

Renting a house for a week or two in the summer is cheaper than buying a house you might only use a few times each year.If you’re on the fence about renting or buying, consider these pros to renting:
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But you won’t know until you have a trial run. You could discover a second home is a perfect dream, or an unwelcome nightmare. Rent for several months to determine if you’re really on board with maintaining two residences. If you’re serious about owning a second house, try renting in the same area you want to buy. Question 3: Should I rent instead of buy?ĭon’t rush into the decision to buy a vacation home. Be sure to budget those items as ongoing expenses. You’ll pay for utilities, internet/cable and trash collection just as you do at your primary residence. This is an added cost, but it will save you the stress of worrying about your home when you’re not there. If you’re going to visit your vacation home only a few times each year, you should consider hiring a property management company to coordinate maintenance jobs. Prices will vary from state to state, so ask your insurance agent to provide an estimated cost for the area you’re interested in. Most coastal states require flood insurance, especially in areas that are prone to hurricanes. A waterfront property will likely be more expensive than your primary residence when it comes to insurance. Here are other expenses you’ll need to cover: You’ll also have to account for annual property taxes, as well as neighborhood homeowner’s association fees (HOA) if they apply. So, if your second home is valued at $200,000, you’ll need to set aside $2,000–4,000 each year for upkeep.

Are you ready to take on the added expense of maintaining a second home? A general rule of thumb is to set aside 1–2% of your home’s purchase price for maintenance and repairs. Question 2: Can I afford the ongoing expenses of maintaining a vacation home?

If Tom and Linda were to leave the money alone from age 50 to 65, they’d have around $830,000-even if they never contributed another dime! No vacation home is worth losing hundreds of thousands of dollars of retirement savings! Worse yet, their retirement money is gone, along with the potential growth. If Tom and Linda were to cash out a $200,000 401(k), they’d likely only receive up to $140,000 because of penalties and taxes. You’ll lose the long-term benefit of compound interest. Try our compound interest calculator that will do the calculations for you!.

In many cases, your plan administrator will withhold 20% and send it directly to the IRS.
