A FREESKIER editor-turned-realtor tells all
WORDS • CONNOR W. DAVIS
Note: The opinions expressed in this article do not represent the opinions of the featured realtors and real estate offices.
Header Image — Listing Agent: Eeva Turzian // Listing Office: Sun Valley Real Estate
When you’re a skier, you naturally daydream about buying that next piece of gear, that next pass, that next adventure rig. And, at a certain point in life, you start dreaming about something bigger: a ski home.
After I worked at FREESKIER as the online editor, I spent two years selling ski homes in Vermont and learned endless lessons across dozens of transactions. Among those lessons, here are seven to consider when you’re ready to pull the trigger on the ski home of your dreams.
Contact agents carefully
You’re looking at a listing you love on a site like Zillow or Redfin. You’re ready to get in touch with the listing agent. You hit the contact button. It seems like the right way to do it, right?
Wrong. Sites like Zillow are full of ads and you could be contacting an unknowledgeable realtor who has nothing to do with the listing you’re viewing. If you have questions about a specific property, scroll around a little bit and make sure you’re contacting the person with “Listing Agent” shown below their name.
1213 Weeks Hill Road in Stowe, Vermont // Listing Agent: Sharon Bateman // Listing Office: Pall Spera Company Realtors
Give your Realtor a jump start
When you’re ready to look at properties, let your realtor know at least a few days in advance. It takes time to organize a showing. The realtor needs to call property owners, make sure driveways are plowed, gather updated listing information and a whole lot more. This is especially true during holiday periods; sometimes, you have a 30-minute window to see a place in between rental bookings. If you decide at 11 a.m. after your first bloody mary that you want to see places at noon, the showing either won’t happen or it’ll be a mess at best.
You can go cheap, but not too cheap
Almost everyone who looks for a ski home thinks they’re beating the system when they find a $100,000 fixer-upper that’s been on the market for three years, located 20, 30, 40 minutes from the mountain. But, in reality, you’re taking a major risk by exploring this route. For starters, if you ever want to rent the property out, it’ll be too far from the ski resort to get consistent bookings and positive reviews. Secondly, it’s tough to get contractors and other service people out to the middle of nowhere. But, most importantly, when you eventually sell the place, you’ll be that person with a house on the market for three years in a town no one’s heard of, and the tables will turn on you. This tip doesn’t apply to every region, but it’s almost always worth it to buy a place as close to the ski resort as possible to ensure a solid return on investment.
105 Wedeln Lane in Sun Valley, Idaho // Listing Agent: Eeva Turzian // Listing Office: Sun Valley Real Estate
Go local in every way
I once sold a property in Vermont and, at the closing, the buyer explained that he was going to bring his favorite painting company from New York to work on the house. Don’t do that. Every town is full of talented individuals who’d be honored to work on your property. Reach out to them, meet them, befriend them, pay them and support their families. That’s how ski towns stay alive.
The same goes for any other service. In fact, even financing your property through a local bank or mortgage company is always worth looking into. Local financial institutions are far more familiar with the territory you’re buying in, and they understand the nuances of second homes far better than the big banks. Worried about interest rates? Shop around and see what people can do for you. You’ll be surprised.
Research before you rent out
Renting your vacation home on sites like Airbnb is a great way to offset your costs, but it’s also a seriously complicated endeavor. First and foremost, make sure the community you’re exploring even allows rentals. There are certain small towns and neighborhoods that have banned the presence of Airbnb and similar companies entirely. And, while your realtor should be able to advise you on this, do your research just in case.
When the time comes to actually rent out your property, there are a million things to consider, but one that’s often overlooked is cleaning. If you have a group checking out Sunday morning and another group checking in Sunday night, you need a reliable cleaner who can get in there during a very small time window to get the place fully turned over. In other words: During the off-season, shop around and find a cleaner who will commit to helping you out regularly. Your realtor will ideally know a handful of people to choose from.
424 Outlook Trail Highlands # 34 in Big Sky, Montana // Exclusive Listing Broker for the Highlands Project: Martha Johnson // Listing Office: Big Sky Real Estate // Photo Credit: Haus Exhibition
Snowstorms cost money
If you’re looking for a vacation home, chances are you own a primary home and know what you’re doing when it comes to maintenance. But vacation homes—especially in snowy, mountainous areas—are completely different. Consider plowing. If you buy a property with a long, winding driveway, there’s a good chance you’ll be paying someone up to $75/plow, while normal driveways (roughly 30 feet long) usually range somewhere from $20 to $50 per plow. If you’re lucky, it’ll snow a lot where you buy a vacation home and you can ski pow all the time, but keep in mind you’re going to get charged every time the flakes come down, unless you shovel the driveway yourself. And don’t forget this applies in the summer, too; if you can’t get up there every weekend, you’ve got to pay someone to mow and weed-whack on a weekly basis.
If all of this sounds overwhelming, consider going with a condo, rather than a house. (Although condos often have high monthly fees, so be cognizant of those, too.)
Keep things in perspective
Buying a vacation home is supposed to be exciting. You’ve worked hard to get to this point. Take in the scenery while looking at properties. Have fun with the realtor. Give yourself a pat on the back at the closing. Sometimes, people go through an entire transaction getting upset over every little detail—every dead lightbulb, every piece of paperwork—while, in reality, they’re realizing an amazing life milestone that deserves nothing but gratitude.
