I'm confused by option 3. Are you just going to use it, or are you going to buy it? I would never put 10-15k into any property that I was not going to own.

I'm trying to put myself into your shoes...."not into speedboat, sailing, skiing aspect of a lake place." The bigger lakes, and some of the smaller ones around here are all about motors. Sit on your dock and hear the constant whine of motors. Swim and feel the large waves (can be fun if you are a good swimmer) but you can't swim out very far without fear of being run over by a motor. And if you like canoeing or kayaking, the motors can make these things tough.

"We are not big entertainers..." Is this because you value your privacy, or are more the introverted types, or quiet types? I'm thinking you may not be the types who will enjoy close neighbors and sharing the docks and ramps.

Option 2 sounds lovely.1.6 acres on a private lake with only 6 other homes. I think I would look very closely at this option...try to meet the neighbors and get a feel for what the community is like. And a fixer upper in a camp does not have to be a big deal. Camps can be simple and still be absolutely lovely...that is the charm.

Good luck on your decision.

Sounds like owning the A frame is more up your alley. Private. Quiet. More like me too. ;) The thing I dislike about large lakes (and since I'm in your area, I know the lakes you know) are all the boats, noise, crowds, etc. Nothing relaxing about it, imo. I don't think you'll be missing out on a thing - with the exception of peace and quiet if you go on a big lake.

Good luck and congrats!

barb - option three would be just as you suspected -- sinking money into a place we wouldn't own. While spending $$ on a place I don't own seems insane to me, it is appealing in this case mainly because of the low overall cost involved for the use of a great place. I would think of it like paying a big rent payment up front.

As for not entertaining much, I guess I just get too busy to think about it. Also, we live pretty far out now and it's hard to get folks to commit to coming out. Maybe if there were water, there would be more of a reason for folks to come, bring kids and grandkids, etc.

allison - I'm glad you commented. I know what you mean about the constant buzz of motors at the big lakes. It was fun when I was 23. But 20 years later, I don't know that it is really my thing.

I always think about your place when I think about my "ideal" lake place. The general area where the A-frame is located isn't as nice as where you're located, but the feel and coziness of the little lake is very similar. If we got it and the extra lot, and really liked the place, we could always build a retirement home there on the little lake and let the A-frame be a guest house or rental.

One unknown quantity on the A-frame is a landfill nearby. I'd have to look into the future expansion plans for the landfill, as it appears it owns property up to the back of the neighbors on the other side of the lake. Here's a link to the A-frame.

Here is a link that might be useful: A-frame on private lake

It all depends on what type of environment makes you happy and what water sports you want to do. I would go for the A-frame 1) because I love peace and quiet and wouldn't care for all the activity of the big lake 2) I think it would feel more home-like. 3) I love a quaint and private setting.

Lucky you!!

I would go for the A-frame in a heartbeat. I love it! Closer to mom? Great!

Big lakes are no fun for little fishing boats. They do not mix well with speed boats and are hard for larger boats to see. BTDT. (Scared me to death). We bought kayaks several years ago and we love them. DH has a fishing kayak and I have a regular lake kayak.

I wouldn't put a penny into any property that you don't own. Good luck with your choice. Lucky you!

IMHO, option 2 sounds like the best bet. We are water people. I personally could not live on or near a lake and not take part in the water activities. We own a boat and while you can ski behind it, zip around, etc. that's not us. We frequent a large lake, and it's not all about the *need for speed*, etc. There are many quiet coves, lovely, tranquil spots. We love running around in our boat and I even occasionally like to be pulled around in the ski biscuit! LOL!! However, my favorite thing about the lake (any body of water) is the calmness and serenity. It's very soothing to me. Hubby loves to fish. We could retire there in a heartbeat. My question is, are there other options on the big lake? A small house/cabin you could purchase in a cove or quiet area?

I love the sound of option #2, my question about that is can you have boats with motors on this lake? If not, would that matter to you?

While we enjoy entertaining, we treasure our privacy. If it were me, I'd hate to have people right up next to me. Even if you got the 1.6 acre without an extra lot, your're going to have room to spread out.

Love the pictures - that is a beautiful area.

tina

I live near a big lake and it is so beautiful. I am not a skier or fast motor boat person but I love to explore the coves and inlets and drive for miles on the lake. A small lake would feel very claustrophobic to me.
A hard question but we have both a and b options here and I can easily envision what life would be like at both.
I would do the private a frame and haul my boat over to the big lake for the day then come home to my private cabin.

I'll play devil's advocate.

If you think "vacation" rather than "investment" you might think better of the third option. It sounds like it is the most desireable vacation setting. Over the course of a several years, many people spend a great deal more than $15k to be in the location they want to be in for a measly two weeks out of the year. You could have a lot more time than that in option 3.

You need to find a harder question to ask because option 2 is the clear choice for me and (I suspect) for you. It would be a quiet get-away and probably a great investment.

That appears to be a very small lake - maybe 20 - 30 acres - is that about right? Is the lake spring fed? If not, what's the source? That would be a huge consideration for me. We had a place on a spring fed 20 acre lake in WI - no motors allowed, kayaks and row boats only which made it peaceful and lovely. The landfill should be a big consideration. When the wind is right, the smell will travel quite a distance. I have a friend who lives a couple of miles from one and on 'those days' it's unbearable being at her house. Depending on the age of the landfill, they may not have had the most stringent codes during construction so the liners may not be as effective as what is currently used. What's the water source for the A frame - well? city? You'll want to have a thorough test of the tap water there.

