And for those who might be overwhelmed by the thought of choosing a home in a place they've never lived before and don't live nearby now, or aren't sure where or how to start the search, there's an easier and highly attractive option available ?resort communities.

Going with a resort property can be a great idea. Buying a condo within a resort is one way to go, but it's not the only way ? buying raw land and building your own detached home is also a possibility.

The road to resort property ownership can be very straightforward, when following these basic steps:

1. Start with the Internet. Use ?resort' as a search term along with words for the area you want to buy in, the kind of activities you like, or the type of property you want. Then use that to develop a list of resorts to explore further.

2. Call your list of resorts, and ask them to send you their materials. Of course, these days, none of us want to get hounded with emails and phone calls, so we're suspicious of sharing contact information. But with resort properties, you'll be making a big investment, so you need to get as much information from them as possible ? so let them share it with you.

Don't be shy about giving out your information ? or about asking them what they plan to do with it. It's in their financial interest to treat your information and time with respect. So ask them as much as you need to know to be comfortable.

3. Define your goals. Do you want to live in the resort year round, or only vacation there? If you're not there all the time, do you want to rent out the property? If you want to build your own home, will the resort company let you? Talk about these options with the resort company. You can cut down your list of resorts based on their answers and your needs.

4. Narrow down the list of amenities. These days, the options are almost limitless. Best advice? Divide the amenities into ?must-have,' ?nice-to-have,' and ?no-need-to-have,' then pick your top 2-3 resorts.

5. Visit the resorts. If you haven't already done it, check out the scene in person. Resorts are designed to be beautiful, but they're all beautiful in different ways. Make sure what you've been seeing in the brochures and imagining in your mind is what you'll be enjoying in reality.

With these steps in mind, if you're planning on vacationing at a resort community in the near future ? or even if you're reading this while staying at one now! ? get the jump on your research and check in with the resort office. It may be the start of a new vacation lifestyle for you.