Owning a second home is many people’s dream. Yet all too often the dream turns into a nightmare.  There are several common mistakes and so by being forewarned, you can avoid them and make the most of owning a second home.Tip One – Remember the property is there to enjoy You probably chose a second home as somewhere to spend vacations and relaxing time with your family. Yet all too often trips to your second home can become a long list of chores and maintenance jobs to be completed. Because your second home may well be some distance away from your main home, small jobs can soon mount up and this can mean that your trip to your second home ends up ruined by endless dull tasks, ruining your enjoyment. The way to avoid this is to make a list of all the routine maintenance tasks and cleaning that will be needed over the year, including likely time intervals, and then appoint a specialist company to handle cleaning services and all these other routine jobs on your behalf, so you can arrive to a home where all the chores and maintenance tasks have already been carried out and you can simply relax.Tip Two – Treat your neighbours with respectYour neighbours are not there to carry out your bidding. Too often, owners of second homes end up putting undue pressure on their neighbours by expecting them to keep an eye on the property for them and carry out a stream of small tasks, such as key holding.Of course, some neighbours genuinely do not mind helping out, but it is very easy to cross the line and start to take your neighbours for granted,   expecting more than is reasonable from them. Of course, your neighbour may not tell you straight away if they are unhappy with your requests and expectations and the relationship may deteriorate over time.You can avoid this unfortunate situation by always treating your neighbours with respect and making sure you never take them for granted. Consider appointing professionals  such as  a specialist holiday home property management company to carry out tasks for you, rather than put unfair demands on your neighbours and risk falling into the trap of using them as unpaid labour.Tip Three – Don’t let the whole thing become routineOne of the biggest problems of owning a second home is that you may feel you need to spend all your holidays there. However much you love the locality, this can get rather dull and routine after a while. Allow yourself flexibility to visit other places too. You do not have to spend all your holidays at the same place, even if you are a second home owner.Consider renting out the property as a furnished holiday home sometimes, so that you can use the income generated to treat yourself to a vacation somewhere else you would like to visit. Another option is home exchange. It is easy to swap holiday homes for a short period   with other properties worldwide. There are many sites on the Internet where you can find the perfect exchange for you.Tip 4 – Do not let the property become a financial drainSecond homes are often bought because you have a love affair with a particular region or country and you want to own a small stake in it. This emotion can easily blind you to some financial realities and you can end up throwing too much money at the property and not apply the same sense of reason that you would regarding your main residence.Keep a cool head, work out your budget for property management and stick to it. Tip 5 – Plan your time effectivelyTo make the most of your property, you should make sure that all your precious time spent there is used as well as possible. So make the most of all the things to do in the local area and arrange shopping in advance, so the first thing you have to do is not make a boring supermarket trip. A holiday concierge company can buy in the groceries you need in advance, so they are ready for you when you arrive at the property. The holiday concierge can also arrange your restaurant bookings, spa trips, sports outings and indeed anything else you would like to make sure do live the dream!