OT: How does a family narrow down where to buy a Michigan summer home?
Over the years we've spent time in most of the more popular towns. Saugatuck, Holland, Grand Haven...Charlevoix, Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Bay Harbor, Indian River...Traverse City, Torch Lake, Leelanau Peninsula, Glen Arbor...even Au Gres on Lake Huron side (not really our cup of tea). How do you narrow down where to focus on? Pretty overwhelming.
I don't know, I can understand the trouble. Me and my beautiful wife and perfect children are really having a hard time picking where to buy our next house too. Considering we have one in London already that covers most of Western Europe but it's just so far from there to Italy so should we get a condo there? But really who has the patience for less than 3 bedrooms, you know what I mean. On the other hand, we really don't NEED anything on the water considering our place in Turks...so much money, it's more hassle than it's worth.
HEYYYYY!!!! Tom Brady is on MGoBlog!!! Nice hat Tom.
Oh jeez, I set myself up for that. But it's genuinely not like that. It's something we've been saving for and pondering for a while. Everyone loves their own summer spot and this state is lucky to have so many gorgeous options, so it is honestly overwhelming.
It seems certain regions of the state gravitate towards certain summer destinations, ex. Grand Rapids and Lansing families to Grand Haven, Spring Lake and Holland? And also, family ties? But very few of our extended family remain in Michigan, so that doesn't really help us narrow our focus.
Don't let these "poors" get you down. The wealthy (you) and incredibly good looking (me) need to stick together!
Seriously though, I'd be talking to realtors who specialize in summer homes.
Full belly giggle on this/\
I thoroughly appreciated this comment. Good work.
The Flying Dutchman is really a Grand Rapids-based real estate broker with a ton of experience, some of which is with second homes from South Haven to Muskegon. If you think I can be of any help, lets figure out how to connect.
How much can you spend? How far do you want to drive?
Really? It's a Michigan blog. Many people are successful after going to the greatest University in the world. Dude has a question and you shame him.
Just because someone has more money than you doesn't mean their question is bragging.
It was a lighthearted jab. I'm not shaming anyone.
Just because someone has more sense of humor than you doesn't mean their joke is shaming.
The biggest problem you'll face is, quite frankly, that there is no one answer on that because it's so totally an individual "fit" question. And that will be compounded by the fact that people aren't going to share the truly great locations, because then everyone will be there.
The 3-D chess players on here already bought all the real estate in their favorite locations and are now on here shilling to drive prices up :D lol obviously kidding, but then again if I were invested in a given real estate market, I would want everyone to come buy
It was difficult in my case. I wanted a waterfront home with dock access for my rather large yacht, well maintained road access for my Lambo and also a private airfield for my Gulfstream.
Anything on The Rouge River works.............
Lambo? Singular? You poor soul. How can anyone live like that!?!?
I admire the humor but everyone with a summer (lake) house isn't a billionaire. Growing up I recall uncles and their colleagues that worked at Big Three assembly plants had summer cottages on now very prime land. It's been a Michigan thing for I'd guess 100 years. It's been a goal of ours for a while.
Lol. Two of my mom's siblings have a summer home up north and they're by no means anything more than middle class. But the jokes are too good to pass up.
Fletcher's Backwaters/Hillman is a good Bass lake...
Yeah, except now those Big 3 summer cottages are in Mexico and Ontario.
I think everyone is busting your balls a bit, but at the same time you listed over a half-dozen places where most people try to get summer homes. They're all fine. I don't really know what other evidence people can give you beyond "find a place you like that you can afford." Like, depending on where you look and your requirements (e.g. water access, # bedrooms, etc.), you can probably get a place anywhere for around the same price.
Ahhh, those were the days... is it still a thing where regular middle class folks could sock away some savings and still afford a place on a lake up north? I’ve done some intermittent Zillow browsing and it seems much more slanted toward the billionaire set. Not really a problem for me financially speaking, but I just don’t see myself driving to any of those towns when I could just fly on my private jet to the Aspen cabin in the winter. It’s also tough to top the place on Lake Zurich in the summer, ya know?
" is it still a thing where regular middle class folks could sock away some savings and still afford a place on a lake up north? "
Yes.
Clare. Harrison. Gladwin. Baldwin. Etc.
Clare/Lake/Osceola/Gladwin/Missaukee/Ogemaw/Roscommon Counties...
The place across the street from my cottage (lake view, lake access at community beach) just sold for $25K. 1200 square foot house with new well and septic. Needed a lot of decor updates, but structurally sound.
Pretty sure they'll strip all the copper out of your house in Baldwin to buy meth...other than that though, dirt cheap real estate...
Pentwater to Manistee has some affordable stuff as well
It wasn't called "Generous Motors" for decades without good reason. I worked at a Delphi facility for a while ~15 years or so after they split from GM. It was interesting hearing from the former GM people about how much money that company used to throw around (and was their unsubtle way of complaining about the lack thereof at Delphi).
Those were the days...
And here I had you pegged as someone driving a Ferrari around Hawaii, not the slow-paced life of summer lake cottages in Michigan.
You can't go wrong with T. C. My wife and I drive 4 1/2 hours each way from Fort Wayne every other weekend in the summer. Yes it's a long drive. But man, sitting on the deck looking at the lake in the morning is incredible. Just awesome. Good luck.....
I had a similar dilemma, so I called up some of the other parents of my kids' classmates at the private boarding school in Switzerland where I send them and they were really helpful.
Was it hard finding a house that would have wide enough hallways to accommodate your massive genitalia?
If winter sports are a part of your plans, stay in the northwest part of the state.
I mean, aside from "choose the area with the most options ion your price range" this is such a personal question it's impossible for any of us to help you.
Also, I don't see this going well for you OP.
I mean - you've been to most of them, as you said. So just choose one.
If I ever got a Northern Michigan 2nd home (and I aspire to), the biggest differentiators to me would be (1) are you going to own a boat, or just want to look at a lake?, (2) proximity to interests (wineries, fishing, sand dunes, golfing, winter snowmobiling, etc), (3) do you want to be around people to some extent, or completely away from it all?, (4) and ease of travel.
My ideal spot winds up being the Lake Michigan stretch from Manistee to Arcadia. But that's just me.
I'm in Pierport!
Beautiful. Great spot.
You should probably neg-bomb me though --- I need to keep that area "secret." :-)
I do think it's setting up for a bit of a "boom" in the next 10-20 years. Frontier used to fly Milwaukee-Manistee in the early 2010s and I've heard rumors that Delta is looking into Detroit-Manistee (it is a "essential air service" airport so carriers into Manistee would be eligible for federal subsidies). Those flights would open the region up a bit.
I've flown out of TC a couple of times, really neat little Airport. I would love Manistee to have service besides their current charter service.
Why choose just one?
yep, had to log in to say this is just too damn funny!
Buy a new 33 foot airstream classic and spend your summers wherever you want.
100% agree if I lived in Michigan. Too much shoreline and too many lakes to see.
Just hear for the comments
"Just hear for the comments"
What a coinkydink, I like using text to speech so I can here the comments!
Da UP is where I'd start. But that's just me and my preference.
This is, quite possibly, the dumbest topic I've ever seen posted here...
since yesterday.
Give it time.
Lol rookie.
Start paying your rent so you don't have to move so often.