Any interest in Laughlin vacation rental?

[RiverForUs]

I'm looking for some feedback to help me make a decision.
Here's the situation:
My wife and I have a build date of October 5th for a vacation home in Bullhead across the bridge from the casinos. The lot has casino views, is about 3 miles from Casino Drive, 1 mile from Davis Camp, and about 5-10 minutes from Katherine Landing.
Here's the decision we're faced with. We started off trying to go as affordable as possible. This would put us in a 3 bd/2 ba 1232 sq. ft. house w/ a 2-car garage. With all the options & upgrades we want (4th bd. and a BIG/BIGGER garage and a few other things) we will be about 30k away from their top of the line model (4bd., 2020 sq. ft., 3-car boat deep garage). An extra 30k with 20% down to avoid PMI has us financing and extra 24k. Worst-case scenario of 6% interest would be an additional $144 per month.
So, if we went with the bigger house, we'd have about $1700 more in payments per year. I tried to tell my wife that we might be able to rent it out for a couple of weeks (or Holiday weekends) in the summer to make up this difference. Have any of you that go to Laughlin/Mohave ever rented (or considered renting) a house? Or, are the hotels so cheap that it's just easier to go there? We were thinking that it would accomodate 4 families or more and the convenience of everyone staying together might have some appeal.
Sooooo, should we keep it affordable or go bigger and grow into the payments in a few years and rent it out in the meantime? Please give me your thoughts.
OR, should we go with the smaller house and put the 30k towards a pool/jacuzzi to make the trips even more fun?
Sorry to be so long winded but this will be a major decision with long-lasting consequences (30 years of payments).
Thanks for your help!

[Mike67rs]

$144 a month shouldn't be a deciding factor considering the amount of the payment. I think you would be kicking yourself in the but if you didn't do it. I am sure that you would be able to rent it out during the summer to boaters and snowbirds during the winter. Nobody likes pulling a boat through a casino parking lot and lugging their crap up to a room. Just get what you want. Mike

[DeltaSigBoater]

The one of the things I hated as a kid (when my parents would rent out a house for a week with another family) is the fact as soon as we got off the water the kids would get drive through pizza or a bucket of fried chicken while the adults would go out to dinner.

[Mandelon]

That was to keep you little punks from whining so much... :D
I'd be interested in it. The casino's are not too boating friendly anymore. We make a trip or two to Laughlin every year. Normally stayed at Avi, but the water is often low till midday now, which sucks. And Mohave has so much room and lots of great coves.
What would you want to charge for a weekend??

[JetBoatRich]

It does suck to drag all your stuff through a hotel and drag it to your room. :mad: so rentals are the way to go, so let us know when it is available and I am sure there are plenty of us interested:D

[Sun burners]

GET A BIG GARAGE! You will be out there every chance you can. Cleaning a house on vacation is not as fun as boating!

[RiverForUs]

Originally posted by Mike67rs
$144 a month shouldn't be a deciding factor considering the amount of the payment. Mike
I hear you there Mike. It's just that the $144 would be on top of a payment that's already $180 more than if we just built the base house. So it's really about $325 more than the most affordable route.
What would you want to charge for a weekend??
Have no idea. Never owned a rental before. Will probably use a property management company and let them deal with everything (rental fee, security and cleaning deposits, dealing with any damage, etc.)
so let us know when it is available and I am sure there are plenty of us interested
The build date is Oct. 5th and will take 3-4 months to coplete depending on the model we choose. So, I'm thinking it will be done by Feb. 1st or so. We usually go to Vegas for the Superbowl so I'm hoping to have possession by then. Don't really want to rent it before I have the chance to use it myself. Since I work in retail, I don't often get the chance to go out on Holiday weekends so it may be available as soon as Memorial weekend next year.
GET A BIG GARAGE!
That's the plan if we get the smaller house. Looking at adding a 14' x 48.5' 3rd car if possible. I think it would be great to be able to pull into the garage at the end of the day without disconnecting the boat. My current combo measures 42' long. I want to have a few feet extra for when I buy a quad cab truck down the road. If we get the bigger house we won't be able to afford to make the garage any bigger. It comes with a standard 3-car garage that's 33' wide by 26' deep.

