Last weekend our friends Rich and Jamie invited us up to their vacation home for the weekend. It’s not a vacation home in the sprawling ocean side mansion sense of the word, but more along the lines of a parked trailer home located within a seasonal camping resort. Fish Lake Beach is the camping resort that our friends have their vacation home in, and although the notion of a parked trailer home doesn’t conjure up the same images as a coastal cottage retreat , it was most certainly a relaxing escape from the hustle and the bustle of the real world in it’s own right.
We had plenty to keep us entertained from a leisurely boat ride, to dancing under the stars at the pavilion, to a relaxing dip in the hot tub.
And then there were several hikes up to the general store for ice cream.
Some of the time we just sat around doing nothing.
Which was quite alright with me, since I don’t often have a chance to just sit around the campfire and contemplate the mysteries of the elements.
Realizing just how happy our friends were with their vacation home, I asked Rich and Jamie what considerations went into their final decision for choosing Fish Lake Beach. They told me that they did put some thought into it all before making their final choice.
The following are 5 tips they used to narrow down their search for a vacation home:
Distance
Location is one of the primary considerations when investing in real estate, but when looking for a vacation home the questions you want to ask yourself are:
How far are you willing to drive from your own home, to your vacation home on a regular basis?
How long will it take to get there? An hour, two, three?
Is there a lot of traffic along the route?
Are there alternative routes to the vacation home in the case of construction?
Rich and Jamie felt that they were not willing to travel more than one hour away on the weekends and that anything more would have been more stressful than relaxing on a regular basis.
Distance, travel time and accessibility to your vacation home should be ideal for your situation.
Amenities
Most camping resorts will offer outdoor and indoor features and activities that would keep a family busy on any given day. You will want to make sure that the amenities within the resort, as well as those nearby, are the types of leisure activities that are suitable and enjoyable to you and your family over an extended period of time.
Think boating, fishing, golfing, horseback riding, hunting, shopping, antiquing…
Management
The arrangement in most camping resorts is such that a vacation owner would purchase and own a trailer home, but actually only rent and pay fees for the plot of land that the trailer is placed on.
Part of the rental fee is to cover costs for management, maintenance, security of the grounds and upkeep within the resort. To see just how well the management is using the resort funds, visit the resort and explore the property and buildings.
Are the grounds and buildings being kept clean?
Does the place look like it’s falling apart, or are there signs of current maintenance, upkeep, updates, and repairs?
Do they have a general store for basic necessities?
Do you see staff members out and about the grounds available to assist the patrons?
Knowing that the fees for rental of their property are being put to good use will makes for a better investment all around.
Community
Some people are looking for solitude on a weekend retreat, others find the sense of community that many summer resorts offer as a must have on their list. Community activities often include things like Karaoke, dance parties, watermelon eating contests, children’s games, craft sessions, even Sunday church service.
Does the resort send out a newsletter or calendar of events for all of the community activities they have to offer?
Keeping in mind the community surrounding a camping resort is sure to help with the final decision.
Affordability
Investing in a vacation home should be within one’s budget. Of course, that goes without saying, but you can save yourself some time by doing a little research before hand to limit your choices down to those resorts that you can afford. Most camping resorts have online listings and websites with pricing these days, making it pretty easy to see the range of pricing for rental sites and trailers homes for sale within a resort.
Making an affordable investment and knowing that you can make the payments without stressing out goes a long way in keeping with the idea of relaxation, which in most cases is the reason for wanting a vacation home in the first place.
These 5 tips helped our friends Rich and Jamie find a camping resort for their vacation home without regret. If you are considering the investment in a vacation home, be it at a camping resort or elsewhere, I hope that these 5 tips will also help you make the best decision possible.
What feature would you prefer the most in a vacation home?
Location, community, solitude, amenities…?
You can also check out: 14 tips for a stress free start (and finish) to your road trip
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Mel says
sigh I wish I had a vacation home! Great tips maybe one day I can use them, an hour – an hour and a half is all I would do for a weekender, looks like you had a fab time.
Danni@SiloHillFarm says
I wish I was choosing a vacation home too! Of course, Sam would probably find a fixer-upper and I’d be renovating for another 6 months!! Good tips Amy.
Doreen@househoneys says
This is a very timely post Amy. You may recall we are in the market for an RV, and while looking for a storage facility we happened upon a camping resort. I didn’t know they existed! It’s a whole other option for not just weekenders, but second homes as well. The resort was actually more for RV’s then trailers, but I suppose it’s the same concept.
When we were looking for a vacation home 9 years ago, our criteria was that it should be within three hours. We ended up getting one within two hours and that was perfect. Yes, an hour would have been even better, but you’d be surprised how quickly you get used to the drive. In fact, many times we’ve done a round trip in a day.
Thrift My House says
Dream! I would love a place at the beach. We’re only an hour and a half from there. We take day trips but it would be nice to pack a bag and stay. My main priority would be cleanliness… is it clean, does it smell, and is it in a safe location. Maybe one day…. Great post!
Sherry
xoxo
Feral Turtle says
Some excellent advice Amy! I know sometimes people spend more time working at their vacation homes than actually enjoying themselves. A maintenance free resort is a good option!