Luxury Island Living – it doesn’t get any better!. Own your own 1 acre island and be a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of life – but less than 5 minutes to the marina or Deerhurst for golf and 20 minutes to boat into Huntsville for lunch on the water or to enjoy Algonguin Theatre. This private and perfect oasis in Fairy Lake, Huntsville, offers you the finest in cottage living. 880 feet of mixed shoreline, a double slip boathouse with entertainment deck above, a one room bunkie at the waters edge and a beautifully finished, custom built 4 bedroom cottage with soaring two storey cathedral ceiling, large impressive field stone fireplace, hardwood flooring, a wonderful screened muskoka room with skylights, wrap around deck and patio with hot tub overlooking the lake. Fabulous long lake views in all directions – sunrise and sunset exposures. Distinctive, private and perfect – this island retreat has it all.

1132 Hwy 592 is a beautifully renovated and updated 3 bedroom family home. Wonderful year round views of Clear Lake and within easy walking distance  to the public boat launch. Spacious deck for outside entertaining and enjoying the views. The 1,600 sq. foot year round home or cottage features a bright, modern open plan kitchen with eat in area, 2 spacious sunny bedrooms on the main level, large entrance foyer and living room. A beautifully finished Oak staircase leads to the lower level with walkout and one bedroom, 3pc bath, laundry room and future rec room. A 2+ detached garage and a large storey and a half storage barn/garage complete this package. This is a perfect property for a home occupation. A bright, cheerful and well built property. 20 minutes North of Huntsville in the little community of Scotia.

Spacious country home

Wall to wall spaciousness! Beautiful bright and contemporary this  2 storey country home is located on a lovely 1.66 acre lot just 10 minutes East of Huntsville off Hwy 60 (between Dwight and Huntsville). Private, quiet and perfect this rural lot is level with beautiful rock outcroppings at the rear.

Three spacious bedrooms , attached double car garage. Countrified and comfortable kitchen that provides the focus for family activities,  open plan  into a spacious main floor family room  with fireplace and sliding door to rear entertainment deck and hot tub. Gracious entertaining and family Sunday dinners will be yours in this bright formal dining room with french doors and gleaming hardwood floors.  Wrap around deck to enjoy lazy summer afternoons. Living room, ensuite and main floor laundry complete the main floor. The lower level features a utility room and large rec room / play room for the children. So much space inside and out in this family sized home in a quiet area.  1070 Tally Ho Winter Park Road – a year round quiet road, less than 3 minutes by car to the public boat launch at Tally Ho, Peninsula Lake. 10 minutes to downtown Huntsville. Shows beautifully!

19 Lake Drive Boathouse

Beautiful Fairy Lake home located in a desirable executive area in the town of Huntsville, Ontario. Living room complete with tall cathedral ceilings, stunning floor to ceiling fireplace, large main foyer and entrance, spacious modern kitchen with 3 season Muskoka room to sit back relax and take in the breathtaking views, family room with stone fireplace and sunroom. Spacious and bright bedrooms located on the second floor of this Lake Cottage Property.

Fairy Lake is a beautiful lake that forms the backdrop for the historic Muskoka town of Huntsville. From Huntsville get to the lake by two major roads, Brunel Meadows Road to the south end and Hwy 60 along the north waterfront of Fairy Lake.

Lake Drive

This Fairy Lake home is very well built, bright and spacious. Decks and dock  for entertaining and 2 slip boathouse with full living quarters above consisting of 1 bedroom, 3 piece bath, kitchen/living area & upper deck with phenominal vews of Fairy Lake. Double car attached garage. 1 bay insulated & drywalled workshop, second bay with auto opener. Natural shoreline with rock outcroppings. Beautiful long lake views south views. Located in heart of Huntsville – walk to the theatre or many restaurants within the town of Huntsville.  A truly beautiful Fairy Lake Cottage property. $979,000  Contact us to find out more.

