Resort towns filling up during Coronavirus with Second HomeOwners?

[HeatherC]

So here is another topic we can all agree to disagree on during this crisis.
Anyway, thoughts on people going to their second homes during this pandemic?

My brother and sister both live in towns that are right near the ocean and who have a lot of second homeowners. People are livid with people coming to their homes now.

I can see both sides. It puts even more burden on the smaller hospitals serving these comminities and exposes more people if they don’t stay home.

On the other hand, they have every legal right to be there if they arrived before any stay at home orders were given. (if they came after, then I think that is just wrong.) They pay taxes and the towns are happy to have them do so.

What do you guys think?

 

[morgan98]

I guess I feel that people have a right to go to their second homes. However, if you are coming from one area to a "new area", I feel you absolutely need to self quarantine for 14 days to be safe.

I agree coming say from NYC to a second home in an area not under lockdown and proceeding to go out and about seems contrary to what we are trying to accomplish.

But telling people they cannot go to a home they own seems extreme.

 

[soccerdad72]

It's their home, albeit a second one, so they should have every right to be there.

When the at-home school arrangement got announced, my high schooler asked if he could go to Florida for his schooling and stay with his grandmother (a snowbird). We decided against it because we thought he'd drive MIL nuts, but considered it for a brief moment.

 

[ajlsjl]

I live at the Jersey Shore. We've seen an influx of people evacuating NYC to come down to their beach houses. They're bringing the Coronavirus with them. I think it's irresponsible for two reasons: 1) They're ignoring the stay-at-home orders in effect in both NY and NJ; 2) They're bringing the Coronavirus with them and are causing it to spread.

There were rumors circulating that police were going to be stationed at the entrance of these shore towns, and only people whose primary residence was on the island would be allowed to enter. I wish that would happen.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We've noticed many of the snowbirds have gone home from SW Florida since the beaches are pretty much closed. As well as all the restaurants and bars. I'm hoping Gov DeSantis' order about self quarantining for 14 days if you come to Florida from NY, NJ or CT is hitting those people before they head south.

 

[Deb & Bill]

It's their home, albeit a second one, so they should have every right to be there.

When the at-home school arrangement got announced, my high schooler asked if he could go to Florida for his schooling and stay with his grandmother (a snowbird). We decided against it because we thought he'd drive MIL nuts, but considered it for a brief moment.

Lot of the beaches are closed. Activities are shut down. No bars or restaurants are open except for pickup or delivery. Not much of a reason for a HS kid to come to Florida.

 

[skyblue17]

If I lived in an area where a lot of people have second homes, I'd probably be annoyed that everyone is coming and increasing the potential of exposure. At the same time, if you live in a crowded place and have somewhere else to go, it makes sense to leave.

However, it shouldn't matter THAT much anyway, since people should be staying inside!

 

[Searc]

The area our second home is in has told people to stay in their permanent homes, they don't want you there unless you have a permanent residence, which I 100% agree with. Their very limited resources would be quickly overwhelmed once someone introduced the virus into the area.

 

[MillauFr]

There were rumors circulating that police were going to be stationed at the entrance of these shore towns, and only people whose primary residence was on the island would be allowed to enter. I wish that would happen.

How could they enforce that? Don't the rich homeowners claim Florida as their primary residence to avoid taxes and don't have New Jersey or New York drivers licenses?

 

[cabanafrau]

I thought it was odd that our governor specifically mentioned that people were allowed to travel between their residences if they have more than one when she officially announced the lockdown here.

I know a friend and her husband left town last week for their cottage up north when both of them were no longer able to report to work. My inlaws have been tossing around the idea of heading up north to their cottage, despite MIL having a serious medical episode up there earlier this month that the hospital there told her they could not provide continuing assessment or treatment for -- along with my FIL's increasing string of medical issues that have caused him to be hospitalized several times over the past several months. She cannot drive. He really should not be driving any longer. What could go wrong with a four and a half hour drive?

We're at home trying to contend with work and college coursework and hoping this is all a memory as soon as reasonably possible.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Issues with snowbirds parking RVs in Canadian border towns and doing their shopping before going home.

 

[Hikergirl]

We have a camp property that we plan on going to throughout this when we feel the need too.
We are close enough to home that we can go for one day or stay for a few. We would bring everything from home, and not come in contact with a single person while there. We would stay up on the mountain by ourselves. As I see it we pay property taxes there, we have just as much right to use the resources when we are there as a permanent resident does.
Having said that I do not plan on doing that. If one of us developed any symptoms while there we would return home and stay put there.

 

[soccerdad72]

Lot of the beaches are closed. Activities are shut down. No bars or restaurants are open except for pickup or delivery. Not much of a reason for a HS kid to come to Florida.

Two weeks ago, that wasn't the case. But yeah, as days went on, it was looking less and less attractive of an option for him. He still said he wouldn't mind doing his school work by a pool versus in his room.

 

[Toolulu22]

I live at the Jersey Shore. We've seen an influx of people evacuating NYC to come down to their beach houses. They're bringing the Coronavirus with them. I think it's irresponsible for two reasons: 1) They're ignoring the stay-at-home orders in effect in both NY and NJ; 2) They're bringing the Coronavirus with them and are causing it to spread.

There were rumors circulating that police were going to be stationed at the entrance of these shore towns, and only people whose primary residence was on the island would be allowed to enter. I wish that would happen.

Same thing is happening on the East End of Long Island.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Two weeks ago, that wasn't the case. But yeah, as days went on, it was looking less and less attractive of an option for him. He still said he wouldn't mind doing his school work by a pool versus in his room.

Private pools at homes are still open. Community pools are condos, resorts, apartments are being closed for social distancing. So he might be sitting in Granny's living room watching soaps with her.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I am going to agree with those who say that if you own a home and pay taxes in a second state, you have as much a right to go there as anyone who lives there year round. They shouldn't be required to take any more (or less) precautions than the municipality requires of everyone else.

If we want to end this, everyone need to assume that everyone else on the planet has this. Live your life that way and you will probably be safe.

Even in the smallest rural towns in America people are reporting this. It is everywhere. Someone coming down from NYC is more likely to have it, but I live in a small rural town and I treat my next door neighbor as if he has ebola.

 

[Turn the Page]

I live in Michigan which is a current hot spot. I live in a rural area where there are fewer cases but it is spreading but yes, it is a huge concern that people from more populous parts of the state are coming up to their cabins and bringing covid19 with them. Some people are livid about the issue especially since we have a stay at home order now too.

 

[cabanafrau]

Two weeks ago, that wasn't the case. But yeah, as days went on, it was looking less and less attractive of an option for him. He still said he wouldn't mind doing his school work by a pool versus in his room.

Can't blame him. If it was reasonably warm enough to sit out on the patio for any length of time I'm sure my daughter would take her class reading outside here. I'd be eating lunch out there too.

 

[soccerdad72]

Private pools at homes are still open. Community pools are condos, resorts, apartments are being closed for social distancing. So he might be sitting in Granny's living room watching soaps with her.

He meant her pool on her lanai.

She's still golfing every day, apparently.

 

[cabanafrau]

I live in Michigan which is a current hot spot. I live in a rural area where there are fewer cases but it is spreading but yes, it is a huge concern that people from more populous parts of the state are coming up to their cabins and bringing covid19 with them. Some people are livid about the issue especially since we have a stay at home order now too.

That's why I was surprised the governor specifically pointed out that people were free to travel between properties they own when she announced the lockdown.