Summer living in a ski town

[woodguy00]

This weekend DW and I spent a great long weekend in western Maine We started bouncing around the retirement possibility of buying a mountain house or condo we could live in from May through November and then renting it for the winter while we live south in our fifth wheel. Probably won't happen in New England but a possibility for somewhere out west.

Has anyone contemplated this or actually done it? It seems like a reasonable way to subsidize snowbirding and let us live in the mountains which we love in the seasons we love. Hopefully get back in time for a couple weeks of late spring skiing too.

I'm concerned over how small some resort areas are in regards to future medical needs. It also seems like some areas without real towns nearby could be pretty slow in the summer. Finding the right one would be important.


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[Jack_Pine]

We have not but (before our current plan) have spent a few long summer weekends in Vail and Breckenridge. We both commented we could do this in the summer months in retirement. We also loved the mountains and there was a lot to do.

 

[pb4uski]

In a lot of ski communities you can find summer rentals for a song... same thing with winter rentals in places like Myrtle Beach. A friend was considering buying a condo in Myrtle Beach, renting it out in the summer and using it as a winter getaway. Weather there is mostly sweater weather in the winter other than the colder snaps as I understand.

 

[RockyMtn]

Had a home in Breckenridge for about twenty years. Used it more in the summer than the winter the older I got. Decided to sell it a few years back. Never really rented it other than to friends.

Now that we live full time in Scottsdale had to escape the August heat so we rented a condo in Park City, Ut. It was tremendous. Not real crowded, great golf at reasonable prices and all of the restaurants have 2 for 1 deals. Great time, great weather.

I have told DW that if I ever say I want to buy another vacation home to hit me over the head with a five iron. From here on out we rent!

 

[zinger1457]

I'm vacationing in Vail CO this week and will be in Breckenridge next week, really enjoy this area this time of year. Summers are very busy out here with a lot of activities going on especially if you like the outdoors. Things start to slowdown after labor day until the ski season starts. The local daily paper is free, mainly because 3/4 of the paper is real estate ads. Be ready to drop some serious $'s for a place in this area. I've haven't run the number so no idea if it would pay for itself buying and renting out during the ski season.

 

[ABQ2015]

Most of the western ski towns are popular in both the summer and the winter. And there has been an explosion of vacation rentals to the point that long term rentals are often scarce and workers have problems finding housing. Landlords can charge more for vacation rentals and don't have all the problems that they do with long term renters (e.g., lengthy eviction processes). In response to public complaints, some towns are starting to limit the number of vacation rentals and/or apply hotel taxes and more regulation.

 

[Bamaman]

Summers in the ski resort towns are glorious. It's April and May that are not enjoyable--with rains and mud as the snow melts.

The problem is finding a decent priced place to purchase. If the resort is very desirable, the price can be astronomical. My sister sold a 3 bedroom apartment condo in Aspen and purchased a huge house in the NC Mountains AND a Learjet to fly to it in--no kidding.

 

[ivinsfan]

Two words for you Brian Head, Utah. the worlds best kept secret.....I agree on the April and November.

 

[pb4uski]

Summers in the ski resort towns are glorious. It's April and May that are not enjoyable--with rains and mud as the snow melts.

The problem is finding a decent priced place to purchase. If the resort is very desirable, the price can be astronomical. My sister sold a 3 bedroom apartment condo in Aspen and purchased a huge house in the NC Mountains AND a Learjet to fly to it in--no kidding.

But my understanding is that in smaller resorts that you can rent off-season (Apr to Nov) for a very reasonable price.... good for those who prefer solitude to constant resort area activity.

 

[woodguy00]

Two words for you Brian Head, Utah. the worlds best kept secret.....I agree on the April and November.

Wow - thanks for the lead. I hadn't heard of Brian Head since pouring over SKI magazine as a teenager in the cornfields of Iowa. After spending an hour online this morning, it's got to be on 'the list'.

 

[Willers]

6 months into retirement and we just moved to a Colorado resort town (one of the larger ones). Several of our neighbors do exactly what you described. They spend the summers here and head elsewhere in the winter. Some rent them out, some don't. Medical care in our town is fabulous because we draw talented professionals that want the mountain lifestyle. This was a big concern for us so we researched it thoroughly.

Just keep in mind that many places are great for a few weeks but may not be for a while season. Plus, some places get really crowded.

Going into "shoulder season" right now. The Aspens are turning and the weather is fabulous.

Good luck!


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[ivinsfan]

Wow - thanks for the lead. I hadn't heard of Brian Head since pouring over SKI magazine as a teenager in the cornfields of Iowa. After spending an hour online this morning, it's got to be on 'the list'.

