Summer/Weekend house in Europe?

Just rent. You'll get tired of commuting after 3 years and the "listed" price for a French property is not what you actually pay. The real price is under the table to avoid taxes.

Good luck with that.

I can understand you, the beaches in the US are not special at all, nothing like the sandy beaches of the mediterranean(where there is sand). I think it depends of you retirement goals...

Start by renting. Owning property in another country can be a real PITA for a variety of reasons (not least of which is the 4am phone call from Jacques the caretaker informing you a tree has crashed through your roof and/or your toilet has exploded).

Agree with the above advice. Unless you're regularly going to be spending 6 months out of the year abroad, it really doesn't make much sense to buy there. Too many potential hassles. It can help if you have family nearby willing to look after the place, but I wouldn't rely on it regularly.

agree with rental option for summer or whenever...try Prague! Or at least put it on the list of possibilities. get twenty minutes outside city and I think u can get some decent deals. havent checked in years though. good luck!

I had an apartment in Mallorca that I rented out over the internet. For one year I had nobody who would look after it. I simply told people that there was no cleaning service and that they would have to clean up themselves. It worked out very well for a year. The apartment was completely "guest managed". People are very respectful, when you trust them. A switch broke, and the guest at the time who was an engineer, fixed it. After a year of waiting for a disaster, like a broken toilet, we found a caretaker. That person is squeezing as much money out of us as possible, but things are taken care of. I haven't been there for 4 years, it just makes no sense to fly there. I just keep it for sentimental reasons.

gaymafia,
I share your aspirations & sentiments. That direct NY-Nice flight makes it just a few hours longer than going to the Hamptons, right? I agree that renting is the way to go. I hope you post your decision.

needsadvice,
Could you give an example of how a transaction works re: list price & sous la table?

It would seem logical to go back and forth to the same country again & again before deciding to buy there...

For what it's worth, my Italian friend has rents his primary residence in Rome and his vacation residence elsewhere in Italy and owns two apartments in NYC. I know other Europeans that rent in their home countries (Germany, Austria, and France) and own property in the U.S. that they rent out or use as a vacation residence.

My upstairs neighbors built a home in Scicily.

Or you could try Exclusive Resorts. Then you're buying into partial ownership of a variety of properties. I thinking arranging a rental everytime you want to travel is annoying. This could be simpler.
http://www.exclusiveresorts.com/

@DWELL: I got this as second hand info from a friend; the listed price is very low, but then the realtor tells you the real price and you pay the difference in cash the day of the closing to the seller's lawyer. This way the french only pay tax on the listed price.

This was over 15 years ago, though, so maybe it's not the same now.

Thanks needsadvice.

Years ago, an American friend sold their house in France. For her, it was a nightmare. Alors, pour moi, je rent!

@needsadvice. It's called "Dessous de Table"(Under the table), but to be done efficiently you got to make sure the seller is not gonna deposit this huge envelop of cash on his checking account otherwise he'll be audited and Les Impots will track it back to you and your penalties will be tremendous.

gaymafia, I spent many NY winters on the beach in Tel Aviv, always renting and always happy.
By the way, you can not buy in Italy or Switzerland (citizens only.) Try Greece, Israel, Spain.

do tell, sledgehammer SVP: what happened? what kinda penalties? Just curious.

Try the Dalmatian coast.

dwell, the tax creatures in France have much, MUCH more personal/intrusive relationship with their victims than you can imagine here.

Nothing happened but mind you will be giving a large unreported slump of cash to someone. Even though this is done in the presence of the Notaire (Lawyer), this cash won't figure on any documents. As a foreigner, i'd make sure that the deal is 200% real and secure before doing that. Crooks are everywhere and ramping, especially on the French riviera. An American is the perfect target.

I thought France is the place where both attorneys will leave the room at a certain point for a few minutes.

What's you point Alan?

That it's an institutionalized practice, and it's not done in the presence of the lawyer.

But if you want another point, just down the coast is Monaco, the original "sunny place for shady people".

It is common practice indeed but the lawyer stays. You won't get the seller to sign any papers prior to receive the cash during the procedure. The Lawyer turns a blind eye.

very interesting, commoner.

I hear you, sledgehammer. I don't think I'd be comfortable with that.

Alan, such a great line, Somerset Maugham?

I think it was attributed to a duke or viscount or something.

Habsburg? Kingdom of Naples? Duchy of Milan? C'mon, yer slippin' kid.

BTW GAYMAFIA; i love that screen name, it makes me laugh (and confirms all my suspicions) every time I see it (meant in a funny way, not snide)

gaymafia-- i have owned a house on Mykonos in Greece since 1999. There are major pros and cons if you are considering buying a summer home that is this far away, although for me it has worked out very well, as I previously lived there full time, thus I know a lot of people who can help me out if I run into trouble. I only use the home for about three weeks per year, but I have a company that rents it out for me for the rest of the season (April- Oct). It is generally vacant during winter but I have a caretaker who visits and helps with upkeep in the off season. If you are considering Greece I can give you more info.