Buying a cottage on lease on Crown Land

What you have to look at is the duration of the lease. In Alberta, I’ve seen 99 with an option of another 99. Look at the lease terms and duration, that should be a deciding factor.

The one listed is for 21 years. Not very long in comparison to the 99 you’ve seen in alberta. And I’m not sure how long into the lease they are either.
I’ve read another thread for leased land on First Nations land setting they could just refuse to renew lease after the end of the lease. Is that likely to occur with crown land as well?

Bcereus24 wrote: ↑ The one listed is for 21 years. Not very long in comparison to the 99 you’ve seen in alberta. And I’m not sure how long into the lease they are either.
I’ve read another thread for leased land on First Nations land setting they could just refuse to renew lease after the end of the lease. Is that likely to occur with crown land as well?

It all depends on whichever way the political winds are blowing at the time. It's a risky game. If it's really cheap and you can maintain some level of emotional distance from the property, it might be worth it. If you can't handle disappointment in general in life, look elsewhere. You definitely CANNOT count on it as an investment or think about long-term appreciation. There's a reason it's cheap and if you try to sell it, the story will be the same.

I don't know if I could do it, especially if you end up sinking serious money into it over the years in maintenance and one day - poof, it's gone. Having that axe hanging over my head constantly would be difficult.

Is it in a Provincial Park? Whiteshell by any chance?

I know the area and know people who have cottages on Westhawk Lake. Been going there for 30+ years.

I think they’re up to around $1200 per year for fees. Cheaper than property taxes.

But what you should be looking for is a property in an unincorporated township. $75 or so a year in “taxes”.

Cottages in Manitoba are expensive sadly. Not sure why.

You might consider a longer drive and head past Kenora going East.

Stop thinking about it, and look elsewhere.

hoponpop is exactly right. This is not an investment property. Be prepared to lose it all at the end of the 21 year lease with no compensation. That doesn't mean that it's a bad deal, it might still be worth it under those terms if the price is right.

How much time do you intend to spend in it?
How much money do you intend to spend on maintenance and upkeep?
Is the lease prepaid and included in the purchase price? Or do you have to make ongoing lease payments?

How do the above factors compare to what you'd spend on renting a similar cottage instead over 21 years? Do the math and figure out what's best.

Bcereus24 wrote: ↑ The one listed is for 21 years. Not very long in comparison to the 99 you’ve seen in alberta. And I’m not sure how long into the lease they are either.
I’ve read another thread for leased land on First Nations land setting they could just refuse to renew lease after the end of the lease. Is that likely to occur with crown land as well?

If it’s renewable find out about early renewals. What’s the price difference of this place vs freehold? I know in Ontario it’s usually about 300%.

Thanks everyone for the input. We've decided against it. We're not looking to sink that much money into it as we are looking at this long term for our kids and maybe even their kids. And torontotim, the area is Lac Du Bonnet. It isn't in a provincial park. Some of the houses/cabins there are on freehold and some are leasehold.

thanks again everyone!