Lakefront property must-haves?

Question

What do you consider must-have qualities/features for lakefront property? I am in Minnesota so it is extremely seasonal and trying to find the right cabin on the right lake is quite tough.

Hit me with it:  beach quality? weeds? water depth? level lot? Etc.

Thanks!!

Paul S. · Answer

A dock and a boat launch nearby.

Shane O'Malley Firek · Answer

May be advantageous to focus in winter on ice fishing as well (throw a shanty up on the lake to go along with the rental) but prob requires a local guide to help with that.

John Underwood · Answer

A nice dock with decent water depth. That is where people will spend a lot of their time.

Dave Stokley · Answer

We manage a lakefront house that has no beach access or anything else other than a great view, fire pit, and nice grill, and we’re still getting top dollar for it.

Amber Gonion · Answer

@Jeremy Dockendorf. We are in the area you are looking.  With that chain I would worry less about the beach area since they have the island to hang out and access to the restaurants and such will be more important.   Chemically treating the shoreline is not that expensive and can take care of those issues, permits are easy.

Proximity on that chain makes a difference also as the north side is less desirable than  the south as travel time is a factor.

Michael Baum · Answer

Hey @Jeremy Dockendorf, we have a lake front property and our beach is rocky and usually has a few logs on it. We state that in the listing. We are on a large lake in north Idaho (Lake Coeur d'Alene) and there are almost no sandy beaches. Especially private owned. Bringing in sand is not legal. We also do not have a dock and can't have one as there is a moratorium on them in our part of the lake at the moment.

Thus far it hasn't been a problem for us. If I could have a dock I would in a heartbeat. I am sure I could get more nightly if I had one. The public boat launch is about 2000 feet away back in town and there is a public marina there you can moor for 3 days free. That usually takes care of any boat related issues.

The algae could be an issue. It can be toxic to some (small children) and most people shy away from it if there is a ton on your beach. If I were looking for a lake house I would avoid area's where there is a lot of algae.

Lake Coeur d'Alene is quite deep at over 200' so algae is not a real problem in most parts of the lake. The deeper the lake, a lake with multiple inlets (rivers etc) help with algae reduction.

Nathan Gesner · Answer

Plastic kayaks, paddle boards, and maybe even a pedal boat (it takes an hour to go 30 feet, but some people like them).

Theresa Harris · Answer

I'll be cheeky and say a lake!  You'll want water views, each beach access, somewhere to swim, dock to launch a boat (and access for them to bring their boat in), somewhere to sit by the water.

Lakefront property must-haves?

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