Vacation home trend tops 1 million, thanks to baby boomer buyers.

Byline: Bob Moos

DALLAS _ Art Jarboe and his wife bought a second home on Cedar Creek Lake in Tool, Texas, which is about an hour's drive from their home in Garland, Texas. This time, they're redoing the American dream of homeownership.

For a growing number of boomers, one house isn't enough anymore.

They're scouting lakeshores, beachfronts and the mountains for the peace and quiet of a second home that can be a weekend getaway now and maybe a place to retire later.

"As boomers become empty-nesters, they're looking for ways to spend their newfound leisure time," said Ellen Roche, vice president of research for the National Association of Realtors.

The boomers' budding interest in out-of-town retreats drove vacation home sales 20 percent higher in 2004, according to a Realtors association survey.

It was the first year that vacation home sales had topped 1 million.

The survey also found that the second-home buying spree extends beyond the wealthy _ last year's typical buyer earned $71,000 a year and paid $190,000 for a vacation home.

"Middle-income boomers are creating the surge," Roche said. "They're in their peak earning years and can afford a second home, particularly now with the kids out of school."

Real estate consultant John Ansbach said boomers are reinventing the second half of life, which includes deciding where to live next.

"This generation likes to indulge itself," Ansbach said. "At the moment, boomers are looking…