The cottage prices in the region are sky high (ie. $5.45 million...) and the only places with more reasonable prices need repairs.But... and this is a big BUT... if you are the Do It Yourself type, you could fix up a Muskoka cottage yourself... which is probably what you would have to do if you can't afford the ridiculous prices being asked for some places.
muskokacottageonline.com is an interesting example. Its an entire website dedicated to trying to sell ONE "cottage". A very expensive mansion of one. Its not a cottage at all. Its freaking huge! You'd have to be celebrity or multi-millionaire with tonnes of money to waste to want to buy it.
Even some of the expensive places need repairs. Probably why they're being sold in the first place. People look at the cost of repairing a place, realize they only visit the place a couple times / year and then decide its not worth fixing. Better off just selling it.But that doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune to fix these places, assuming you are the DIY type. All you need is the materials (ie. commercial roofing and metal panels), the hardware tools, the know-how and you can do most of the fixing yourself.
You can also get printable coupons to help cover the cost of materials, tools and things needed after you move in.
Or you could just skip buying a cottage and get a vacation package instead at a Muskoka resort / spa. Two days and two nights accommodation costs approx. $700 to $1000 for 2 people, and includes breakfast, dinner, resort activities and spa treatment. ie. Spa Rosseau.Why buy a cottage you barely use when you could just get the spa treatment for a tiny fraction of the cost?
Or better yet, just go camping or borrow a friends' or relatives cottage. Or rent one. Seems stupid to want to pay outrageous prices just so you can have bragging rights.
Haha I checked out that cottage site. There's an 18 seat movie theatre in the basement of that place! No wonder it costs millions - that's what Hollywood movie producers and actors etc want when they come north.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, and I agree about Muskoka's ridiculous prices, especially given the taxing drive from Toronto, and the iffy water quality when compared to an alternative like Georgian Bay.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, creating a website for one cottage may seem like a big deal, but it's not. I created http://georgian-bay-cottage.ca in a day using Wordpress templates. Traffic and interest has been ramping up. And I like the independence it offers from the traditional real estate agent monopoly.
You're right...the prices are astronomical in Muskoka. That's why I'm checking out this site and going to this event
ReplyDeletehttp://MuskokaWharfRealEstateAuction.com
there's too much to type to explain so check out the site...
might be the only way I'll buy in muskoka LOL