Cottage Life

By Eric Shackleton of CP

Getting away from it all by purchasing a little cottage on a lake could turn out to be an expensive proposition these days, say real estate experts.

“You’re going to need a minimum of 25 per cent down going into a vacation property before a bank or financial institution will even talk to you about a mortgage,” said mortgage broker Ted Wiggins.

“A lot of people … think that purchasing a vacation property is the same as buying a residential property … they come in with five per cent down,” said Wiggins, with Century 21, United Realty Inc. in Peterborough, Ont.

But for prospective buyers looking at a $400,000 property, the average price for a waterfront vacation home in many holiday areas, “you want to have 25 per cent minimum in the bank before you even talk to a bank,” he said.

And that, said Wiggins, is just the tip of the iceberg.

There are at least 13 extra costs that buyers must keep in mind when purchasing a cottage. These include appraisal fees, property taxes, survey fees, property insurance, mortgage brokers fees, service charges, legal fees, mortgage loan insurance application fees, moving costs and maintenance fees.

There is also water quantity and quality certifications, local improvements and land transfer taxes, he said.

The total cost of all the fees really depends on the price of the property and where it is located.

“You could be into $5,000 to $10,000 on the average property” on top of the $350,000 to $500,000 you may have to pay for the whole package, Wiggins said.

But has this dampened interest in buying vacation properties?

Not at all, said Wiggins: “Interest in buying is fairly high.”

The price of waterfront properties has gone up so much over the last four to five years, however, “that your average person is not in the cottage market.”

“For something half decent you’re looking at anywhere from $350,000 to $500,000 for a property,” he said.

A study done last year by Royal LePage Canada showed that nationally, the average price of a standard waterfront property reachable by land had hit $427,589, a 13 per cent annual increase.

Sandy Cardy, vice-president of tax and estate planning services at Mackenzie Financial, said that figure still made sense.

“There are certain places in Ontario where it would be higher or in British Columbia where it would be higher than that,” she said.

“On average, though, I would say that’s about right.”

Wiggins recommends several steps when setting out to buy a cottage.

He says people should get pre-approved for a mortgage before looking for a property, since that will give potential purchasers “complete peace of mind.” Mortgage brokers can obtain written pre-approval at no cost and no obligation.

Buyers also should pre-assess what monthly dollar amount they feel comfortable committing to before getting pre-approval for a mortgage.

It is also best, said Wiggins, to go over what your economic prospects are before committing to buying a cottage — like how long you plan to own the property, whether interest rates going up or down, and any changes your income that might change the amount of money available to pay off the mortgage.

Buyers should also check out the municipal tax situation in the area where they’re planning to buy a vacation property, said Wiggins. Local property taxes have risen quite substantially in the past few years as provincial governments have transferred many services to municipalities in order to balance their books.

Greg Mulligan, a real estate lawyer with Bourne, Jenkins and Mulligan in Orillia, Ont., recommends using a lawyer in the area where you plan to buy a cottage.

They will be “familiar with properties in that area and cottage property … and local issues like native (aboriginal) concerns,” bylaws, taxes, fees, he said.

Della Dwyer, a mortgage broker in Barrie, Ont., says prospective buyers should also check on the accessibility of the properties they are looking at buying.

“Accessibility is one of the main pet peeves that lenders have,” she said. “There’s a few lenders out there who will do lending on an island.”

“But when somebody has to depend on a boat or ski-do in order to get to an island, the first thing lenders will look at is — ‘what if there’s a fire?’”

Wiggins said potential buyers should also keep in mind the turbulence rocking stock markets and the rapid rise in fuel prices.

If “you were coming up from Toronto last year … (for) $50 for a tank of gas … you’re now going to be looking at $75 to $100.”

Add all this together and a permanent move to paradise will cost you, said Wiggins. “If you want to put a 1,000 square foot cottage on a 100 foot waterfront lot, you’re into a $450,000 to $500,000 investment.”

To its proponents, cottage housing is the answer for people who want homes in communities like Mukilteo, Washington but don’t want or can’t afford large single-family homes.

Opponents, on the other hand, see cottage housing as nothing more than detached apartments, lowering property values, increasing traffic and bringing other woes.

