Do you begin dreading your departure the moment you arrive at your favorite vacation locale? Does your entire household feel the same way? Might be time for your very own seasonal or vacation home!
Even if you’re still fond of your permanent residence — and want to keep it for a while — you know you’re ready for a “home away from home” that isn’t a relative’s or good friend’s sofa, or someone else’s condo.
The thought of spending winter months is Florida’s balmy 60-and-70-degree days, versus snow and ice, sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? So does being on vacation any time you can take it, without having to sweat hotel or rental-property availability.
Here’s how to make those dreams of a seasonal or vacation home, a reality.
How you know you’re interested
You return to the same locale every chance you get. It may not be to the same structure — perhaps whatever hotel sports the best rate at a given time — but you’re firmly in the same geographical area. And perhaps even the same neighborhood.
You’ve traveled enough in Florida to know what you and your household like — the Atlantic coast versus the Gulf of Mexico. Beach people or boaters. A dining and cultural scene, or the serenity of camping or hiking excursions.
You may visit often enough that you’ve graduated from hotels to rental condominiums, townhomes or homes.
Yep, time to seek your own place.
How to choose your home
First, decide how you’ll use it. Is it a turnkey destination for whenever you have the time and whim to visit Florida? Or, would you like to be here for several months once you arrive?
Is a master-planned community with amenities such as swimming pools, golf courses and gathering spots (playgrounds, residents club) important? How about security? Gated or not?
And the biggest question: do you think you’d like to live here permanently someday? If so, be careful about squeezing yourself into a tiny living space. Unless that’s precisely your motivation.
Once you’ve settled on the type of home and its location for a vacation or seasonal pad, do the nitty-gritty homework of researching mortgages, taxes, homeowner-association fees and utility costs. Not exciting, we know, but critical to ensuring you attain your second home. Plus, one of our Online Sales Consultants would be happy to help and make your homework a little easier. You can get in touch with them here.
P.S.: Florida is one of only a handful of states that levies no state sales tax. Yay!
Check out these ICI Homes communities
We build everything from cozy townhomes to sprawling estates. We’ve built across the state of Florida for four decades, and customizing homes — often at low or no cost — is one of our foundational hallmarks.
Woodhaven in Port Orange, Mosaic in Daytona Beach, Plantation Bay in Ormond Beach, the Liberty Cove, Heritage Trace and Freedom Landing neighborhoods at Nocatee in Ponte Vedra, and Verona in Ormond by the Sea, are good candidates for seasonal or vacation homeowners.
Ready for your Florida lifestyle? Start your search.