Summer Home in the Mountains
 

My wife and I are permanent residents but see our seasonal friends go up north for the summer. we are starting to think about a log cabin in the mountains but know very little about that experience.

Do any readers of this forum have (or have had) a log cabin in the mountain who would like to share their experiences? We are thinking only about a less than 1000 square foot cabin with a view that could be used as a rental when we are not there. Perhaps around Gatlinburg TN. Any input to our decision would be appreciated - lessons learned type comments. thanks

Lakeport, is on Clear Lake north of Napa Valley:

Hello Cuzg8tor,

We are planning on a move to the Villages in the near future. We own a cabin in a resort near Pigeon Forge. We had the cabin built as an investment property and rent it out through a management company. We thought about doing the same thing you are talking about if we move to the Villages. The mountains are beautiful no matter what time of the year.
You may view pictures of our cabin and some of the resort at this web site.


https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...3&l=5eaaef4cba

Sharon

Cuzg8tor: On the New Member forum, wvmtnboy and his wife wvredneckgirl have a log cabin and 2 acres in WV they want to sell to move to TV. PM them and if it works out send my finders fee! :laugh:

That's more than just a cabin, that's a gorgeous place! :thumbup:

Thank you CaptJohn. It is in a nice resort and does have several amenities.

Retired2: Thanks for the pictures. We were in Pigeon Forge a couple of weeks ago staying in a similar cabin. that vacation really got us thinking seriously about an investment cabin like the one you have. If you don't mind, could you share with us a ball park figure of what a cabin like yours might cost and your lessons learned from working with the management company? Has this worked out to be a positive cash flow investment for you? What expenses does the community charge you?

No matter how little you use it and how much you rent it, it doesn't work. For just what you pay in property taxes you can rent a place for a month every year. And you can chose a different place to go each year. We plan to rent some place new every year for a couple months. A cottage on an island in Casco Bay, a cottage on a lake in Canada, a place in Hawaii, A ski month in Tahoe, a catamaran in BVI, something different each year. I have owned many "vacation homes" and it just seems every vacation was working on the vacation home. There was always something that needed to be fixed or updated or changed.

Agree w/previous post. Had a place west of Poconos in PA for years. As our kids got older we rarely had time to go there. We thought we would retire there. NOT....snow, cold, miles from stores, doctors, etc. living here in TV still feels like we are on vacation. No regrets!

rent instead of buying
 

Certainly something to think about. thanks for your perspectives.

Mtn Homes 4 YOU
 

Villager just happens to have 2 mountain homes located north of Atlanta, only 7.5 hours from the Villages, view at [url=http://www.mountainlegacyhomes.com Mountain Legacy Homes[/url] one being 2000 sq ft, the other 1500 sq ft, both offer great rental income

Only 7.5 hours to the perfect mountain retreat
 

Just happen to have TWO GREAT MOUNTAIN HOMES, 299K AND 199K BUY OWNER, and GREAT RENTAL INCOME YEAR ROUND, view at Mountain Legacy Homes. Rabun County is a must visit, and most important, easy travel from the Villages.:wave:

I was going to suggest Moosehead Lake in northern MAINE for a log cabin or one of the islands around Bar Harbor.....but your posting makes a lot of sense and is actually the conclusion we've most likely come to ourselves.

Keeping two homes going, paying taxes on both, utilities on both (not renting them out) would be better spent on alternating trips to places such as you mention above.

Not everyone wants to stay with their adult children for four months out of the year, nor would we want to impose or intrude into their lifestyle...........again, your idea makes the most sense to us.

A "family vacation spot" alternating, as you mention, would also be great reunion wise.

As far as Canada goes, we loved the Canadian Maritimes and return again and again to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, etc. Gorgeous scenery, the Cabot Trail, etc.............ditto for Maine.

Obviously, everyone has their own "dream" but we seem to be on the same page as you are.

p.s. There are also "timeshare" clubs which do not lock you in to the same place each year.....but allow many locations all over the U.S.

N GA Mtns, Easy Travel From Villages
 

Just happen to have two cabin, currently used for rentals, but are for sale buy owner, no hurry to sale, as the rental income for this area is excellent...as most guest come from the Atlanta area which is only a hour drive..so cabins stay full. Property taxes in this area, LOW, one smaller cabin is $750 a year, the larger cabin $1,100 a year..you can view this homes at Mountain Legacy Homes under the for sale banner, Buy Owner price is 199K and 299K for NEW LOG HOME