[HOOTER SLED-]

I'd rent it. Keep us informed. How about a first freebie trip out there to try it out first?? You can go to. :D :D We may be out there for Memorial.
HOOTER

[RiverForUs]

Originally posted by HOOTER SLED-
Keep us informed.
HOOTER
Will do! My builder supplies me with a link to a website documenting the build process with tons of pictures so I'll post it when the time comes.
How about a first freebie trip out there to try it out first?? You can go to.
May just have to offer that to someone so they can spread the advantages by word-of-mouth.;)
We may be out there for Memorial.
After many years of going out on Memorial & Labor Day weekends, we started going out on Memorial & Labor Day after we had kids. We would spend the whole week out there with the lake to ourselves. That has pretty much ended now that my oldest has started kindergarten. He's in school both of those weeks.

[Kilrtoy]

The hotels are not that cheap anymore, that is why we switched to havasu

[novaguy]

If it's just a vacation home, I don't see the point in getting such a huge house and being strapped for cash. I would think that if it is large enough to accomidate your family and guests and store your toys, it would suffice. You talk about a 30 year payment, but realisticly, are you planning on holding onto the property that long? 30 years is a long time, and if you are planning on retiring there soon, then maybe the bigger house is a better choice. But if not, It seems the smaller more affordable house with all the upgrades and pool/spa would be a better choice for a weekender. Remember you gotta furnish the pad too, which is expensive.
BTW, are you friends with Wil Escalante?

[summerlove]

Some of the other home owners may want to chime in on this, but here's my take. I would not rent it to weekend warriors unless you know who they are. It's a hassle making sure your private stuff doesn't disappear, and for that matter, who's to say they won't want to take the boat out or use it as a midnight marine supply store:mad:
If you want to rent it out, contact one of the local real estate companies that handles rentals and sign up to rent during the winter months of Jan - Mar. to the snow birds. They will take care of your place, noy use your stuff, and you'll get market rates. We just rented our house in Havasu for the 3 months and got $1,200/month rent. It helped with the annuals like property taxes and insurance.
I would not, under any circumstance, rent to weekenders unless you lock off all of your personal stuff and make certain the boat can't be gotten to - maybe a separate wall in the garage aplitting it so that you can lock it off. The easiest way though, IMO, is to rent to the birds and have the other 9 months for yourself!
Good luck....

[ITS ALL GOOD]

I think if the smaller house will accomodate you and the family , you are better off, less space to cool and clean in the summer, you are better off spending the money on the bigger garage , a pool and spa , you will get a lot more enjoyment out of them and in conjunction you will enjoy your house a lot more.
I do agree with the rental advice , do not rent it out for the weekends unless you really know the people. Renters can be brutal especially when they are drunk and security deposits do not always cover the repair expenses. Remember even when you are not there you still have utilities , taxes and sewer to pay, so do not strap yourself on the payment.
Where in bullhead is the property? which casino are you across from? I used to own a condo across from Harrahs the ones with the private beach, had to sell about 3 years ago due to financial problems , but still stay in bullhead whenever we go to river , it is a great little community , you will love it. Get to know you nieghbors , they will look out for your property when you are not there. good luck

[HOOTER SLED-]

Originally posted by Kilrtoy
The hotels are not that cheap anymore, that is why we switched to havasu
I wanna start going to Havasu more too. What's out there for less than $70 a night on a weekend??? Anything decent? Unless you got the hookup. If I had a house out there I'd let you roll up too if you brought your wife. :D :D

[RiverForUs]

