3 Things Retirees Need To Consider Before Buying a Second Home
Depending on where in the U.S. you are located, there can be substantial appeal to the idea of a second retirement home. Neither harsh winters up north or sweltering summers in the South are all that appealing if you aren’t tied to a single location because of work. It can help to consider these three things before you take the plunge.
- Property Taxes
Most retirees aren’t made of money. Switching to a fixed income can result in some serious belt-tightening for some households. If you are considering adding a second home to your real estate portfolio, be sure to look into property tax rates in the other location. They may be substantially more or less than what you are used to. Guides like this one can help you pick an area with lower tax rates.
- Off-Season Storage
When splitting your time between two places, you will need to look into long-term storage for certain items, such as special equipment, cars or recreational vehicles. Contact facilities that offer RV or boat storage Middleburg ahead of time to find out what is involved.
- Home Maintenance
You probably already know that owning a home requires a lot of maintenance. Stop and think for a minute about how owning two doubles that investment of time and resources. Lawn mowing, occasional cleaning, checking in on appliances and having your HVAC system serviced will all need to be done at both places. Since you can’t be in two places at once, that means you’ll be paying a professional to provide these services in one or the other location.
Having a second house to enjoy in retirement can be a wonderful experience. However, it’s best to go into the situation with your eyes wide open. Look into property taxes, maintenance contracts and storage at each location before deciding if this is a step you want to take.
