It takes a leap of faith, say some multiple-home owners.
And if you listen to many of these owners, a good property-management system makes all the difference.
"It takes all the worry out of it," says Chuck Newell of the woman from Quebec who takes care of his and wife Stephanie's 18th-century stone row house in France, which is rented out to vacationers when the Newells aren't in residence.
"She's quite possessive about the house," Stephanie Newell says. "We're a good client for her."
The relationship works for all concerned: The property manager is comfortable with her clients, gets paid on time and is free to handle smaller repair jobs. She recently hired installers she has worked with before to lay a new tile floor in the Newells' house in Pezenas, about 25 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, southwest of Montpellier.
"If we didn't have her, we'd worry all the time," Stephanie says.
The Newells also own a home in Kelowna, B.C. and are planning to build a two-bedroom, one-level home on North Pender Island, B.C. which they intend to use in a house trading arrangement. That way, they can see other parts of the world.
"The difference in doing anything on Pender Island is the French government encourages weekly rentals," Stephanie says, referring to an ongoing discussion on a North Pender Island bylaw restricting the use of properties. In contrast, the French government, she says, encourages visitors while taxing owners on the income they net from house rentals. The government sets what it thinks is a reasonable expense level to be subtracted from the gross income, and the owner is taxed on the rest.
Dave and Marian McNalley, who have homes on North Pender Island and in Turner Valley, Alta., don't look for income from their properties. They choose to have two homes, one about 65 km southwest of Calgary, where Dave McNalley has always lived, and another on Pender where he fishes to his heart's content while enjoying warmer winter weather.
Two years ago, to make dual ownership easier, the McNalleys sold the acreage where they also stabled horses, and bought a managed villa in Turner Valley.
"(The villa management) cut grass and shovel snow," Dave McNalley says, laughing at the snow reference. "We lock the door and leave."
On North Pender Island, the McNalleys have found a property manager who makes sure their property is secure, waters the plants and occasionally fills in as petsitter for the couple's pair of aging Jack Russell terriers, the biggest hassle of their current life. The oldest dog is not a good flyer, which means the McNalleys drive back and forth from the West Coast to Alberta.
"But we haven't had any problems since we got rid of our (Alberta) acreage," McNalley says. The issues then revolved around horses.
Finding someone qualified to live on the premises and care for the horses had become a problem.
"We've got one horse left, out at some people's place," McNalley says, adding it costs about $300 a month for boarding. "But when we have to have somebody look after the two dogs (in a kennel), it's about $900 a month."
The only difficulty he has encountered in dual home ownership is finding tradespeople available to work on North Pender Island. While the Alberta economy also is booming, McNalley has lived there for years and knows whom to call. As a relative newcomer to the area, he has had difficulty finding tradespeople for some jobs.
The McNalleys have no plans to buy into more homes, but some couples simply enjoy being able to go anywhere in the world they like and stay in their own place.
Fred and Ann have 12 properties in the U.S., Canada and Switzerland. Three are single-family homes; everything else is either a condo or a time-share.
"The main problem in having lots of homes is keeping track of toilet paper," Ann says, laughing. "We buy lots of toilet paper."
Neither is fond of hotel living, so if they find a place in the world that they enjoy, they buy a place to call home when they return. Both are quick to say they are very fortunate.
As for household bills from that many locations, an accountant takes care of everything. "We have an accountant because we travel so much," Fred says.
"Frequently, people say, ''You must know what the hydro bill is.' No, we don't.
"The trick is never having to manage anything yourself," Fred adds. "Before we would buy, there has to be a management structure in place. We only buy if we can lock up the unit and disappear."
With a sense of understatement, Ann adds: "We're rather restless people."
The Newells' house in France, along with rental information, can be viewed at www.le-guide.com/maisonpezenas
-- Canwest News Service
