What makes waterfront so valuable?
There are obviously several factors that come into play when valuing Lakefront property.
The first and number one amenity is the waterfront itself How many feet of waterfront is there?
Number two is going to be access to the water, how easy is it to get down to the water from an access point, or more importantly, how easy is it to get down to the water from the nearest buildable site? Lakes are naturally located in a cup, so-to-speak, the topography on most lakefront is steep down to the water. Occasionally there will be a bar on a lake that produces nice easy access and easily buildable sites on the water, lakefront is rare and this is even more rare property, thus the price increases.
Location of the lake to the nearest shopping, schools, and medical facilities is also a great factor. Pricing on vacant land on Lake Washington, just out of Seattle starts now at $9,000,000.00 because of it's location. Access itself is very important when pricing property, is it year around access? It the roadway wide and easy to pass another vehicle? Is it steep? Is there a homeowners association that maintains the roadway and/or common areas and are there protective covenants that will continue to allow the surrounding property to have a good, clean appearance to maintain value?
Set backs to the high water mark are an important factor, most lakefront property owners want to be able to build as close to the water as possible to take in the whole experience of the water and wildlife into there homes. New developments on waterfront are now required to have a shared common area 200' from the high watermark to the actual property line in my county! In my opinion this drastically reduces the value of the property making it as common as having a park between you and the waterfront.
The size of the body of water will make a difference. How many homes are already on the water? How many will be there in the future? What kind of traffic is on the water now? In the future? Does the Lake dry up in the dry season, how far is the low watermark in relations to the high watermark?
Trees on the water and on the property make a little difference, but because you can create your own dream through landscaping this is lower on the list of issues that impact value.
Amenities on the property make a difference. Does the property have power and phone? Does it have a well or are we taking a chance on getting water? Does the soil have the ability to maintain a septic system?
My partner and I, through years of experience with waterfront properties, took all of these issues into mind when we purchased Pine Ridge at Blue Lake. We then created 10 separate exclusive properties. We had a county equivalent road installed. We installed underground power and telephone and we supplied domestic water and an approved perk test to every property to allow for our purchasers to easily roll right into a building permit to begin building their dream. I have closed the sale of 6 Lots on Blue Lake. Lots 10, 8, 7, 6, 5 and 2. Lot 1 is currently "Pending" as of 11/30/2010.
I believe lot #9 will fill your requirements to a tee. This lot has the most Lakefront of any of the other lots, 269'. The north part of the lakefront will be easy to develop. There will need to be sand put on the shore to meet the one requirement that you mentioned. This can be done through a J. A. R. P. A. permit process (Joint Aquatic Resource Permit Application) On the south part of the Waterfront the water drops deep and is easy to fish right off the shore. (this is the lot that I fish from)
There are some large Pine and Douglas Fir trees right down to the water, together with any trees you plant on this property it could be just what you have in mind.
This property is a gated community, we keep the gate locked to allow for privacy for all of our prominent owners. The well for this property is located on Lot #10 and is shared with only this lot. It produces 30 gallon a minute! There will need to be a driveway and building pad installed by the purchaser. I have discussed the possibility of selling an adjoining 20 acre parcel that my partner and I own with this property for more play area. You can see more of this property at www.lfr123.com/bluelake/lot9
Check it out and let me know your thoughts!
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