If you are like most cottage owners you’ll only use your cottage several weeks per summer, three to five weekends, and take a vacation abroad every few years. That’s a lot of cost for your cottage for so little use. There is a better way!
Fractional ownership makes it affordable to buy a cottage in Muskoka. This isn’t time-share! At Blue Water Acres, you can buy shares in one of four luxury cottage models, sharing the costs of ownership with other cottagers. It’s a purchase that may appreciate with time, can be rented for income, and you own it until you sell or pass it down to your children.
What kind of accommodations and amenities are available?
The fractional cottages at Blue Water Acres are all fully detached dwellings spaced for privacy. They are two- and three-bedroom units and come in four beautiful styles. All have air conditioning and a fully equipped kitchen with gas range and dishwasher. All units except the Deerview cottages have two bathrooms and washer/dryer. All units have a three-season Muskoka room.
As an owner, you’ll be able to enjoy all the resort amenities. There’s an indoor pool including a whirlpool and sauna. Lots of fun activities are available in the activity centre with a fitness centre and games room furnished with pool tables, shuffleboard, foosball, and ping pong. Kids will enjoy an outdoor playground. There is an owners’ lounge with big screen TV, piano, and more. Outside you can relax on the sandy beach, play tennis, hike, nature-watch, or anything else you’re inspired to do. You have free use of canoes, kayaks, rowboats, paddleboats, and paddleboards. In winter, there’s snowshoeing, skating, and tubing on site. Downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and dogsledding are minutes away.
You can keep your boat moored at resort docks during your weeks of occupancy. Docking space is on a first-come basis. There is lots of docking available. A public launch is located close by.
Muskoka has many fun things to do and see year-round. The area is also well-known for its rich culture, trendy shopping, and exceptional dining. Blue Water Acres is located 15 minutes from Algonquin Provincial Park and Arrowhead Provincial Park, famous for its Fire & Ice nights on the ice skating trail. You’ll never be more than a few minutes away from a number of great golf courses. Muskoka boasts six boat cruises which allow you see the area from a whole new perspective. The opportunities are endless.
What is fractional ownership at Blue Water Acres?
At Blue Water Acres, you are a part owner—together with other owners you will own the entire resort through a debt-free, not-for-profit corporation called the Blue Water Acres Cottage Owners Association. Each share you purchase entitles you to exclusive use of a specific cottage for five weeks of the year—the summer week you reserve at the time of purchase (which never changes), one week in each in the fall, winter, and spring seasons, plus one additional week. Your non-summer weeks rotate one place each year to provide each owner seasonal variety. A calendar is provided at the time of purchase which explains the weeks available to you on an annual basis so you can plan your holidays or exchange programs well in advance.
This innovative approach makes vacations more enjoyable and affordable.
Annual maintenance fees cover the costs for cottage cleaning, grounds maintenance, repairs, property taxes, insurance, and utilities for all units and common elements. All interval owners share these costs. Annual maintenance fees are in the range of $4,219 – $5,044 per five-week interval depending on the size of the cottage in which you own an interval. Maintenance fees include a contribution to the reserve fund.
Can I sell my shares?
Shares may be held for generations in perpetuity, or may be sold, transferred, or willed at the wish of the shareholder.
Can we loan to friends and family, or rent our cottage?
Absolutely. If you are unable to use your cottage, you can let your family or friends enjoy it or rent it on your own or through the rental program set up by management to help rent the weeks you don’t wish to use. You must, however, notify management in advance of the individuals who will be occupying your unit.
Can we have exchange privileges with other resorts around the world?
Yes, your purchase will include an initial membership in a worldwide exchange company that gives you access to a network making it possible to exchange any of your weeks for others in more than 1,500 affiliated resorts in nearly 75 countries. Members can swap weeks to stay at high-end resorts that would normally cost hundreds of dollars a night! Membership can be renewed annually for a nominal fee. If you buy a new interval, the fee is included for the first three years.
For more information about Blue Water Acres, visit bwacres.com.
To see available units, click here.
Susan Brown, B.A., MVA, SRES/Broker, Chestnut Park Real Estate Limited
Susan has been a full time REALTOR® and real estate Broker in the Huntsville/ Lake of Bays area since 1990. Her experience and knowledge have proven invaluable to her clients. To see how other Buyers and Sellers have found working with Susan as their REALTOR® view her testimonials.
Susan brings a high degree of integrity and professionalism to her career in Real Estate. She has pride in her reputation and is dedicated to hard work, honesty and providing quality service and total client satisfaction. Susan has been a consistent Award winner at Chestnut Park for high volume sales in her profession.
Susan has also earned the professional designation of SRES® (Senior’s Real Estate Specialist) and enjoys working with seniors in all price brackets for all types of property. Although Chestnut Park and Susan Brown are probably best known for selling luxury waterfront properties in the Huntsville/Lake of Bays area, Susan likes working with Buyers & Sellers in all price ranges and with all types of real estate: condos, residential homes not on water, and rustic cottages, as well as high-end luxury waterfront properties in the Huntsville/Lake of Bays area.
As an experienced REALTOR®, Susan has been interviewed by Global TV, The National Post, The Globe & Mail and CTV News regarding real estate trends in the Muskoka area. Watch Susan’s bio video here.
When not selling real estate Susan enjoys being at her cottage on Lake Waseosa, kayaking, hiking, and spending time with her polydactyl cat, Hemingway, and her mini dachshund, Jazzy. She also volunteers at Muskoka Heritage Place in Huntsville and the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary.
You can follow Susan on Facebook. Find her on Instagram. Click on her website. Email, susanbrown@vianet.ca Call, 705-788-4176
Originally Appeared On: https://doppleronline.ca/huntsville/what-is-fractional-ownership-susan-brown/