If you were to buy a place...............

[Greg]

If it were up to me, MRV, hands down. SB and MRG right there. Stowe an hour north, Killington an hour south. Jay and Burke are reasonable drives.

 

[kbroderick]

You are correct in the natural snow thoughts when compared to say the MRV area of VT or even Sugarloaf....but that varies by year. Add to this, in my opion, probably the top 3 snowmaking systems in the country and you get early openings and late closings....not to mention all the blowing they do in between natural events. I think every SR regular would agree that SR provides very consistent conditions. If you look at this December and last April....there was more natural than anyone knew what to do with....We have 3 small kids so we were looking for a mt that could make everyone happy.
.

It really depends on what kind of skiing you want to do. If you're happy to run laps on groomers, Sunday River's a great place to be--they have consistent manmade snow, solid grooming, a good lift system, and a reasonable trail layout. If you want to ski real snow in the trees, I'd stick with northern Vermont (Sugarbush/MRG/Stowe/Smuggs/Bolton/Jay), where annual snowfall totals average in the 300" range rather than the 150" range. If you want both a variety of groomers and natural snow options, Sugarbush may be your best bet; if economy, smaller crowds, and less in the way of groomed terrain suits your needs, Bolton is worth considering.

 

[SIKSKIER]

Some decisions here to be made first.If you live for the biggest natural snowfall then you have to be in central to northern Vermont.There is no argument there.If your from the Mass area and love great access to bigger mts then the I-93 white mt corridor is the place to go.If you want great snowmaking and trail grooming with a wide area of trails then think about SR.I personally love all of these options so I have settled in northern NH in Franconia.It's right smack in the middle of the Vermont and Maine areas with fantastic access up 93.Go look around first.

 

[smootharc]

A few factors....

....we thought about.

Ski related:

Terrain. Natural snow. Crowds. Vibe.

Non-ski related:

A place with stuff to do year round ? What type of stuff ?

Community related:

Is it crowded with people blowing hot air up eachother's skirts ? How do locals and non-local/visitors relate and interact ? Is it filled with artificial or real fun ? Is it loaded with chain food & shopping, or locally owned businesses ? Is there an opportunity to be part of local community/scene....and not just feel like an outsider ?

Real estate market:

Overhyped, traditionally "expensive" compared to neighboring ski areas ?



Anyways, we thunk and thunk for years. I'd spent time since a teenager in all the classic new england ski areas/towns, and one place had that undefinable "this is it" for us...the Mad River Valley. I always felt happy driving into the valley....and always a bit sad driving back away.

MRV is obviously great in winter.....and something many second home owners in valley realize is that the place is great year round. Great community. And surprisingly affordable real estate compared to neighboring VT ski communities, both north and south.

Anyways, good luck with your search. You'll know in your gut when you've found your little slice of paradise that will become your "home away from home".

 

[Brettski]

Mine would be in the MRV because of where I lived. If I lived near Maine, it would be somewhetre between Conway and the River...

 

[tekweezle]

any of you own a condo at a ski resort like Killington/Pico? Can you tell me the pros and cons? do they kill you with maintenance fees and taxes? impose draconian laws limiting your use to your property?

i wouldn;t necessarily be looking to rent it out. just looking for a convenient base of operations for my ski jaunts. I see the prices for some places like mountain green are fairly cheap. i know Mountain green isn;t the greatest.

anyone have problems with crime?

 

[RENO]

We have an Edgemont condo at Killington. No problems. Great central location. Easy shuttle to/from the slopes and ski home midseason. Condo fees are reasonable and taxes aren't too bad. We don't rent it out and we use it year round. Mountain biking, hiking and golf in the Summer and Fall. Mountain Green isn't bad, but I think it attracts more partiers on weekends than Edgemont, Trail Creek, HighRidge, etc... Pico is a few minutes down the road. Okemo is about a 30 minute drive. Sugarbush, MRG and Stratton about 1 hour.

 

[SkiDog]

Got a place at Pinnacle condos at Killington. Easy mtn access....not in rental, my family uses it year round. I have obviously moved on to westward locations, but we're keeping it because my family lives east still and uses it frequently.

Not bad on taxes, not bad on fees, good location, close to Pico and Okemo as well.

M

 

[peterk123]

Thanks all for some awesome input. MRV seems to be on or near the top of everyone's list. I have had some great days at at SB, as well as MRG.

We will definately visit the various communities this year, during the winter and spring. Two of the biggest factors for me will be the ski terrain and how far I am willing to drive. BTW I live near Worcester. IT sounds like many of you do not opt for the season pass and just ski various mountains. That sounds great. Can you find package deals that make it worthwhile? A family of four makes for some expensive skiing.

 

[Vortex]

I would pick a mountain and get a pass just so you have a fixed cost. I could not justify owning a 2nd home if I did not get the most use possible out of it. When you have a pass you will go more. You can ski a few hours and not feel guilty about not going the full day..

With passes you can buy them in the summer or fall and spread the costs of making turns over a couple of seasons. Maybe make a few day trips from your home, but becomes really alot of money for a family to do day tickets,. JMO

Ski nh ( www.skinh.com ) has some nice programs if you really want to do a mix of places. thye sell out early and start in later spring early summer.

