Part 5 of Series..."What to Think About When Buying Lakeshore"

Part 5: Where's the Sun?
Spending time at the lake goes hand in hand with spending time in the sun...for most people. Some folks would rather keep that big bright beast away from their skin, but it seems they are the minority here.

The way this winter is dragging on, it's not a wonder that we need to get a little bit of warmth back in our bodies to recuperate from these dreary days. Even those who love winter are probably not loving it all that much in the middle of March. So, for many of us, our thoughts start turning to visions of sun-soaked days lying on the beach or the dock. Of course, that is why most all of the flights are booked to Mexico and Orlando this time of year - but those that are stuck in the north country are just looking out their windows each morning to see if the snow has melted yet here in Minnesota.

I think I got away from what I was going to talk about in this article, because I also started dreaming about the beach. It sure doesn't take much to get my mind to wander this time of year.

This article is supposed to be about which direction you want to face when you purchase a lakefront home or cabin. Those who love the sun generally ask for southern or southwestern exposure so they can get the strong rays all day long. But many people who live on those parts of the lake tell me that there is also a negative that goes along with that...they tend to get the most wind, because prevailing winds in much of Minnesota during the summer months are from the south or west. If you have a sand beach along with frequent waves, you will probably have quite a bit of debris to clean up on your shore fairly often.

I also get a lot of requests for west facing property, since buyers typically understand that it offers great afternoon sunshine and spectacular sunsets. But, remember that in the afternoon, the sun becomes lower in the sky and you may be sitting on your deck looking right into a big bright ball of fire. Also, the sun actually sets more to the northwest in the summer, so make sure you are not facing southwest if you want to see the best sunsets.

That brings me to the least sought after direction - which is north. Facing north really isn't as bad as some people believe. My cabin faces due north and I get sun all day long. I also avoid those prevalent winds that come out of the south many days during the summer months. And, for the most part, north views still bring in pretty nice sunsets that occur in the northwest skies.

Finally, I'll talk about east facing lakefront real estate. As we all know, facing east will give that refreshing early morning sunshine...kind of like a Florida Orange Juice commercial. It can be a great start to the day when those first rays of the day find your property and shoo away the dew from your deck and lawn after the damp night air. But, if you want the afternoon sunshine (especially if you have large trees or a hill to the west of you), this may not be the ideal direction for you to face. Since the sun is a bit lower later in the day, those trees and higher elevations bring an early darkness to the east side of the lake.

Well, that is a quick rundown on what to think about when you are looking at any particular property. However, unless you have a very strong conviction about which direction you want to face, it is best not to limit your criteria too much until you look at the actual properties. Every lake place has its own pros and cons, and you might be missing out on a spectacular waterfront property if you tell your Realtor to only look for the ones that face in a particular direction.