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Northern Westchester isn't exactly "vacation rental" territory, you'd probably have to look further north like Dutchess County where it's a little more rural/pastoral. The demands for suburban housing and the fact that people want to travel a little farther for a "getaway" took no. Westchester out of the "vacation" market decades ago. The latter reason is the same one why many of the Catskill resorts fell out of favor.
There was a time when Northern Westchester was a big "vacation rental" place, but that was a LONG time ago (like before 1960). Many of those rental cottages have become (relatively) inexpensive permanent housing, like the Peach Lake area of North Salem or a complex in Mohegan Lake whose name I can't remember that I think is very "section 8" oriented. Or though not "cheap housing" today, most of the entire hamlet of Goldens Bridge was once a "vacation rental" complex in another era. I very very occasionally see ads for Peach Lake vacation rentals in the "northern" Pennysaver. You can also go camping in Croton Point Park.
I've seen some seasonal rentals listed on local agency sites. Just look at the rentals and check the details. Homeaway has 2 or 3 I think. We once considered renting ours for a few weeks and our realtor neighbor said there was a small but active seasonal market. We have 4 houses on our road that are second homes for city folk and I know 2 of them rent when they go on vacation, but I think just to friends.
You got me curious so I just checked one of the biggger Westchester agency's sites and found 7 summer rentals in a couple of minutes. You need to look for "term" and see what is listed. The ones I found ranged from 1 month rentals to seasonal ones (Memorial Day to Labor Day). Maybe you can find a site that allows you to search based on term--the one I checked didn't, so finding the summer rentals will be time consuming. Better yet, just call an agent...
When you say "where we would look for a summer rental" do you mean where location wise, or where you would go to find one, like a realtor or internet site?
If you want a lake community, I would call a realtor in the Katonah area. There are some very nice lake communities in Lewisboro that offer summer rentals, and these realtors would have best knowledge of them. Try Coldwell Banker or Houlihan Lawrence in Katonah if you are looking for lake.
Lake Mahopac may also have summer rentals, but that is right over the border in Putnam.
If you are just looking for a regular house to rent..there is not much market for that here as others have said. But again, I would call a realtor, because there certainly are plenty of homes sitting empty in this depressed market and I'm sure a good realtor could negotiate a seasonal rental on one of them.
Craigslist may also be another resource, but be careful...many scams!
There's an article in this Sunday's New York Times about the summer rental market in Northern Westchester. According to the article it is a larger market than I (or anyone on this forum) thought and --like the rest of the rental market up here--is pretty hot now. It appears that all the major area realtors offer summer rentals, so your best bet is to just call some local realtors.
Quote:
"AS temperatures heat up, so has the demand for summer homes in what some real estate agents call the “non-Hampton Hamptons”: Bedford, Pound Ridge and other semirural northern Westchester towns and villages with acres of open space and lots of greenery....Summer rentals, which traditionally run from Memorial Day to Labor Day, run the gamut from $35,000 to $120,000 for the season."
You also might want to check out Fairfield County, in Connecticut.
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