That reminds me. What is this 'power company reservoir' about? Sounds like industrial chems I wouldn't want to be around, esp playing in the water.

how about persuading the elderly friend to sell his lake house to you at a discounted price (70 or less) but he gets the privilege to use the lake house :-D

other than that, no. 2!

See! You guys see the merits in all the choices, as do I! jamies hits on the merits of the aluminum trailer dream lot, and several of you see the merits of the big lake. But the private lake seems to have the most votes. We may get out there and find that the place is some sort of neo-confederate stronghold and the whole endeavor may be moot. But we're going to take a look nonetheless.

A power company reservoir is just that: The power company dams the river for hydroelectric and steam plants. The dams create reservoirs (what we folks around here call lakes). Nothing nefarious like chemicals or human growth hormone in the water.

The private lake is only nine acres and is stream- and spring-fed. The landfill is definitely a consideration. It is about a mile from the property, but when looking at the plats (don't you love the online GIS websites set up by some counties?) I saw that various parcels between the active landfill and the south side lake homeowners are also owned by landfill-ish entities. Definitely a good idea to have the tap water tested (not sure of the source, although I am suspecting well because it is on septic and has propane for heat).

bellaflora -
I like the way you think. But our old friend is a horse trader of the original variety. He is 94 and still tries to make a profit on something whenever he can. His wife found another place she liked on another lake, so they bought another place. The old place now just sits there(!)

But it is still a possibility. Old friend shut down his business a few years ago and DH has been helping him sell off inventory. So he loves DH -- I just don't know how much!

Bellaflora, I was *just* thinking the same thing, and wondering why no one had suggested it...

I'm shooting for the A- frame.

I think living in a trailer in a camp with other people would be great if you're a party type person. These types of arrangements can be noisy day and night.

The A frame sounds lovely, but definitely more low key and 9 acres isn't a big lake. More a large pond! Still serene and relaxing, but I agree with the others that the smells would be important to evaluate.

I would approach the older gentleman and ask him what he thinks a fair deal would be. Explain that you want to invest in a property not rent. If he's as good an investment man as you say, he'll appreciate your candor. What I would be concerned about if I were you in "fixing up" this guys lot is he's 94. He could die 3 months after you've put your $10-15 grand into his property. His heirs would probably sell off the place at a much higher price since you fixed it up!! You would have no rights unless you put something into a contract that you have first rights to buy the property at X price etc.

Love, love, love lakes. Here are my thoughts...
If you have children, grandchildren, etc. and want them to visit, there is no question that the big water-sports lake will attract them, and keep them visiting. If that is not a concern, I think the A-frame is the winner.

But... can you work a better deal on the 3rd option? Maybe buy it, doing a mortgage through the owner so he has an income stream, and contracting in a certain amount of time for him to use it every year? Then it is truly yours, but he gets to enjoy it for the rest of his life for a bit as well.

I vote for keep looking for the right property on the big lake. :)

I've read all the responses so far and I don't think this was mentioned- please check all the regulations in your area concerning the trailer. We have a vacation home in PA near the Delaware river. There was a large parcel near us where the owner leased lots to the owners of trailers. The owner decided to sell the property to a developer and the people living in the trailers had to remove them from the property. But that's when things got really interesting.

Other trailer facilities in the area would not accept any trailer older than 12 years so these homeowners not only had to remove their trailers at their own expense but many of them had to pay to have them disposed of. Apparently it had something to do with zoning and safety standards. I apologize for not remembering all the key facts but I do remember how stressful this was for the owners, many had lived there full time for years.

My own family owned a trailer on Deep Creek Lake in MD which was also a power company lake. We loved spending time there and made some wonderful friends. But there could be difficulties when owners let friends use their trailers and then the partying and lack of privacy became an issue.

I would go for option 2. Why lease when you can own? And if you wouldn't participate in all of the activities at the first lake, you won't miss them. As for option 3, I would not want to put my money into someone else's land.

If you can work a deal to protect your financial interests, Option #3 sounds wonderful. Maybe something where an investment of $10-15K in cash and sweat equity to fix the place up is the price you pay for the right to use the property XX times per year until the owner's death, and include the option to purchace the property at YY price from his estate.

If that doesn't work, Option #1 could be a nice way to 'try out' lake life, with the lease providing an easy 'out' down the road if you don't like it.

But if you're sure you want a lake place, #2 sounds lovely,provided it doesn't stink ;-)

Other than the landfill being a possible issue, it sounds like option #2 is the best. #1 is based on "what ifs" like, "what if we suddenly change our likes and want more noise and action?" "What if people suddenly start to visit us?" People quote Magnaverde as saying something about decorating for the life you have NOW. I think this applies.

I remember going to my friend's cabin on a lake when I was young. It was very simple, small lake, one canoe, one small motorboat . . .nothing fancy. I LOVED it, loved the peace and quiet, listening to the loons, the feeling that a little place in the world was just yours and yours alone. I don't think you need to attract kids with noise and flash-- there's enough of that in everyday life. And besides, it's too hard to count on anyone visiting ever-- it's better just to live for your life as it is.

#3 is just too risky. What if you sink money into the place, and all of a sudden the owner dies and leaves it to someone else? My mom's neighbor . . .I can't tell you how many times she's changed her will regarding who she is leaving her house to (no children or family left). The latest is that she wants her personal assistant and his family to move in, and she'll will the house to him. Why? Because then he'll take care of her cats when she dies. It's the only reason-- her cats.