Because the Peninsula on the Indian River Bay is a resort-style community nestled on the Delaware Shore, it should come as no surprise that there are a good amount of second homeowners here. The Peninsula on the Indian River Bay is a comfortable retirement community option for those who are purchasing a vacation home, as well as those who live here all year.
Join us in today’s post as we offer some advice for snowbirds who spend the summers in Delaware and the winters somewhere warmer.
Prepare your house for your absence.
In a previous post, we discussed some tips for maintaining a vacation home. It is important to make sure that any home you leave for an extended period of time is equipped to be maintained in your absence, While some things won’t make a difference, there are some things that, when not tended to regularly, can cause detrimental damage. At the Peninsula on the Indian River Bay, there is a full-time staff available to work with you to make sure your house and everything in it is safe in your absence. Open communication and establishing relationships is what community is all about! If you are a snowbird and will be flying south for the winter, let us know so we can work something out with you.
Try not to lose money.
Of course, the whole goal in life is to make more money than you spend. Even though most snowbirds have reached retirement and are free to roam about, uninhibited, most people still don’t care to frivolously squander their earnings. Make a plan to use money wisely and save money where you can. Some ideas for saving money include participating in a home swap, vacation rental trades, timeshares, or vacation rental by owner. These programs require a great deal of trust and maintenance on your part, but make it worth it by keeping someone in your home and maintaining it, as well as offering additional income or the ability to travel without purging your funds.
Make a backup plan.
It is important to always have a backup plan for when things don’t go as planned. As a snowbird, you already know that weather and travel plans don’t always play out as they are intended. For things that are out of your control, you should have a plan B in place. Make sure that you have a plan in place to have all of your residences taken care of in the event of an extended absence. It is a good idea to ensure you have a place to stay for at least a couple days extra on each end of your trip, just in case. Also, a support network of friends, family, and neighbors can go a long way in a pinch.
Manage the administrative aspects of each location.
Find a medical provider in every location that you live or make sure that you know where your insurance is taken, even if you don’t need a routine provider, you’ll want to know where to go in the event of unexpected injury or illness. Keep track of how long you are spending in each of your homes, for tax purposes. Be sure to keep up with the necessary paperwork of each home. This will include property taxes, insurance, and taxes, among other things.
If you are a snowbird who owns a home at the Peninsula on the Indian River Bay, you can be sure that you are not alone! This gated community is home to many 55+ couples who follow the warmer weather, and we are well attuned to the needs of our second home and vacation homeowners. When you build a house at the Peninsula on the Indian River Bay, you are home! Contact us today for more information.