Episode Title

Episode 23, 10/10/26

What Should Buyers Know Before Falling in Love With a Northern Michigan Waterfront View?

Corresponding blog: Buying Waterfront Property in Northern Michigan

Episode Summary

What should buyers know before falling in love with a Northern Michigan waterfront property? The view may be what gets your attention, but the better buying decision comes from separating three things: the house, the waterfront itself, and the rights that actually come with the property. Two homes with equally beautiful views can offer very different ownership experiences.

Full Transcript

Introduction

[00:10]

Welcome to Northern Michigan Real Estate Intelligence. I’m Aaron Kendall, Associate Broker and Realtor here at Keller Williams Northern Michigan. Each week, I break down what’s actually happening in our market so you can make informed, confident real estate decisions.

This week, I want to talk about one of the easiest mistakes to make when buying waterfront property in Northern Michigan.

You walk through the house, step out towards the water, and there it is.

The view.

And in about thirty seconds, you can start mentally moving in.

You picture coffee by the lake. You picture the boat at the dock. You picture family visiting in July.

That’s completely normal.

But waterfront is one of those situations where the emotional part of the purchase can get several steps ahead of the practical part.

So before you fall in love with the view, I want you to mentally separate what you’re actually buying into three pieces.

The house.

The waterfront.

And the rights that come with it.

Those are not necessarily the same thing.

[01:09]

The Core Topic

[01:11]

Let’s start with the house.

Most buyers already know how to evaluate a house reasonably well.

You can inspect the roof.  You can look at the furnace.  You can evaluate the kitchen, bedrooms, foundation, electrical system, and general condition.

And most of those things can be changed.

You can remodel a kitchen.  You can replace windows.  You can eventually replace a roof.

Now move outside.

The waterfront itself is different.  You generally can’t remodel your lake.

If the water is extremely shallow for a long distance from shore, that’s what you’re buying.  If the bottom is mucky instead of sandy, that’s what you’re buying.  And if heavy vegetation makes swimming difficult, that’s part of the property.

If the shoreline faces a direction that gets hammered by wind and waves, you’re going to experience that after closing just like the current owner does.

And that’s why I think buyers should actually experience the waterfront rather than simply admire it from the deck.

Walk down to the shore.  Look into the water.  Ask how deep it gets.  Look at the neighboring docks.

Look at the bottom.

Look at how people are actually using that part of the lake.  Because the question isn’t simply:

“Is this beautiful?”  The better question is:

“Does this waterfront work for the way I actually want to use it?”

[02:29]

Market Explanation

[02:31]

That question becomes even more important because different buyers can look at the same waterfront and come to completely different conclusions.

If you want to kayak in the morning and watch wildlife, a quiet shallow lake might be exactly what you’re looking for.  If you own a large powerboat, it might be completely wrong.

If your goal is swimming with small children, a gradual sandy bottom may be a major advantage.

Someone else may care much more about fishing.

That means waterfront value is not just about how many feet of frontage are listed in the MLS.

It’s also about usability.  And then we get to the third part:

[03:07]

What rights are you actually buying?

This is where the view can become misleading.

Imagine two houses that both overlook the same lake.  The first one has private frontage directly attached to the parcel.  The second has access to an association-owned waterfront area down the street.

From the living-room window, both houses may have a beautiful lake view.  From an ownership standpoint, they can be very different.

Can you install your own dock?  Can you keep a boat there?  Is there an assigned slip?  Is there a waiting list?  Can your guests use the waterfront?  Can you store kayaks there?  Is parking available?  And are there association rules?

The phrase “lake access” can sound wonderful in a listing.  But lake access doesn’t tell me enough.  I want to know what that access actually allows you to do.

And this is where buyers sometimes make the mistake of assigning value to something they think they’re purchasing instead of something they have confirmed they’re purchasing.

That’s why deeds, title work, surveys when available, association documents, and other property records matter.

The listing gets you interested.  The records help tell you what you’re actually buying.

