Real Estate. Don't Dream. Own.
14 PLACES TO BUY A SECOND HOME...NOW!
From the Editors of Men's Health Living
UNITED STATES
ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS, NY
Hordes of cars with New York and New Jersey plates clog the Northway on Friday afternoons on their way to 6-million-acre Adirondack Park, which features 3,000 ponds and lakes, three ski resorts, and the nation’s largest system of hiking trails. Prices at the posh south end of Lake George skyrocketed during the housing boom. So focus on the dozens of smaller lakes with cheaper homes and less boat traffic.
We Found . . .
1. A three-bedroom home on Oxbow Lake for $300,000.
2. A four-bedroom, three-bath ski chalet on Hunter Mountain for $230,000.
BLUFFTON, SC
Bluffton is just across the river from posh Hilton Head, but home prices are a good 25 percent cheaper, local realtors say. It’s a seaside town in the vein of Charleston or Savannah, with antebellum mansions, hidden gardens, and the last working oyster factory on the East Coast.
We Found . . .
A two-bedroom villa, situated on a private island that backs a Tom Fazio–designed 27-hole golf course, for $245,000.
GATLINBURG, TN
Gatlinburg is the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains, the country’s most visited national park. The visitor count has doubled in the past decade, fueling a thriving vacation-rental market and dreadful traffic jams during peak seasons. Nonetheless, there’s tons of hiking, kayaking, canoeing, and horseback riding, and because the seasons tend to be mild, the fun lasts all year long.
We Found . . .
1. A two-bedroom chalet on Ski Mountain with expansive views for $270,000.
2. A three-bedroom, 2½-bathroom home on a 6-acre lot that overlooks Douglas Lake for $349,000.
THE MIDWEST
DOOR COUNTY, WI
They call this the Midwest’s answer to Cape Cod: white clapboard villages, charming restaurants, placid harbors. A peninsula jutting 80 miles into Lake Michigan, Door County has more coastline (300 miles) than any county in the country.
We Found . . .
A two-bedroom cabin on a 2.8-acre lot, with cathedral ceilings, a large porch, and panoramic views of Green Bay, for $329,000.
THE WEST
CENTRAL SIERRA, CA
This is one of California’s last affordable regions. Towns like Angels Camp and Copperopolis retain their antique feel. There’s great skiing at Bear Valley, giant sequoia groves in Calaveras Big Trees State Park, and new wineries everywhere. Yosemite National Park is just a short drive away.
We Found . . .
1. A new four-bedroom home with views of Lake Tulloch for $379,000.
2. A three-bedroom chalet with treetop views in Arnold for $329,000.
WOODLAND PARK, CO
It’s called the City above the Clouds because the sun consistently shines here at the base of Pikes Peak, while nearby Colorado Springs is routinely fogged in. Popular pastimes include mountain biking, snowboarding, and charging up the 1,000 stairs of the Manitou Incline along with athletes from the nearby Olympic Training Center.
We Found . . .
P A three-bedroom home with lake and mountain views for $245,000.
THE SOUTH
GULF COAST, TX
This is North America's last affordable coast. Unofficial slogan: "It's not as Gross as You Might Expect." Sure, the sand is grainy and the shore is sometimes stalked by seaweed and oil slicks, but the water's fine, and it gets bluer–and the sand fluffier as you travel down the nearly 400 miles of coastline. You can still buy a three-bedroom bayside house here for less than the cost of a Malibu outhouse.
We found...
1. A three-bedroom home with a third-floor crow's nest and canal side dock in Rockport for $399,000.
2. A two-bedroom townhouse with a boat slip in Laguna Vista for $259,000.
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