I went through what you did a few years ago. My personal opinion is that from a purely monetary standpoint I don't think the math on buying a second home pencil's out very well unless you use it a lot. I am a CPA for a living and this is the part I struggled with the most. The part that does work out very well is the beauty of the area and my absolute enjoyment and relaxation I get each and every time I come up. It's really nice not having to drag all of your crap around when you have your own place and you can leave all of your personal effects at your own place. The other part that is really nice is that my parents and other family members get to enjoy it as well. Last but not least is that I have made a lot of really nice friends along the way. My advice would be to make sure you know where you want to buy and consider renting in that area to make sure. We rented for 8 years or so before we finally pulled the trigger. My other advice to you would be to be patient in the buying process. My personal experience is that a lot of sellers think their homes are worth a lot more than they are. We made a few offers on homes that ultimately sold for less than we offered.
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