Beautiful cottage Retreat on South Portage Road Lake of Bays

Amazing Lake of Bays Cottage that any family will treasure. Boasting 210 feet of hard packed sand waterfront and ALL DAY SUN, this Lake of Bays Custom built cottage features a large sand beach, perfect for those beach volleyball games or sitting around a roaring campfire at the water’s edge. This is a newer contemporary Lake of Bays Cottage on a beautiful treed and very private level 2.6 acre lot! Its all in the details, built to exacting standards this stunning 4 season  Muskoka home or cottage features a full interior expanse of warm, golden custom milled pine, huge windows with wide sweeping Lake of Bays views, designer chef’s kitchen with commercial size Jennaire appliances, pantry off the kitchen,  authentic 14 seat in house theatre room with 180 inch screen and amazing full dolby sound system, a games room with fireplace and walkout to lake.

The second largest lake in Muskoka,  Lake of Bays has  563 kilometres of shoreline and is said to be  260 ft deep in places. A favourite all season destination for the recreationist and sports enthusiasts, Lake of Bays offers many kilometres of winding paths and long lake runs to go swimming, fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking, waterskiing, sailing, hiking, cycling, mountain biking, golfing, alpine and nordic skiing, skating, snowmobiling, ice fishing or dog sledding.  Alternatively, it’s the perfect location for a quiet relaxing getaway!   Read more about Lake of Bays here…

Sand Beach, all day sun and wide lake views on Lake of Bays

Four  spacious bedrooms including a huge master suite on separate level with wide Lake of Bays views and fully appointed bath.  This amazing builder’s home/cottage on Lake of Bays also has a separate, one bedroom guest cottage with fireplace, kitchenette and living room. Completing this private property retreat is a 4 car garage for all the toys one could possibly want. Easily accessible from the GTA and in a desired neighbourhood on Lake of Bays. If your looking for luxury and value craftsmanship, than look no further, this Lake of Bays Cottage is for you. $1,975,000

The Cookhouse Restaurant in Dwight

The Cookhouse in Dwight is a landmark on Hwy 60 just east of the village of Dwight, Lake of Bays.  Back in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s …this was THE spot to go for friendly service on your car, enjoy a cup of coffee and homemade sandwich and to catch up on all the local gossip. Jerome (Slim) ran the garage and gas bar and his wife Helen had the wonderful little restaurant/coffee shop.

The Cookhouse Saloon and Restaurant was called Slims, and today although called THE COOKHOUSE, locals still refer to it as Slims. No garage – that is long gone, but the restaurant is a warm, welcoming, eclectic spot. Enter THE COOKHOUSE and to your left is a dining area perfect for families and large groups complete with a pool table for family fun; go to your right and it is a great roadhouse filled with memorabilia – Old wooden wide plank floors, double original garage doors that open up in the summer unto the outdoor deck and licensed patio, a long copper topped bar, a couple of big screens so you wont miss the game.

The food at The Cookhouse is great roadhouse fare. Everything is fresh and cooked when ordered. No sitting around under heat lamps here! French fries made from fresh cut potatoes, beef dip with fresh gravy, awesome wings – don’t miss Wednesday Wing Night!! Breakfast, lunch or dinner – this is a great spot to visit.  – Friendly service and good food – What more could one want in a restaurant?

The Cookhouse Restaurant has a great location! Hwy 60, Dwight – less than a minute east of the junction of Hwy 35 and Hwy 60 on the way to Algonquin Park. Open seven days a week till 11:00 pm.

If you are dreaming of owning and operating a profitable year round roadhouse restaurant in one of the most beautiful areas in Ontario, this is it. Price $399,000

The total number of cottage sales on Lake of Bays in 2011 remained virtually the same as in 2010 only due to a surge of sales in the fall, but then this is not the first year that sales activity on the lake has been very strong in the fall.

The sales figures for the 4 large Huntsville Lakes – Mary, Vernon, Fairy and Peninsula showed a jump in the number of sales – up 77% from previous year (62 sales in 2011 versus 35 sales in 2010) but the average dollar value of the sale price dropped 15%. This was attributed to the increase in sales of condominiums, which showed a 77% increase in the number of units sold. If we remove the condo sales the market conditions on the Huntsville big 4, would follow a similar pattern to Lake of Bays.

