While curmudgeons in America's cold-weather regions worry about how soon Christmas trees will supplant Thanksgiving turkeys, a loud, flightless bird of a different sort is just settling in for the season in sunny southern states.
Unlike the turkeys, the frost-fleeing snowbirds that inundate trailer parks, campsites and condo complexes in California, Florida, Arizona, the Carolinas and even Hawaii each year are staying for the long haul. The Center For Business Research at Arizona State University estimates that more than 300,000 flock to the state during the winter and spend $350 million on lodging and $280 million on consumer goods.
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In Florida, where snowbirds aren't just visitors but cornerstones of the economy, the University of Florida at Gainesville says more than 800,000 temporary residents set up shop on the panhandle or peninsula each year. Of those fair-weather residents, the university says 13% are New Yorkers during the nicer months, nearly 7.5% make their way down from Michigan and nearly 7% come out of Ohio. Pennsylvania and all of Canada contribute another 6% of the total apiece. Regardless of where they're from, nearly 64% of Florida's snowbirds are 55 or older, compared with just above 30% of Florida's permanent population.
Though snowbirds tend to favor recreational vehicles as a cost-effective means of migrating and making more options available each year, keeping a winter home in a fixed destination is still a popular option. According to the Census Bureau, more than 3.6 million homes in America are either vacation or occasional-use homes. That's more than 3% of all U.S. housing being used by folks with no intention of staying there year-round.
That's great for frozen retirees who can afford those homes, but it can be a bit of a problem for the states they're leaving behind. Michigan, for example, sent snowbirds a plea through its Department of Information Technology in November 2009 to write down the number of residents as zero when 2010 Census forms come to their winter addresses and wait until they returned to Michigan in spring to fill out that state's form in full.
Why so pushy? Michigan felt snowbirds helped cost it a Congressional seat back in 2000, lost the state another $200 million in federal funding each year since -- $2 billion over the course of a decade -- and forced Washington to spend less in Michigan than its taxpayers shelled out.
With the better part of a decade standing between them and the next census, snowbirds and their chilly comrades who aspire to that lifestyle have plenty of options for escaping to a sunnier state. With help from the good folks at real estate si! te Zi llow (Z) , we took a look at four warm states sought after by seasonal residents and found houses that should be snowbirds' first choice for a second, sunnier home:
Florida
On the market for nearly six months, the home is stocked with come-hither upgrades such as new kitchen cabinets, Corian countertops, crown molding, recessed lighting, a security system, an extended screened lanai and upgraded landscaping. More importantly, it's smack in the middle of a planned snowbird community with a heated community pool, private country club, three private golf courses, tennis courts, a polo club and a short drive to the shops.
If you've been saving your whole life for this moment and want to reap the biggest benefits of the deflated market for Florida dream homes, consider a four-bedroom, four-bathroom, 6,275-square-foot modern manse in Sarasota. Built a scant three years ago, the house looks almost too fragile to touch. The steel staircase that runs through the center of the house has glass steps, and the living room is encircled with floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
Aside from its unwavering need for Windex, the home earns its $6 million price tag with a 2,500-square-foot roofdeck overlooking Siesta Key, Downtown Sarasota and the Gulf of Mexico, a saltwater pool surrounded by torch-style fire bowls, a theater room with padded easy chairs, a boat dock and deeded beach access.
Should that seem a bit too subdued for a snowbird with more extravagant tastes, a 42-year-old, 7,000-square-foot pseudo-plantation in Naples (in photo above) packs seven bedrooms and eig! ht bathr ooms into an estate replete with Georgian columns, a circular drive, separate guest house, four-car garage and a 60-foot enclosed boathouse. There's 150 square feet of palm-tree-lined private beach and a pool, hot tub and bright white interior that show their late-'60s age, but the library, gourmet kitchen, grand entrance and living rooms all have sweeping views of the Gulf framed by grand Old South detail. It's not a modern pleasure palace by any means, but its price dropped $2 million in the past month to $17.9 million for a Mad Men -era window on the way the Masters of the Universe once wintered.
Arizona
It also has plenty of plush warm-winter living for those who spent their working years saving to come out of the cold in style. A 7,000-square-foot, four-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bathroom home in Scottsdale, for example, comes in at half the price of a similarly sized waterfront place on the Gulf at $4.8 million while providing a great view of nearby Pinnacle Peak and the Estancia golf course. Though indoor details such as stone fireplaces and columns, recessed lighting, jetted pedestal tubs and floor-to-ceiling windows are wonderful, it's the always-accessible outdoor amenities that are the biggest sellers.
A full outdoor kitchen with stainless steel sink, grill and refrigerator serves directly into a sprawling, covered outdoor patio with views of the surrounding valleys and mountains. The patio's lower levels, meanwhile, hide infinity-edge pools and hot tubs for nights best spent gazing at the desert stars.
A sprawling 10,000-square-foot home on one and a half acres in tony Paradise Valley fetches a similar price at $4.8 million but gives snowbirds a lot more motivation to ! make a m ove. The former home of snowbird and recently retired Chicago White Sox right fielder/designated hitter Jermaine Dye is packed with playthings including a family room with fireplace and dual HDTVs, a game room with fireplace and pool table, a full wooden wine room, a kitchen with full wet bar, a home theater with plush red velvet seating, an exercise room with multiple machines, guest bedrooms with jetted tubs and a Creston home automation system complete with security cameras.