We've been there in June it's amazing in it's beauty, cooler then St George but not too far for some amazing day trips. World famous Shakespeare festival in Cedar City. Don't know about housing prices but lots of empty condos and houses right in the mountains during the summer.

 

[48Fire]

I have a retired friend who owns a Park City condo. He rents it during peak months, then comes and goes off season. I have no idea what his profit/loss is.

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[COcheesehead]

Two words for you Brian Head, Utah. the worlds best kept secret.....I agree on the April and November.

Biked though Brian Head a few years ago. Is there even a town? I just remember a small, old ski hill and barren land.

 

[ivinsfan]

Biked though Brian Head a few years ago. Is there even a town? I just remember a small, old ski hill and barren land.

Barren land, really? well google is your friend, it's the Brian Head area and right now has over 150 homes for sale.

 

[COcheesehead]

Barren land, really? well google is your friend, it's the Brian Head area and right now has over 150 homes for sale.

I just remember not being much "there" there. Like the area behind my wife in the photo I posted. The valley around Cedar City is beautiful though and it would give you good access to Zion and Bryce.

 

[ivinsfan]

I just remember not being much "there" there. Like the area behind my wife in the photo I posted. The valley around Cedar City is beautiful though and it would give you good access to Zion and Bryce.

+1.. did you go to Cedar Breaks...? mini Bryce with no crowds.

 

[COcheesehead]

+1.. did you go to Cedar Breaks...? mini Bryce with no crowds.

The day we were there, it was closed for some reason. I think there was a slide that closed the road or something like that. I can't remember the specifics, but we were bummed to miss it.

 

[DrRoy]

I have thought a fair bit about doing this with Telluride CO as the location. It is so close to the places out west that I love to visit. Haven't done anything about it yet.

 

[woodguy00]

Thanks for the feedback.

After spending some time online we've added some new places to visit. My criteria is relatively low housing cost (which rules out Telluride, Aspen, Tahoe, etc) with a small/medium town nearby. The isolated resort areas with no town seem lacking to me. Even a town of 3000-10,000 seems like it has more going on, some level of healthcare and restaurants beyond base lodge snack bars and god awful expensive tourist dining. Having a small city within an hour or so is good too IMO.

Some possibilities at this point:

Bear Lake Idaho/Utah
Eden Utah
Brian Head Utah
Sandpoint ID
Bend OR
Wenatchee WA
Ruidoso NM
Driggs ID

 

[Sojourner]

What about Winter Park, CO? I believe it meets all your stated criteria, although I am not sure about the cost of housing. It's certainly much lower than Vail or Aspen or Tahoe, but I'd guess higher than Brian Head and the other locales you listed. A huge advantage to Winter Park is its relatively close access to Denver, a world-class city IMHO. Just a bit over 1 hour by car at a leisurely pace.

 

[ivinsfan]

All neat places and I have been to a few of them.. can you keep posting to this thread or start a new thread when you start these trips?

 

[woodguy00]

What about Winter Park, CO? I believe it meets all your stated criteria, although I am not sure about the cost of housing. It's certainly much lower than Vail or Aspen or Tahoe, but I'd guess higher than Brian Head and the other locales you listed. A huge advantage to Winter Park is its relatively close access to Denver, a world-class city IMHO. Just a bit over 1 hour by car at a leisurely pace.

Looks like we need to add Winter Park to the list. Seems like some of the more affordable real estate near a Colorado resort. Are there others I'm missing as we are flying into Denver in a month or so and could have boots on the ground.

 

[COcheesehead]

Looks like we need to add Winter Park to the list. Seems like some of the more affordable real estate near a Colorado resort. Are there others I'm missing as we are flying into Denver in a month or so and could have boots on the ground.

Glenwood Springs would be my top choice. Very pretty, nice fun town with lots to do, close to a small local ski hill called Sunlight and an hour from Aspen. Not too far from Colorado's wine country as well in Palisade.
You could also throw Gunnison into the mix being close to another Colorado gem, Crested Butte. Gunnison is the home of Western State University. It is a little remote though.

 

[Texas Proud]

Looks like we need to add Winter Park to the list. Seems like some of the more affordable real estate near a Colorado resort. Are there others I'm missing as we are flying into Denver in a month or so and could have boots on the ground.

The only thing that I would warn about is AC... we stayed one night on our long vacation at Winter Park... and it was 'hot'... in the mid to high 80s... and the very nice resort had no AC... it was not comfortable in the condo even with the fan... eventually it cooled down at night, but it is not a place I would want to stay long term....

Also, not really much to do unless you want to mountain bike the slopes...