Where's your favorite affordable summer home??

[ShenardL]

Originally Posted by aries4118

1. The North Georgia Mountains

2. The Georgia Coast
a. The Golden Isles
b. The Savannah Area Islands

North Georgia Mountains might be affordable but I don't know about the Golden Isles. There are some celebs and golfers with big homes there.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by ShenardL

North Georgia Mountains might be affordable but I don't know about the Golden Isles. There are some celebs and golfers with big homes there.

Try the Savannah Islands.

[annie_himself]

The airbnb that someone else owns.

[paytonc]

Western Michigan has lovely west-facing beaches, city amenities (including air/rail access) in nearby Grand Rapids and Holland, and moderate prices for the most part (besides the corner closest to Chicago).

July 1 typical weather at Holland:
High 83F
Low 60F
Sunset 9:27 PM

Would be interested in hearing more about Lake Erie, Ontario, and Champlain options in New York State.

[GeoffD]

I’m 62 miles south of Boston in the Padanaram part of South Dartmouth. My boat slip is 0.7 miles. They just hauled and pressure washed my boat this morning. It’s in my driveway. I need to winterize it, put on the cover, and haul it off to storage. The private beach is 1.0 mile.

I bought this place in December 2009 at the Great Recession as my summer house. I telecommuted from a ski resort in the winter. Prices have doubled since then but this place always crashes in recessions because the local economy is very weak. The gated summer communities with beach and golf/tennis tend to hold value but the middle & upper middle class housing where the locals live doesn’t. There will be bargains again.

The climate here is similar to Cape May in southern New Jersey. It’s the “banana belt” of New England with some Gulf Stream influence. The ocean gets to 68F by June 15th and is swimmable through mid-October. It doesn’t snow much and usually melts almost immediately. The prevailing summer weather is a 20 mph ocean breeze from the southwest so it rarely gets above 90F. Fall is very mild because the ocean is warm. Spring is cool until the ocean warms up in June. Winter is usually 2 1/2 months from January to mid-March.

My town has no hotels so it’s totally unknown as a summer destination. The town has a good beach but there isn’t good water access if you don’t live here or own property here. It’s totally different from Cape Cod where it’s 100% tourist oriented and overrun all summer. The New Bedford waterfront has gentrified so there is summer dining and music 3 or 4 miles away. The fast ferries to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are there. Our standard boat day trip is to zip across the bay to Cuttyhunk with a stop to look at the seals, walk the island, and then buzz home. We day trip with bicycles to Martha’s Vineyard a lot. We overnight there when it slows down in late-September.

[ckhthankgod]

Originally Posted by paytonc

Western Michigan has lovely west-facing beaches, city amenities (including air/rail access) in nearby Grand Rapids and Holland, and moderate prices for the most part (besides the corner closest to Chicago).

July 1 typical weather at Holland:
High 83F
Low 60F
Sunset 9:27 PM

Would be interested in hearing more about Lake Erie, Ontario, and Champlain options in New York State.

Check the previous page, as I mention some examples on Lake Ontario and Lake Champlain.

A couple places on Lake Ontario that did just come to mind, that weren't mentioned are Sodus Point: https://soduspoint.info/
https://www.lifeinthefingerlakes.com...great-getaway/
A nearby state park: https://parks.ny.gov/parks/chimneybluffs/

and Fair Haven, which has a state park beach in that general area: https://www.newyorkupstate.com/enter...hoto_essa.html
https://parks.ny.gov/parks/fairhavenbeach/maps.aspx
A festival in that general area: https://www.sterlingfestival.com/

Both are in between Rochester and Syracuse, Sodus Point: https://www.google.com/maps/place/So...!4d-76.9890976

Fair Haven: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fa...!4d-76.7021747

Another Lake Ontario community that is in between Rochester and Niagara Falls: https://www.olcott-newfane.com/
https://www.comejoinmyjourney.com/ol...de-beach-town/
Map: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ol...!4d-78.7147571

There are beaches along Lake Erie in Dunkirk and Hamburg, among others. I wouldn't say that there are communities that are truly marketed for tourism there. There are some wineries in the portion closer to the border with PA and Welch's having a facility in Westfield.

[projectmaximus]

Originally Posted by paytonc

Western Michigan has lovely west-facing beaches, city amenities (including air/rail access) in nearby Grand Rapids and Holland, and moderate prices for the most part (besides the corner closest to Chicago).

July 1 typical weather at Holland:
High 83F
Low 60F
Sunset 9:27 PM

Any particular spots you enjoy? And any tips on finding affordable summertime options? I've sifted through many recommended small town lists for Western MI on airbnb and the options aren't cheap. Iirc I don't think there's anything for under ~$4k/month for 2 bedrooms

Originally Posted by GeoffD

I’m 62 miles south of Boston in the Padanaram part of South Dartmouth. My boat slip is 0.7 miles. They just hauled and pressure washed my boat this morning. It’s in my driveway. I need to winterize it, put on the cover, and haul it off to storage. The private beach is 1.0 mile.

Thanks for sharing. I don't think I'll be buying anytime soon but I enjoyed hearing about your experiences in S Dartmouth.

Originally Posted by ckhthankgod

Check the previous page, as I mention some examples on Lake Ontario and Lake Champlain.

Coming through with more recs, love it!