In  Summit County Colorado, most of our homes are vacation homes.  The ideal vacation home has a big garage, but not because you have lots of cars parked in it.  You need a place to store your skis, your snowmobile, the bikes and your raft.  Oh yeah, and the canoe and the sailboat.  The car sits out on the driveway. 

We find that we lack storage in many of our condominiums.  That is because the builders figure that if you are only there 3 days at a time, why do you need big closets?  Well, ski clothes are bulky, for one, and so are ski boots.  Then you have hiking boots, fleeces, waterproof and wind resistant jackets, water bottles, fanny packs and back packs, mittens, hats, helmets, snowboards, ski poles and adjustable hiking poles.  So the perfect ski home has a coat rack on the wall and it is usually jammed with stuff that won't fit in the closet.  Ski passes are always buried underneath it all.  Cubbies are a great addition in an entry or mudroom as they do a better job of keeping the mittens and helmets under control. 

Hot tubs are high on the amenity list, and with all the physical activity I don't have to tell you why.  Open kitchens/living areas are a must, as the cook doesn't like to be alone and everyone enjoys sitting at the bar watching and helping after a busy day.  TVs are usually large, although they don't get turned on much.  Furniture is comfortable and overstuffed and the walls are always covered with photographs taken at ski areas, many yellowed and faded.  I enjoy looking at them and watching the growth of the family through the ski photos.  We often have to tell our clients to pack them up when they list their properties as too many potential buyers do the same thing and forget to look at the house! 

Then we have the prerequisite signs that say "welcome to our cabin", shower curtains, rugs and wallpaper borders with bear, moose or deer (sometimes fish).  Bedspreads and towels are often also decorated with furry animals of some sort.  Logs, which used to be structural, are often decorative, used for mantels and stair railings.  There is usually a big dog bed in either the living room or master bedroom, and a raft of dog toys are scattered around.

There is nothing like a vacation home.  From a simple cabin with the 1960s sofa that Grandma and Grandpa moved in when it got too beat up for the main house,  to penthouse conominiums and multi-million dollar homes with high end finishes and upscale furniture.  For many,  they are are a getaway and a refuge from the rat race.  More and more people are realizing the dream of a second home, and it is the fastest growing segment of the real estate market.  The baby boomer generation is looking for a way for families who have moved away from each other to come back together.  They want to create cherished memories for every family member and have some great  times with kids and grandkids.  And it works!