A family trip in the mountains is a terrific way to have fun and spend time with your loved ones, and if mountains are one of your favorite vacation places, you’ve probably considered buying a mountain home.
Mountain cabins are excellent if you’re looking to escape to a secluded place for the sole purpose of relaxation. These cabins are ideal if you intend to own a second home you can use for vacations. Also, you may decide to rent out the building while you’re away, thus generating a decent amount of passive income.
The thought of owning a mountain cabin brings excitement, but before taking steps to buy a cabin, you must ask yourselves these questions:
What Kind of Cabin Do I Want?
Whenever people hear the phrase ‘mountain cabin,’ they imagine a small wooden house on the top of the mountain, which is not surprising. This notion is not wrong, but there are different types of cabins, and we will discuss some of them.
Also, You must know enough about cabins and the options available before buying a mountain cabin.
Some of the types of mountain cabins include:
Log Cabins
Its name gives away its structural makeup. As the name suggests, a log cabin is a sturdy structure made entirely from wood. They are the most common mountain houses and one of the cheapest to build.
Although you have to worry about termite infestations, decaying logs, and other wood-related problems, are log cabin homes a good investment in light of these potential threats?
Log cabins are highly durable and last for up to 30 years without needing repairs!
However, their durability and how long they’ll last are dependent on where and how you build them. For example, a poorly constructed and located wooden cabin will quickly develop faults.
A-frame Cabins
These triangular structures have gained popularity over the last few years, but why? A-frame cabins are famous for their triangular shape. If you’re wondering if this type of cabin has vertical walls on both sides upholding the roof, the answer is no. There aren’t any walls apart from the front and back.
The roofs of A-frame cabins trail down from the top of the house to the bottom, even touching the floor, giving them an eccentric look.
Also, despite their thin walls, these cabins possess insulating properties and are quite cheap and easy to build.
Prefabricated Cabins
Unlike the previous types we listed, prefab houses aren’t built on site. You’re probably wondering how they work. Like with some furniture items, these cabins come in factory-manufactured pieces you can quickly assemble to form your house. They’re not common, but they’re significantly cheap. These prefab cabins are much cheaper than the ones built on-site.
After learning about various types of mountain cabins, it’s time to ask yourself another important question:
What Should I Consider Before Buying a Mountain Cabin?
As earlier said, it’s crucial to know the types of cabins available. However, there are several details you must pay attention to before buying a mountain cabin.
Mortgage
I guess by now, every person reading real estate articles is already tired of hearing the word mortgage. Well, mortgages are unavoidable, especially when you’re a homeowner.
If you’re already paying the mortgage on your primary home, you might want to consider whether you’re capable of handling the mortgage payments for another house.
Once you’ve evaluated your finances and determined you’re capable of paying the mortgage for another house, you’re one step closer to buying a mountain cabin. Perchance, your finances will not permit extra mortgage payments. You can always buy your dream cabin later on in the future when your income has improved.
Utilities
Utilities play a significant role in determining your comfort while staying in your cabin. Access to several necessary utilities like water, electricity, internet, and phone service, makes a mountain cabin comfortable to live in.
For this reason, you must consider this factor before purchasing a cabin.
Location
Another critical detail you must consider if you’re looking to buy a mountain cabin is the location of the building. If you’re planning on building one, you must consider the best place to have a cabin before moving forward with building plans.
As aforementioned, the location of a cabin decides how often structural repairs will take place and how long the building will last.
Also, it depends on personal preferences. Some people prefer quiet places, so they’re likely to consider owning a cabin in the woods or a similarly tranquil environment.
Furthermore, you must also ask yourself, is this building easily accessible via the road network? If it isn’t, you might want to consider other options.
Other Financial Concerns
You’re probably wondering what these financial concerns are. These concerns include maintenance costs, property taxes, utility bills, etc. If you’re not going to stay often in the cabin, you’ll have to pay someone to carry out maintenance while you’re away, and this also has a hold on your finances.
Rentability
If you’re planning to buy a mountain cabin you’ll place on rent while you’re away, you must consider one convenient enough for tenants.
Since the cabin will generate passive income for you through rent payments, your duty as a landlord is to ensure the house is in proper living condition for tenants.
Visit First
It’s not enough to have photos of a cabin you intend to buy, and it’s advisable to visit the site and conduct an inspection of the house to prevent being misled.
It’s popular to see situations where you pay for a building you’ve seen in pictures, only to discover there were some hidden faults of which you’re not aware.
After following these steps, you can proceed to the next stage and gather information about buying a mountain cabin.
Conclusion
Owning and living in a mountain cabin is quite exciting. This experience is worthwhile if you take the necessary steps to pick the perfect mountain house while ensuring it’s in the right location for a family vacation. It would help if you chose a place that best suits your financial state and is conducive enough to reside.