Second Homes For Dummies - Softcover

McCrea, Bridget; Spignesi, Stephen J.

3.67

6 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0470105224 ISBN 13: 9780470105221

Publisher: For Dummies, 2007

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Thinking about owning a second home? Whether you want a relaxing getaway spot, a future retirement home, or just a place to rent out for profit, having a second home has always been a good investment. But how will you know where to look, how to invest, and what you need to avoid?

Second Homes For Dummies gives you the tools you need to handle the entire second-home buying process from concept to completion! This book covers the bases and the basics of buying a second home, presenting all information in a logical and modular format so you can find just what you need on the subjects that interest you. You’ll find out everything you need to know to:

Determine whether or not a second home is right for you
Maximize your options for a second home
Search for a home and find the money to pay for it
Rent out your home for profit
Renovate and maintain it to ensure its growing value
Make your second home your primary home
Look for and purchase a home in another country

Also provided are a list of the best places in the world to buy a home, ways to improve your home and make it first rate, and rules that you should talk about with your guests. With Second Homes For Dummies, you can make your dream of having a second home come true!

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From the Back Cover:

Deal with agents, tenants, mortgages, and more

Let your second home work for you now, and retire to it later

Dreaming of that perfect cottage in the mountains or that beachfront getaway? Can you afford it? How do you find one? Will it make money or cost money? What about upkeep and taxes? Relax! This handy book guides you through every step, from assessing your finances and deciding when to buy, to maintaining and maximizing your investment.

Choose the right home
Decide whether to build
How to pay for it
Go it alone or use a pro
Find reliable tenants
Prepare for the retirement move

About the Author:

Bridget McCrea is a former real estate agent who, for the last 12 years, has run her own Florida-based freelance writing company, Expert Writing Services, Inc. She specializes in business topics and, because of her background, spends a good deal of her time writing about real estate–related topics for magazines such as REALTOR Magazine, Florida Realtor, The Residential Specialist, and Log Home Living.
Bridget has also penned a few books along the way, including The Real Estate Agent’s Field Guide, The Home Buyer’s Question and Answer Book, The Real Estate Agent’s Business Planner, and the RE/MAX Guide to Buying a Home.
She’s shared her home-buying expertise on various radio programs and Web sites, and is herself a homeowner who, until recently, also owned a rental home out of state. Hunkered down in her Florida home office for most of the day and night, Bridget does break away from her desk now and then to work out at the gym and run 5K road races on a regular basis. She’s now thinking seriously about training her 12-year-old daughter, Catie, to take over her business so she can put down the pen, turn off the computer, buy a vacation home on Maui, and get a life outside of work. So far, Catie has been somewhat noncommittal about giving up soccer and homework to be a CEO.

Stephen Spignesi is a full-time writer and editor and the author of 40 nonfiction books and one acclaimed debut novel, Dialogues (Bantam). His books include The New York Times bestseller, J.F.K. Jr., five books about Stephen King, three books about the Beatles, and several books about world and American history, pop culture, the paranormal, true crime, TV, movies, cooking, natural disasters, Italian historical figures, cats, and contemporary fiction. Stephen’s most recent book is George Washington’s Leadership Lessons (published by Wiley), written with James Rees, the executive director of George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Stephen lives in New Haven, Connecticut, with his wife, Pam, and their beloved and brilliant cat, Carter.

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