If you live in Atlanta, where would be the best place to own a winter vacation home as a second home? (Oconee: transplants, foreclosure)

[Iconographer]

Frankly, none of these venues offer a consistently warm climate (if that is what you are you looking for). To enjoy that, youll have to draw a line across Florida from Sarasota to Vero Beach...then look south.

[Indy2Mia2Atl]

I'd go for Tampa/Clearwater/St. Pete, still close enough to drive, warm all year around and on the coast (beach).

[MsRiss7383]

This made me laugh because Atlanta IS the location of my parent's winter home.

[flipfloppers4]

Having lived in Atlanta, I would say spend some time in Hilton Head. There are a ton of beaches, bike trails, golf courses and fantasitic places to eat. We live here year round and don't get bored.

We used to spend a lot of time on Jekyll, and I hear there are big plans to rebuild the place. It could get boring, though.

Good luck.

[Saintmarks]

Even though I grew up in the south, the heat is bothering me more and more each year. I'd prefer to spend the winters in Atlanta and have a summer home in the NC mountains....

[cwkimbro]

I actually agree with this. My grandparents bought a condo on the Alabama gulf coast. It is now passed down to my parents and aunts and uncles.

It is expensive. It barely pays for itself and we have to contend with the aftermath of hurricanes, which raises costs and decreases revenues by a large margin.

The only major catch... like a home. In the end you own it and the equity in the property. The main benefit we had was it was a quiet unheard of area when my grandparents bought into it. The value has gone up on it really well, however I'm not sure how much we can expect to go up in the future. It is hard to envision it increasing at the same rate it did in the past.

Now my great uncle wanted to sell off a condo in South Carolina before he died. He took a huge loss on it, because he bought it near the market peak and his life circumstances didn't warrant him holding on to it until things improved.

There is a huge risk involved, so it is worth pointing out. Alot of beach rentals are also very affordable and friendly to northern, retired "snow birds" that want to rent during most of the winter and fall.

It seems like alot of lake front and mountain properties are traditional vacation homes. Often they are cheaper than the beach (but can get pricey depending on how much house you buy!) and I think there is a little less risk in the price fluctuation. Most properties are built as full houses, rather than rentable vacation properties, it attracts alot of full-time residents and retirees.

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

I would vote the Florida panhandle, but also say that because of the experience that people I know who have done this have had, you should consider whether you want to buy or just visit regularly in nice accommodations.

Explained: I have known several people through the years who have purchased vacation homes (or condos). Their original intent was to stay in the homes maybe 2 months or up to 8 weeks or so out of each year, and then rent the homes out during the rest of the time. In every case, they at some point wound up selling these properties, because things tend to come up that caused them to not spend as much time as they thought they would down there, and, they found the process of renting (even through an agency) to be tedious, and a certain amount of damage was done to the properties over time as well. It also occurred to them that with strangers staying in their home several months of the year, what made it any different than their staying in a hotel room? After doing the calculations of mortgage, insurance, agency payouts, repairs, etc etc... they found that they could stay in a very very nice condo resort for several weeks per year in Florida, and pay much less than owning a property. Since the Gulf spill, while things have picked up a bit, they're not normal yet, and from what I hear, there are plenty of empty rentals now in that area except for the most busy of holiday weekends.

I realize that's not your question - but since I have known people who have gone this route I thought it was fair to share their opinions with you about it. That being said, I'll repeat that the greater Panama City beach area was where the ones that did that area seemed to enjoy the most regardless of what you decide to do.

[FromGA]

Are the North Georgia mountains that much cooler in the summer compared to metro Atlanta (I live in the Alpharetta / Johns Creek area)? If so, by how much would you think?

I also think a summer/winter home should be less than 2 hours away (unless you are retired), so Fla for winter and NC/TN for summer is not a great option.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by FromGA

Are the North Georgia mountains that much cooler in the summer compared to metro Atlanta (I live in the Alpharetta / Johns Creek area)? If so, by how much would you think?

I also think a summer/winter home should be less than 2 hours away (unless you are retired), so Fla for winter and NC/TN for summer is not a great option.

Not alot... but it makes extremes more easier to bear.

I went to weather.com and looked at the "month" page, which gives average termperatures from the past.

I searched Dahlonega:

High: 87 Low: 63
Altitude: 1,400 feet

Atlanta:
Altitude: 800 feet
High: 89 Low: 71

So the nights are significantly cooler and the daytime just a couple of degrees, however if you go higher in elevation it can be slightly cooler. If you are on the northside of a hill you might get less direct sunlight during parts of the day, which make it cooler locally. Many places also have a nice canopy tree cover that helps. Atlanta as an urban area is like a heat island of steel and concrete.

[workaholics]

Deep in the blue ridge mountains. The beach is nice, especially in the winter, but I'm over it after a few days.

I like to experience cold and snow in the winter, as it should be, and the mountains north of the city are the closest place to find what I'm looking for. And I'm not talking about the foothills, they're as mild in the winter as Atlanta.

I'd want to find a really cozy cabin deep in the higher elevations of the mountains. If I wanted to stay in Georgia I'd try to build one deep in Rabun county near Dillard, or maybe as close as I could get to Brasstown bald, as it's coldest in those areas.

If I wanted to go farther north, I'd build/buy one up near Higlands, or closer to the Smokies, which is still pretty close to Atlanta

[tonygeorgia]

Florida but I hate the threat of a hurricane destroying my home