Many buyers who search for
lake homes in popular lake areas like Brainerd, Aitkin and Detroit Lakes
find that the types of cabins they envisioned -- with large yards for
the grandkids to play in -- are only available at a hefty price. That
is because zoning ordinances have allowed for many larger properties to
be cut up into smaller lake frontages. During the hot market times of the late 90s and early 2000s, nearly anyone who could cut a lot or two off their property did. And many investors, looking for the quick buck, purchased older lake cabins and sold the properties off in lots.
However, in the Grand Rapids
Area and Itasca County you will find that those regulations have
remained tighter, and lot sizes are generally far larger than counties
to the south and west. Most all of the recreational lakes in Itasca County are designated as Recreational Development, and that requires a minimum of 200' of lakeshore on each parcel. You will find some smaller ones here and there that were grandfathered in from many years ago, but overall most of these lake cabins have a lot of privacy compared to other parts of Minnesota.
Grand
Rapids is about three hours from the Twin Cities and Fargo -- a bit further than many weekenders want to go -- but it is
densely wooded and has nearly half of its land available for public
use. With over 1,000 lakes, and immense privacy, it could be a great
place for you to track down the lake place you have in mind.