STEAMBOAT / SECOND HOMES
A Steamboat second home: plan for more than ski weekends.
Tim’s experience points to the real question: how will you use it through the year, and what does that cost?
In the second Our Kind of Colorado episode, Tim describes how he and Katie first pursued a Vail property, then explored Steamboat, toured, and bought there. What began as a plan for ski weekends grew into longer stays and remote work.
That shift is the useful part of the story. A second home can become something different from the trip that inspired it. Before buying, compare your likely year-round use with the responsibilities you will still have when you are elsewhere.
Put personal use on a calendar
Mark the weeks you expect to visit and why. Include summer, shoulder seasons, holidays, and ordinary workdays. Ask whether you want immediate ski access, a downtown routine, or another location that supports the activities you will actually repeat.
Tim describes choosing downtown for access to the Yampa River, shops, and restaurants. That is his preference, not a rule for every buyer. Use it as a prompt to define your own daily pattern.
Price the empty weeks
Build an ownership budget that includes financing where applicable, taxes, insurance, association dues, utilities, maintenance, and help when you are away. Identify who responds to a problem and how they get access.
For a condo, review association documents and ask about maintenance responsibility and known or proposed assessments. A tidy unit does not answer every question about the building around it.
Keep rental income in a separate column
If rental use is part of the plan, verify the address-specific rules, licensing, and association restrictions before relying on income. Ask about the process that would apply to you as the new owner. Do not treat an existing listing or prior operation as permission for your plan.
Run one budget with no rental income, then a second with evidence-based assumptions and all operating costs. You will see the lifestyle commitment and the rental proposition separately.