Originally posted by novaguy
BTW, are you friends with Wil Escalante?
Very good friend of mine. Met him when we worked together back in Feb. of '86. Started going to the river together in '89. Do you work with him?
The hotels are not that cheap anymore, that is why we switched to havasu
It sure seems that way. However, we just spent last week out there for $19 during the week and $39 on the weekend. It seems the earlier you make the reservations the lower the price. Every once in a while we get an internet/e-mail offer from the Belle for $9.99 for weeknights. $19 or $24 for weekends.
I would think that if it is large enough to accomidate your family and guests and store your toys, it would suffice.
I hear you there. I'm just one of those guys that believes in "the more the merrier." We often have 20+ people per trip and last year once had 31 people with just my boat and 3 PWC's. It would be good times if we could all stay together.
You talk about a 30 year payment, but realisticly, are you planning on holding onto the property that long?
Don't really know. Hopefully, as I'm 36 with 2 boys ages 6 and 3 1/2 that really love going out there. Wife has 4 sisters which means 9 nephews and nieces that also love going with Uncle John. It would be great to have something in the family for many years to come.
Remember you gotta furnish the pad too, which is expensive.
Anybody have experience here? One drive home my wife and I were trying to add everything up and came to something like 7k+.
rent during the winter months of Jan - Mar. to the snow birds.
Was already considering this.
I would not, under any circumstance, rent to weekenders unless you lock off all of your personal stuff and make certain the boat can't be gotten to - maybe a separate wall in the garage splitting it so that you can lock it off.
Was only considering a couple of summer rentals to make up the difference between the smallest model and the largest one. Already thought of the garage wall thing as well as locking all of our personal stuff up in a spare bedroom.
Where in bullhead is the property? which casino are you across from?
It's in Sunridge Estates which is 2 miles up McCormick off of the highway where the signal is leading into Davis Camp. You can pretty much see portions of all of the casinos from the front and back of the lot.
Thanks for the feedback guys. It's certainly a big decision for a single income family and I'm trying to get as much info as possible to help make an informed decision.
Thanks again!

[Mandelon]

If anyone from the boards rents it and ****s it up.......oooh just imagine the flame thread.
Considering being a couple weeks late with the canopy payment can almost ruin a guys reputation around here. :D
I would not rent it to someone who could not produce references.
And stay away from those frat boys....;) Sorry Delta sig.....couldn't resist.

[summerlove]

Originally posted by RiverForUs
[B]Remember you gotta furnish the pad too, which is expensive.
Anybody have experience here? One drive home my wife and I were trying to add everything up and came to something like 7k+.
We just finished furnishing our house. 3 bedrooms. King in Master, queen in guest, twins in kids room. Beds ran us about $2,200 (frame and mattress' only). King bed furniture set was about $1,000, queen about 700 and twins about 700. We bougfht all of our B/R furniture from Pier 1. They have a pretty good sale a couple of times each year.
Our TV in the FR was $1600 for a 42" widescreen toshiba, washer and dryer about 1200, and refer with ice and water dispenser about 1K
Living room funiture ran us ALOT because we bought new stuff for CALI and took the old stuff (in very nice condition (about 3 years old), but you can say about 2K minimum for LR and DR.
Don't forget small kitchen appliances like blender. toaster, pots/pans, silverware, etc...
Ain't cheap, but you can piecemeal as the $$ is available. Beds and sofas first, followed by bedrom sets, dining room tables (we use a nice patio set form Sears for the first year as our DR set). Be creative and it'll all come together...

