Everyone has a dream of having a vacation home. And while your younger years may be filled with travel and not having to worry about any responsibilities, this type of investment is now more viable thanks to modern services that allow real estate investments to earn. In particular, Airbnb has helped the housing market in terms of allowing more homeowners to realize their dream of starting a real estate portfolio. Here are five of the best towns and cities in the US in which to build or buy your dream vacation home.
Hanapepe, Hawaii
Also known as “Kauai’s Biggest Little Town,” Hanapepe is a sleepy and historic small town that is oozing with character. If the locally made lilikoi-cheesecake ice pops aren’t enough to convince you to stay, Hawaii Magazine lists several other features that make Hanapepe the perfect little town for a vacation home. This includes its main street – lined with historic structures from the 30s and 40s and “the western-most independent bookstore of the United States.” Near the main street is the clean and often uncrowded Salt Pond Beach Park, and in the middle of town you’ll find the infinitely-Instagrammable Swinging Bridge. To top it all off, you’ll be a comfy distance from the rest of Kauai Island’s coveted natural landscape.
New York City, New York
Speaking of coveted spots, no list of vacation-home ready towns and cities would be complete without mentioning the Big Apple. Here on Voyages of Mine we have long preached about how New York is probably the best place to go on a food trip. It’s also home to literally thousands of must-see sites – everything from the distinct architectural styles of the Empire State and Flatiron buildings down to the countless murals of music icons that dominate the city’s streets. But all of this home-bred urban culture comes at a considerable price. Apart from what you can expect to be extremely expensive real estate rates, Yoreevo’s guide to buying a new development in New York states that it takes approximately 2-3 months to close on a property. This means that even if you can afford an NYC vacation home, you’ll still have to fall in line with the rest of the millionaires.
Kodiak, Alaska
Across Katmai National Park via the Shelikof Strait lies Alaska’s Kodiak Island, the perfect vacation home spot for anyone who’s in love with the American wilderness. Towering mountains and narrow fjords provide the backdrop for the town of Kodiak, home to secluded camping grounds and the best fly fishing spots. Meanwhile, both the Baranov Museum and the state park Fort Abercrombie – with its spruce forests, waterfront cliffs, and historic ruins – are in charge of keeping the town’s history.
North Conway, New Hampshire
Situated in the heart of Mt. Washington Valley, North Conway makes for the perfect winter town from which you can be within short driving distance of the 700,000-acre White Mountain National Forest. The small town also recently became the home of the newly-inducted New England Ski Museum. In fact, the resort town of North Conway is widely known as the birthplace of skiing in America, attributed to how its residents adopted skiing from Europe early in the 1930s.
San Francisco, California
Just like New York, you can expect nothing less than the steepest real estate rates in San Francisco. However, there’s arguably no better urban area in which to build your dream home. Apart from great, historic sites like the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown, and Alcatraz Island, San Francisco provides a unique, laid back culture which has allowed it to rank in America’s most livable cities in 2018.
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