Waterfront property
12-02-2020 | 08:16 AM
#101
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My Father-in-law bought a dozen lots back in the 60's on Lake Huron just east of the Mackinac Straits for $150 a piece. He had 11 kids so over the years some of us bought lots off of him, at a profit of course and built places of our own. I had just sold a business and took the profits and built my retirement home. Best part is that most of my neighbors are family so all the kids have a great time together. When I was designing my place, I knew I would want a garage big enough for the largest single engine performance boat. So I figured I would need 31' inside depth and 11' ceiling, everything else worked off of that. State run Marina is 2 miles down the road and we are in an area that is so deserted that there is never a wait. From my place it's 20 miles to the nearest city by water so going anywhere is a nice ride. Hundreds of islands to explore and water so clean you can see the bottom in 30+ ft. Property up here is still less than just about anywhere. It's a 4 hour drive from home, but so worth it. We have a huge beautiful sandy beach and we can anchor right close to shore.
What a beautiful house!
12-02-2020 | 08:31 AM
#102
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 346
Likes: 169
From: Lake St. Louis, MO / LOTO
My Father-in-law bought a dozen lots back in the 60's on Lake Huron just east of the Mackinac Straits for $150 a piece. He had 11 kids so over the years some of us bought lots off of him, at a profit of course and built places of our own. I had just sold a business and took the profits and built my retirement home. Best part is that most of my neighbors are family so all the kids have a great time together. When I was designing my place, I knew I would want a garage big enough for the largest single engine performance boat. So I figured I would need 31' inside depth and 11' ceiling, everything else worked off of that. State run Marina is 2 miles down the road and we are in an area that is so deserted that there is never a wait. From my place it's 20 miles to the nearest city by water so going anywhere is a nice ride. Hundreds of islands to explore and water so clean you can see the bottom in 30+ ft. Property up here is still less than just about anywhere. It's a 4 hour drive from home, but so worth it. We have a huge beautiful sandy beach and we can anchor right close to shore.
12-02-2020 | 08:33 AM
#103
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 264
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From: Holland MI
Impeccable New Build and under 10 mins to the ocean.
2481 Del Lago Dr, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33316 | realtor.com®
If you have any interest I'm the guy to make it happen.
2481 Del Lago Dr, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33316 | realtor.com®
If you have any interest I'm the guy to make it happen.
12-02-2020 | 09:08 AM
#104
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,337
Likes: 1,840
From: Merritt Island, FL
Bet that makes a nice snowmobile cabin as well.
My Father-in-law bought a dozen lots back in the 60's on Lake Huron just east of the Mackinac Straits for $150 a piece. He had 11 kids so over the years some of us bought lots off of him, at a profit of course and built places of our own. I had just sold a business and took the profits and built my retirement home. Best part is that most of my neighbors are family so all the kids have a great time together. When I was designing my place, I knew I would want a garage big enough for the largest single engine performance boat. So I figured I would need 31' inside depth and 11' ceiling, everything else worked off of that. State run Marina is 2 miles down the road and we are in an area that is so deserted that there is never a wait. From my place it's 20 miles to the nearest city by water so going anywhere is a nice ride. Hundreds of islands to explore and water so clean you can see the bottom in 30+ ft. Property up here is still less than just about anywhere. It's a 4 hour drive from home, but so worth it. We have a huge beautiful sandy beach and we can anchor right close to shore.
12-02-2020 | 09:26 AM
#105
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 5,008
Likes: 752
From: Traverse City, Michigan
Here's what's been happening in the Traverse City, Mi area. We have four airlines serving the airport and direct flights from many major population areas. A family buys some waterfront, mom and kids spend the summer and dad flies in on weekends/holidays from NYC, D.C., Dallas, Denver, Detroit etc. There's a Costco on the airport property. Get luggage, rent car buy groceries and booze and off to summer home. Repeat.
