Breckenridge Real Estate Blog

Following are 5 reasons to buy a vacation home according to RIS Media. According to Christine Karpinski, the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) 2009 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey suggests that the iron is sizzling hot-and if you’re going to strike, the time is now.

- It’s never been more obvious that real estate is a sound long-term investment. The NAR survey results revealed that the share of speculator sales is down from 29% to 16%. Combined with the fact that 34% of buyers are purchasing properties within 100 miles or less of their primary residence-which suggests they intend to use it themselves-this trend indicates that more and more people are embracing a “buy and hold” strategy. Plus, Karpinski says she constantly sees evidence that people are beginning to see the long-term benefits of real estate investing earlier in life. (The median age of vacation property buyers in 2008 was a relatively young 47.)

- The vacation home rental market is booming. While 89% of vacation property owners surveyed cited “to use for vacations or as a family retreat” as a reason for purchasing their second place answer is telling, indeed. Twenty-seven percent of respondents said they were purchasing their home “to rent to others.” While this number is up from the 25% cited in last year’s survey, Karpinski predicts next year’s survey will really tell the tale. As recession-crunched homeowners pursue new income streams-and as it becomes ever more evident that the vacation rental market is booming-2009 will prove to be a huge turning point in the renting out of second homes.

- People are more in touch with “rental realities” than they once were. In the past, says Karpinski, a first-time vacation homeowner might have expected to rent out their property an unrealistic number of weeks (say, 50 weeks out of the year). But NAR’s Special Report for HomeAway shows that 44% of respondents said they plan to rent anywhere between 9-26 weeks.

- Renting by owner has become mainstream. The NAR Special Report for HomeAway reveals that 54% of respondents plan to market their homes themselves. This do-it-yourself attitude reflects not only a burgeoning confidence index among vacation property owners, but also the wealth of support resources available to those who want to rent out their homes themselves.