Consider Vacant Land

Get ahead of the equity game with vacant

For those looking for an opportunity to not just get up north on a fine trout stream, but are hoping to get ahead of the game from an investment standpoint, consider vacant land. If there is a segment of the market in the riverfront game that has been flat in recent years, it's definitely been in vacant parcels. This is most likely due to the fact that so many more buyers are now coming from out of state and they do not feel confident that they'll be able to supervise a construction project from that great a distance. There are, however, some very good local contractors who routinely work with clients from a great distance away and can make the process very smooth. There are some terrific parcels of land right now on great rivers that can be had for extremely attractive prices. Stand up the cabin you've got in your mind and you'll most likely have invested much less money than the property will be worth! It can be difficult to find any cabin worth having on some of the better sections of river for under $200,000. There are a number of very nice vacant parcels out there listed below $100,000. Spend $100,000 building a brand new cabin and you're way ahead of the game. Here are a few good examples of parcels to consider;

This parcel is located on the lower North Branch of The AuSable and offers 350' of outstanding trout water with a nice mix of deep pools and sweeping gravel riffles. Just $99,900. E-mail Mark Bear with quesitons or click on the photo to view more details.

This is the screened river house that is part of a 5 acre preserve with over 700' of "Holy Water" frontage and a private trout pond on The AuSable River's mainstream. Purchase a terrific 3 acre wooded parcel and receive ownership in the preserve with just 6 other owners. E-mail Chad Brown with questions or click on the image for more details.

This nice dry parcel is located on The AuSable River's "Holy Water" as well and features 150' of excellent fly fishing frontage. The owner is in the process of installing a new dock over the river! Only $98,500. E-mail Chad Brown with questions or click on the image for more details.

Ever been to The Platte River? This charming stream is within easy reach of the amenities of Traverse City and offers some great fishing for not only trout, but seasonal runs of salmon and steelhead. 3.5 acres with 366' on the river for only $87,500. E-mail Chad Brown with questions or click on the image for more details.

Some bare ground!

While the calendar says it's officially spring, there is still an awful lot of snow on the ground and it's cold enough at night to make ice. This is a great time of year to look back on the winter and make sure you were able to do all the activities you hoped to. This photo was taken while ice fishing with my daughters out on Long Lake in Grand Traverse County earlier this year. While I got out a bit this winter, I'm going to make sure to get out this week for one last go at those finicky Walleyes. Get up north while you can and do that last bit of downhill skiing, ice fishing, or snowmobiling because the bulbs will be sprouting and the trees will be budding very soon. While you're up, give us a call and we'll take you to see those properties you've been dreaming off all winter. Once the snow is gone and buyers are thinking spring, competition for available Northern Michigan Waterfront Properties increases and the process becomes a bit more intense. See you soon up north!

Market Conditions

Have property values in Northern Michigan held, even with the slump in Southern Michigan? We've posted this to answer a question that we know is on the mind of many of our web visitors and as an example of the types of questions we'd love to hear from you.

Trout Opener Looms

While a huge majority of our users are here just to search for properties, a fairly large number of our "people" are avid fly anglers and so are most of the agents and brokers within our firm. On that note, I'm having a heck of a time not thinking of putting my boots in the stream and casting to rising trout next month. For those of you who do not recognize the holiday, the traditional openeing day of trout season in Michigan is the last Saturday in April. For those who know, and understand the significance, it's Christmas for big kids!!! We just attended the Midwest Fly Fishing Exposition in Warren, MI this past weekend and there was a nearly audible buzz of anticipation in the air with the upcoming season just around the corner. I thought it might be a good starter conversation to have here on The Homewaters Blog to talk about opening day traditions that everyone enjoys here in Northern Michigan. Personally, I'll be hunkering down at my cabin on The AuSable and running my old Jeep from cabin to cabin and catching up with old friends. A favorite stop will be on Friday night to Tom Smith's cabin where there will be a great mulit generational crowd that knows how to do it right. Plenty fine food, a surplus of cocktails, a large fire in the classic stone fireplace and a terrific screend porch overlooking The AuSable. This camp has been going strong for generations and they are kind enough to let me crash their party each year and spend a few hours at the card table. Enjoy what's left of the winter everyone.

Welcome to The Homewaters Blog

Hello, and welcome to the newest resource from Homewaters, L.L.C. We realized that many of our web users may have questions, but would be more comfortable learning without making direct contact to one of our agents or brokers. This is an exciting way for those users to gain information while allowing other users to benefit as well. We'll also be using the blog to keep visitors informed of trends in the market we service as well as provide informaiton about conditions that will affect the industry. Our goal is to create a light hearted exchange that is not only informative, but enjoyable to read. We look forward to hearing from you soon!