If you could own a cabin/land…

I always thought a cabin was a great idea. The idea of getting away and hanging out for the weekend way appealing. Now that I live on a lake 7 days a week I just can’t imagine. Driving 2-4hrs after work Friday to mow the lawn and trim trees Saturday and then head home early Sunday… the best you can hope for is to fish a bit Saturday eve and have a bonfire. Maybe that’s enough for some?

For the past 15 years I’ve had multiple next door neighbors who lived that very life. They loved every minute of it, they said, but they never had any “fun” as far as I could tell. They would just work. They also would only do it for 5 yrs and then sell.

I personally can’t understand why someone would want to live where they don’t want to be everyday? (I’d imagine the reason is more money) I can guarantee you we do not live a life of expensive things and big vacations but we live on a lake and everyday is simple luxury. Sitting on the pontoon on a Tuesday or catching walleye on a Monday, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. There are 100’s of good paying jobs available in Alexandria right now. If you want a cabin come here and make it your house! This is just my opinion of course and based off the population in the Twin cities I’m clearly in the minority but this may be another option for some?

Either way don’t wait until you retire to slow down and enjoy life!

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Grand Marais hands down on the lake, I found a few fixer up’ers around hovland for sale. Trying to save up money on the side.

Is your ultimate goal to retire there?

How close are you to groceries? Shopping at a small local store can be like shopping at 7/11.

How close are you to building mart? The markup at the local hardware store is just a enough to keep you from driving 30 miles for small items. The local liquor store uses the same markup policy….

All those people need to make a living.
Weekend people are there major source of revenue.
It doesn’t make much of a difference when you are diving up with a trunk or truck bead full of things for the weekend from home.

But sure does on a limited income retirement…

How close are you to health care? I can tell you from experience a chopper ride to the St. Cloud hospital is $21,000 and there were no seats for passenger.

Just a few thoughts…Fish on

Big Stone/Traverse. Not on the lake, but within a couple miles. 1-200 acres of swamp/forest sounds perfect.

Joe Scegura wrote:

Either way don’t wait until you retire to slow down and enjoy life!

@pieeyed I love what you guys did and I couldn’t agree with you more.

We did a similar thing, but on the river in Hastings, MN. It’s city enough to be 25 min commute to a city job, but country enough to feel relaxed and enjoy weekdays. We don’t live luxurious as well but just try to enjoy time!

Right now we even get to watch the wild river come up up up! Pics are of today’s level!

However, to answer the OP, if I didn’t do what I did I would be looking into a cabin/land around Virgina MN. Its 3hrs from cities at max. Tons of great fishing lakes close. Its not prototypical cabin land so its not hard to find reasonable land/shoreline. And if you love ice fishing/ or big lake open water fishing you are within 1.5hrs to Red, VNP, leech, winnie, KAB, and vermilion.

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I’m at the point in life that I don’t want the maintenance of a second home. Our family had a cabin in the Hayward area for 27 years.

Cut across the Twin Cities on a Friday afternoon, traffic… 2.5 hour drive turns into 4 hours. Same thing on coming back Sunday night. In between is mowing, painting, dock repair, etc.

Maybe 3-4 hours of fishing and back at work Monday morning exhausted.

Nope, I’m more inclined now to trailer my boat to any lake I want and rent the occasional cabin for a week or 4 day weekend. Much more enjoyable for me…

Evan Pheneger wrote:

We did a similar thing, but on the river in Hastings, MN. It’s city enough to be 25 min commute to a city job, but country enough to feel relaxed and enjoy weekdays.

Wow that is a sweet view! I could do that. Not what I imagine 25min from a city job. Nicely done!

Joe Scegura wrote:

There are 100’s of good paying jobs available in Alexandria right now. If you want a cabin come here and make it your house!

I have been trying to do that for 20 years, any chance you could sell it to my wife? I sure as hell can’t

In fact, they guy who’s chair I am sitting in did that very thing and here I sit doing his job while he enjoys the good life

Joe Scegura wrote:

Wow that is a sweet view! I could do that. Not what I imagine 25min from a city job. Nicely done!

There are some gem areas still in the citys, you just have to get lucky and find them. See maybe all us citiots aren’t such citiots after all However, the more I live out here the more I despise going downtown for sporting events and whatnot.

Evan Pheneger wrote:

However, the more I live out here the more I despise going downtown for sporting events and whatnot.

I’m with ya and I’m going to sound like a redneck hillbilly but if I go to the cities twice a year that is precisely two times too many.

Joe Scegura wrote:

If you want a cabin come here and make it your house! This is just my opinion of course and based off the population in the Twin cities I’m clearly in the minority but this may be another option for some?

My wife and I talk about this often, but there’s just not the quality jobs in her field (marketing) outside the metro so it would require an employer willing to let her work remotely or a significant pay decrease. We are lucky in that my parents live at the cabin, so we get to show up and relax. Plus enough PTO that we usually make the trips up to the cabin 2.5-3 days on regular weekends and 3.5-4 days on the holiday weekends.

BigWerm wrote:

We are lucky in that my parents live at the cabin, so we get to show up and relax.

Now that is an ideal set up!

FryDog62 wrote:

I’m at the point in life that I don’t want the maintenance of a second home. Our family had a cabin in the Hayward area for 27 years.

Cut across the Twin Cities on a Friday afternoon, traffic… 2.5 hour drive turns into 4 hours. Same thing on coming back Sunday night. In between is mowing, painting, dock repair, etc.

Maybe 3-4 hours of fishing and back at work Monday morning exhausted.

