You know Airbnb, yes? The sassy vacation rental site that let’s homeowners earn extra money off their homes by renting them out on a short term basis. I had the pleasure of hearing the founders speak two years ago at Inman in San Francisco. They started the concept when they were living in San Francisco, essentially, broke, and made short term cash fast by leasing out their apartment like a hotel. Bingo, a new concept was born.

Read more on Shuckey-Darn: New York City Short Sheets Airbnb…

It’s affordable, it’s huge, it has great fishing, and if you’re lucky, you can get a little sandy beach of your own!

I love Lake Texoma — named for its location straddling the Texas and Oklahoma borders — as a weekend escape. It’s a favorite among North Texas outdoorsmen for its fishing, and it’s great skiing too. Here are a few great vacation properties you can head to this summer when the smog and crowded restaurants are just too much!

Read more on Top-5 Friday: Dallas Too Hot? Escape to Lake Texoma…

I love Richland Chambers Lake. It’s a fantastic weekend escape with great fishing, boating, and tons of great scenery. It’s near Corsicana, Texas, which is just an hour south on Interstate 45 from Dallas.

Read more on Hey North Texas! Need a Spot to Escape to? Northshore Harbor Condos Are Just a Short Drive Away…

Brrr! It’s the first week of May and it’s chilly in Dallas! Aren’t we supposed to be basking in 72-degree weather and enjoying cocktails on our covered porches?

If that’s what you really want to do, then perhaps looking into a second home in a tropical locale is in order. Me? I’m taking my dreamboat to Kauai, Hawaii! This island is so gorgeous, with forests, plantations, mountains, and tons of gorgeous ocean views. The breaks are perfect for surfing, and with every gorgeous home comes a lanai worthy of admiration.

Read more on Top-5 Friday: Dreaming of a Cool Getaway on Kauai, Hawaii’s Mystical Island!…

With ranches, you can get whatever you want, really. Say you want a place to ride ATVs and hunt? There’s a ranch for that. Maybe you’re an equestrian and want a spot to enjoy your horses that isn’t too far out of town? There’s a ranch for that. Or, maybe you’re a hobby cattle raiser that wants a place where you can retire from the 9-to-5 grind? There’s a ranch for that, too.

Read more on Top-5 Friday: Ranches Make Great Getaways That Don’t Feel Too Foreign…

Long Cove is a new, private residential community located just over an hour from Dallas on Cedar Creek Lake. The area is getting a ton of buzz.

Some good news is coming out of East Texas: Long Cove is getting it on. This coincides nicely with some positive news about the second home market: it is no longer dead! Second home sales are up by more than ten percent, while 11% of all real estate purchased nationwide goes for a second homes.

Read more on Long Cove on Cedar Creek Lake Appoints Director of Resident Services. And Yes, He Paddleboards…

In California, they have even sold out of the most famous outdoor showers in the world!  The  award-winning Calistoga Ranch in the Napa Valley has sold out of its private residence club offering.

Read more on Luxury Second Home Fractional Sales Heating Up: Calistoga Ranch Sells Out…

The Dallas-Fort Worth area is home to loads of great sports teams. You’ve got the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, the Dallas Mavericks in downtown Dallas, and there are tons of fantastic minor league baseball teams throughout the region. Of course, Cowboys Stadium hosts other fantastic events, like the NCAA Final Four basketball tourney, as well as the Cotton Bowl. Some musicians even play gigs at Cowboys Stadium, too!

Read more on Top-5 Friday: Love Sports? Think About Buying a Second Home Where The Magic Happens — Arlington, TX!…

It’s March Madness, so we took a cue from our nation’s obsession with basketball to showcase some great properties in Fort Myers, Fla., home of Florida Gulf Coast University, this year’s NCAA Basketball Tournament Cindarella story.

Read more on Top-5 Friday: Florida Gulf Coast Puts Up More Than a Great Basketball Team…

I saw these coolio floors in a restaurant down in Nassau, The Bahamas, where we visited second homes this past weekend. This is the floor at a beach club restaurant called, appropriately, “Footprints”. Yes, the entire floor is made of sand. No, they don’t vacuum it but rather sweep and rake it nightly. The restaurant is adjacent to the pool area and encourages casual dining, but turns elegant at night. How cool would floors like this be for some rooms in a beach house? I mean, that sand is going to come in regardless!

Read more on The Floor Report: How About Floors Made of Sand in Your Second Home?…