo

yeah why's that? i have somewhat fond memories of a (small, cheap, shared, occasional summer use) vacation home

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491663)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 8:01 PM
Author: mischievous vivacious jap area

For me it was far more than occasional use. We went to the cottage to the complete exclusion of doing anything else.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492413)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 11:00 PM
Author: histrionic coiffed box office water buffalo

ty, and you didn't like it because you preferred being at home?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492840)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 8th, 2025 12:22 AM
Author: mischievous vivacious jap area

I would have preferred something approaching a reasonable high school existence. Sports, friends, dances, that sort of thing.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492984)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 8th, 2025 8:44 AM
Author: histrionic coiffed box office water buffalo

oh that sucks - and yeah you must've been going to the second home a ton if it interfered with all that

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49493163)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 8th, 2025 6:18 PM
Author: mischievous vivacious jap area

I forgot to mention the #1 thing that was missing in my life: church.

I can't recall ever going to church on a Sunday. We went on Christmas, maybe Easter, and *very* rarely attended weeknight services. I was sent to public schools. Wasn't given any religious instruction at home. It was a massive shock for me to find out as a teenager that we were actually a deeply religious family.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49494943)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 8th, 2025 10:06 PM
Author: histrionic coiffed box office water buffalo

huh. i had sort of an opposite reaction: lots of religious instruction, but the teachers were generally very dumb. so it turned me off as a young autist. and it was only later when i found things like cs lewis that i came back to it to some degree.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49495509)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 12:54 PM
Author: exhilarant coffee pot

so like a cottage or something? Yes, its worth it. I know lots of people who have 2nd, and they retire in the 2nd home/cottage usually, eventually, inevitably.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491400)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 1:23 PM
Author: mischievous vivacious jap area

Retiring in the second home is something of a pipe dream.

When you get older you need more medical care & 2nd homes are often in areas with fairly poor healthcare options

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491476)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 2:02 PM
Author: 180 electric furnace

i would definitely not want to retire in the second home. would go somewhere else. but would spend holidays and summer months and 50% of weekends at second home.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491553)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 1:43 PM
Author: Lemon provocative market half-breed

Shit ton of upkeep on the high end homes sitting vacant. Even more when you go the vacation rental route. Overall, if you can afford the monthly expenses and really like the location it's not a bad deal. I'm around mostly high-end second/third homes and the ones purchased for 3-4 million are all going for more than double in just the 10 plus years. Hard to lose if you use it often too.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491520)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 2:38 PM
Author: henna comical brunch

We have a 3 season cabin on a pretty but pretty remote lake about 4 hours from the house. It's great and we use it a lot. Kids can bring a friend, sometimes friends or family use it. But it was cheap, 200k about 6 years ago. Every year or two my wife brings up buying a place at the beach or some expensive area and I just say no without discussion. Upkeep and rental bullshit all seem miserable.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491653)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 2:51 PM
Author: Copper address potus

Why not just get an Air BnB?

You don't have to pay any of the upkeep or other maintenance like you would for a home that you own.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491686)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 8th, 2025 1:33 PM
Author: Maniacal step-uncle's house mother

Because an AirBNB would be too fucking expensive if you are going to stay there the entire summer. But AirBNB is probably TCR if you plan to use it for only 1-2 weekends per month. You avoid the headache of being a landlord, and it's probably cheaper, too.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49494004)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 9th, 2025 6:06 AM
Author: Talking pit

You can rent Airbnbs by the month for pretty reasonable prices if you are savvy about your search and a bit flexible on location. Like a whole house for $2-4k per month

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49495902)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 2:53 PM
Author: big keepsake machete

if youre actually rich sure. if youre a wagie then no.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491690)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 2:55 PM
Author: lascivious weed whacker

Buying a beach house and renting it for 80-90% of the summer is one of the best investments a UMC shlub can make.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491697)



Reply Favorite

Date: December 7th, 2025 8:21 PM
Author: Brindle boyish institution

Summer = 9 weeks when kids aren't in school?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492480)



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Date: December 8th, 2025 1:31 PM
Author: Maniacal step-uncle's house mother

I have looked at the mortgage payments on beach homes versus the revenue from AirBNBing them, and my first thought was, "Holy shit! Why isn't everyone doing this?" Then I researched it more carefully and discovered that there are some significant risks. If you get pwned by a hurricane and can't rent for a full season, the mortgage company still expects to be paid. Ditto if global warming causes your home to fall into the ocean. Also, you can't use your home at all during the summer (or you can use it for a few occasional weekdays at most). But if you are willing to take these risks, the potential profits are enormous.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49493993)



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Date: December 7th, 2025 3:13 PM
Author: Flirting supple international law enforcement agency theatre

if it is close enough that you'll actually use it that much sure, but then that brings up the question of whether you want to spend all of your time off in a place that is pretty much already where you live just with a prettier view

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491736)



