Almost 2 years ago my husband and I decided to purchase a vacation home in Chelan, WA. I don’t include him in the decision to buy because, well…when it comes to my husband he’s the kind of guy who doesn’t like change of any kind. But we both liked Chelan alot and I was “into” the idea of having a get-away place of our own.
Not only had we been visiting Lake Chelan for years with friends and family; but I was intrigued by the investment upside of the area with it’s increasing number of wineries and growing popularity as a wedding destination.
At first we weren’t really sure how often we would want to make the 3-hour drive or what our flexibility to get away for long weekends might be; so we began our search with the idea of buying a vacant lot to build upon in the future.
As our search continued though, we I realized finding a small place would be a better option for us. With a land purchase our money would be tied up but we wouldn’t have a place to stay unless we continued booking rooms at the amazing Campbells Resort (which would add up quickly).
So…we I figured, why not have our own small home away from home that wouldn’t break the bank but would let us ease into the second home ownership lifestyle?
Easier said than done.
Our “wish list” was, like most buyers’, pretty lengthy for our budget. First and foremost we wanted a view. We also wanted a house that felt special, “vacation-y”…not like something we’d see in a subdivision in Western WA. It had to be big enough for us to stay in comfortably, but not too big that we felt we were flushing money away every month on maintenance and utilites. It took a little while, but after exhaustively searching MLS, Zillow, Craigslit, expired listings, cancelled listings and just about every other source I could think of, the perfect property popped for sale.
We made an offer sight unseen, and thankfully it was accepted quickly.
I call it my “Little House with the Big View”.
After escaping far more than we had hoped, we are now undergoing an interior remodel to make things a little more modern and convenient. If you’re interested in following along on the progress, check back as I’ll be posting before and after photos soon.
I also realize there are many others who are considering buying a second home, either for vacation use, future retirement, or both so I’ll also be sharing what we’ve learned along the way in future posts.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering how my husband feels about our decision these days….
Cheers!