If you have looked online at lake homes, you have also probably noticed that the newer places – unless very expensive – seem to have questionable shoreline compared to others in that same price range. Or, the agent does a good job of not mentioning the shoreline at all, and avoiding photos of it as well. Even though you might believe you have found this hidden nugget that no else has noticed, chances are pretty good that something is amiss!

One of the biggest differentiators in lakeshore values, from one end of the state to the other, is the type of shoreline that a property has. Level lots with excellent sand beach (the type that is actually visible above the high water mark) are the most expensive on any water body. And because homes that were built long ago on lakes had the most options in available lots, which ones do you think they chose first?

Today it is not uncommon for some of those older and outdated homes on prime lots to be purchased as tear-downs for much larger mini-mansions. So when you are looking for newer homes from the past ten years or so on Twin Cities Area recreational lakes, you will most likely have to look at a pretty high price level to find them, due to lot sales that are probably around a half million on the low end, and construction costs that are certainly not cheap these days either. Of course, there are many other factors that affect values, such as lake size, proximity to downtown, lot elevation and lake quality to name a few.

But for now, let’s assume that you only have a half million or so to spend, and you insist on having a newer home on an area lake. What are your options to create a sand beach if one does not exist already?

Essentially, you will most likely have to remove a pretty good swath of weeds – one way or another. Products such as Weedroller can help out quite a bit, or you may be able to just yank them out by hand. But make sure you check with the DNR before beginning your project to see if a permit is necessary. It can become quite expensive if you remove vegetation illegally, and then you are forced to bring it back to its natural state after the fact.

In addition to the weeds that need to be removed, it is likely you will find a somewhat endless-appearing layer of muck as well. That is just common where you find a lot of different weed types. But rest assured it will not go all the way down to China, so there is still hope in creating some type of sand beach if you are able to pull the proper permits and if you work at it hard enough.

But make sure you don’t take the seller’s or agent’s words that it “used to be a great beach down there, and should be great again with a little work.” Just dumping a load of sand on top of muck only creates muck with sand in it as far as I have seen, so that will not be your solution.

If you are living in the Twin Cities Area already, chances are you have spent time on lakes in different parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is just in our nature to do that when most of us have friends or relatives with some type of lake home, cabin or lakeshore getaway. Unless they really don’t like you, it is just in the odds that you will get invited to someone’s lake place sooner or later.

While you were there, you probably felt pretty relaxed and thought about having a lake cabin for yourself someday. Of course, you probably didn’t see the work what went into getting it ready in the spring, closing it down in the fall, and just the ongoing upkeep that is required in any structure and property.

But now you are considering buying a lake home to live in full-time, since life is so busy and you may not have time to actually get away to a cabin anyway. Here are a few things to consider while you continue to contemplate that decision of which one is right for you:

1. Why do you want a lake place in the first place? If it is meant to get away from the stress of everyday life, it probably won’t help much. Although looking at water from your deck can be mentally soothing, you will still see all the bills that need paying and the chores that need doing all around you.
2. Do you see yourself letting loose on the weekends because you are on the water? That may happen for awhile when everything is new – just like the honeymoon period of any new home. You will meet some of your neighbors and will most likely make some new friends that you can go fishing, skiing or drinking with. But remember that if you are living in a Twin Cities lake homes, it is likely that your neighbors will be living there full-time as well. And they will have the same types of stresses that you have in your life. The neighbors you tend to meet at the lake cabin, however, are often there to have a good time and let some steam off as well.
3. Cabins can be difficult to get enough use out of when the whole family is busy. If you are in the school-age years, where the kids have one sport or even after another, cabins can be an expensive pleasure that you very seldom enjoy. We have had both a lake home and a cabin at different times, and they certainly each have there advantages. But when the kids were busy with a lot of activities, and when the parents had to work to keep paying for all the activities, the kids could still come home from school and throw a line in the water. And cooling off on those hot summer days was just a few steps – instead of a few hours – away!

Both lake cabins and lake homes have many advantages over the other. But just think about where you are in your life right now before making your decision.