On the recommendation of the Planning Commission, the City Council will revisit Mukilteo’s Cottage Housing Development Code at its June 12 meeting.

Typically, cottage homes are around 1,200 square feet. Garages are grouped away from the homes, which share a common open space.

According to developers, in communities where cottage housing already exists, the demographics show they attract retired, empty-nest couples and single people, particularly single women.

Commissioners made their recommendation that the council take a fresh looking at the city’s cottage housing code following a spirited discussion on May 18.

Some residents living near Mukilteo’s first cottage housing project on 44th Avenue West, south of 84th Street SW, said they were unhappy with what they’re seeing and wanted to put the brakes on a second proposed cottage housing project in their neighborhood.

“I’m looking over my shoulder and asking, ‘What’s happening to my community?’” asked resident Ray McCann.

“They say it’s aimed at retired people, but (noting the homes are two-story) retired people don’t want to go up stairs.

“So it’s really a zoning change, permitting multiple dwellings in a single family neighborhood.

“We’re all going to take a hit on our property values.”

Old Town resident Linda Wooding also expressed concerns.

“Cottage housing is high density housing,” Wooding said.

“I don’t hear Mukilteo residents yammering for cottage housing. I hear developers.”

But Stewart Woods, vice president of the development firm Cascade Cottages Inc, said he was surprised by the negative reaction.

“I hear a lot of fear,” he said.

Woods said he grew up in Old Town where most homes were small like cottage homes, and he played in the forest where complaining residents live now.

“I got interested in this because my mother wanted to stay in Mukilteo but can no longer maintain her house,” he said.

“What we’re creating is a community like Old Town was, where everybody knew everybody. In fact, we styled them after Old Town.”

Woods said his mother can’t afford a typical single family house in Mukilteo, but she wants to stay.

He said cottage housing projects typically take up a smaller footprint than 3,000- and 4,000-square-foot homes, and that they’re governed by stricter regulations, such as architectural reviews, covenants, and maintenance fees for common areas.

“We’re trying to create something to keep people in the community,” Woods said.

Commissioner Tom McGrath worked on the current code.

“The first time, we really struggled with it,” McGrath said.

He said people are wrong assuming cottage housing is cheap housing.

“They’re not cheap. My wife and I were talking about it being a good idea. Then, when I heard the price, I said, ‘Oh no,’” he said.

Planning Director Heather McCartney said the city could learn from other cities’ experience. Redmond reportedly has a successful cottage housing program, while Shoreline dropped its program after problems developed.

Commissioners recommended the council visit such questions as density, number of permitted units, traffic and other area impacts, and experiences in other communities.

Mukilteo, Washington, cottage housing, code, cottage life, cottage news

By Sydnia Yu of the Globe and Mail

A new waterfront resort near Parry Sound offers shared ownership in hassle-free cottages that the builder says will provide “the same quality Muskoka cottage experience” as a traditional vacation home in the area at a fraction of the cost.

Ownership of each fully furnished cottage at the year-round development — known as the Seasons of Muskoka — will be divided into 10 shares. Each share will allow the buyer to use the property for five weeks during the year, including two consecutive weeks in the summer.

Prices start at $79,900, and a monthly fee of $200 will cover the upkeep of the property and common amenities.

“Seasons of Muskoka offers people an affordable alternative to full cottage ownership in an area where waterfront property is scarce and financially out of reach for most families,” project manager Bert Krummrei says.

He currently operates a stone-carving studio on the property, which his family has owned for 35 years.

“They are able to get the same quality Muskoka cottage experience at a fraction of the price, and because everything is looked after for them, they can maximize their time pursuing leisure activities of their choice,” he adds.

In addition, owners will be able to exchange their allotted weeks for time at affiliated resorts worldwide, or put their weeks into a rental pool to generate income.

The project will include 15 cottages surrounded by more than 20 acres of forest on a site with 1,000 feet of shoreline on Little Whitefish Lake, which is part of a three-lake system. Located about 30 kilometres southeast of Parry Sound, the site is about a two-hour drive north of Toronto.

“We have a very nice setting with south and west exposures,” Mr. Krummrei notes.