Inventory levels of cottage properties remained on par with the past two years, but surprisingly the selection of newer desirable cottages continued to remain low. The lack of good quality, newer cottages, which many buyers are seeking, continues to be an issue and is part of the reason that the number of cottage sales in eastern Muskoka have not increased substantially over 2010 levels.  The market is certainly ideal for buyers with lack of competition, more realistically priced cottages and historically low interest rates.  But in today’s market, which is best described as a buyer’s market on Lake of Bays and the Huntsville Chain of Lakes, buyers demand value for their discretionary spending dollars and feel no pressure to act quickly. They are prepared to wait until the right property comes along and if realistically priced will then make an offer.

We know that some cottage owners are continuing to defer attempting to sell their properties assuming that they will achieve higher value if they wait two to four years.

Indicative of a buyer’s market, the lower demand and higher inventory levels for cottage properties resulted in longer list periods and more conservative pricing. Conservative pricing has generally been the key to selling cottages in a relatively short time frame over the past few years.

Sales Records Set:

Of particular interest during these challenging times has been the establishment of new record high sale prices on both Lake of Bays and the Huntsville Lakes  - A property listed at $3.995M  on Lake of Bays and $2.0M on Peninsula Lake.

Jay Richardson and Stephen Leonard brought both of these exceptional properties to market. The cottage on Lake of Bays was a large 5,400 sq.ft. cottage and family compound on a large property with over 500 feet of shoreline.  In the fall of 2010 another landmark $3.5M was listed and sold by the Jay & Steve team.

Jay Richardson and Stephen Leonard have a true understanding of the lake and the network to market these exceptionally fine properties. Each year for the past 6 years Jay and/or Steve has sold a cottage on Lake of Bays in excess of $2M.

There are quite a few similarly large cottages that have been constructed in the past decade on Lake of Bays and the Huntsville chain of lakes. Achieving new price thresholds in excess of $3.9M is positive information for those with similar cottages that they hope to sell and recoup what they have invested.

We expect that the Lake of Bays Huntsville and eastern Muskoka cottage market will continue to be a buyer’s market for the next few years. It is thought it will take 3-5 years before we once again find ourselves in a more balanced market.  Our market is dependent on the general confidence of the buyers in the overall economy and until the US economy shows substantial recovery, that confidence and the demand for cottages will not return fully.

I look forward to helping Sellers successfully market their cottages and to helping Buyers find their dream cottage or waterfront lot.  2012 will be a great year!

TORONTO, January 12, 2012 –The Royal LePage House Price Survey and Market Survey Forecast released today showed the average price of a home in Canada increased between 3.6 and 6.1 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2011, compared to the previous year. Royal LePage expects average price growth to continue through 2012 and predicts national average prices to increase by 2.8 per cent by the end of the year.

Despite calls in some quarters for Canadian house prices to soften in 2011, the market proved resilient as demand created by low interest rates and a relatively stable national economy created upward pricing pressure for all housing types surveyed. Further, recent high profile reports forecasting significant house price declines in 2012 are not supportable. Nationally, consumer confidence in the housing market was high in the fourth quarter as real estate brokers witnessed an unusually high quantity of multiple offer situations, including over the holiday season, compared to same period in previous years.

In the fourth quarter, standard two-storey homes rose 4.2 per cent year-over-year to $375,427, while detached bungalows increased 6.1 per cent to $344,392. Average prices for standard condominiums increased 3.6 per cent to $234,680.

“In the recovery period following the 2008-2009 recession, I found myself repeatedly speaking of ‘irrational exuberance’ in the Canadian housing market,” said Phil Soper, president and chief executive of Royal LePage Real Estate Services. “Expectations were too high and the pace of expansion unsupportable. With this report, I find myself in exactly the opposite position. Widespread calls for a major real estate correction in 2012 simply can’t be justified. The industry has significant momentum entering the year, and buoyed by the stimulative effect of very low interest rates, we expect the market to continue to expand – albeit at a slower pace.”

