Advice Wanted - Sell the Lakefront House or Keep it in the Family?

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Originally Posted by castlebreakfast

may I ask what those wrong reasons were?

When COVID hit we saw properties selling like crazy down in MA, in the burbs. We fled MA to hideout at our place in NH. We asked a realtor how things were doing and they said extremely good (this was in March). We had always thought about "upgrading" or combining our home in MA and NH for one that would be easier in Winter and lower in total taxes. But we never moved on it. The COVID "bubble" was our excuse to move on it. The realtor also gave us an estimate of selling price which was $300K over what I ever expected to get.

We were so busy prepping the place for sale we didn't stop to think about what we were doing. The next thing you know it's sold. All I saw was $$$. And it was not until we started packing we thought, what did we just do? The closer and closer the day came that we had to move out we wear in tears every day !!

The taxes were extremely high and houses literally 3 houses over of the same value were paying half the taxes (different town). I always felt like we never owned it, but rented it, so it wouldn't be very hard to stop "renting it". It was $1300/mo. And we probably only used it in total 3 months a year. So that's like $5000/mo. But I'd pay that tax in heart beat now. We did own it and I see the owner enjoying all the work I put into it.

The good news is the new owners appreciate it for what it is and are already buddy buddy with the great neighbors we had. But if we could turn back the clock there is no doubt in our minds it would be with us until we are both in our graves.