The first phase will consist of six cottages, built about 65 feet from shore amid mature trees. It’s expected they will be completed by early next year.

Four models are available — one or two storeys high — with open-concept floor plans. Kitchens will adjoin spacious great rooms with cathedral ceilings, gas fireplaces, and large windows.

There also will be sunrooms or Muskoka rooms, walkouts to sundecks, as well as main-floor master bedroom suites and laundry rooms.

Each cottage will feature hardwood flooring, granite kitchen countertops and stainless-steel appliances. They also will be equipped for high-speed Internet, telephone and satellite services.

Residents will be able to enjoy private amenities such as two sandy beaches, a clubhouse with an indoor salt-water pool, and a dock.Parry Sound offers a range of outdoor activities, including cross-country skiing, ice fishing, dogsledding and snowshoeing. Other attractions include an annual sailing regatta, the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame, and the Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts.

Port Carling, about 35 kilometres to the south, is also a popular destination, with boutiques, restaurants and a summer theatre.

cottage, fractional ownership, buying, real estate, timeshare, port carling, ontario, canada

For seasonal cottagers, the arrival of fall usually means it’s time to close up the getaway for the season. Depending on the type of cottage or “summerhome” you have, the amount of fall maintenance will vary. However, there are some basic things that all cottagers need to be concerned with such as water, electricity and security as well as preventing any damage that could be caused by ice, snow, animals and vandals.

To help you with the task of securing your cottage for the winter months, the Ontario Real Estate Association and your local Realtor offer the following tips.

Before you start, you’re best to take a few minutes to plan what needs to be done. For example, what needs to be repaired or replaced now, and what can hold off until next spring? How much time will you need to shut everything down?

You can use the following basic checklist to help you close your cottage and you may want to add to it depending on your situation:

* For most cottage owners, the two most important considerations when shutting down the “great escape” for winter are avoiding damage and vandalism. Some people secure their cottages like a vault for the season, while others prefer to leave the place unlocked to prevent damage on forced entry. Regardless of which method you choose, it’s a good idea to leave a note on the front door giving a phone number where you can be reached in case of any incidents.

* Some people choose to shut off electricity to their cottage in the off-season by throwing the main switch at the fuse box. If you do this, be sure to turn off all major appliances, your water heater, and electrical room heaters before you turn off the main switch. This will ensure a smoother and safer start-up when you re-open your cottage.

* If you leave your electricity on to operate security systems or lighting, you should:Turn off the power supply to your major appliances at your main panel. Turn off the power supply to any space heaters. Otherwise they may turn on during cold weather.

* Decide what can stay and what must come home with you.

* Hide away or remove any sharp items such as knives, axes, saws, or crowbars that could be used by vandals.

* Remove any valuables such as stereos or televisions.

* Drain your water system completely. Draining the system involves emptying and cleaning all the pipes, valves, tanks and pumps. Put some antifreeze in the toilet bowl in case all the water isn’t drained. Turn off the power to your hot water heater before draining.

* Clean everything out of your fridge and leave the door open to avoid odours next season.

* Remove any canned goods that could freeze and take home any food or edibles in your cupboards.

* Store blankets, pillows and any other non-perishables in metal containers to keep mice from eating them.

* Cover your windows with plywood if possible to protect them from birds, falling branches and other items.

* Place a cap on the chimney to keep out birds and small animals as well as rain and snow.

* If your cottage is in an area that gets heavy snow, consider hiring a reliable local person to shovel off the roof when necessary or look at installing temporary roof supports.

* Drain boat and lawnmower motors and store in a dry, weather-proof place. Coat anything that may rust over the winter with oil.

* Check with your local cottager’s association to see if they have a “cottage-watch” program or consider hiring a local person to take care of your property for the winter.

Some careful planning and effort now will ensure a safe and pleasant cottage opening next spring.
Printed in The Brampton Guardian on Friday October 5 2007

Worlds collide when families share beach houses. Do you speak up, keep quiet, or leave the premises?

Susan Kaczynski gains die-hard allies when her side of the family visits her summer home in North Eastham. They storm the beach early: The men bring the gear down, the women make the sandwiches, and they all dig their heels in the sand from sunup to sundown, in any weather, swimsuits or sweatshirts.

