Renting the right cottage property can be a challenge, turning many Ontario vacationers into part time cottage prospectors. Finding a suitable rental property that is available at the right time and at the right price is not always easy. It can involve a great deal of time and energy, especially if you are particular about the quality of your rental accommodation. The process may include making several trips to cottage country to inspect potential cottages to find the right one. Nothing can spoil a holiday quicker than arriving to start a much-anticipated vacation and finding out that the cottage that you have rented from an advertisement on the Internet looks nothing like its picture. The cottage could be rundown and full of mice or perhaps the lake turns out to be a swamp.
Thankfully, there is an alternative to cottage rentals for people who would like to own a cottage property but don't want to commit to investing huge sums of capital or to all the work involved in owning a cottage property. Interval ownership or fractional ownership, where a purchaser buys a share of a cottage property, offers what could be the perfect solution.
Interval ownership, a concept that began in Europe fifty years ago, has finally come into its own. Today, 250,000 Canadians own some type of fractional ownership property. With real estate prices skyrocketing, especially in the popular vacation resort areas, fractional ownership is destined to become even more popular.
By purchasing a share of a vacation cottage or condo property, a buyer has all the advantages of cottage ownership, without the high price and the hassle. The money invested in an interval property builds equity, as opposed to renting - where the money is just gone. Interval ownership also guarantees that inflation will only enhance the investment. When rental rates go up, as they have in the past, renters will need to throw even more money away.
In Ontario the demand for cottage property has increased dramatically. Real estate prices have also risen to the point where most Canadians cannot afford a lakefront property, and many people don't want to commit to the maintenance involved in cottage ownership. However, fractional ownership breaks down the three main barriers to buying a traditional vacation lakefront home - cost, maintenance and time.
Some unique fractional ownership cottage developments also provide cottage owners with all the benefits of over a month worth of lakefront living or upscale cottages. Additionally, some are fully furnished and lavishly equipped with features such as whirlpool tubs, private saunas, gas fireplaces, gourmet kitchens, screen porches, satellite TV and high speed internet, resort amenities and an extensive recreation centre. If you look carefully when choosing to take part in fractional cottage ownership, you can find a variety of appealing features all at a reasonable cost with no maintenance responsibilities.
In Canada, the lure of cottage life is not likely to diminish in the years to come. While outright cottage ownership may not be in the cards for most, the development of quality interval ownership resort properties presents a practical option. Fractional ownership offers all the benefits of a vacation home at an affordable price. For the cottage renter, the alternative of purchasing a fractional ownership cottage eliminates the annual chore of prospecting for a suitable cottage rental.
Stretching from the town of Trenton on Lake Ontario all the way to the town of Port Severn at the mouth of the Georgian Bay, Ontario's inland canal system, known as the Trent-Severn Waterway, covers 386 kilometres. Open for navigation from May until October, the Trent-Severn Waterway contains 32 kilometres of man-made channels, 45 locks, including 36 conventional locks, two flights of flight locks, hydraulic lift locks and a marine railway. Its major natural waterways include the Trent River, the Otonabee River, Kawartha lakes, Lake Simcoe, Lake Couchiching and the Severn River.
The Severn River, which joins the Trent-Severn Waterway at Lake Couchiching, drops over 150 feet over its roughly 48-kilometre course from Couchiching Lock #41 to the final lock at Port Severn, on Georgian Bay. The Severn Canal section of the Trent-Severn Waterway is an extremely popular Muskoka tourist attraction and is of significant importance to the Muskoka Ontario tourism industry. The Severn Canal system, completed in 1920, is used by thousands of recreational boaters every year with Muskoka resorts, recreational properties and marinas being the primary industry along the waterway. Two of the highlights of the Severn River section of the Trent-Severn Waterway are McDonald's Cut - a dramatic soaring rock face blasted out of solid granite, and the renowned marine railway at Big Chute. At Big Chute, boats are placed in slings and are carried 600 feet over massive granite outcropping to continue their journey to Port Severn, the final lock that drops them down to the level of Georgian Bay at the end of the system.
The town of Port Severn, at the end of the Severn Waterway was originally known as Severn Mills. The settlement expanded rapidly in the mid 1800's due a thriving lumber industry and Port Severn's advantageous location on the Severn River. By the beginning of the 19th century, the logging industry had greatly declined, with economic activity shifting from lumber to tourism. Over the years, resort hotels, Muskoka lakeside inns and other Ontario tourist lodgings were built to accommodate an ever-growing number of tourists and visitors to the area. Today, as in the past, Ontario vacationers are drawn to Port Severn because of the area's beauty, its large lakes, granite outcropping, pine forests, and wealth of attractions for visitors of all ages.
Muskoka resort managers value the location of their properties. Many view that Port Severn is not only the gateway to Muskoka and Southern Ontario cottage country, but the gateway to the world. This is due in large part to the access from the Trent-Severn Waterway; one can journey by boat through the Great Lakes and out into the Atlantic Ocean with access to the whole world.
The Severn Waterway is a tremendous draw for Muskoka tourism, even if most of the visitors to the region arrive by car. The Port Severn Muskoka area has an abundance of natural beauty and a fascinating history. As well, the area has many other popular attractions and activities, including the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre, Saint Marie Among the Hurons, snowmobile trails, cross country ski trails, downhill skiing and golf, just to name a few.
Both Dave & Pat Storms & Bill Sullivan are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Dave & Pat Storms has sinced written about articles on various topics from Prospects. Frontenac Shores is an Ontario waterfront fractional ownership cottage resort. For more information, please visit or call Dave and Pat Storms at 1-86. Dave & Pat Storms's top article generates over 1600 views. to your Favourites.
Bill Sullivan has sinced written about articles on various topics from Prospects. The Inn at Christie's Mill is a full service lakeside Muskoka resort with 42 luxurious guest rooms, spa and conference facilities, as well as fine dining delivered with the highest level of quality and service. For more information, call toll free 1-800-4. Bill Sullivan's top article generates over 1600 views. to your Favourites.