If you are thinking about buying a Catskill mountain house as a homebase for camping and hiking excursions during the summer and a ski lodge in the winter, but think that it will cost too much, read on. There are a few things you should know before you rule it out, and strategies you can use to make your Catskill mountain house far more affordable, if not pay for itself.
A relatively simple way to make a Catskill mountain house more affordable is to go in on the purchase with friends or family. While there is nothing particularly novel about this approach—it has been done for generations—it is very practical. Consider how often you would realistically be able to head off to the mountains for vacation in the first place. If it is not that often, then going in two, three, four, or more ways, will reduce the amount of paid by you initially and per month. Of course, there is the old adage about not doing business with family, and if you get more than three partners in on the deal, it would be wise to set up a legal structure such as a corporation to protect everyone's interests.
Another way to make your Catskill mountain house a reality is to think of it as an investment rental property that you will “rent” to yourselves for several weekends of the year—or for as long as you like, since it's your place. When you are not living in the Catskill mountain house, but are back in the city, you can even turn a profit. Location, in this case, is paramount, since being near to a popular ski resort or summer destination will draw far more people than being far away from everything people want to do.
If the thought of managing the rental of your Catskill mountain house is not appealing, remember there are agencies that will handle the bulk of the work for you—for a price, of course.
These are just a few of the routes available for you to make your dream of a Catskill mountain house a reality. There are many other ways to get your own little cottage nestled in the hills, and you are limited, really, only by your imagination.