No Place Like Second-Home

October 17, 2008

I've often wondered how many homes on the island are second, third, or maybe fourth homes. As an investment, Lido seems to be weathering the housing downturn better than many areas in Southern California - can't say that I've seen more Open House signs than usual, and there are a lot of houses under construction lately. During my pre-dawn runs with Mr Jones, I often see the "construction warden" as I call her, driving slowly street to street, Antibes to Zurich, flipping her clipboard papers in the dark and matching permits to every green dumpster and wire-fenced property- or so I imagine that's what she's doing. At any rate, she's been busy. So, what WOULD the criteria be for selecting the perfect second home location? According to MSN.com, "a beautiful setting is a must." Beyond that, MSN includes:

• Proximity to growing urban centers.Within a 2-3 hour drive of a major city, or close to a big airport.
• Plenty of recreational opportunities. Lots to do beyond shopping, which is why most thriving resort towns are near ski lifts, beaches or mountains. Some cultural cachet - a theater or film festival, galleries or museums.
• Decent weather. You have to be able to get outside to enjoy all that recreation.
• Significant commercial investment. The old-timers may grouse about the new hotels or malls, but these are good indicators that others think the community is on the way up.
• The "it" factor. The community gets discovered by movers, shakers and celebrities -- or at least enough other folks like you -- for prices to get bid up.

By all those measures- with the arguable exception of Lido Marina Village, (which has so much latent commercial investment potential), and your own personal definition of "a beautiful setting", (which would need to include water or beach), Lido would certainly rank near the top for perfect second home locations. DJ

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