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Date: December 7th, 2025 3:17 PM
Author: Copper address potus



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49491747)



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Date: December 7th, 2025 11:55 PM
Author: French Station

The sweet spot IMO is a 4/5/6 hour drive (or 1 hour flight)—long enough so there’s real separation between your primary home life and the vacation spot but close enough that weekends (or at least long weekends) are doable.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492940)



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Date: December 8th, 2025 12:18 AM
Author: jet startling knife menage

It depends on the scenery; you just want a different environment. Living/working in Sacramento and owning a home on lake tahoe would be fine, despite that it's less than 2 hours.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492976)



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Date: December 8th, 2025 12:20 AM
Author: French Station

I think you also have to factor in getting away from the people you see M-F. When it’s too close (e.g., your under 2h spot) you end up surrounded by all your workplace / hometown fags. That may be appealing for some people but not me, it makes it harder to feel psychologically separated from your primary home environment.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492981)



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Date: December 8th, 2025 6:27 PM
Author: Flirting supple international law enforcement agency theatre

I think anything you have to fly to kills it, flying is not a good experience and doing it twice in a weekend with kids is a hell of a lot of pain in the ass and money when you could just be flying to wherever and getting a hotel for the same effort

to me the deciding factor is if you live close enough to something that is interesting enough to justify going all of the time but is too remote to actually live by, lake houses, ski cabins etc make sense if you live nearby but can't possibly go fulltime on some random mountain

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49494968)



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Date: December 8th, 2025 7:13 PM
Author: French Station

Ideally if you’re flying you’re using your own plane to cut down on the travel time and making it less burdensome. An hour flight hoping into the plane from the tarmac is much different from having to fly regional Delta twice in a weekend.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49495101)



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Date: December 9th, 2025 9:41 AM
Author: big keepsake machete

lol tyvmft

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49496136)



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Date: December 9th, 2025 1:06 PM
Author: exhilarant coffee pot

helicopter better for mountain cabin access and uses less petrol

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49496703)



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Date: December 8th, 2025 10:13 PM
Author: arrogant wonderful house chad

six hours is really pushing it for regular weekend use

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49495523)



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Date: December 8th, 2025 11:26 PM
Author: mischievous vivacious jap area

Yeah. Even 4 is a stretch for regular weekend use. Assuming no PTO use, that's 8 hours in a car just for a little over a day at the 2nd place.

IMO you want 3 hours or less. I feel kind bad for Chicagoans, there's not a ton of credited options all that close. I've never been to Lake Geneva but it looks really mid, just like a suburb on a lake.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49495652)



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Date: December 9th, 2025 9:39 AM
Author: big keepsake machete

six is insane.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49496133)



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Date: December 9th, 2025 1:06 PM
Author: exhilarant coffee pot

its simply not feasible. its 2-2.5 hours or nothing

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49496704)



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Date: December 12th, 2025 5:19 PM
Author: French Station

This is stupid. 4-5 hours is easily doable. You cut out of the office a little early on Friday, you’re there for dinner, spend all day Saturday and Sunday, hit the road home around 5 pm and you’re back at a reasonable 9-10.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49505245)



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Date: December 12th, 2025 5:20 PM
Author: French Station

6 works for long weekends but not regular weekends. 4-5 is fine for regular weekends.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49505257)



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Date: December 7th, 2025 11:52 PM
Author: French Station

holy shit at all the pearl clutching analysis in this thread

Of course having a second house is great wtf is wrong with you people

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492938)



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Date: December 8th, 2025 12:01 AM
Author: jet startling knife menage

Growing up my family had a beach home and a ski home, neither of which were within driving distance of our actual home. I did not like it because it locked us into a disproportionate number of vacations at those two places. We never lived at either or stayed for more than 2 weeks at a time.

I will say that my parents are naturally gifted home repairers, additioners, and decorators who sold those properties at wild profits and have since done the same with several others. For some of these I'm talking from under $1.5 to well over $2 in the course of less than 5 years (this wasn't some one-off miracle; they consistently got great gains). They would also rent them (short-term vacation) out through local property management companies when we weren't there; my parents would handle some repairs and replacement of stolen/lost/broken kitsch, but none of the day-to-day.

If you don't *like* that shit then obviously don't do it, but this is not, say, buying a boat. It is not a bad financial proposition at all.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492949)



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Date: December 8th, 2025 12:09 AM
Author: Adventurous Nursing Home Patrolman



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492961)



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Date: December 9th, 2025 9:43 AM
Author: big keepsake machete

your boomer parents bought houses for 1.5 and sold for over 2mil? holy shit!

