So you know you want to buy a vacation home. And you generally know the geographical area, and your price range. You’ve vacationed in the general area from time to time. Now you’re ready to narrow the field, and pick the town perfect for you. What’s the best way to go on a scouting trip for your ideal vacation home destination? Here’s one roadmap:
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The Perfect Scouting Trip in 8 Easy Steps:
- Select a manageable area
- Flexible and spontaneous schedule
- Explore your personal interests first
- Avoid the tourist spots
- Do what you love to do
- Visit the Chamber of Commerce
- Take lots of notes and photos
- Find your home using EscapeHomes.com
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Select a manageable area for your search
Assuming you have set aside a time for your search, (perhaps a week) then create an area that is manageable in that time. The area needs to be small enough to be explored well in that time frame, but not so small as to limit you to only the towns you know well. For example, if you were looking in Northern California, you might pick one county, like Sonoma County, or Humboldt County, while if you were looking at the Oregon Coast, you might pick the Southern Coast, or the Northern Coast.
Let the schedule be flexible and spontaneous
Leave plenty of time to stop and explore the town, and be able to spontaneously stay over when you feel called to do so. If you have rigid ideas of how far you must get and when you need to be in which town, you limit your options for following your own instincts. For example, on one trip, we were heading to Oregon from California, but were attracted to a gorgeous lake, with an Inn right next to it. Rather than push on, we stayed overnight and found an entirely new part of California. If we had insisted on our schedule, we would have missed exploring this area in the heart of the redwoods. Generally two days is a good amount of time in one town. And 5-8 towns is about the limit you can take in during a single trip.
Explore your personal interests first in each town
Once you get to a town, walk around looking for the things which interest you the most. If you are into skiing, stop by and see what the sport shops look like. If you enjoy yoga or natural foods, look for a health food store. Examine the local bulletin boards and local newspaper and see if the things which you enjoy are prominently featured. Once you find your own interests, then everything else the town offers will be ‘icing on the cake.’ However, if the things you love aren’t there, you might miss them too much to enjoy what is there.
Avoid the tourist spots on this trip
Often there is so much to do in a vacation spot that you need weeks to explore. Of course, that’s precisely why you will be buying your second home there. However, during this trip, it’s better to focus on what the locals do and where they go. After all, once you’ve seen the tourist spots, it’s not that likely you’ll return again and again. After the initial excitement of newness has worn off, what does the town really offer? Head for the not-so-known spots and see what they are like. Remember, lots of things to do is a good sign, just make note of the abundance.
Do what you love to do
Doing what you love is a great way to imagine yourself living there. If you like to hike, leave time to explore one trail. If you love boating, rent a boat and see how the lake feels from the water. Remember that most people select their vacation spot based on their recreational interests, so take time for recreation. That's the whole point.
Visit the Chamber of Commerce
A great source of information in any town is the local Chamber of Commerce or Visitors Information bureau. They have an interest in you, and you have an interest in their town. Stop by and talk to them about things like off-season weather, housing prices, and lifestyle. They are usually more than happy to share their wealth of information with you.
Take lots of notes and photos
Keep a journal with you of your impressions of each town. Take lots of photos. When you return, you can match photos to your journal and really come to a decision on which town scored the most points in your ‘must have’ list of qualities.
Find your dream home using EscapeHomes.com
Once you return home, begin your home search in earnest. In the comfort of your own home, browse the town on EscapeHomes.com and view the properties. Without any pressure, look at the houses for sale at your leisure. When you find what interests you, contact one of the Escapehomes.Com Resort Area Specialists (RAS). They’ll be glad to help you, and you’ll be glad they did. That vacation home will soon be yours for good.