Then there’s her husband’s family. They’re perfectly content on the deck with a few cold beers and one another’s company. In a week the 16 adults will accumulate nearly $30 in recyclable beer cans. Seashells, not so much.

“Hello? Why do you think the Kennedys are here?” bellowed Kaczynski, 55, a music teacher from Connecticut, pointing emphatically at the waves. “Who doesn’t want to go to the beach?”

Welcome to the summer vacation house, that quaint abode where family eccentricities, like sand in a swimsuit, can be inescapable and chafing. Unlike in other vacation situations, the communal living environment establishes a strong share-and-share-alike ethos. At the same time, the surf and sunset, absent at most other reunions, encourages the “gotta have a good time, it’s my vacation” mentality. It’s a tricky dance. And the more family members funneled into this social experiment, the greater the opportunities for cooperation or clashes.

Take, for example, a common hub of culture collision: coffee machines. A single coffee maker can rarely accommodate multiple families’ rainbow interpretations of “coffee” — from thick sludge to watery coffee bean runoff. Kathy Cahill of Holden designates a point person to take coffee orders and buy the drinks at a local shop. “I make coffee all year, so from June to August this is my summer treat,” she said.

But this is a minor pressure point. Sleeping arrangements offer greater potential for conflict, particularly across generations. Family reunions teem with grandparents who crave quiet, uncles who revel in happy hour, sullen or picky teenagers, and high-energy, squealing children.

Typically, extended families inquire about a secluded room for a particular member, said Kathleen Fahle, who rents out a home in Dennis. Of course, that person may never know whether it was a matter of courtesy or quarantine. “Either you’re banished or you wanted the quiet space,” Fahle said. “One way or the other, every one gets what they’re looking for.”

Social expectations can be just as crucial to delineate. After the stress of her company’s buyout, Lisa Terwilliger, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., hoped to let loose with her sister and their friends. “If it were up to us, we’d be drinking by noon,” she said.

But her mother, spurred by a relative’s recent passing, envisioned more family togetherness for their summer rental. She made two requests: no drinking before 4 p.m. and a group whale-watching tour. Terwilliger agreed, given her own two safety nets: “Space and a car.” Family time ran smoothly with a four-wheeled escape hatch in the wings.

Expectations should be made especially explicit when families own a vacation home together, said Nikki Koski, author of “The Cottage Rules: An Owner’s Guide to the Rights & Responsibilities of Sharing Recreational Property.” When they inherited a lakeside cottage, Koski and her three siblings drafted a 62-rule constitution, established elected offices, and held annual meetings.

She credits their mini-government with diffusing unforeseeable tensions. Such was the case when one sibling and his wife started making changes to the cottage. The well-meaning in-law could not have known that when she replaced an old aluminum pot she was removing a 33-year-old heirloom.

“We lost the family home when our parents separated,” said Koski. “The cottage, which we had visited since we were kids, became our family home.”

And so the innocuous pot sparked a constitutional amendment. At their next meeting, they voted that future changes should require group approval. The business-like atmosphere kept the intervention from becoming too personal, Koski said.

Families in rentals, though, generally won’t set up a family council. For those like the Cooper-Kipikash clan, knowing when to speak up is no simple task.

“The whole family is passive-aggressive,” said Elise Kipikash, of Tampa Bay, who shared a Cape Cod rental with her parents and brother’s family. “We’re always ‘fine.’ My mother’s arm could be cut off and she’d insist, ‘No, I’m fine.’ ”

Mysterious things happen. Towels disappear. Toilets are plugged. Beers are half-drunk. Meanwhile, Kipikash and her sister-in-law Jo Cooper weigh how to maximize creature comforts without looking tacky.

Kipikash’s covert luxury was her favorite yellow mug. But when first her brother, then Cooper, beat her to it, she grit her teeth rather than admit her fetish. Cooper found herself in a similar situation when grandpa bought cheap one-ply toilet paper for everyone. In an act of self-preservation, she quietly snagged some lush two-ply discovered in a rental cupboard.

“It was just there,” she pleaded, revealing her secret to Kipikash.

Kipikash gasped. “I’m going to go hide my mug.”

