Second Home in the Carolina’s

“My husband is telling his Ohio friends that he can play golf year-round in the Carolinas,” she laughed. “He’s planning to pick up a fishing pole as well.” Their son-in-law owns a small boat, and undoubtedly, they’ll make friends with other boat owners. “Even if we aren’t on the water, we really enjoy being beside the water.”

Steve and Doris Childress migrated to the Carolinas from the other direction. At first, the couple thought that the Palm Coast of Florida was their retirement destination. They’d already purchased two condominiums there when they first heard about Bear Lake Reserve, near Cashiers, N.C.

“My wife is from Shelbyville, Tennessee, and this is new to her, but I am from West Virginia, and so I knew a bit about mountain living,” explained Mr. Childress. They have six children and 13 grandchildren spread out from the Carolinas to Texas, and with family in Tennessee, Bear Lake Reserve had the location and views they were seeking.

“We’d visited Charleston several times over the years, and really enjoyed it,” he said. They call themselves history buffs and like the plantations and historical buildings throughout the area. Summer’s Bend is in North Charleston, “five minutes away from grocery stores, close to good medical facilities and shopping, and beside the Ashley River.”

He is appreciative of the care taken to maintain the huge live oaks and the rural feel of the community – and the ability to drop a fishing pole in the water any time. Next, the children and grandchildren are coming to visit. He and his wife are confident that they will approve.

For Scott and Peggy Whisnand, the community of Wildflower, near Franklin, N.C., called out to them. “We have a home in Naples, Florida, but we wanted to be in the mountains and experience the changing of the seasons that you don’t enjoy that far south,” he explained.

The couple already owns a home in downtown Franklin, but purchased the homesite in Wildflower initially for investment, with the potential for building one day. “This is going to be a fabulous community,” Mr. Whisnand said, noting that the couple has visited a number of open houses in the area, looking at new communities with an eye toward the future. “This one is something special.”

Take Greg and Nancy Reilly, for example. These self-proclaimed “water people” have chosen to exercise their water wings at Larkspur Landing, an intimate lakefront community on Clark Hill Lake near Lincolnton, Georgia, which will be home to only 19 families.

“My dad was in the military and we lived all over the world, but when I met and married my husband, he was from Atlanta, and we’ve lived in Gwinnett County since 1986,” she explained. “We love the water, as well as hiking and anything out of doors.”

Clark Hill Lake is called Lake Strom Thurmond on the South Carolina side and offers endless possibilities for fishing, boating and all types of waters sports. With 1,200 miles of shoreline, simply exploring the coves and rivers will take a lifetime.

“It is so beautiful here, with the hardwood trees and the wildlife,” she said. “Each time we visit, we move our timetable forward.”

Ask any of these second home owners and they’ll tell you that there is something delightful about being in familiar surroundings, and yet apart from the daily responsibilities at a primary home. Time away is simply that, and the benefits are physical, as well as emotional. No wonder that for so many, the second home experience is one they want to make permanent. It’s a good plan.

But, all part-time ownership plans are not created equal, and Fractional Deeded Ownership is nothing like your father’s one-week timeshare condo at the beach. One major difference is in the number of weeks purchased. “Buying a Timeshare or Vacation Ownership is really buying the right to a vacation,” says Chris Tivey, President of Elementz, which has been contracted to oversee and produce marketing and collateral materials by The Cottages, at National Golf Club in Pinehurst. “Fractional Ownership, or a Private Residence Club, is an alternative to second home ownership,” he says, “whereas timeshare is an alternative to paid vacations.”

Quite often, the first step toward retirement resort living is vacationing at the same location for a number of years.

Chuck and Pennie Hartbauer say their home at Brigantine Quarters in Hilton Head gives them all the benefits of full-time ownership but with no amount of work involved in maintenance. They’ve owned ten weeks for two years, and the Pittsburgh couple decided this idea was right for them.

“We chose this community because it’s very close to the beach, and the facilities are excellent,” says Mr. Hartbauer. “We originally thought about buying a condo, but stopped and asked ourselves why, when we couldn’t use it all the time. Now, we have as many weeks as we need, and we switch around with the other owners.” The Hartbauer family considers it their home away from home, and suggests that not having to do maintenance is a real plus.

It takes them 11 hours to get there. Mr. Hartbauer retired two years ago, and although they are not planning full-time Hilton Head living, they spend as much time as possible, enjoying the climate and the community. They bring family with them, and sometimes friends are invited, but when they can’t use it, they rent it out through the rental company.

For Linda and Jim Adkins, their fractional home ownership plan at Ocean Palms in Port Royal, gave them ten weeks of ownership with two weeks at a time.

The Adkins family lives in Northern Virginia for most of the year, but makes that nine-hour drive as often as possible. They purchased a two-bedroom because their family can only join them for a week or two each year, so when that happens, they take advantage of a very good discount for owners to rent another villa.

They, too, say no maintenance in a lovely upscale property is one of their strong motivators. They like the fact that the property is redone every five years, and the décor is stylish and comfortable. Jim Adkins retired this past year, and they have talked three other couples into buying this way.

“People still think I bought a timeshare,” he laughs. “They don’t understand that this is much more than that.” One selling point for Kevin Mahony was the affiliation with DCP Properties, which allows them to trade time in and travel to different locations. They will be visiting Huatulco, Mexico in April, and perhaps a penthouse in London in the future.

“Before I bought, I did the research and talked with other owners,” he says. “This is a concept that works.” He paused for a moment and added, “Because we live in New Orleans, we are definitely food snobs, but I’ve got to say, the food in Cashiers is excellent.” Because of the size of the homes, children and adults can take a break from one another, and having two decks and two dens have already proven their value.

These couples and others like them are joining growing numbers of people who want luxurious living, but only when they can use it.

They don’t want the headaches of repairs, but do want to return to the same location as often as possible. They have decided where they like to spend leisure days, and that’s why the investment is worth it for them. However, they can’t really justify the full expense of a home they can only use for 4-13 weeks each year.

Of course, many people prefer to own their own second homes, filled with memorabilia and personal items. For them, being the only owner of a second home is the way to go. However, the decision to invest in real estate is influenced by time constraints, the cost of travel, property maintenance, and sometimes, unwillingness to place personal property in a rental pool. Some families want the personal services and amenities offered at an upscale resort community, plus the financial advantages of deeded ownership. For them, they get what they want through club residences, at much less cost.