Awful

First World Problems: The Plague Of Terrible, No Good Vacation House Crashers

Second (or third or fourth) homes are typically seen as an enviable luxury for the 1 percent. But some say they’re ultimately a nuisance. A so-called “first world problem,” for sure.

In The Wall Street Journal, the owner of a new Manhattan “vacation home” complains that she’s constantly barraged by friends who want to borrow the place at no cost:

“Why can’t you just give me the keys?” asked one friend at a party after explaining that he and his wife were heading to Manhattan to see a play. When my husband politely declined, sputtering something about the strict co-op rules, our friend said, “I’m not talking to you anymore!” and walked away.

There are also complaints from the couple who bought a house in Tuscany. They had to drive all their guests for tours of Pisa. Tough going.

And there’s also the couple who let their college-aged son borrow their New Hampshire ski house with some friends:

Shortly afterward, Ms. Sawyer and her husband, hoping for a relaxing getaway, drove the 140 miles to the condo on a cold winter night. They walked into a disaster zone. The beds weren’t made, and Ms. Sawyer’s favorite foam pillow was missing. There was a cork in the bathroom cabinet. Her razor had changed showers. A burning bag of microwave popcorn had been tossed in the snow on the deck, where it froze.

Finally, there’s the shrewd beach house owner who came up with the idea of allowing friends to visit, but only if they paid an annual $2,000 “club fee” plus an additional nightly rate. He’s bringing in $30,000 a year off of it.

While the story notes that with the depressed real estate market, second homes are affordable to those with some extra cash in their pockets, we don’t find ourselves sympathizing with the situation at hand [Ed. Note: Except for that frozen/burnt popcorn. That's an amalgam of awful]. If you’re going to complain about the influx or visitors, you’re probably best keeping that conversation within your own home — your luxury home, of course.

TAGS: summer house guests | vacation house crashers | vacation house guests

• Inside The Life Of A Six Year Old Millionaire
• Top 10 Reasons Why Women Are Better
• Learn Right: How to Remember What You Read
• How to Handle Aggressive Emails at Work