Ovr..I figured ya were going fer one of those ritzy Condo units on the lake...leaving U
maintenance and CAReFREE to visit Hawaii,OreganO! and the Sunny South as the mood struck...........sideways move fer the same BUCKS
..plus...the headaches of BUILDING NEW..........good fortune...............seeing the California fires reminds me of the similarities in Kewlona...are U going with slate/terra cotta roof and sprinkler system and a fire berm..?
Well, we did think about a condo BUT we have the big dog which is a major problem in a condo where you cannot fence your area, and we are not keen on the "oldster communities" here with their gates, and old farts-attitudes, plus condos can be a pain with rules to obey and condo (strata) fees that seem to grow expedentially - SO, no condos for us.
We consider this house our "condo alternative" in that it will be maintenance-free (or very low) for a number of years, and the yard will be small and maint-low also. We have a good builder who has lots of experience in the area, and our price is locked in so there cannot be any surprises if prices go up (for trades, appliances, etc). We are actually building in the area the fires of 2003 went thru (there are no trees left there nor anything left to burn now), and the construction is very wildfire-aware (fire resistant roofs, no wood shingles or siding, etc, etc). The fire risk where we are building is very, very low. That cannot be said of many areas here in the Okanagan tho, and the wildfires of 2003 will repeat here somewhere, sometime. No doubt.
Our present house, and our temp rental are all nearby the new house construction area so we can keep a close eye on things. No doubt it will have it's moments of brain-damage, but should be kept to a minimum.