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49496138)



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Date: December 8th, 2025 12:11 AM
Author: dead slippery native wrinkle

We have had a second house for 22 years. It's a winter escape. Swapping snow for palm trees is nice, and since we have friends and family in both places it's pretty homey feeling. Could I live without it? Sure, but I don't plan to sell it or rent it out unless one of us becomes debilitated so we can't use it. It's not that hard to maintain. We have a house watcher and a gardener. Things rarely break, and when they do we just get them fixed. The unrealized appreciation has far exceeded costs, but a stock market investment would have performed somewhat better. I wish it wasn't so far away, though. 2000+ miles is a PITA sometimes. It's an all day trip by air and several days of driving otherwise. We both prefer driving, esp. since we can visit friends along the way.



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492964)



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Date: December 8th, 2025 9:44 AM
Author: sienna hairy legs set

Sounds like a 180 set up. You've really got a wonderful life!

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49493249)



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Date: December 8th, 2025 9:50 AM
Author: dead slippery native wrinkle

I have been blessed.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49493258)



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Date: December 8th, 2025 10:15 PM
Author: histrionic coiffed box office water buffalo

sounds cr. you seem pretty handy though, you haven't had to do much maintenance yourself?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49495527)



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Date: December 9th, 2025 12:40 AM
Author: dead slippery native wrinkle

The older I get the more I hire out. Second house is pretty low maintenance. Had it painted and reroofed last year, so there's not much else to do. Could use some interior updating, but it's not urgent. I fix minor stuff that breaks, but don't intend to crawl around laying flooring.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49495762)



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Date: December 9th, 2025 9:24 AM
Author: histrionic coiffed box office water buffalo

ty

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49496100)



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Date: December 8th, 2025 12:17 AM
Author: Slap-happy glassy haunted graveyard meetinghouse

Its worth it to have a second home in Italy.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492974)



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Date: December 8th, 2025 12:23 AM
Author: French Station

Maybe counterintuitively I’d argue having a second home in some far flung other country is LESS credited. Better to just rent in those situations. The second house needs to be someplace you can fairly easily access for when shit goes wrong. I suppose a condo in a major foreign city would be fine.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492986)



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Date: December 9th, 2025 10:21 AM
Author: Talking pit

European countries are rapidly making it prohibitive to have a second home. Like crushing vacancy taxes, severe limits on renting it out short-term, etc.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49496216)



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Date: December 12th, 2025 5:21 PM
Author: French Station



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49505265)



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Date: December 8th, 2025 12:17 AM
Author: Maniacal step-uncle's house mother

I'm thinking of doing this because I live in a place where summers are miserable but there are some nearby mountains with a mild summer climate and tons of outdoor opportunities. I think I would get enough utility from being able to hike and mountain bike all summer to justify any maintenance expenses (especially if I try to keep it rented when I am not using it). I'll have to see if the numbers add up, though.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49492975)



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Date: December 9th, 2025 12:51 AM
Author: thirsty charcoal scourge upon the earth

But where will I get a first home

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49495776)



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Date: December 9th, 2025 5:17 AM
Author: Adventurous Nursing Home Patrolman



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49495877)



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Date: December 9th, 2025 1:09 PM
Author: exhilarant coffee pot



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49496711)



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Date: December 9th, 2025 9:50 AM
Author: curious at-the-ready rigpig sneaky criminal

i had a second forever and it honestly was just of a pain in the ass. youre always traveling to it in peak traffic (Friday night to Sunday night).

youre constnatly buying groceries and stuff like milk that you have to throw out. you have to maintain it because it still gets dust and yard needs to be mowed. so if you dont want to sopend your whole weekend vacuuming you have to pay someone to do it. and yhour paying tax for services you dont even use.

if i were much richer sure or if it was a lake cabin with a boat sure, but it mostly sucks just get a hotel or stay home

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49496160)



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Date: December 12th, 2025 10:18 AM
Author: 180 electric furnace

this would be a lake cabin

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49504114)



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Date: December 12th, 2025 10:48 AM
Author: histrionic coiffed box office water buffalo

huh, wouldn't have thought of a few of those ty

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49504153)



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Date: December 9th, 2025 1:10 PM
Author: Awkward cocky tanning salon roommate

I have a lock picking kit and have access to dozens of unmanned forest fire lookout towers all winter long for free

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49496713)



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Date: December 12th, 2025 10:28 AM
Author: Frozen yarmulke depressive

I like the idea of a vacation home in the mountains but it seems like you'd need to pay someone to routinely check on it, do maintenance while you're away, clean it, etc.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49504125)



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Date: December 12th, 2025 12:16 PM
Author: dead slippery native wrinkle

It's not in the mountains and not isolated, but we are gone from our winter house for 8 or 9 months/year. I have a neighbor who checks on it periodically and a gardener who comes a couple of times/month, plus a bug service to keep the scorpions out. Otherwise there's not really anything to do. I have security cameras and it's in a safe neighborhood with numerous permanent residents. If you're in a area with a mix of permanent and part time residents it's easy to find someone to keep an eye on it for a small fee.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49504394)



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Date: December 23rd, 2025 8:41 AM
Author: 180 electric furnace



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5807480&forum_id=2\u0026mark_id=5310764#49533272)