NY- do you have a summer home?

amother

Ecru

Tue, Jun 22 2021, 10:59 am

amother [ NeonPurple ] wrote:

I bought in March of 2020. We're deep in PA (about 2.45hrs from Brooklyn and 1.30 from Monsey). We LOVE our vacation house so much! We checked out tons of different communities in PA and a couple years back, settled on our wish list but the community was just too much for us to spend. We finally decided in January of 2020 to just do it and bh, after three weeks of searching, found the perfect vacation home. It's adorable. We hang off a deep ledge into the woods and have multiple back porches with string lights hung all over. My neighbors are trees, trees and more trees. It's 3 bedrooms, two bathrooms, one living room / dining room combo, some great closet space and a walkout basement to the bottom porch. We hung swings and put an outdoor water feature on the porch so we hear nothing but birds and running water during lazy shabbos afternoons. Our community is not a Jewish one. We deliberately didn't buy where other Jews have homes, just because a colony is not relaxing to us. We have friends over to spend weekends and we escape to our vacay home every chance we get. Cost wise, between HOA fees, property tax, utilities and insurance, we pay about $500 a month. BH, we don't have a mortgage and our purchase price was 149k plus some light renos (redid the porches, put in a kosher sink and new counters/backsplash, added ductless air.) Best. Purchase. Ever. I'd do this again in a heartbeat. And FYI, we have pools here, lakes, beaches, skiing / snowtubing in the winter. A rec center, gym, golf courses, etc. All with 24 hour security and tons of Jews do rent here through Airbnb. So if we wanted to see other Jews and interact, we could. We're just selectively isolationist...

Do you have a minyan for Shabbos?

elisheva25

Tue, Jun 22 2021, 11:06 am

amother [ NeonPurple ] wrote:

That sounds great, but what about minyan .
I would love this , but Bc of minyan and boys getting older my husband wouldn’t go for this

amother

NeonPurple

Tue, Jun 22 2021, 11:24 am

groovy1224 wrote:

If you don't mind me asking, what do you do about a minyan?

No minyan nearby. BH, we have small kids so this hasn't been such an issue for us yet. My husband davens at home.

Crookshanks

Tue, Jun 22 2021, 11:49 am

NeonPurple sound amazing! I'm so happy you have this. Can we be friends?
😼

amother

Oak

Tue, Jun 22 2021, 11:55 am

This is why Ima boggles my mind. Ppl were screaming about how dare ppl spend 500$ on doona or 1200 on stroller, but suddenly it's ok to spend 200k+ plus on a summer home.?!? I just find the disparity so odd.

Fave

Tue, Jun 22 2021, 1:01 pm

amother [ Oak ] wrote:

A summer home is an investment that generally increases in value.

amother

Tiffanyblue

Tue, Jun 22 2021, 1:23 pm

We have a summer home outside of NY state. I absolutely love it!

amother

DarkMagenta

Tue, Jun 22 2021, 1:28 pm

amother [ Oak ] wrote:

Seriously?? A summer home is saving from years of spending money on Vacations. It can replace camp for some people. It's a place to make memories. A doona lasts 8 months?? A stroller till kid is 3 or 4 yrs old?? Massive difference!

groovy1224

Tue, Jun 22 2021, 1:31 pm

amother [ Oak ] wrote:

I have neither a doona or a summer home, so I can safely say I'm not personally offended by your statement, but come on. There is no comparison. A summer home is something you can enjoy for decades, holds its value, doesn't expire.. There's no denying that it's probably considered a luxury by most but it's completely different than a doona.

mha3484

Tue, Jun 22 2021, 1:35 pm

My grandparents summer home has been in my grandmothers husband family since he was a young child. K'ah he is 93. I have some of my best memories from our visits there. Cant say that for any posession I have bought over the years.

amother

Trillium

Tue, Jun 22 2021, 1:40 pm

amother [ NeonPurple ] wrote:

No minyan nearby. BH, we have small kids so this hasn't been such an issue for us yet. My husband davens at home.

I’m happy for you. It sounds almost dreamlike. Did you spend time there during lockdown?
For most frum families being near a minyan is a criteria though.

amother

NeonPurple

Tue, Jun 22 2021, 3:10 pm

amother [ Trillium ] wrote:

I’m happy for you. It sounds almost dreamlike. Did you spend time there during lockdown?
For most frum families being near a minyan is a criteria though.

We spent almost all of 2020 there. This home was also a good investment. We've had offers of 250k for it already and we're not interested in selling (the market in PA went nuts, like the trip state area). BH, for us, $500 a month is not a problem. And no, we don't have a doona or anything, lol. This place is our escape. We go to bond as a family and for my kids to catch salamanders and spend time in nature. It's wonderful for family memories. If a shul or minyan were a must for us, this place wouldn't have made the wish list.

amother

Tulip

Tue, Jun 22 2021, 3:34 pm

My family has a summer home they've been going to since 1955. I feel like it was a good investment.