FrontDoor.com

Resist the temptation to buy on impulse; do your research before buying your dream resort home.

These days, resort developers are courting prospective buyers with services and amenities that rival five-star resorts: championship golf courses, world-class skiing facilities, luxury boutiques, even private airstrips. The options are dizzying.

As alluring as resort living can be, purchasing real estate in a resort development should be more than just love at first sight. It should be the right fit for your lifestyle -- what you can afford, certainly, but also what the resort affords you.

The first question to ask yourself is:
What's your primary reason for buying a resort community property?

• If it's for your primary residence, make sure it satisfies your needs and wants as a full-time home, rather than a place to play for a few weeks. Ask the locals about what it's like to live there and research crime rates and local amenities. If you have kids, check out the schools. Are you looking for social opportunities? Appreciation potential? That 24/7 vacation sensibility?
  
  
• If you're looking for an investment opportunity with rental income potential, check the bylaws to make sure rentals are permitted and, if so, how the process works. Some resorts may require additional insurance or homeowners association approval. Better still if the resort has an on-site property management office that can handle the rental process for you.
  
  
• If a weekend retreat is what you're after, consider how much time you're comfortable spending on the road to your destination. Barry Dougherty bought a two-bedroom vacation home in Newtown, Conn., less than 90 minutes from his Manhattan apartment. He says he loves that his "head-clearing weekend in the country never starts out with a frustratingly long commute."
  
  
• If you're scouting a vacation home you're hoping will transition into a retirement home some day, make sure its accessibility and layout will allow you to age in place.