While 2011 was a very strong year for price growth, over the past five years, including the recessionary period, Canada’s average home prices have grown by only 3.5 per cent compounded annually, well below the long term average rate of appreciation. Canada’s GDP has also grown modestly over the same period and the economy is expected to expand by approximately two per cent in 2012. While unemployment remains stubbornly higher then pre-recession levels, sustained employment at today’s levels in a low interest rate environment can be expected to support continued average house price appreciation across the country.

Canadians remain confident in their real estate investments. Throughout 2011, buyers took advantage of low rates to enter the housing market or move-up to homes that better suited their family’s needs or wants. All regions included in the Royal LePage Market Survey Forecast anticipate positive average price growth in 2012. This includes the relatively expensive Toronto and Vancouver regions, where rising home prices have consistently out-paced the other urban centres.

”We believe calls for falling prices and more affordable housing in 2012 are unlikely to materialize,” said Soper. “While this will comfort the seventy per cent of Canadians who are homeowners, there is cause for concern when house price growth outpaces increases in wages and salaries for an extended period of time. Coupled with more restrictive mortgage regulations that have made it more difficult to obtain financing, those who aspire to own a home may find it increasingly difficult to enter the housing market and, in some regions, it may leave people out entirely.”

Regionally, Royal LePage expects to see cities with commodity-based economies, such as Calgary, Regina and Winnipeg, outperform larger urban centres such as Toronto and Vancouver. Royal LePage has forecast Calgary’s average house prices to climb 3.6 per cent in 2012. In 2011, the largest average price increase was seen in Regina, where average prices for standard two-storey homes rose 19.5 per cent year-over-year.
Regional Market Summaries

In Halifax, strong consumer confidence and low interest rates led to healthy year-over-year price appreciation for all three housing types surveyed. Average price gains ranged from 4.5 to 6.7 per cent for the housing types surveyed. At the end of 2012, average house prices in Halifax are forecast to be 3.4 per cent higher than 2011.

First-time buyers and consumer confidence helped push Montreal’s prices up in the fourth quarter of 2011. At the end of 2012, average house prices in Montreal are forecast to be 1.3 per cent higher than 2011.

A strong local economy and low interest rates resulted in healthy year-over-year price appreciation in Ottawa with gains ranging from 5.0 to 6.7 per cent. At the end of 2012, average house prices in Ottawa are forecast to be 3.3 per cent higher than 2011.

Lack of inventory in Toronto produced strong year-over-year price appreciation in 2011. Average price gains ranged from 3.4 to 7.2 per cent for the housing types surveyed. Migration and low interest rates also continue to drive real estate prices. At the end of 2012, average house prices in Toronto are forecast to increase 2.6 per cent over 2011.

Immigration and low interest rates produced healthy year-over-year price appreciation in Winnipeg’s real estate market with average price gains ranging from 3.7 to 5.0 per cent. At the end of 2012, average house prices in Winnipeg are forecast to be 4.2 per cent higher than 2011.

Lack of inventory and strong demand drove average year-over-year price gains in Regina. Price appreciation ranged from standard condominiums posting a 7.9 per cent gain to standard two-storey homes posting a 19.5per cent gain, the largest gain among housing types surveyed across Canada. At the end of 2012, average house prices in Regina are forecast to be 5.0 per cent higher than 2011.

Calgary witnessed modest year-over-year price gains in two housing types – standard two-storey homes and standard condominiums, while the detached bungalow rose 6.2 per cent. Lack of inventory for detached bungalows was cited as the reason for the increase. Edmonton, posted modest gains for all three housing types surveyed, which ranged from 1.3 to 3.2 per cent. At the end of 2012, average house prices in Calgary are forecast to increase 3.6 per cent, while Edmonton house prices are expected to increase by 2.6 per cent compared to 2011.

Vancouver continued to experience some of Canada’s largest year-over-year price increases ranging from the standard condominiums rising 10.7 per cent to detached bungalows rising 14.1 per cent. At the end of 2012, average house prices in Vancouver are forecast to be 2.3 per cent higher than 2011.

