So, you have property on the water or; you are thinking of buying property on the water in Muskoka or any cottage region, for that matter. There are a number of things you need to consider before purchasing real estate on the water in cottage country. These things affect the value of the property immensely. This article will describe, in depth, what to consider when you are appraising some Muskoka waterfront property.
1) Any lake that has road access, even if it way out in the boonies has more value than non - waterfront property. The quality of the road, the distance from major centres (Huntsville, Bracebridge, Gravenhurst) effect the price. If your road is a rickity old cottage road way out in the middle of nowhere that is only seasonally accessible, then the value of you cottage/house in Muskoka will diminish.
2) Is your cottage/potential cottage on one of the big lakes? One of the moderate lakes? A cottage on Lake Muskoka or Lake Joeseph will obviously have immense value, regardless of the other features mentioned in this article. However, if the cottage on one of the moderately valuable lakes? Such as : Lake of Bays, Fairy Lake, Lake Vernon etc... ? A cottage on one of these lakes is far more valuable. But why? The next points will attemp to answer why these cottages are worth much more.
3) Is your lake motor boat accessible/ does it allow motorboats? If you dont wish to use a motorboat on your lake, you are in great shape, because motor inaccessible lakes/motor banned lakes are lower in value than ones that allow boats! Personally, I couldnt be happier on a quiet muskoka lake where motors aren't permitted. The majority of people would not agree with me, so those kind of lakes have a lower cottage value.
4) Is you lake connected to other lakes by river or canal? the Majority of cottagers in Muskoka, or any region for that matter, prefer to be able to go on long boat rides. Be it for pleasure, fishing or any other thing their boating hearts content.
5) how large is the lake? Generally, the larger the lake you are on in muskoka, the more value it has. This is a product of boaters as well as it summarizes almost any other point in this article. The bigger the lake, the higher the range of services, the more access, the more cottagers. It's simple economies of scale in action.
6) How close is the lake to town? Ever been up to the cottage on a rainy, miserable, cold day? They dont happen very often in beautiful muskoka, but they do occasionally. Well, everyone that is cottaging likes to go into town on these day. The number of people in Huntsville, Bracebridge, Port Carling, Gravenhurst, Port Sydney, Dorset and the many other area towns and villages gets very high on rainy or cold Muskoka summer days. Cottagers know this is bound to happen, so they place a high value on being able to get into town quickly from the cottage. AGain, as before this is a general trend amongst cottagers, many of us like to be isolated when they go out to the lake. Being close to town also helps with day-to-day things at the cottage; going to the store, shopping etc... It can also come in handy for emergencies.
7) How private is your cottage property? I know this one seems counter intuitive to the other categories, however, it is not to be confused with how isolated is your cottage in muskoka. It is meant to mean how secluded is it, ie. how many of your neighbouring cottagers can you see and how many can see you! Everyone at their cottage, at some point in their lives, has loved to go for a nice skinny dip. Conversely, you dont want to see the neighbour skinny dipping! This is why more secluded, hidden from view cottages are more valuable in Muskoka and most likely all cottage regions.
8) Does your lake have a marina or more than one marina present? This raises the value, because wealthy cottagers would prefer to have their boats maintained and gased up at a marina. Anything else would just slow down your pleasure for the day!
9) Is your cottage/prospective cottage on an island? This seems to usually lower the value slightly as your cottage is harder to access. While it is more secluded, its much harder to get to! In addition, if the land is not worth less, the fees for maintaining it will be more. Everything has to be done by boat, or in the winter by driving over the ice. On some lakes a barge can be rented for large renovation style tasks (however, this also represents a large monetary investment!).
10 ) Bush lakes dont have roads to them. They have virtually no value, dont get duped into buying one. Also, as I mentioned previously, lakes that dont have marinas, boat launches, or allow motors at all have property that is worht WAY less. Especially lakes that are small and arent connected to other lakes. Even Mary lake has lower property values due to the fact that the locks close at night and you cant boat to the other lakes. an equal amount of footage can be worth less!
So, there you have a general buyers guide/owners guide to the value of muskoka cottages