Most non-city people probably wouldn't understand this at all, but when you live in the good old concrete jungle, the thought of being somewhere without a lot of buildings, where you can't see what colour your neighbour's underwear is or hear their conversations, and you can go outside and not hear sirens and don't smell car exhaust, where you can spend time with friends around a bon fire, eat food that you normally wouldn't get to eat at home, and even jump in a lake that isn't polluted like Lake Ontario, it's just plain heaven.
Unfortunately, the cost of a cottage these days has gone through the roof - if you want something in what we mistakenly think is cottage paradise - Muskoka, well just forget it. Thanks to the hollywood types who discovered the area, you're looking at well over $350,000 for a shack that isn't even winterized and probably not on a lake. If you go outside Muskoka, you are looking at a cost of at least $200,000 - and that probably isn't even a nice place either. Cottage prices are nearing what it costs for a decent house in Toronto...unbelieveable!
What do you get for your money? You get a cottage that is probably full of furniture from 1960, probably a little chewed from that mouse that lived in there over the winter too - let's hope they didn't get into your pillows or had babies in the walls, or even chewed the wiring in the walls. You have to deal with taxes, utilities, the fear that the one splurge you made - that $200 TV was stolen since you were last at the cottage. You have to open it in the Spring - meaning you have to get that pump working from the lake or you won't have water to flush the toilet or wash dishes. Did I mention you probably have to bring your own drinking water from the city? You have to check for and clear out any 'friends' that moved in over the winter. Next, you'll have to get your boat out of storage, along with all the summer 'stuff' you and the kids will use - water toys, patio furniture, etc. If you're lucky, the road to your cottage is cleared of snow in the winter - which is great because you're going to have to get there at least once a month in the winter to climb up on the roof to clear off the snow - hopefully you won't fall off and break a leg! In the summer, you finally get to relax...right? ...Nope! You have to mow the lawn, trim trees, get rid of that bees nest that is annoying you ever time you go outside, and find a better way to 'lock down' the garbage because that damn racoon keeps getting into it. Ahhhh...it's finally Fall and there's no more mowing to do, you can relax right? Nope! You have to start closing it down for winter - blowing out the water lines and pulling the pump out of the lake, putting away all the stuff again, and if the weather cooperates, you can spend some time there around Thanksgiving without freezing your buns off. Isn't it great having a cottage?...I'm exhausted just writing this!! People are spending half of their time away at the cottage doing maintenace work. It doesn't sound so relaxing and enjoyable to own a cottage, does it?
So here's Frontenac Shores. You might still have some traffic to deal with if you're coming from Toronto, but nothing close to the traffic you will deal with going north up the 400. You are looking at about a 3 hour drive - and it's clear sailing after Oshawa.
What do you get?
- Affordable cost. You get a luxury cottage for a fraction of what you'd pay for the same cottage if you purchased it outright.
- 5 weeks every year for life to enjoy the cottage, rent it out, or exchange weeks for 5-star resorts world-wide
- Since you own your share of the cottage (and the land it sits on), you can sell it, rent it, or loan it to friends and family.
- Absolutely no maintenance - the property management company looks after it all for you.
- No housekeeping or laundry. The property management company completely cleans the unit before you arrive. They wash everything - towels, sheets, dishcloths, dishes, utensils, etc.
- A complete cottage experience plus luxury - In the summer, you can have a bon fire, cook up some steaks on the gas BBQ, lay in the sun, go for a hike, go out on a boat, or just watch TV. In winter, go skating on the lake, go cross-country skiing, go snowmobiling, make a snowman, curl up in front of the fire and watch TV, or even go for a skate on the lake.
- Location - Your cottage is a few steps (literally!) to a beautiful, clean, spring-fed lake. The fishing is good, and there is a nice beach for the kids...young and old, to swim or float on a hot summer day. You also have your own boat dock - bring your own boat if you like, or use a kayak, canoe, or paddle boat that is included with your purchase.
- Community - The Owners at Frontenac are passionate about the resort - they are like a large family!
Frontenac Shores makes that cottage dream a reality.
You can own that cottage you always dreamed of!!
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