12-02-2020 | 09:34 AM
#106
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 5,008
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From: Traverse City, Michigan
My Father-in-law bought a dozen lots back in the 60's on Lake Huron just east of the Mackinac Straits for $150 a piece. He had 11 kids so over the years some of us bought lots off of him, at a profit of course and built places of our own. I had just sold a business and took the profits and built my retirement home. Best part is that most of my neighbors are family so all the kids have a great time together. When I was designing my place, I knew I would want a garage big enough for the largest single engine performance boat. So I figured I would need 31' inside depth and 11' ceiling, everything else worked off of that. State run Marina is 2 miles down the road and we are in an area that is so deserted that there is never a wait. From my place it's 20 miles to the nearest city by water so going anywhere is a nice ride. Hundreds of islands to explore and water so clean you can see the bottom in 30+ ft. Property up here is still less than just about anywhere. It's a 4 hour drive from home, but so worth it. We have a huge beautiful sandy beach and we can anchor right close to shore.
12-02-2020 | 10:16 AM
#107
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Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 8,410
Likes: 797
From: Central IL
12-02-2020 | 10:59 AM
#108
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 11,444
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From: Midwest & T-Rock
When we were looking for slip/lift in winter ‘18/‘19 we made multiple trips of leaving the house 6 AM Sat morning and leaving LOTO 8 AM Sun morning. Always seemed like we packed a full weekend in (or at least my liver thought it). Thanks to Mentalpause for the hospitality then or I could never have done it. As for buying in ‘99 I wasn’t in a position to then. In the early 2000’s my parents tossed around the idea for a new unit at Land’s End which we would have split. Coincidently that is where I do the majority of my rentals now. However, had we done it we would have been crapping a brick in 2008 and for a few years thereafter.
12-02-2020 | 11:02 AM
#109
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Joined: Nov 2002
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From: On the way to a PR near you
Plus, add in that PBC stores and cares for my boat at a nice summer deal compared to S Fla and the travel and stay pay for themselves. Plus, we go Thurs-Mon so we boat three days. Feels like a vacation. Here I'm lucky to boat three days in a month. Plan is to go look for a lot/house starting in February and be settled in by May 1 if possible. If not, we will continue to rent VRBO 2x a mo until it works out. I have already developed some biz ideas for the lake area so hopefully we can do 6 months straight by 2022/23.
12-02-2020 | 03:01 PM
#110
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 3,195
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From: Toronto, Ontario
Here is a nice place just north of Toronto and it is a pretty good deal for where it is. About an hour drive from Toronto. You could commute it, especially if you live north of the city to start with. Depending on the time and traffic the drive could be two hours.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...78733450_zpid/
This one is about 2.5 hours to Toronto, on a Friday or a Sunday it can easily be 4+ hours, and holiday weekends are even longer. We are only talking about 150 miles.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...77262880_zpid/
I'm lucky, my cottage is only 100 miles, and most of the time it is between 1.5-2 hours either way. We go every weekend from May till October, and then every couple weekends in the winter. But no matter how long the drive, when you start doing 2 hours or more every Friday and Sunday, it gets old by the end of summer. I could not imagine doing 4 or 5 hours every weekend.
The problem is, there is not very much that is affordable sub 1mil within 2-3 hours of the city on the water. There are thousands of little lakes, but anything within a 3 hour commute from Toronto is bringing big money these days. With the recent exodus from downtown and so many people not needing to go to an office anymore, more people are making cottages and lake houses their primary residence and moving out of Toronto all together which is driving prices up even more.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...78733450_zpid/
This one is about 2.5 hours to Toronto, on a Friday or a Sunday it can easily be 4+ hours, and holiday weekends are even longer. We are only talking about 150 miles.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...77262880_zpid/
I'm lucky, my cottage is only 100 miles, and most of the time it is between 1.5-2 hours either way. We go every weekend from May till October, and then every couple weekends in the winter. But no matter how long the drive, when you start doing 2 hours or more every Friday and Sunday, it gets old by the end of summer. I could not imagine doing 4 or 5 hours every weekend.
The problem is, there is not very much that is affordable sub 1mil within 2-3 hours of the city on the water. There are thousands of little lakes, but anything within a 3 hour commute from Toronto is bringing big money these days. With the recent exodus from downtown and so many people not needing to go to an office anymore, more people are making cottages and lake houses their primary residence and moving out of Toronto all together which is driving prices up even more.