[Edmond]

River for us - Where did you buy?? I have a home in Bullhead as well (at the end of Bullhead parkway). There is a home there that is for rent 3bd 2 car garage asking $1,075 month. My home was complete in October of last year, I got the smaller model with a bigger garage. Like some of the others said, it takes alot more to furnish a big house and keep it cool. I would also agree NOT to rent it to the weekenders unless you know them. You are better off looking for snowbirds if that is your thing......On the other hand if you are planning on retiring there... I would spring for the larger home.. especially if you bought in the Laughlin Ranch area. That place will be growing.. (IMO).. I would plan on the house taking a couple of extra months, from what I have been told by various builders, there is ahortage of workers to build the homes.
P.S. were you out there last week?? I think I saw a boat like yours..
You mentioned you are in retail, Anaheim area.... what company, I also work in Anaheim (in retail).
See you out there..

[roln 20s]

I've rented a house in Havasu from a board member before on a 3 day weekend for 3 nights (Thurs, Fri and Sat) for $600 total. I felt it was a great deal. Anything from 150-250 a night is pretty good if you have 2 or 3 couples- lets face it $50 per couple per night-- try and beat that at a crappy hotel. I took a couple of friends, got them all to pitch in, had a place to park the boat in the garage, relax and watch TV, etc... Its gonna cost around there minimum for any hotel on a holiday weekend anyways, so I did one better. I think you can rent it out to ***boat people that are respectful and understand your stuff. I've called back a couple of times since just to check on renting the place, and both times he was either going or someone else had it. If you can find a snowbird--thats also the way to go.
A good person to ask about renting out to snowbirds, jetski teams, and me would be Locogringo. He's awesome.
Roln 20s

[roostwear]

I will only rent my place to close friends... nobody else. The way I see it is, it's not a revenue stream, it's my home. If they don't respect my home, then I don't want them there (even if they are "renting").
And my place is in the ghetto, too!

[RiverForUs]

Originally posted by Edmond
River for us - Where did you buy?? I have a home in Bullhead as well (at the end of Bullhead parkway).
Edmond, I bought a lot up off McCormick which as at the signal 3/4 of a mile up from the bridge/Bullhead Parkway. Which end of the Parkway are you at? Near the bridge or down in Old Bullhead?
especially if you bought in the Laughlin Ranch area. That place will be growing..
Is this the area that will have the PGA golf course going in?
P.S. were you out there last week?? I think I saw a boat like yours..
We were out there Mon-Fri. Hit Mohave on Mon, launched at Needles and down to the sandbar & channel on Tues, Mohave again on Wed, and then hit Moahve Thurs morning and then launched at the Bullhead Chamber ramp in the afternoon and headed down past Avi to wakeboard. Put the boat in storage that night and headed home Fri after looking at more builders/models.
You mentioned you are in retail, Anaheim area.... what company, I also work in Anaheim (in retail).
Live in Anaheim between Ball and Lincoln off of Sunkist. Work elsewhere. Been with Costco for 18+ years. Where do you work?
The way I see it is, it's not a revenue stream, it's my home.
I was saying the same thing to my wife just last night. I'd rather own our vacation home that I sometimes rent out than to own a rental that we occasionally use as well.

[hava life]

Don' count on the 3,4 months to build. If they start when they say you will have the holidays to slow down the construction time. 80 days is real aggresive for Bullhead city.

[Edmond]

I saw you at the launch ramp on Monday, I was going out at the same time I have a 25 Shockwave red/orange/yellow tribal flames. I'll stop and say hi next time!!!
Yes that is where the Golf Course is going.
I am past the college on the hill on the River Side of 95 (near the "Last Stop")
I work for PacSun off Tustin and Mira Loma.
see you out there!!!

[novaguy]

Very good friend of mine. Met him when we worked together back in Feb. of '86. Started going to the river together in '89. Do you work with him?
Yes I do.

[RiverForUs]

Originally posted by Edmond
I saw you at the launch ramp on Monday, I was going out at the same time I have a 25 Shockwave red/orange/yellow tribal flames. I'll stop and say hi next time!!!
You should have just flashed me "the shocker" http://www.***boat.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=41657&highlight=the+shocker and I would have known you were from the boards!
Yes I do.
Were you at his recent B-day party? It was a pretty good one!