WantToRetire, I appreciate your input, but the thought of renting an apartment (kids and other unruly types) is abhorrent at my age. But you are correct about retirement developments being expensive. Even "independent living" facilities apartments (1+1) start at over $2300/month rent only. Some 55+ developments in Southern Maine where one might buy a stand-alone condo charge low six figures as a buy-in fee, then there's the cost of the actual condo itself - from the high $200Ks to over a half million. HOAs and remaining utilities are extra of course. One 55+ development I investigated charges two monthly fees for those who buy stand-alone condos: the first is a "land rent" fee of $500/month, then there's the usual HOA fee of $300 to $400/month for utilities, outside maintenance, etc.

Friends bought in an age-restricted, gated community in California about ten years ago. We've visited them. It's not for me, and I really doubt it's for them, but they couldn't get their money out if they sold now. As for being 'gated', there is a gate, but no fencing! This means that an ambulance has to wait to clear the gate; any burglar could walk through the property. The homes are single-family, single-level, all white. The landscaping is perfectly maintained. It's completely SILENT. There are no pedestrians. Eerie. As we approached our friends' home the first day I couldn't quite place the feeling I had. When we drove off two days later I recognized what I felt. It was like a gigantic mausoleum. My friend writes that this neighbor or that one is coping with a dying spouse or is now widowed, or that so-and-so has sickened and died. It's darn depressing! In an ordinary community there's a balance; none there. Why do builders continue to build these developments? Because Seniors are a large source of cash in this economy. We've never wanted a so-called 'no maintenence' community. We'd rather decide for ourselves what needs maintaining and who we want to do the work -- not pay dues to a committee that awards the work -- or doesn't think work we want done is necessary. We don't golf and don't want to pay to support a course. We have an excellent Senior Center in our town with minimal membership fees and activities we can participate in (and pay for) as we wish. Our library is excellent. We're minutes from town and medical care. Our friends are not exactly 'nowhere', but you can see it from there! LOL They have a long drive to hospitals, doctors and shops. (There are some nearby, but not top-notch.) We own a vacation rental condo on Maui in a development of over 300. Some owners are in default on their fees. Some have been foreclosed upon. The association is last in line to collect on a lein. It gets no money while a propety sits on the market, and little even when it sells. I don't want this situation for my main residence.

cpartist - I think it looks good overall. Some of the rugs looks a little wimpy etc. but doubt that will keep you from selling, same as some of the accessories being too many in some spots. Overall impression is very positive to me. Most of that stuff is just nit picks for lack of other things to pick on I think. If you do decide to balance the artwork you might want to look at command hooks. No need to make any holes. I think with wider angle pictures that shows the rooms it will be just fine. Only thing I would do is leave just the larger accessories and remove any groupings of smaller things - less to pack later anyways and it looks less busy in those spots, for those that like less "fuss".

We have owned two vacation rentals. Lots of good tips here. I'd just add- 1. Check and triple-check the Short Term Rental laws in the area. Like the ones you are contemplating, one of our properties is in a development where many of the homes are STRs. And since it is so well regulated, it runs really well. Despite that, there is a contingent of homeowners who are hellbent on getting rid of the STRs. This past year, they were able to enact a lot of crazy strict guidelines. For example, renters are no longer permitted to use the outdoor fire pits that every home has (these are built-in stone structures). We've already seen it affect renters, who are moving off to other lakeside communities where they won't face that restriction. In some cases, you need to be aware of HOA, village, municipal, country, and/or state laws. You need to know not just existing law -but what may be in the works. In nearly every community in the country, there are new laws being rewritten. Sometimes this is because the local hotels have lost significant business, so they push for laws that will protect them and hurt STR owners. In other cases, it is because the STRs are not well-regulated, and citizens are tired of dealing with lousy vacation rental owners who allow tenants to run roughshod over communities. In one community where we own property, there is a LARGE hotel market, unchallenged for years. They are not happy about losing millions of business each year. They launched a campaign that ultimately resulted in many changes, the most significant of which was that an STR owner cannot rent out the property for more than 90 nights per year. For some owners, that means it will no longer be a profitable business. HOA regulations are typically more stringent than the municipal ones and may limit days, limit pets (even if allowed for owners), limit the age of renters, etc. We were considering purchasing a third property in Colorado this past year, but have now decided not to. One of the things we discovered there is that some counties limit the number of licenses per year to a flat number, and don't pass on existing licenses to a buyer. So you could buy an existing vacation rental, but would then have to add your name to the waitlist for an STR permit. 2. You can buy insurance which is specifically offered for vacation rental properties. Message me and I'll be happy to pass on our agent's information. 3. Check with your property manager to find out if you can use the property at will or if they will limit you. There are IRS regulations about this too, but that is a separate issue. We got a heads up about this from friends whose management firm would not allow them to book the property for their own use for more than two weeks a year. We knew to ask about that as a result, and selected firms with whom we could happily work. Also, ask your PM about housekeeping issues. I invested in multiple sets of the kinds of sheets I like to sleep on only to discover that they use their own linens. Since I don't have these size beds at home, I can't even use these linens myself.