For Some, Second Home 'Badge' A 'Hassle'

The Christian Science Monitor looks at second homes. "Sales of vacation homes have surged in the past few years, accounting for 13 percent of all homes purchased in 2004. Some owners buy a second home as an investment. Others use it as a badge to proclaim status. 'Some people buy second homes for what we call 'badging,' says Patricia Breman, a consultant for a market research firm. 'It's a way of saying 'I've arrived, I'm successful, I can afford to do this.'" "Whatever the reason for the second address, owners acknowledge that maintaining two places brings challenges. Last year, to maximize the time they could spend at their cabin, Deva and Stan Taffel sold their house and moved to an apartment in Sherman Oaks, Calif. 'It was a means to make the whole second-home lifestyle more enjoyable,' she says. 'When we owned our house, my husband would say, 'Do you want to go to the cabin this weekend?' I'd look at my garden and say, 'I can't.' You don't want to be tied to the place you're trying to get away from.'" "Susan Newman, who commutes between two houses in New Jersey, also describes the routine as hard work. Beyond that there is the transition between houses, leaving one life for another life. 'You just don't walk into one place and settle down immediately,' she says. As an author, Newman can work in both places. But, she says, 'You don't always have to go. You can say no. You don't want to be a prisoner of your second home. It's an inanimate object. You don't want it to be running your life.'" "Asked about the worst aspects of owning a second home, one-third of survey respondents listed maintenance, repairs, and upkeep. Fifteen percent cited taxes as the biggest drawback. For others, like Scott Testa of Blue Bell, Pa., the best solution is to sell. For 10 years he and his wife have owned a vacation house on the New Jersey shore, two hours from their home in suburban Philadelphia. They spend three or four weeks a year there." "'The thrill has worn off,' he says. 'We have found that it's more hassle than it's worth. Stuff breaks. You have renters. It's a responsibility.' He feels obligated to use the vacation home when it is not rented, but adds, 'I want to go to other parts of the country and the world, and not be obligated to go to one house.' The couple is considering selling both houses and buying a larger primary home."