Beach Homes Top Choice for Vacation Home Buyers Announces EscapeHomes.com; EscapeHomes.com Releases the ''Top 10 Second Home Destinations You Can Dive Into''

Business Wire, April 28, 2004

Business Editors/Real Estate Writers

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 28, 2004

The beach is America's favorite vacation destination and is by far the top choice when it comes to selecting a second home location. According to a recent survey conducted by EscapeHomes.com, the leading online marketplace for vacation properties, second home buyers rate the beach as the number one recreational activity they are seeking in second home destinations. Golfing, lake activities, hiking, and fishing round out the other top five interest categories.

"Because recreational interests are the number one influence on where and why people buy second homes, we have designed EscapeHomes.com to allow people to search for property not only by price and location, but, more importantly, by interest categories," said David Hehman, EscapeHomes.com's CEO. Mr. Hehman noted that only after people have decided which second home destinations support their recreational interests do they put on their 'investor hat' and begin weighing financial issues such as rental income histories and taxes.

It's clear why the most popular second home destinations are located in coastal communities. These areas have pleasant weather, which supports a wide variety of recreational activities, a strong vacation rental market to create a supplemental income source, and are in limited supply, making them good long-term investments.

Using these criteria, EscapeHomes.com created its list of the "Top 10 Second Home Destinations You Can Dive Into":

Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Cape May, New Jersey
Fort Myers, Florida
Galveston Island, Texas
Gulf Shores, Alabama
Hamptons, New York
Maui, Hawaii
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Outer Banks, North Carolina
San Diego, California

The final word of advice for second home buyers: beach property prices vary widely. Take time to do your research at EscapeHomes.com. You'll be glad you did.

About EscapeHomes.com:

EscapeHomes.com is the leading online marketplace for vacation properties. EscapeHomes.com makes searching for second homes and agents easier by bringing remote vacation properties closer to home via the Internet, creating an efficient, effective, and exciting search.