<p>^ Tram car! :). North Wildwood is very nice. We kayak off West Wildwood behind there a lot (West Wildwood is the oddest town I’ve ever been in).</p>
<p>We added kayaks to our “fleet” (canoe and small bow rider motor boat) this spring.
We love them. Poor old canoe hasn’t been out all summer. DH even built some nifty two-wheel contraptions for us to pull the kayaks down to the water.</p>
<p>^We need to get a couple of them. right now, we do a thing where we stand between the two kayaks, and I pick them up by the front handles, H by the back, and carry them that way–might be gtting too old for that!</p>
<p>I am the person who started this thread back in early July. I want to again thank everyone for your input which DH and I took under serious consideration. After much thought, we decided to do it! The location, price, property lay out (a small house + a guest cottage), senior-friendly potential, etc, etc. of the place we had found all added up to “Buy”. We made our offer at the end of July and are anticipating our closing next week. In the meantime, since the Seller has already moved out, we built into our Offer that we could “rent” the property for a vacation week in August (she will refund our “rent” at closing!!), so we have already had the fun of staying there (essentially for free), meeting the neighbors, inviting guests, and beginning what will hopefully be a lifetime of explorations of the area. We are very excited and looking forward to years of multi-generational family gatherings. From the surface, this all feels very spontaneous but it is really the culmination of 12+ years of fantasy. I guess my advice to anyone reading this thread in the future is (and I say this as someone who is not usually spontaneous): sometimes you just know that something is right, and if the right oppty comes your way and the numbers work, then go for it. My other advice is that you have nothing to lose by asking for things (such as free rental, furniture from a property that is not being sold as furnished, closing costs, etc) in your Offer to Purchase. Seller can always say no, but as is our case, may well say yes which makes the whole thing even more sweet. </p>
<p>Now I have to get off CC forum and switch to my other addiction: Craigslist!</p>
<p>We live on a lake and bought a second place in the city. Well, to be fair, the lake house is actually a condo across a six lane highway in a small university city. We bought a 2+2 condo in downtown Chicago, and we go 2-3 weekends every month. We’ve been doing this for over three years. We leave Friday after work and it takes about 2.5 hours depending on the traffic in from O’Hare. We get to the place order food, drink a bottle of champagne, announce our presence in Chicago on Facebook, watch HGTV, and sleep for as long as we want. </p>
<p>There is a great beach about 10-15 minutes away by car, the Oak St. Beach, and a brand new Jewel-Osco 10 minutes away on DeSalles right up from the Tribune’s printing plant. We bought it furnished and that saved money and angst over getting furniture for it. The condo has spectacular views and lots and lots of restaurants and shopping nearby. We can see some of the fireworks over Navy Pier on Saturday nights and actually have an inch view of the Lake between the high rises. I also stay there, at no cost to my employer, when I’ go to Chicago for conferences. Almost all of the repair work has been handled by the building maintenance people at very reasonable cost. We invite our families to share it, which is one of the reasons we bought it. </p>
<p>Unlike most people in South Central Wisconsin we do not go “Up North.” Love Chicago.</p>
<p>Much happiness in your new place MJSMOM! DH and I are learning how to be empty nesters at our vacation home right now. Some of the sting from missing our guys is assuaged by the sound of the waves and the mountain views.</p>
<p>Lake time- we are doing the same. The sound of the waves is so therapeutic. This is the first time my nest has been empty, a bittersweet new stage of our lives. </p>
<p>Best wishes to mjsmom for a smooth closing next week on your new acquisition. I think you will really enjoy your new place.</p>
<p>Congrats on taking the plunge for a second home!</p>
<p>My H and I have looked at the idea for years, but know we can never afford a second home in the area of our choice (we are in CA and prices are very high), so we just rent there each summer and dream. . .</p>
<p>However, my sister and her H did purchase a 2nd home in a mountain resort area and have moved there full-time after retirement. It has worked out great for them.</p>