WHY BUY A SECOND HOME?

Our family’s love affair with The Sea Ranch began in 1986, when we first visited this magical stretch of California’s coast. From that first trip, we were captivated by the ocean views, the serenity, and the beauty of the trails. We kept returning, year after year, until one day — three years later — we mentioned to our real estate broker Cindy Kennedy, how much we loved the place. She told us about a lot where only the foundation had been poured. On the drive back to San Francisco, we decided to stop and take a look.

As I stood there, looking at that foundation and reviewing the drawings, I told my family: “This is our house. ” Of course, the question was: How can we buy it? My first thought was to use a line of credit on our San Francisco home and take out a mortgage. But the real solution came when we decided to sell one of our rental properties in San Francisco, using the proceeds for the down payment.

For the next ten years, Sea Ranch became our family’s favorite destination. Eventually, when it was time to move on, we sold the house but never stopped returning, often renting from others. As the years passed and our finances improved, we began thinking again about buying. But Cindy, now a friend, reminded us of something important: she would only sell us a home if we intended to live there permanently. And she was right — houses on the coast require constant maintenance, and the costs add up quickly.

Today, renting a home big enough for four of us — including our daughter and her husband — can cost $2,000 for just four nights. Buying is even more of a challenge, with most homes at Sea Ranch selling for well over $1 million. Currently there are about 1200 people reside in The Sea Ranch. Some of them are artists. Both myself and my wife are artists as well, however I am not ready to retire yet. For now, we will continue renting other people’s second homes

Three images you can see above, are showing what attracts us to The Sea Ranch.

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