Second Homes For Dummies gives you the tools you need to handle the entire second-home buying process from concept to completion This book covers the bases and the basics of buying a second home, presenting all information in a logical and modular format so you can find just what you need on the subjects that interest you. You'll find out everything you need to know to: Determine whether or not a second home is right for you Maximize your options for a second home Search for a home and find the money to pay for it Rent out your home for profit Renovate and maintain it to ensure its growing value Make your second home your primary home Look for and purchase a home in another country

Also provided are a list of the best places in the world to buy a home, ways to improve your home and make it first rate, and rules that you should talk about with your guests. With Second Homes For Dummies, you can make your dream of having a second home come true

Let your second home work for you now, and retire to it later

Dreaming of that perfect cottage in the mountains or that beachfront getaway? Can you afford it? How do you find one? Will it make money or cost money? What about upkeep and taxes? Relax! This handy book guides you through every step, from assessing your finances and deciding when to buy, to maintaining and maximizing your investment.

• Choose the right home

• Decide whether to build

• How to pay for it

• Go it alone or use a pro

• Find reliable tenants

• Prepare for the retirement move

Bridget has also penned a few books along the way, including The Real Estate Agent’s Field Guide, The Home Buyer’s Question and Answer Book, The Real Estate Agent’s Business Planner, and the RE/MAX Guide to Buying a Home.

She’s shared her home-buying expertise on various radio programs and Web sites, and is herself a homeowner who, until recently, also owned a rental home out of state. Hunkered down in her Florida home office for most of the day and night, Bridget does break away from her desk now and then to work out at the gym and run 5K road races on a regular basis. She’s now thinking seriously about training her 12-year-old daughter, Catie, to take over her business so she can put down the pen, turn off the computer, buy a vacation home on Maui, and get a life outside of work. So far, Catie has been somewhat noncommittal about giving up soccer and homework to be a CEO.

Stephen Spignesiis a full-time writer and editor and the author of 40 nonfiction books and one acclaimed debut novel, Dialogues(Bantam). His books include The New York Timesbestseller, J.F.K. Jr., five books about Stephen King, three books about the Beatles, and several books about world and American history, pop culture, the paranormal, true crime, TV, movies, cooking, natural disasters, Italian historical figures, cats, and contemporary fiction. Stephen’s most recent book is George Washington’s Leadership Lessons(published by Wiley), written with James Rees, the executive director of George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Stephen lives in New Haven, Connecticut, with his wife, Pam, and their beloved and brilliant cat, Carter.

Part I: Seeing a Second Home in Your Future.

Chapter 1: The Lowdown on Buying and Owning a Second Home.

Chapter 2: Figuring Out Whether You Can Afford a Second Home.

Chapter 3: Considering Your Second-Home Options.

Chapter 4: A Second Home Is All about Location.

Part II: Searching for Your New Home and Sealing the Deal.

Chapter 5: In Search of the Perfect Second Home: What You Can Do.

Chapter 6: Relying on the Experts When Buying Your Second Home.

Chapter 7: Inspecting Your Second Home before You Sign on the Dotted Line.

Chapter 8: Financing Your Second Home and Closing the Deal.

Chapter 9: Thinking Like a Global Home Buyer.

Part III: Making Your Second Home a Smart Investment.

Chapter 10: Setting Up Your New Digs.

Chapter 11; Renting Out Your Second Home to Pay for Itself .

Chapter 12; Investing in Your Investment: Renovations That Pay Off.

Chapter 13: Handling the Maintenance and Upkeep on Your Second Home.

Chapter 14: What Uncle Sam Wants to Know: Important Tax Implications.

Part IV: Home, Sweet Home: Retiring to Your Second Home.

Chapter 15: From Landlord to Resident: Living Permanently in Your Second Home.

Chapter 16: Selling Your Primary Residence and Settling into Your Second Home.

Chapter 17: Protecting Your Home for the Future.

Part V: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 18: Ten Popular Second-Home Locations.

Chapter 19: Ten Ways to Make Your Second Home First-Rate.

Chapter 20: Ten Rules Your Friends and Family Must Follow When Using Your Home.

Glossary.

Index.