Royal LePage’s quarterly House Price Survey shows the annual change of prices for key housing segments in select national markets. Click here to view the chart PDF.
About the Royal LePage House Price Survey

The Royal LePage House Price Survey is the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind in Canada, with information on seven types of housing in over 250 neighbourhoods from coast to coast. This release references an abbreviated version of the survey, which highlights house price trends for the three most common types of housing in Canada in 80 communities across the country. A complete database of past and present surveys is available on the Royal LePage Web site at www.royallepage.ca. Current figures will be updated following the complete tabulation of the data for the second quarter. A printable version of the fourth quarter 2011 survey will be available online on February 10th, 2011.

Housing values in the Royal LePage House Price Survey are Royal LePage opinions of fair market value in each location, based on local data and market knowledge provided by Royal LePage residential real estate experts.

Canadian Housing Trends – Royal LePage 2012 Market Survey Forecast PDF

Royal LePage Q4 2011 House Price Survey – Data Chart PDF
About Royal LePage

Serving Canadians since 1913, Royal LePage is the country’s leading provider of services to real estate brokerages, with a network of 14,000 real estate professionals in over 600 locations nationwide. Royal LePage is the only Canadian real estate company to have its own charitable foundation, the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation, dedicated to supporting women’s & children’s shelters and educational programs aimed at ending domestic violence. Royal LePage is a Brookfield Real Estate Services Inc. company, a TSX-listed corporation trading under the symbol TSX:BRE.

Beautiful Peninsula Lake Waterfront Home or Cottage

Peninsula Lake Cottage, Huntsville Muskoka, Ontario

Beautifully renovated Post and Beam Lake Cottage on Peninsula Lake, Huntsville. Part of the 40+ mile chain of lakes (Peninsula Lake, Fairy Lake, Lake Vernon and Mary Lake).  This year round home or cottage boasts over 7,000 sq. ft. of living area, 6 bedrooms, 4 baths set on a private 6+ acre estate on a year round municipally maintained road only 10 minutes to the town of Huntsville. Boatport, gazebo, perennial gardens and so much more! Close to world class golf and cuisine at Deerhurst Resort, skiing at Hidden Valley. A truly luxurious lake cottage experience. This Peninsula Lake Cottage or Home offers everything one could want. $1,395,000

Ice Huts Dwight Bay Lake of Bays

As I passed Dwight Beach on Lake of Bays  this morning, I noticed that the ice huts are starting to go up on the lake. Ice fishing on Lake of Bays, while very dependent on Mother Nature, seems to run from about the end of January to mid March. When I first moved to Lake of Bays, I just didn’t understand the allure of ice fishing. Wouldn’t it be cold and solitary sitting out in these little ice huts waiting for a fish to bite? I shared my thoughts with an avid fisherman and friend.

“Jay”, he said, “you are coming fishing!”

So, on a VERY cold February day, a few years ago, I followed his advice. I dressed in warm, waterproof-layered clothes, with a warm hat, mitts, mukluks and sunglasses and headed out by snowmobile to the ice hut. I was expecting to stay about an hour and then return frozen to the shore. Oh – did I have a lot to learn! The sun shone and the day was brilliant. Here was beautiful Lake of Bays, which I knew so well in the summer, dressed in her winter whites and looking vast and virginal. The silence was amazing. I was in the moment – meditating, still, peaceful, taking in the stillness of Lake of Bays. After a couple of hours, I became aware that I was cold. Into the warm ice hut I went and sat on a bench near the little stove heater. A piping hot mug of coffee and a treat from the bakery in Dwight and I was warm and toasty. After a bit out into the bright sun, I went and checked my pole for trout. My friend had caught two beautiful big lake trout and now he was live releasing them – as he said,   “You shouldn’t take more than you could eat for dinner.”

More families joined us. The silence was broken by the giggles of children, families that were together enjoying nature in the north. By late afternoon, we packed up and headed to the cottage. We dined that night on fresh, pan-fried Lake of Bays trout, baked potatoes, fresh hot bread and asparagus spears.  After dinner, as I was sitting in front of a roaring fire with friends, I realized that the responsibilities of life – paying the bills, checking the email, worrying about next weeks schedule – never crossed my mind that day.

So, although transcendental mediation promises stress relief…to me Ice Fishing on Lake of Bays is mediation at its best!