How to find -- and finance -- the dream waterfront retreat

The demand for waterfront getaways has never been stronger. Whether as a first-time buyer or a long-time owner moving to a different stage of life, The Cottage Ownership Guide will help readers make the most of their investment. It's packed with solid, easy-to-understand advice that will smooth the financial aspects of ownership -- from finding and buying the perfect cottage to selling it or handing it down to the next generation. Hundreds of expert tips (and cautions), sample documents, and comprehensive checklists will help minimize unhappy surprises and maximize enjoyment of the cottage.

Author Douglas Hunter has done the homework, identifying potential problems and offering tried-and-true solutions:

• How to choose the right lake or river
• Finding the perfect property to match lifestyle
• Acquiring the right real estate agent
• How to inspect a vacation property
• Cottage surveys
• Financing the purchase
• Co-ownership arrangements, including fractional ownership and time shares
• Strategies for minimizing taxation in the U.S. and Canada
• Trouble-free rentals
• Boosting market appeal when trading up or selling
• How to structure a cottage inheritance to reduce taxes -- and family disputes
• Retiring or relocating full time to the cottage.

 

DOUGLAS HUNTER has written widely on business, history, the environment and sports. He was a finalist for the Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction and the Governor General’s Award for his book God’s Mercies. His previous books include The Race to the New World; Molson: The Birth of a Business Empire; Yzerman: The Making of a Champion; and The Bubble and the Bear: How Nortel Burst the Canadian Dream, which won the National Business Book Award. He is also a doctoral candidate in history at York University, a Vanier Scholar and Canada’s 2012 William E. Taylor Fellow. Born and raised in Hamilton, where Tim Hortons first became successful, Hunter now lives in Port McNicoll, Ontario.

WEB: douglashunter.ca
TWITTER: @DWHauthor

Douglas Hunter's profile page

An easy-to-read textbook with case studies, sidebar tips and bulleted lists... Hunter examines the checklists lakefront buyers should consider when purchasing a cottage.

The Muskokan

This book provides a good dash of practical information to balance the emotional appeal of falling in love with cottage life.

Cabin Life, Cabin Living

While the tips and advice in this guide are simple enough for a first-time buyer to understand, Hunter brings up questions and issues that even a veteran cottage owner should mull over.

Physician's Money Digest

The author's goal is simple -- to help the reader ask the right questions and to help balance the emotional appeal with solid information... comprehensive... It is clear that a great deal of research has gone into this publication.

Muskoka Magazine

This one-of-a-kind book reveals virtually everything a vacation cottage buyer needs to know before making a purchase offer. It is a well-designed that is easy reading.... On my scale of one to 10, this outstanding book rates a solid 10.

Florida Today

Valuable for everyone fasced with the problem of owning a second home. [Hunter] covers the basics of those things you can do yourself...to those you should seek professional help with... A good how-to book provides answers to problems you haven't even thought of, and [The Cottage Ownership Guide does] exactly that.

Chronicle-Journal (Thunder Bay)

Expert tips, sample documents and comprehensive checklists... help make [the] dream a reality.

Ottawa Citizen

The conversational style of the book offers practical advice with a sense of humor while still offering information based on extensive research.

Fifty-Five Plus Magazine

This book is a must-have for cottage owners or anyone who dreams of buying a cottage. The basic buying tips are helpful, but the best part of this book is that it addresses a key question for baby boomers: Is retirement at the cottage really possible? ... Add this to your fall cottage book list.

Good Times

If you've ever wanted to own a waterfront cottage, here's your chance to do it right... A 'must' for any homeowner who dreams of owning a cottage get-away.

The Midwest Book Review: California Bookwatch

This book will help you make the most of your investment...A must-have for cottage owners or potential cottage owners.

The Cottager

Falling in love with a property can lead to impulse buying. Consider [t]his book a look-before-you-leap guide.

Melville Newsday