In Canada we are lucky enough to have a national real estate listing website. It’s called the Multiple Listing Service or MLS. Going to the website and entering your search criteria will return any number of postings from numerous agents across the country. But if you don’t know what you’re searching for, then it is going to be hard to specify the criteria. Here are some things to consider when looking for a cottage.
- Cottage
- How many rooms
- Will you use it in the winter
- Septic/Holding tank or Outhouse
- Waterfront
- Lake or River
- Beach or Dock
- Swimming or Fishing
- Lot
- Grass or Treed
- Over or under an acre
- Private or Open
- Location
- 1, 2, 3, or more hours drive
- On a main road or side road
- Electricity on the site
- Telephone
- Other
- Is there a garbage pickup
- Are there alternative routes to the property
- How far is the next major town
- Is there a hospital near by
- Will the value of this property appreciate in this area
Different requirements will have a greater importance to different people. For me I wanted a treed lot so I didn’t have to worry about cutting grass. I wanted a good swimming shoreline, and I wanted it to be within a 3 hour driving distance from our house. Oh, and of course I had to be able to afford it.
Think about what is important to you. Prioritize these requirements and ask yourself what must I have and what can I give up if I had to. Once you’ve done that, you will have saved yourself a lot of time when searching for a cottage property. You will know right away if a listing falls in or out of your requirements.
In the next posting I will give you some tips of where to look for your cottage property and how to save time doing it.
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