- My Dollar Plan - https://www.mydollarplan.com -

Vacation Home Shopping Trip

We’re leaving for vacation today. Well, actually we’re on a shopping trip, shopping for a vacation home [1] specifically.

My inlaws checked out the resort first [2], and it passed their initial test. So we’re on our way down to check out the property for ourselves.

After readers shared tips for making lowball offers [3] I feel confident that if we do make an offer, we won’t overpay. We sent my brother-in-law on a fact finding mission earlier this week to look up all the comps (they’re only available in person at the local clerk’s office) and I contacted some of the current owners of other cottages at the resort to get their feedback.

I’ve run dozens of spreadsheets with the comps and all sorts of variables, so I feel confident that we won’t get sucked in and make any bad decisions. Besides, I know I’d have to answer to readers if we overpay!

Once thing I’ve been trying to determine is if we really want a vacation home. I always make my kids wait a few days before buying a toy to see if their interest wears off. I think I can now confidently say that I’ve thought about it for a long time, and we’re still interested. After all, it’s been a year since I first started discussing if we should buy a vacation home [4], and it’s still on the top of my want list. In fact, it’s what I picture when I think about creating my perfect day [5].

And just for fun, if we ended up making an offer, can I pay our downpayment in cash to get 5% cash back [6]? I’m guessing the answer is no, but I’m envisioning arriving with boxes of dollar coins [7]. It would look something like the guy who paid a $6500 credit card bill with pennies [8] recently.

Housing & Real Estate

Investing

And More!