Thus, four short days into their two-week vacation, they had developed the perverse courtesy of squirreling.

“With all this niceness, it’s hard to know what people really want,” Kipikash said.

The clear time to speak up is when the vacation starts to feel stressful, according to Paul Quinlan, a psychology professor at American International College in Springfield. Otherwise, people have to weigh their individual desires against the group’s.

“It’s a judgment call. Most people will suck it up for grandma,” he said. “But realize if you don’t speak up, you can’t blame anyone else.”

Fortunately, if you’re keeping mum to preserve family fun, there are often creative solutions to short-circuit conflict. Koski’s extended family uses the cottage log book both as a scrapbook for stories and photos, and as a record of when each family uses and maintains the cottage.

And when Kaczynski found her family leaving cameras, keys, and snacks around the house, she made them each baskets.

She likens it to child-proofing: “I ‘family-tized’ the home.”

As for the two very different families that descend on Kaczynski’s home, eight years’ experience has taught her that differences needn’t induce guilt. When her family bounds through the door, she sends her husband to a quiet room with a newspaper. When his family opens the cooler, she hits the beach.

Even so, Kaczynski credits his family with introducing her to a Wellfleet bar — with a great view of the water.

“I’ve crossed into the other side,” she said, ominously.

The ultimate balm for the summer house, say experts and long-time vacationers, is a sense of humor — helped by the temporariness of the stay. In a seaside hamlet, brevity is the soul of wit.

“Family is family. People are quirky,” Kaczynski said. “In the moment, you want to be put out. But in the end, when it’s suddenly quiet, you start to miss them.”

By Katie Liesener of the Boston Globe

Question: Is it true that Brantford has wartime homes called Brantford cottages and that you find them only in Brantford?

Answer: MYTH (mostly due to confusion)

The style of home known locally as the Brantford cottage is entirely different from Brantford’s wartime-era homes.

Brantford cottages generally date from 1870 to 1900, although some were built after the turn of the 20th century, with minor feature variations to a standard style. Brantford’s wartime homes date from the years immediately following the end of the Second World War.

Both styles were built in response to surges in the city’s population.

The Brantford cottage architectural style is a variation on an older Ontario cottage style that was popular throughout the province.
Both the Brantford cottage and Ontario cottage style reflect a respect for simplicity and symmetry. Brantford cottages are one-storey or 1 1/2-storey residences with a centre-set front door flanked by windows on either side. A low hipped roof is fronted by a centre peaked gable often adorned with gingerbread or containing a vent or ornamental window.

The exterior is usually locally made cream-coloured or pale sandstone brick.

Brantford boasts many surviving examples of this quaint, sturdy and compact architectural style but similar styles exist in towns and cities across the province.

Locally, these homes were built in response to the needs of a growing workforce as the town and, later, the city became more industrialized.

It was a noteworthy accomplishment for a skilled tradesman or workingman to own his own home or to rent a fully detached home and employers took heed of the stability and self-esteem such living conditions promoted among the city’s workforce.

When F.M. Keeton, the president of the Keeton Motor Co., was asked in 1912 why he chose Brantford as the site of a Canadian factory, he said: “Brantford is a city of homes. A city of homes is steady, the people are not here today and off tomorrow.”

Most of Brantford’s wartime housing was erected after the end of the Second World War, when hordes of veterans returned home to start life anew and raise families. The term wartime housing is misleading because the majority of homes were built after the war was over.

baby boom

The population boom created sudden and intense housing shortages in communities across Canada. Along with returning veterans, cities such as Brantford also had attracted many workers who were employed in industrial sectors during the war and who decided to stay here after the war was over.

In response, large tracts of small and inexpensive houses were rapidly constructed in many towns and cities and were paid for by a combination of federal, provincial and municipal funds.

Wartime housing took the form of large subdivisions of virtually identical one-storey or 1 1/2-storey wood frame single family homes, most often without basements.

The erection of these subdivisions was not without controversy. Some argued the instant and inexpensive neighbourhoods would become slums.

Hundreds of these homes were built in Eagle Place, Holmedale and other areas of Brantford from 1945 through the early 1950s.

– By Heather Ibbotson of the Brantford Expositor.