Where to find the best deals

Gone are the days when waterfront lots could be had for a song and the cottage commute was a quick jaunt along unclogged highways. Now, everything seems too expensive, too far, or just about to fall into the lake. Even small, water-access lots in some areas can go for half a million or more. And there’s still that frenzied commute.

According to the 2006 Royal LePage Recreational Property Report, the average cost of a road-access, waterfront cottage in Ontario is $454,960. What’s driving up the average are the more crowded regions in southern Ontario, where finding an affordable cottage can be a tough task. But this provincial average doesn’t take into account less expensive water-access cottages, and it includes the high-priced palaces found on Lake Muskoka, Lake Simcoe, and Georgian Bay. In vast northern Ontario, the number is much lower – you’ll more easily find lovely lakes with affordable cottages in good condition. In fact, as cottagers know from our annual real estate price guides, there are still plenty of lakes with properties on the lower end of the dollar scale.

Five of the less expensive areas in our 2006 Real Estate Guide – the Upper Ottawa Valley, French River/Lake Nipissing, Bancroft, River Country, and Land O’ Lakes – are all within a reasonable drive of urban centres in southern Ontario and have beautiful scenery, lakes galore, and large, four-season retreats that would sell for hundreds of thousands more in busier areas. The trade-off? You may have to drive farther to get there or to find essential services. But at least you won’t be looking into your neighbour’s fridge from your deck chair.

Best news of all is that in some regions, all the cottages we found were less than $400,000. We also found listings priced around $100,000, a number less shocking to the paupers among us. Sure, some of the bargains aren’t pretty, but a little TLC will go a long way. And on a fine July afternoon, they sure beat the sweltering city. 

- Michelle Kelly

- Photo: Randy Craig

Published in the March 2007 issue of Cottage Life magazine.
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