Should we buy a vacation home with relatives?

Jeff396 · Sep 24, 2003

Now Jerry, you know that you will be the bad guy still. They were too good to buy a place with us, they had to get one all by themselves!
Can you hear someone saying that????


Better to have them mad at you for not wanting to join in rather than the multiple reasons they will most likely have if you do.

My wife and I have a system......when she doesn't want do something that her family would like I just tell her to blame it on me. That way she's still daddy's little princess married to "that man". It doesn't really bother me what they think and we still get along okay. Of course there is that 700 mile distance between us that helps a good bit. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Jeff

kiphorn · Sep 25, 2003

It would have to be a mighty big cottage to share with my mother-in-law. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

My Grandfather had a house at the beach, which he gave to his three sons and one daughter. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif It is now available to the grandchildren for use. It seems everyone complains about the upkeep or lack thereof by certain individuals. Some of us do a little work on the place each time we're there, while other just use the place as a free vacation. I've tried to get "usage" guidelines instituted with little or no success. It always burns me up when I have to spend a half day cleaning up the place after some of my moron cousins have been there. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

The bigger the group of investors the more likely there will be conflicts. You're also likely to find that some of them will do things to the property that will annoy you to no end. Family politics can be brutal.

Kip

Boondox · Sep 25, 2003

Jerry -- Right below us is a summer cottage co-owned by an entire family. Or it used to be. There was much bickering over minor changes made by one family member that were not liked by others. So the first downward step was they stopped vacationing together. The next was that one brother capitalized on another's financial losses by buying out his share. Then he made "needed improvements to infrastructure" that the remaining family members couldn't afford to help with. Lastly, he went to court and argued successfully that since he did all the work he was primary owner. So he changed the locks and had his brother arrested for vandalism when he broke the door down to get in.

That family is no longer a family. BTW, they are all lawyers! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Pete

fivestring · Sep 25, 2003

"Should we buy a vacation home with relatives?" 

I think I'd leave out the "relatives" option on this purchase. Sometimes, the more options, the more trouble the item gives you and the harder it is to trace the root of the problem.
Fewer bells and whistles on this one, Jerry.

Mrwurm · Sep 25, 2003

That's a pretty good argument against the deal /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

mountain_man · Sep 25, 2003

What is it with you and the never-ending threads? I'm starting to think you make up these scenarios on purpose to drive us all crazy trying to figure it out...

Thanks, it keeps my mind off of work...

Bob_In_MN · Sep 25, 2003

mountain_man,

Watch out--it could have been worse.

He could have asked about purchasing the vacation home and once purchased get input on purchasing a Harley Davidson to use for short trips to town. Of course he would need something to haul the Harley. That's when he asks what people think of the new F150. In thinking about bringing home the new bike and truck--then he'd have to ask what's the best oil to use. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Bob

pruntyc · Sep 25, 2003

Say have you thought about what the best oil to use would be???????????? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

OkeeDon · Sep 26, 2003

I've had a lot of luck with peanut oil. (Taken from page 31 of "How to Hijack a Thread") /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

s1120 · Sep 26, 2003

I'm starting to see a vague pattern in the responses.



All is not bad. My wife, her sister, and her Mom, bought a vacation home on the cape back in '93. It works fine. Only problem, as the only guy there, I get to do all the heavy work. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif But that's OK. They are real hard workers, and I get lots of help from them. Now here is a down side. You have to pay for this house ALL YEAR LONG!! Plus, spend a lot of time working on it, or going there to do things, and not just having fun. It gets costly. For what we spend a year, eaven just our third, we could rent a nice house for a few weeks in the summer. That is very important. But once it is payed for, and my daughter gets older, and if her sister has a kid, we will have some fun, and maybe get more use out of it.