the process of deciding which lake house took eighteen long months.
the graphic actually makes the process look nice and simple.
it actually looked more like hours on our phones looking at properties on realtor.com, zillow, trulia. . . . it felt like years on the interstate and backroads back and forth from our primary home for showings.
and the process sounded more like this, “too close to the bridge, under the wrong bridge, water too busy, too far from family, too close to family, did we have a dock, did we want a home-improvement project.” God knows everything needed to be considered?
our keyword became tradeoffs. what were we willing to tradeoff to get something of the greater good for the family. one word determined which house – family. we chose the house on the lake where I grew up. and the part of the lake near our family.
what I learned buying a second home:
- use a local agent, a buyer’s agent – properties are often not listed yet
- trust your agent, the photos online may not demonstrate the negative and positives they can convey
- be patient
- have your must haves prioritized, but be flexible
- have your immediate family buy-in
- narrow it down to finalist
- book vrbo’s near your finalists
- pray and go for it
we got measurements at our last showing and purchased furniture while we waited to close so we could occupy the terrace level during construction. yes, that’s right one of our tradeoffs was necessary construction, but it has been worth it.
island view 