Not Ready to Buy? Rent a Waterfront Home First!
“Man, I would love to buy a home on a lake.”
I was at a party several years ago, a gathering of neighbors, and I had shared some stories about traveling up to Christie Lake with my kids.
“Have you ever spent time on a lake before?” I asked.
“Not really, no,” was the answer. “I rode a boat on Lake Michigan. You know, one of those lake cruisers.”
I definitely wouldn’t recomment buying a waterfront home without experiencing waterfront living in some way. Rental homes and vacation homes are a great way to “dip your feet in the water.”
Here are some places online to locate waterfront homes to rent:
It’s really easy to get carried away by the “romance” of owning your own waterfront home. Test out the waters and make sure that waterfront living is for you.
Autumn at Fisher Lake
People are sometimes surprised when I tell them that Autumn is my favorite season at our lake house on Fisher Lake; and, I know it sounds a little strange. After all, Fisher Lake is a 350-acre, all-sports, sand-bottom lake which is a gorgeous Caribbean-blue on a sunny day. It’s perfect for swimming, boating, tubing, jet-skiing, and water-skiing. And, those are all things my family and I find very enjoyable all summer long.So, why do I love Autumn at the lake even more? I’m sure my husband would tell you it’s because I despise heat and mosquitoes (he’d be right, too!), but that’s just a “perk” of the season. I love Autumn because the lake is quieter, more “reflective”, if you’ll pardon the pun. As you look around the lake’s shorelines your breath is momentarily stolen by the beautiful colors of the leaves: bright orange, muted green, sunny yellow, fiery red. The air is pleasantly (and, almost constantly!) perfumed by the homey smell of burning leaves. Because the “summer people” have left, Fisher Lake’s resident blue heron can be seen with more frequency and regularity, as he fishes for his breakfast.
And, every Autumn, the swans return! Our first year, there were just three swans, but this past weekend my husband and I counted 13 or 14! It is a constant source of amazement to me and my family that they are so perfectly beautiful. They really do seem to glide across the water with no effort at all. Their long necks arch so gracefully, that it almost makeds my throat ache.
I can get a little dreamy about the swans. I have heard that they mate for life, so a few years ago when I saw just the three, I immediately came up with a couple of scenarios (ok, a stories!):
-two of the swans were mates, parents of the third swan. The parents were scanning the Lake, in hopes of finding a suitable mate for their offspring.
-again, two of the swans were mates, and the third was a widow/widower. S/He was just trying to find some solace in the company of his friends and the lake’s beauty.
I warned you! I guess I am just a “closet Romantic”!
But, the above “daydreamings” illustrate why the Autumn is my favorite season at the lake: there is little else to do but daydream! And, in our very hectic, tech-oriented lives, when do we ever find the time to truly give ourselves over to our imaginations? And, in such a peaceful, natural setting, instead on front of a computer screen? Not often, I’d wager. In Autumn, there are no pressing activities such as swimming and boating, to “distract” my family. We don’t have cable (by choice!) at the lake house, so TV is isn’t much of a pull, either. We do have a few mighty oak trees on our property, so this affords us the “opportunity” to utilize all family members’ efforts in raking and burning the leaves and acorns. Big piles of crisp leaves, kids jumping, cool weather, warm fire, all of us together… these are things from which daydreams are inspired!
Mary Kate blogs at Why, Yes, I Am Crazy, Thank You For Asking!
Waterfront Living–What is it Like?
I was eleven when my parents bought the two little cottages on Christie Lake, Michigan. The green cottage had one bathroom, two bedrooms, a great room and a kitchen. Two sun porches were perched on the front and back end of the house.
Mike Ratkovich, our next-door neighbor, came over to greet us. This was the start of a nice friendship and fun years together with his family.
Every weekend, we would hop into the car and make the two-hour trip up to Christie Lake. Mom was a frugal shopper, so she stocked up on staples during the sales. We never ran out of toilet paper or toothpaste up there. During the week, she would shop for the weekend and brought the up food that we needed in a cooler. This saved us some shopping time on the weekends. Mom would make extra batches of cookies and keep them in the freezer.
Weekends were filled with boat rides, swimming and waterskiing. We had a paddleboat and used that to paddle around the lake in the mornings and evenings. The water was often too rough during the day so we saved the paddling around for the calmer moments of the day. The grill was fired up each day and we dined on roasted veggies, barbequed pork and summer salads.
The advantage to having a place on the waterfront is that you often see people in a totally different light during their time spent on or near the water. Living on the waterfront means that you meet people during activities that are fun and relaxing. Think about it, what are some of the activities associated with the waterfront:
Whenever we bring up friends for the first time, we can see how easily stress melts away as they join in the activities on the waterfront.
We’d like to hear from the rest of you–share your experience of waterfront living here!
-
Buying & Renting
-
Boats, Jet Skis & More