Considering Real Estate Within a Resort? Start by Asking the Right Questions

Considering Real Estate Within a Resort? Start by Asking the Right Questions
With the summer vacation season well underway in the White
Mountains, some families are having such a great time with
their play time that they've started thinking about owning
property in the area.

And for those who might be overwhelmed by the thought of
choosing a home in a place they've never lived before and
don't live nearby now, or aren't sure where or how to start
the search, there's an easier and highly attractive option
available ?resort communities.

Going with a resort property can be a great idea. Buying a
condo within a resort is one way to go, but it's not the
only way ? buying raw land and building your own detached
home is also a possibility.

The road to resort property ownership can be very
straightforward, when following these basic steps:

1. Start with the Internet. Use ?resort' as a search term
along with words for the area you want to buy in, the kind
of activities you like, or the type of property you want.
Then use that to develop a list of resorts to explore
further.

2. Call your list of resorts, and ask them to send you
their materials. Of course, these days, none of us want to
get hounded with emails and phone calls, so we're
suspicious of sharing contact information. But with resort
properties, you'll be making a big investment, so you need
to get as much information from them as possible ? so let
them share it with you.

Don't be shy about giving out your information ? or about
asking them what they plan to do with it. It's in their
financial interest to treat your information and time with
respect. So ask them as much as you need to know to be
comfortable.

3. Define your goals. Do you want to live in the resort
year round, or only vacation there? If you're not there all
the time, do you want to rent out the property? If you want
to build your own home, will the resort company let you?
Talk about these options with the resort company. You can
cut down your list of resorts based on their answers and
your needs.

4. Narrow down the list of amenities. These days, the
options are almost limitless. Best advice? Divide the
amenities into ?must-have,' ?nice-to-have,' and
?no-need-to-have,' then pick your top 2-3 resorts.

5. Visit the resorts. If you haven't already done it, check
out the scene in person. Resorts are designed to be
beautiful, but they're all beautiful in different ways.
Make sure what you've been seeing in the brochures and
imagining in your mind is what you'll be enjoying in
reality.

With these steps in mind, if you're planning on vacationing
at a resort community in the near future ? or even if
you're reading this while staying at one now! ? get the
jump on your research and check in with the resort office.
It may be the start of a new vacation lifestyle for you.

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Alpine Lakes Real Estate has been building long-term
relationships in the White Mountains region for more than
20 years. Their extensive real estate expertise is enhanced
by their vast knowledge of the entire building process.
With offices in Lincoln and Campton, NH, they also offer
assistance with IRS 1031 "like-kind" exchanges, and the
Design-Build services of their in-house architect. For more
information, go to http://www.AlpineLakes.com .