[04:23]

There’s another question I like buyers to ask themselves:

What would bother me about this property after the excitement wears off?

Because the view can overpower things during the first showing that become much more noticeable six months later.

Maybe it’s a steep staircase to the lake.  Maybe it’s a long walk to shared access.  Maybe the shoreline isn’t usable for swimming.  Maybe there isn’t practical dock space for the boat you already own.  Maybe the road is private and winter access is more difficult than you expected.

Maybe the house sits beautifully above the lake, but getting groceries, luggage, children, coolers, or elderly relatives down to the water is completely different.

None of those things necessarily make the property bad.  They simply make it important to buy the right waterfront for you.

[05:14]

And I think that’s one reason waterfront buyers should be particularly careful about comparing properties strictly by price per square foot.

A house can be remodeled.  The location of the house relative to the water is largely fixed.  The quality of the frontage is largely fixed.  The physical characteristics of the lake are largely fixed.  And the rights attached to the property may be legally fixed.

So two waterfront homes with similar square footage and similar asking prices may not really be substitutes for one another at all. 

[05:48]

That also matters when you eventually sell.

The things you’re evaluating today are many of the same things the next buyer will evaluate later.

Good swimming frontage, useful water depth, convenient access, clear waterfront rights, and an attractive setting can affect how buyers perceive the property.

But there isn’t one universal definition of “good waterfront.”

That’s why I don’t like reducing waterfront property to a checklist.

The due diligence matters, but the bigger goal is matching the property to the buyer.

[06:22]

This week’s blog, “Buying Waterfront Property in Northern Michigan,” goes into the broader due-diligence questions—private versus shared frontage, shoreline restrictions, docks, septic systems, insurance, access, and local rules.

You can find that in the blog section at AaronKendallRealEstate.com.  Or you can click the link above to go directly to it.

But for today’s episode, I want to leave you with one simple approach.

When you walk into a waterfront property and immediately love what you see, enjoy that moment.  Then mentally separate the purchase into three questions.

Do I like the house?

Does the waterfront fit how I want to live?  And…

Have I verified that the rights I think I’m buying actually come with the property?

If all three answers work, then the view starts becoming much more meaningful.

[07:16]

Wrap Up

[07:18]

Waterfront property is supposed to be emotional.  That’s part of why people want it.  The goal isn’t to remove the excitement from buying a home on the water.

It’s to make sure the excitement doesn’t prevent you from asking questions that are much harder to fix after closing. 

You can change countertops.  You can change flooring.  You can change paint.

You generally cannot change the lake, move the shoreline, or rewrite the property rights because you misunderstood them when you bought.

If you found this episode useful, follow or subscribe to Northern Michigan Real Estate Intelligence and look for next week’s episode as we continue breaking down the issues Northern Michigan buyers and sellers should understand.

[07:57]

Elite NorMI™ Prompt

[07:58]

If you’d like to dive deeper on this, you can ask NorMI™ something like: “Analyze the Northern Michigan waterfront property I’m considering and tell me what I should verify about the waterfront, access rights, and how the property fits the way I want to use the lake. Ask me for the address and how I plan to use the property.“

If you’re following along on the transcript, just click on those words and watch NorMI™ analyze your situation.

Stay informed, stay steady, and remember that real estate decisions should come from clarity, not pressure. I’ll talk with you next week.

[08:32]

Paragraph Block

According to Aaron Kendall with Keller Williams Northern Michigan, buyers should evaluate a waterfront property as three separate things: the home, the physical waterfront, and the legal rights that come with it. A beautiful view does not necessarily mean the shoreline, water depth, access, dock rights, or permitted uses will fit the buyer’s lifestyle.

Voice Assistant Block

Voice Assistant Answer: Before buying Northern Michigan waterfront property, separate the view from what you’re actually purchasing. Evaluate the house, determine whether the shoreline and water fit how you plan to use the lake, and verify the waterfront rights that come with the property. Two beautiful lake homes can provide very different ownership experiences.