When we got our summer home we had a forward put on the mail for a few months. After we had given our mailing address to all of the new utility/insurance, etc. companies, we didn't worry about it because we knew nothing except junk would be mailed there. I think our mailman there knows not to deliver the junk mail because there is never anything there when we visit. Of course, removing the mailbox helped. I don't worry too much about vandals. My neighbors keep an eye on my house and one of them parks his van in my driveway every now and then so it doesn't look unoccupied all of the time. Will you be in an area where neighbors can see the house or is it more isolated? If they are close by, definitely become friends with them. Ours have an extra key to our house in case I need anything checked. I have also let friends/relatives of theirs stay in my house a couple of times when they had overflow from weddings, etc. so I try to help them out whenever I can too.

We owned a second home for over twenty years. We still have a commercial building in the town.

Ours was under two hours away. We were able to spend weekends and I would spend summers with our daughters.

I loved the idea that we could pick up and go without having to make plans. The town has had it's ups and downs but always looked presentable. Others in the area were very depressed. I don't think I would buy there.
Our home was located on a large creek. We had boating and swimming outside our back door. It was centrally located so that my girls went horseback riding ten miles away, ten miles in another direction was a camp they went to etc.
All mail was sent to our home address, so I received only junk mail at the country house. Paperwork such as bills wasn't a problem.

You have to question why you want a second home. For me, being on the water was key. A neighbor of mine has a second home on a golf course. To just go to another home that is on a street similar to living on a street at home, doesn't make sense to me. Is this place near water, hiking, etc?
Tell us why this house seems special to you?

On a side note, although I loved my house for the years we had it, what turned me off toward the end was new neighbors. The houses on our street were very close and the new neighbors had tons of company. They would spill over to our dock and they were noisy. It wasn't the quiet retreat that it once was.
Looking back, I would have preferred a property with more privacy. I don't think it would ever be a mistake to have privacy. I might still own it now.

We are probably different than most, but we have owned the weekend house for 5 years. Long before we owned the "real" house. Weekend house is used about 2 days (sometimes more around holidays) a week regardless of season. We only work 4 days a week and prefer to be outdoors. It's only about 1 hour away but 5 minute walk to our boat on a great ski lake and our backyard has a dock for our canoes and paddle boards. Nearby we have 30 + miles of mtb trails. So, for us, it is the perfect place to unwind. In the summer we will sometimes drive up fo a night ride, then sleep over and leave for work the next day. It is also perfect distance for friends or family to stop by for just a day or if we'd like the weekend.

As we're a young family I think it is the perfect distance. We can still hit the lake during soccer season etc...

We have a security system up there and beware of dog signs and the people in the community have seen us with our giants. All our bills are done through electronic billing. I don't worry about theft or vandalism any more than I worry about it at our city home. For us the cost of ownership is worth it. But if we only used the house once a month, I doubt I would feel the same way.

We've owned a lake house for our entire marriage, coming up on 55 years. We live at the ocean in Ma. and then go to Maine for summers and my kids use it all winter. I have an art studio there and love to get up there. As a matter of fact we just got home from there an hour ago. It's a 3 hour ride for us but we don't mind it. We have time to be alone and then lots of company. I have never regretted it as it's always being used. Yes, the double bills are harder now that we're retired but we still manage. My three offspring and my three grands consider this just a normal part of life. For me, it's heaven as I was brought up in Boston and only saw pavement. We used to go weekends when we worked but now we go whenever, this time it was a two week stretch as we took out a claw foot tub and redid the entire bathroom. No more tub, walk in shower, all handicapped equipped in the event one of us should need it. I did that as some of my friends need it and I bring them up too. You will never regret it, but, in the off chance you do, you can sell it and make a profit. It's a win win. Good luck.

We have a weekend lake home 2.5 hous away. We use it every weekend in the summer and about once a month in the winter. There are enough neighbors around that vandalism isn't a problem. Multiple sets of utility bills, etc. aren't a big deal as long as you can afford essentially the double expense of having two homes. We have no mailbox at the weekend place and just get our mail at home. We really enjoy having the place but it was pretty much turnkey - not a distressed fixer upper. We don't have time for that nor would we enjoy it. We enjoy lake activities and having friends visit.

We have had a vacation home for about 9 years now. We have actually had two -- the first one we had for about 4 years and then we "upgraded" to a different house in the same town but closer to the beach. We love being able to go there whenever we want to (schedules permitting), not having to check in or check out at specific times, being able to invite friends for the weekend if we want to, and knowing that our kids will have memories of this place when they're older. It's about an hour and 40 minutes from home, so manageable for a day trip if necessary.

We have all bills related to that house sent to our main address. The house is in a neighborhood with full-time residents who would call us if they noticed anything amiss, and we do have an alarm system for fire/smoke, flooding, power outage, etc., and our home phone gets called if any of those alarms goes off. We also have the house cleaned once a month partly so there is someone in the house at least that often to notice if anything is awry.

Unfortunately, over the past 1-2 years we haven't spent as much time there as we'd like, mostly because of our kids' schedules, but we go there almost all summer weekends and we always spend three full weeks there every summer. We used to go about one weekend per month in the off season too, but that's the part that has changed the most because our kids have so much going on. But, eventually when we retire, DH and I plan to spend lots and lots of time there -- not full time, but most of the spring and summer.

I was sort of afraid to buy a second home at first, but it's worked out really well for us.

PS another thing I love -- keeping some clothes there as well as toiletries, etc., so when we go there for a weekend, we generally only need one small bag for the whole family -- usually just books we're reading, maybe a laptop, etc.

Thanks so much for all of the replies and insight.

Why do we want this property? It's an old barn that's been converted to living quarters on acreage. We currently live "in the country" but this is much more secluded than what we currently have, on a much bigger piece of land. We haven't decided yet what the long-term function of the place will be, but there are lots of options.

It could just be our weekend getaway, we could use it for some agricultural investment (grow hay, raise goats, lease it for cattle or horses, etc.) or we can rent it. It currently has renters, and we were a little shocked to find out how much they're paying every month. Our realtor even suggested using it as a wedding and party property.

In the meantime, it will be a project, and we actually kind of like projects.Nothing that needs a total gut reno or anything labor and cost intesive (pending the inspection), but definiely needs TLC inside and out. As it is, we think it's totally charming, but think we can bring a little more of the wow factor to it with some love and work.

In California, real estate is so expensive, it's hard to maintain two homes unless they can be rented with a positive cash flow so it can maintain itself.

'Mom's house, in the Silicone Valley, is on a postage stamp lot. Her house is 1465 sq feet with three bedrooms and one and a half baths. When she passed in March, we had to get it appraised for the trust. It appraised at $765,000. It is leased for $2800. Per month. It's paid off but we are saving all the money in a seperate account - in case the house needs something. We intend to sell after our tenants lease is up but that won't be for a year and a half.

Housing is on the climb here again and it's rising quickly.

Where I live, in CA., prices are more reasonable but not by that much. It's cheaper for us to vacation than it would be to maintain a second home that sat empty if we weren't around.l

My sister lives in a State where real estate is very reasonable. In that case, it is cheaper to buy than rent. Her boys have purchased homes for a song.