**SusieQ83** and other lake-front homeowners

kristinandbill

I read that you and FI just bought a house on the water.  DH and I are preparing to put our house on the market because we need something bigger and we've been talking about lake living.  We've done quite a bit of research and looked at TONS of houses online.  We've never lived on the water before but have some friends who do and think we'd love the lifestyle. 

How do you like it so far?  Did you or FI grow up on the water?  Any pros, cons, or advice? 

Just curious....(and a little bored at work)....hope I'm not prying too much!

Julz629

::Butting in:: 

My parent's have always had a vacation house on the water.  Two years ago, they bought a permanent residence on the water and sold their house down-state.  They are in the Midland area, which is a little more rural than some of the lake areas around here, but thought I'd add some of their learnings.

First of all, they LOVE it.  I thought they'd have a hard time adjusting to life in Midland, but being on the water is amazing for them and they never even looked back.

They are not hooked up to city water where they live and they've had a couple issues with this.  First of all, the well broke about a month after moving in and they had to pay $20,000 for a new well.  Also, they have to use a lot of water softener which means they have to be extra careful when doing laundry (to avoid rust stains), and they also have to buy jugs of water as you can't use the tap water to drink.  However, they are supposed to get hooked up to city water next year so hopefully that will make a difference.

On a better note, they have always had sprinkler systems and their water bill went WAY down because the sprinklers pull the water from the lake.

Then there are the obvious increased costs of the boats, getting a new dock, etc.

I would make sure to find a lake that you like.  Especially downstate, there are a lot of really busy lakes, full of really crazy drivers, and sometimes they can be unsafe.  In the Midland area, their lake is a little more tame, but it sometimes gets out of control on the weekends, especially holiday weekends.  My dad will even avoid going out for a ride during super-busy times because it gets so bad with people cutting you off, weaving in and out of boats, etc.  So make sure to visit the lakes during prime times so you know what you're getting yourself into.

And of course, you get LOTS of visitors.  My parents love when people come to visit.

SusieQ83

The buggest adjustment for me was the area in itself. I knot that's not water specific, but almost anywhere you go to find a lake isn't going to be like Lansing. I am now at least 30min away from any shopping including a Meijer when I used to live within 30 min of like 5 different Meijers! BIG adjustment from Lansing! That being said, I totally agree with jholbel, make sure you love the lake you pick and the area.

I would pay attention to the type of lake you're moving to. If you just want it for the view then just pick anywhere peautiful. But if you want a motor boat and skiing and all that make sure you pick an all sports lake that's big enough for your liking.

So far, we ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! We actually live on the St. Clair River. (It's a giant pretty blue river, nothing like the Grand River as I was picturing before I saw this place!) Unfortunately, where we are there is no "no wake zone" and we're on an international shipping channel with freighters and giant yachts speeding by constantly throwing huge wakes. Because of this we can't leave our boat or jet skis out tied to our dock until we buy lifts - which are expensive.

The free sprinkler water is definitely an awesome perk!

I think the coolest part now is that your house will always be the coolest party house! We just had a big get together this weekend with 20 of our friends from home and everyone had a blast. People were in swimming (shallow around the docks and no current there, don't worry ;-)  ) until about 2am and people just want to play outside all day long. It really gives an awesome atmosphere.

Neither FI or I grew up on the water but we were both competitive swimmers so we have an affinity for it. His family always had a boat as he was growing up so he learned how to drive one early and then went on to do so in the Coast Guard. So luckily he knows the rules of the water and how to drive everything or I would be totally lost.

I say DO IT! As long as you can afford it and you're not in danger of crazy flooding or something like that, I'm guessing that you will never regret it! Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions!