Finding the Perfect Vacation Home

This is the time of the year when many of our visitors, after having a thoroughly enjoyable ski week, consider purchasing a vacation home here in the mountains. When they come to my office asking about vacation properties there are several questions that I ask that help both me and the prospective buyer narrow down just what it is they actually are looking for.

The first question that needs to be asked is: Are you intending to rent the property during the times you are not using it? The importance of this question is that not all properties are zoned for vacation rentals, so if this is an important criterion I immediately eliminate the areas that are not zoned for this or in some cases, though zoned for vacation rentals, may not be practical.

The second question concerns location: Is ski-in/ski-out important? Is being close to the center of town important? Or, is getting in the car to go skiing or into town acceptable? As we spoke of in the previous post, ski-in/ski-out properties, like ocean-front properties, tend to be quite expensive. So if you are willing to put up with the inconvenience of taking a car or public transportation to the resorts, you can find a similar property for considerably less, or a much larger property for the same price.

Now we get into the nuts and bolts questions: How many bedrooms are needed? Would you prefer a townhouse-style condo over an apartment-style condo? And of course, price range. Here in Park City, we are blessed with having an abundance of developable land throughout the area which gives us a wide variety of size and price of vacation properties. We can find one-bedroom condos outside the core area under $100,000 while a one-bedroom near the resorts can easily be $300,000 or higher.

One thing that most people don’t actually think about until we start looking at property is views. Not only are views important aesthetically but also very important for resale. In purchasing in a resort, people are looking for the view as that is why they came here in the first place. This is where a local Realtor becomes invaluable. If you are just looking on the internet at properties and are focused on size and price, proximity to the resorts and the views may be confusing or even misleading. A photo from the deck of a condo may show fabulous views to the resort, when in fact those views could be blocked by a new development going in near by, or perhaps the view is taken from an angle that you wouldn’t normally see. Having local knowledge of upcoming developments, preferred views or preferred locations is information that is best obtained by your Realtor.

So when considering purchasing in a resort, in order to ensure that your Realtor is focusing on the properties that are right for you and your family, there needs to be a discussion on just what it is you’re looking for, what your use will be, and of course, a price range that you’re comfortable with. It is important to have this discussion when you first sit down with your Realtor. Your Realtor will be able to put together a selection of properties that best fit your needs, rather than showing you every property with the right number of bedrooms and right price. You are here on vacation and our goal, while wanting to find you the perfect vacation home, is also to maximize your vacation time and spend time looking at properties to just what works for your family.Hopefully your Realtor will have this discussion with you on your first meeting or very early on, but if not, know the answers to these questions yourself and make your Realtor aware of your needs.

It’s springtime in the Rockies, which means that we’re getting lots of snow. It seems that the last few years some of the best skiing has been at the end of the season and this year is no exception. Strong snowstorms with great powder skiing followed by bright, sunny days. So come experience spring skiing in Park City, bring your sunscreen, warm clothes, as well as spring wear, and be prepared for anything.