Steps and Your Lakefront Dollar

Steps will get you more for your hard earned dollars at the lake. Yesterday I returned from a visit to Paris and the apartment I rented in the Marais district reminded me of this fact of lakefront life. The apartment I rented in the 4th arrondissement overlooked a square where there used to be a convent in the 13th century and the buildings were built around 1787. I have rented an apartment in Paris before and it was in an older building that had an elevator added to the center without giving up any architectural character. One hasn’t been added to the apartment I rented this year and I was on the fifth floor and had 140 steps to climb. It wasn’t a problem or inconvenience to me whatsoever.

With those 140 steps came a nice price. My previous stay at the building with an elevator and a Seine view cost me more than twice what I paid this year for the same number of days. There are many thoughts that would enter a potential buyer’s or renter’s mind such as “what if my health declined” or “it is going to be a pain to carry groceries up and down” or “my grandmother is going to have a hard time when she visits”. These are also the mental roadblocks lakefront buyers confront during a lake home search. And thus, there is lower demand for lake properties that have a decent amount of steps to the shoreline and this means buyers will get more for their lakefront dollar. Speaking from my own experience and the experience of past clients that did buy a lake property with steps, it is a very small issue and while not inexpensive, a motorized lift can be added. But far less expensive than a more level lake lot will cost.