Should an Old Person Rent or Buy a Second Home (Pied a Terre)?

[fluffythewondercat]

Originally Posted by MadManofBethesda

And whether someone should have a pied-à-terre would be a third question, because a pied-à-terre isn't simply a multi-bedroom second home down south somewhere to snowbird, or out in the country somewhere, and it definitely isn't a motorhome, lol. A pied-à-terre is generally a small place in a major city that is used occasionally such as on weekends.

In the New York area, for example, it would apply to people who might live in CT or NJ and commute into Manhattan for work, but have a small apartment for weekend use when they want to take in the city life.

In my case, I think our one-bedroom condo on Miami Beach qualifies as a pied-à-terre. We have a house in the City of Miami that is our primary residence, but when we attend concerts, shows or other events on Miami Beach, we'll spend the night or weekend in our condo rather than driving back across the causeway to the mainland.

A pied-à-terre can be anything you want it to be: A cabin in Alaska, a tree house in California, or an abandoned missile silo in Kansas:

https://maps.roadtrippers.com/storie...lypse-fortress

The idea of trying to apply rules is as silly as trying to insist there's only one way to retire.