That's all just window dressing compared with the outdoor features. A balcony on the top floor runs the length of the house and offers views of not only the mountains in the distance, but the grotto-style pool and spa crossed by a suspended rope bridge, a lit basketball court with the Michael Jordan "Jumpman" logo at half-court and a putting green next to an outdoor clubhouse with a full bar and HDTV.
Again, if all that's a bit understated for your taste, a nearby Paradise Valley property with 17,000 square feet on two acres (in photo above) just dropped its price by $2 million, to roughly $16 million, after lingering on the market for the better part of two years. Built in 2009 just after the crash, this testament to 2000s excess comes equipped with floors made of six-foot marble slabs imported from Italy, a library "with $350,000 Pierre Lang mahogany cabinetry," a 13-seat mahogany theater with "true movie projection" and seats that shake with the movie action.
With its master bathroom's six-foot onyx-slab floors, two swimming pools that include a heated lap pool, 21-car garage with $400,000 "show garage," circular fountain driveway with wrought-iron gates and columned, gilt grand entrance, this house isn't where the 1% live, but where a 99% with less-than-sound spending habits thinks they live. Snowbirds crave comfort, but usually not the kind offered by dual crystal chandeliers in the walk-in closet.
South Carolina
The PGA lists no fewer than 24 golf courses in Hilton Head, including those at the Pete Dye- and Jack Nicklaus-designed Harbour Town Golf Links that hosts The Heritage Golf Tournament each April. Not to be outdone, Kiawah Island has a handful of courses of its own, but none more prestigious than the Kiawah Island Golf Resort's Ocean Course, which has hosted the Ryder Cup and World Cup and is set to host next year's PGA Championship.
Combine those courses with beaches, shops, restaurants and plenty of other distractions and it's clear why so many snowbirds make the trek down Interstate 95 each year. Properties such as a $2.4 million, four-bedroom, six-bathroom home on Kiawah Island (in photo above) are just added incentive.
From the infinity-edge swimming pool just off the screened back deck, homeowners get lovely views of the surrounding marsh and the morning sunrise. Inside, however, are 4,600 square feet of fireplaces, cathedral ceilings, gourmet kitchen, master suite, two junior master bedrooms and furnishings collected by a professional decorator that require little effort to move into once the weather turns. If the multiple levels make you hesitant, there's an elevator to ease the trip.
Those seeking a bit more room to spread out may want to consider a $5,915-square-foot estate on a waterfront acre in Hilton Head. Its five bedrooms and seven and a half bathrooms sit feet from the beach while the decks off the master bedroom, the shaded lanai and swimming pool offer panoramic ocean views. The waterfall spa secluded between palm trees, the 300-bottle wine cellar and dual air-conditioned garages are nice throw-ins as well.
The neighbors are still a little close for comfort, however, which isn't such a problem at a 15,000-square-foot tree-encircled compound on Kiawah. The seven-bedroom, 10-and-a-half bathroom home being pitc! hed as e ither a private residence or corporate retreat has a gourmet kitchen with prep areas, sinks and warmers to accommodate three cooks, while the dining room has seating for 20.
The 5,000 square feet of "outdoor living space" includes two outdoor kitchens, fireplaces and a heated infinity-edge swimming pool and spa. The guest house has its own exercise studio, full kitchen and laundry room, while the master office has a humidor, wine cellar, fireplace, private entrance and private garage. If the old-wood architectural features and great views of the waterway weren't enough, the house has a long, tree-lined walkway out to a steel dock for a day on the water. The house's price just dropped by $3 million but, at $26 million, that's still not a deep discount.
Hawaii
As tempting as a $12 million cliffside home on Diamond Head or a $15 million rock star dream palace down the street might be to those with the means, that's a lot of cash to put down if you're just going to be confined to Oahu with the rest of the tourists.
A 5,000-square-foot, four bedroom, four-bathroom homestead on three acres in Kauai (in photo above) is slightly cheaper at $9.9 million but no less breathtaking with views of the Pacific, Bali Hai and the Namahana Mountain range from its lanais and fire pit. The property includes a 2,000-square-foot gate house with a fifth bedroom, bathroom and workshop, but a footpath to the lower half of the property reveals a stream and waterfall far more impressive than man-made features such as the infinity pool or private cabanas on the guest bedrooms.
A similarly priced property in Maui's Lahaina is less about pure natural beauty and a lot more about the perks. With five bedrooms and seven bathrooms over 10,200 square feet, this house leans heavily on its elevator, jetted bathtu! bs, deep tile pool and fountains, outdoor kitchen and enclosed lanais. An ocean view comes with the nearly $10 million price tag, but only from the cozy confines of the home's gated community.
The best of both worlds, however, can be found on the big island in six bedrooms, eight and a half bathrooms and 9,000 square feet on a secluded oceanfront acre. The media rooms, workout rooms and sauna are merely counterweights to the koi ponds, covered sleeping areas, clear blue pool and spa overlooking the Pacific and courtyard lined with Indonesian temple entries. At $12.9 million, it's a bit steep, but if you're looking to abandon a place where the windows are shut and covered in plastic sheets for months at a time for a climate where the windows seldom close, this is the way to do it.
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