Get ahead of the equity game with vacantFor 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.
2 comments:
I've been told that you cannot build within 200' of the river. Is that true? If so, it seems like it would be pretty difficult to see the water from my new building site.
This is a very common question that we deal with all the time. Each river is regulated differently and it's important that you look into the local townships zoning ordinance to determine the setbacks on the particular river you are interested in. Much of The AuSable does have a 200' setback as does a lot of The Betsie and some of The Pere Marquette. On The AuSable in most areas, you can also get one foot closer to the river for every foot of elevation you have from the river's edge to your building site. Another issue to take into account is the cutting of vegetation to open up views of the river. Again using The AuSable as an example, they ask that you maintain a 75' wide natural vegetative barrier. This means that within 75' of the river you may do enough cutting to give yourself a filtered view of the river over a 50' wide area. Beyond 75' you may do whatever cutting you'd like. Having said that, the natural aesthetics as well as the damage to sensitive wetland areas can be greatly affected by large scale cutting of trees. We've developed a good relationship with some arborists who have a good sense of finding that fine line between opening up a view of the river while not destroying the gorgeous woods along the river that are so important. In a nut shell, you're probably not going to get broad sweeping views of the river from the sites on many vacant lots, but with the right parcel and the right amount of thinning, most owners find they are able to get a terrific piece of land and still see the presence of the river out their new windows. For more information on zoning regulations for many of the state's major rivers, go to http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-30301_31431_31442-95823--,00.html.
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