They are filled with so much valuable information.  

Did you read that social connections are really valuable to your overall health and happiness?

Get a independent appraiser over to view the property and give you a better idea of comps whiles it's still for sale.. once it gone you won't have the same chance.. what's other lakeshore homes in surrounding areas going for.. what makes a property like this valuable is the setting the view, sunsets, sunrises and quality of the lake, and lake size and what the lakeshore is like. sometimes the price is hard to justify but from the owners point of view he's got the best and maybe he's right you won't realize that until you research more or when it's gone and you have to start over..Good luck.

@Jo-Ann Lapin & @Jeff Keller thank you very much for valuable suggestions.

I know they are doing a lot of re-mapping at the shore as well.Any guidance of what to look out for are far as future rate changes on the horizon?

Ultimately I'm just trying to think through how to make the most of the resources I have to start real estate investing and really secure my families financial future and I figured who better to give guidance than people who are more experienced than I am and who at some point had some of the same thoughts. :)Thanks in advance for any of the time and effort you put in responding to my questions, I sincerely appreciate it.

They should give you some guidance about who, what, where, when, etc.

Even in the less likely situation where you end up with questionable results, the hands on education will get you going in a valuable direction.

Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Is there something specific you want some help/ guidance/ input with?