Congratulations, you’re finally retiring. After years of loyalty and working for a single company, you now have enough to sustain yourself for the remaining years of your life. Now that you are at that age where you are starting to think about the ways you can spend your retirement money, it is no fault of yours if you are thinking of finally constructing your own vacation home.
A personal vacation home is one of the most common retirement dreams of the common hardworking American. Almost 36% of the Baby Boomer Generation spend 36% of their income, both salaried and retirement, towards housing. A good chunk of that would go to their second real estate investment — their vacation home.
There are thousands of reasons why people buy vacation homes. Surprisingly, having an alternate home is not the primary reason why people buy their homes. Buying a vacation home has become a business for a lot of people. Vacation homes often pay for themselves, especially if you rent it out as a bed and breakfast for common city vacationers. People spend a good chunk of their savings on buying vacation homes even before buying their primary home. Some prefer to make their vacation home their primary home and rent their city-dwelling instead.
Vacation homes also diversify your portfolio of assets as it lets you expand your income. Equity also grows alongside your assets column once you are done paying for it. It is also a good investment as to where you can live when you finally retire. Lastly, with your own personal vacation home, you can take as many vacations as you want, technically, free of charge.
How do you begin building your vacation home?
Location
Finding a good location where you can build your summer or vacation home is vital before you can start hammering away on your new project. When finding a perfect location, you must account for not only your personal preferences but also the general market’s preference as well. Some people are hard-headed and insist on buying a specific lot because of sentimental reasons.
However, you will find that these same buyers have a hard time finding renters or future buyers. Since they did not take into account the viability of the location, they often sell or rent at a loss to keep the cash inflow going. Also, make sure that the area is accessible, near the common necessities of civilization, and near to the incredible sights of nature.
Contractor
Finding a trustworthy contractor you can rely on to do the job you cannot oversee every day is essential to building a proper vacation home. Reasonable contractors are hard to get by nowadays. Most contractors are just trying to make a quick buck by undercutting the construction materials they use. Scummy contractors will even try to overcharge you if you are not familiar with the verbiage of construction.
A contractor that has good reviews and is trustworthy individuals must be onboard your project. It is not all the time you can watch your dream vacation home being built. A trustworthy and reliable contractor will make sure the job is delivered, and the expenses are kept transparent. Always remember that this is your dream vacation home. It is only for them to execute.
A contractor who knows how to conduct construction factoring is advisable to keep the project going, even if the finances come in spurts. They should make sure everything is on schedule. Prolonging the project will only net you a negative return on investment in the long run. Wrap everything up and leave no stone unturned.
Financing
Ensuring you have enough financing to cover the costs of constructing your dream home is a top priority. Always save some retirement money for yourself. Never go broke trying to finance a home you will not spend that much time in. Spending only enough is the smart investment decision. Always try to loan from a bank or financing institution when making a big business decision. Unlike banks, you might not have enough money for it. Even if you do, softening the blow the project has on your wallet is the wisest thing you could do.
Constructing your vacation home is one of life’s projects you should not miss out on when given the opportunity. A vacation home also offers you a goal to look forward to — whether from a business or personal perspective. While there are many things to consider, all the hassles will be worth it once you finish the project. It offers you a lot of real estate flexibility that is materialized from your hard-earned money and savings.
