What's a good "wildcard" for selling a lake house?
 

If I understand correctly, when people look at houses in a certain price range, many will look roughly the same. So, the human mind will hone in on some detail that stands out from everything else.

What is the wildcard that convinced you to buy your house?

Thank you!

The affordable price in 1992. High quality, Lake Winnipesaukee-Meredith neck with seller financing at 9% with a one third, $55,000, down payment for a somewhat flat quarter acre with 60' rocky waterfront, two bedroom cottage and big oak trees.

It has the #1 best view of any house on the entire lake ...... :cool:!

Holy cannoli, I counted NINE wildcards there! I'm happy for you!

I wanted a flat lot, no association and not in the broads where it's windy most of the time. I also didn't want a long, long road to plow or that you couldn't plow in the winter. But everybody doesn't want the same thing.

We had many wants on the list and realized many of them. WeÂ’ve always felt very lucky. Several of the big ones however were (1) Flat lot with good water access, (2) SW exposure, (3) ample deck/on-water entertainment space, (4) one-story home. Mostly things that likely canÂ’t be fixed or only at great expense.

As a buyer, location is always the biggest wild card. The town it's in and which side of the lake it's on.
When we were looking, we didn't want the east side of the lake because it was a longer drive from our primary home. We also ruled out some of the higher tax to towns like Laconia and Sanbornton.
You can change a lot of things, but you can't change location. I bought 11 years ago when I was working, even though I'm now retired the same values still hold true.
Unfortunately, as a seller, you can't do anything about location.

You know your property best. What do you like most about it? Stress that.

"Private, quiet, great views, lovely sunsets, great neighbors, etc."

The primary thing I looked for was location. In Gilford with Lowes, multiple grocery stores, and the recycle center nearby, that works well. The second consideration was a sandy walk in waterfront. Now, with grandchildren, that has become more important.

There were other things that were important, one was the view. Nothing beats cocktail hour looking out at the lake!

Location, lot size, and neighbors/neighborhood are at the top of my list.

The other thing I pay close attention to is the overall condition of the house. Can't tell you how many times I have walked into really nice homes with water stains on the ceilings, broken appliances, etc. that indicate that maintenance is not performed consistently. Turn Key is pretty subjective in the Lakes Region.....

What's a good "wildcard" for selling a lake house
 

When we sold our lake house, about 25 years ago, the buyers were most impressed that we had a 3/4 bathroom in a hallway between the main part of the house and the garage. This hallway also led to a large deck. What this configuration meant was that it was not necessary to traipse through the house if a bathroom stop was needed. The "muss and fuss" from the outdoors stayed outdoors!

I agree with your post about condition, to a point.

At the time I purchased 20 plus years ago, my second choice was in great condition but had a wall at the waterfront and you were in two feet of water when you stepped in. The one I bought had some pink shag rugs, needed windows, bathroom updates, and I have since put a roof on. But it had a better, open lake view. Big plus: It had a boat house!

I rationalized that I could make improvements to the house as finances permitted but I could never change the waterfront and the view so I went with the house that had the best of those things that I couldn't change.

Price is something that people get hung up on but, if you plan on owning the property long term, getting the right property in your price range, seems most important. Over the long term, appreciation will take up the slack, and it will almost always eventually far exceed your investment.

Location, location, location. For us it is privacy and good water access (flat lot, beach area, dock).
I will say, it is curious how many people said “flat lot”. I think many inexperienced lake front owners may not think of this reality. When we boat around the lake and see houses on steep lots with hundreds of steps to access the water, we say “ no way”! Can’t imagine climbing those stairs every time we wanted a cold drink, snack, etc. Having a short walk across a flat lot sure is nice. We notice most of the houses with a stairway to heaven, rarely have anyone hanging out on the beach. I think the stairs get old real fast.

Likewise, I've noticed a majority of the comments include a "flat lot". I've always enjoyed hiking on the ice at different lakes and ponds. Some properties overhang breath-taking cliffs! It's fun to look at the various staircases to heaven. Similarly, I've come up with a multitude of names for them like Chutes and Ladders, Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong, etc. One in particular caught my attention because there was an entire staircase missing in the middle of a large zig zag. I called that one the Indiana Jones staircase!

Thank you for your fun comment!

What's a good "wildcard" for selling a lake house?
 

Flat lots. Please explain? A lot that allows one a beach or one that has a dozen steps to the water from a flat lot. If it’s the first, there just aren’t many


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In my mind, either scenario fits the definition. When I referenced 'flat lot' in my prior post, I was thinking of easy access to the water (in our case, no beach but only five steps down from the flat lot) and, on the other side of the house, easy access to the road (in our case, no elevation change at all).

When we were looking to buy ten years ago, we wanted to be sure our home (and land) would fit our lifestyle as we aged.

You are right, there are not many flat lots on the lake. We searched for two years for a flat lot which ours is. We walk out our door right to the lake with no steps.

I would think a “dozen steps” would be easy enough to navigate for most. As we age, and look at some properties that have hundreds of steps as we cruise the lake, we see that as being an obstacle to maximum use of the property. Being perched on a cliff would not work for us.

Lakes end up in low spots, so a low/flat waterfront lot usually means a shallow depth at the water's edge since the contour generally continues from the land into the lake bed... That could be desirable, but maybe not if you have a boat with a large draft. Might mean you need a long dock. Shallow water can be weedy too...

Not a Flat Lot
 

The definition of "flat lot" has a different meaning to some people.

My Gilford lot is far from flat if you view it from the street. It is fairly steep for the first half of the lot heading down to the lake.

However, the house is on a level lower part of the lot about 15 feet from the lake. We drive down the driveway all summer and park at the house. It is 20 feet from the car to the house so that makes it easy to bring in groceries or take out the trash.

I have seen some of the houses people mentioned that have steep lots and houses far up the hill. Sometimes I think if I had one of those I would hate to get down to the boat and remember I forgot my sunglasses!------

Location / great view.

My guess is that a "Flat Lot" likely carries a higher price tag versus a lot which has 100 stair steps to safely (or easily) access the beach and/or dock.

Of course the older you are then the less likely you would probably even consider purchasing a waterfront hilltop setting.......

I am on my 3rd house on the lake going from a vacation home to a permanent residence and back again to vacation. As a full timer with kids I valued a larger house and close proximity to town. As a vacation home I love the smaller, easy to take care of camp that I have now. I also value being on the south side of town as it makes the trip easier not having to go through downtown Wolfeboro in summer. Western exposure, a deep water dock, clear water, nice views are all great things to have. The broads are beautiful but I really like the way I can tube, water ski.... in the smaller, calmer bay right outside my door. I'm on a point with water on 3 sides and grandfathered close to water so that really helps make a small lot feel big and private

It's probably easier to pick out the negatives after you've lived in your home for a while than the positives. Some of the negatives you may be able to address but others you may not.
I know after owning my home for 11 years the one big negative is the half mile dirt road into it and my dirt driveway. The driveway I can have paved but there's nothing I can do about the road.
Even though it's well taken care of by the town, mud season is a bitch!

Jello Pudding track!


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