If you plan on using your place in the Summer.... Don't rule our the whites. Fantastic hiking that will keep you busy for a while.

Don't rule out a seasonal rental the 1st year some places will allow you some credit towards the purchase later.

My view of owning and local is different from before I bought big time.

 

[ckofer]

I hope this one's a typo: http://www.listingvue.com/Listing/?id=2972

 

[Talisman]

I hope this one's a typo: http://www.listingvue.com/Listing/?id=2972

Hey it is a modified double wide with a mountain view! What were you expecting for $1.5 million?

 

[JD]

Just for skiing, Burke. For some sense of a scene, mad river valley. 3 hours door to door, good snow, good Mtns. I just bought in Northfield, 8 miles from warren. Houses are CHEAP as compared to just over the hill in waitsfield. There is some stuff in the valley we looked at. There was an A frame for sale that was resonably priced just off of bridge street that would make a great ski house.
http://www.nneren.com/view2.php?id=2607752&ref=r&price=$169,000.00&t=
Bike trails literally start and end about 100 feet away. Walk to the center of waitsfield in about 5 minutes via a covered bridge. Been on the market for at least 200 days.
And one from the "contemporary boom" that hit the valley in the late 70s. Looks realy nice inside though...
http://www.nneren.com/view2.php?id=2681931&ref=r&price=$189,900.00&t=
and if you want the quinessential cabin in the woods....http://www.nneren.com/view2.php?id=2676603&ref=r&price=$159,900.00&t=
In northfield, we liked this one too
http://www.nneren.com/view2.php?id=2694812&ref=r&price=$149,000.00&t=
Have fun!

 

[tekweezle]

another thing-when is the best time to look for a place? spring, summer or fall?

is the real estate market in new england suffering form subprime woes like the rest of the country not in NYC?

 

[ckofer]

another thing-when is the best time to look for a place? spring, summer or fall?

is the real estate market in new england suffering form subprime woes like the rest of the country not in NYC?

I'll go with late winter. Buyers tend to be discouraged. This assumes that you know how to evaluate property that's covered in snow.

My analysis on the market (I live in southern NH), prices have slid some and are more where they should be. Lumber has come down recently so construction costs are down a little. No real take on land costs yet. Because of land development regulations, I don't expect good building lots to go very far down in price-other than in the trendy, typically-inflated areas (maybe). Though we will see more foreclosures, New England still has a diverse economy and there are a variety of job offerings that attract people here.

 

[deadheadskier]

Honestly? Anywhere

Sure, I love Stowe, love Sugarbush, love Sugarloaf

...a small getaway Cabin in the woods within a half hour of a large mountain and a decent body of water is all I ask.

If I'm in a position to own a second home.....I'm sure I'd be psyched no matter where if it met the above conditions.

My parents had a vacation home near Okemo. Okemo is far from my favorite mountain to ski. That said, I LOVED going there every weekend year round.

 

[kickstand]

my wife and I own a chalet in Bartlett, NH (NConway). We ended up buying there for several reasons, but the main ones were the rentability of the place and the variety of "other" things to do, particularly in the winter. I know most places have mountain biking, hiking, golf in the summers, but I think the outlets were a big reason for us buying there. The huge variety of restaurants was big, too. You may or may not care about renting your place, but it was a big deal for us. I had my place rented out the entire summer, pays my heating bills in the winter. I have a friend who owns a place at Sugarbush and I have mine rented out at least 3 times as much as he does.

Having said that (and I could say a lot more), if I were buying a place purely for skiing, I would pick VT, most likely MRV area, without thinking twice. It would be worth the extra 30 minute drive (I'm 15 mi north of Boston). But since the wife isn't into skiing as much as I am, we went with North Conway. We avoid the place during vacation times (read: big rental income) and where I ski depends on the conditions. Attitash is 10 minutes door-to-door, but some weekends you just knew it was going to be packed, so you go to Wildcat. The best thing about that area is the variety - skiing, food, whatever. There's always tons of choices available to you.

I don't know how far you are from 495, but if you're closer to 91, VT is probably your best bet. And like I said, it depends on what you're looking for and how you plan on using the place.

 

[56fish]

ME & NH RULE!!:beer:

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

In the east I'd buy a place in Stowe..maybe not right in the town but maybe in Waterbury...In the west definitely Jackson Hole..again maybe not right in Jackson/Teton Village..maybe Wilson or Alpine

 

[JD]

Stowe would have been a great place to buy 15-20 years ago. Lamoille County realestate is an absolute rip off for the most part. Every once in a while something priced to move will come on the market, but you'd better be ready to pounce, they don't last a week. Here's a tip. Condo at Bolton. Highest base elevation of any Mtn. in the state. (Long Season) GREAT backcountry. In the snow belt. Close to Stowe, MRGValley. And a really nice place in the summer with XC and lift served MTB, the best rock in the state, great swinmming holes, and the Long Trail goes right thru. And when they finally add an exit to Bolton, your condo will triple in value.