Nope, I’m more inclined now to trailer my boat to any lake I want and rent the occasional cabin for a week or 4 day weekend. Much more enjoyable for me…

What you just mentioned and Joe said previously is exactly why my parents never bought a cabin. My old man always said “why, so I can fight traffic to get up there on the weekend and mow another lawn?” I see his point. Its just double the work maintaining a second property. If you’re lucky enough to actually have your cabin be your full time house, good for you. Most of us are not that lucky. And simply, the jobs in rural parts of the state generally do not pay as well as ones in cities so finances are a big factor.

djshannon wrote:

Is your ultimate goal to retire there?

How close are you to groceries? Shopping at a small local store can be like shopping at 7/11.

How close are you to building mart? The markup at the local hardware store is just a enough to keep you from driving 30 miles for small items. The local liquor store uses the same markup policy….

All those people need to make a living.
Weekend people are there major source of revenue.
It doesn’t make much of a difference when you are diving up with a trunk or truck bead full of things for the weekend from home.

But sure does on a limited income retirement…

How close are you to health care? I can tell you from experience a chopper ride to the St. Cloud hospital is $21,000 and there were no seats for passenger.

Just a few thoughts…Fish on

This is a very good point worth considering…if you plan to retire there. It can make a huge difference in what you decide.

As appealing as it sounds living in a remote area which can be enjoyable as recreational property, the isolation of living there on a permanent basis can become somewhat of a lonely existence. Some folks are fine with that, others not so much.

I feel very fortunate to have found a villa on Mille Lacs that serves as an enjoyable recreational property now, and will become my permanent residence come retirement soon. Little, if any chores to worry about and less than 2 hours from the cities.

As others have mentioned, perhaps one of the greatest pleasures is the view…

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If in Northern MN, I’m with BigWerm on the Walker/Park Rapids area. My folks Live just north of Nevis, and that’s a great area! Beautiful lake and lot’s of other lakes nearby to fish and explore. I’ve been living in Eau Claire WI though so that’s a 5 hour drive for me. Last spring the wife and I pulled the trigger on a small cabin on a nice lake in the Hayward area and it’s been awesome. I work remotely, so it doesn’t matter where I’m physically sitting and my wife can work from the lake at times. It’s only 90 miles at 1.5 hours drive to the lake regardless of the weekend and including holiday weekends. There just isn’t really any traffic heading up like there is in MN. We’re trying to figure out how we can move up there full time, but would really need better high speed internet options for my wife to pull it off full time. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before high speed internet goes the last mile and we’ll be set!

Initially and for many years the additional work is not a problem for most. Even soothing. Eventually it can become a burden for some or you just get too old to handle it. We are on year 13 with our cabin and not slowing down. We dont keep a perfect lawn like our city home and my wife actually enjoys mowing it and minor landscaping. Its a cabin, not a second home. Ours isnt fancy but comfortable and we just enjoy up north living there on weekends.

sticker wrote:

I have been trying to do that for 20 years, any chance you could sell it to my wife? I sure as hell can’t

My wife was a little reluctant to move to Alexandria at first too, she grew up near St. Cloud. Now after living here she has said she would never move back. She loves the quiet and she has everything she needs here.

BigWerm wrote:

We are lucky in that my parents live at the cabin, so we get to show up and relax.

Free steaks and beer? Don’t change a thing you have the best of both worlds!

Joe Scegura wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>BigWerm wrote:</div>
We are lucky in that my parents live at the cabin, so we get to show up and relax.

Free steaks and beer? Don’t change a thing you have the best of both worlds!

Just wish it was an hour or so closer to our home! But we definitely love it and are thankful for the time we spend there.

for those that do own a cabin, the smartest thing I ever did was pay somebody else to mow my grass. That removes a HUGE hurdle that you don’t have to worry about that would otherwise be a guaranteed 1-2 hour job once you get to your place on a Friday night/Saturday morning (time/effort obviously depends on how much mowable land you have)

The other advice would be to make removing your docks & lifts as easy as possible, this can be a dreadful pain point for some. Buying a wheeled aluminum dock and a wheeled boat lift costs more, but it makes putting in/out alot less stressful.

The other key for us with small kids was to keep the drive time under 2 hours, for some this won’t be an issue, but to us, it was our #1 key when looking at places. To go from your home driveway to sitting on your beach in 2 hours was super important to us.

IMO there is a huge difference between a cabin and a lake home. I see so many people that take suburbia to the lake with them, and you get what others have talked about, twice the amount of upkeep. That’s just a huge waste of money, time and energy. You won’t get away from building maintenance but that shouldn’t be that often. We have kept our property mostly natural with a small lawn that takes 15 minutes to mow, and that gets done maybe twice a month. The grass doesn’t get out of hand in between mowings either.

Not that I could afford any of the options or dreams, but I would possibly choose a place on the beach in Mexico.

I had access to or owned a place on Big Sandy Lake for 20+ years. It was just under 3 hours which was nice Any longer and every weekend is pushing it for us.

The area has everything to offer. 40 mnin to Rapids or Aitkin. ATV and hiking trails nearby. On the big lake with 4+ places to eat, get gad, etc. Plus you are close to many smaller lakes. 1 hr to the north end of Mille Lacs.

ELy area is great but not a weekend place f you are in the cities in my book.

We would never own two homes again.

Low maintenance like hunting land with trailer maybe. But then again your money is spent 365 and you only use a few times.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

for those that do own a cabin, the smartest thing I ever did was pay somebody else to mow my grass.

Sounds like good advise. Might need to look into that!

-J.

Jon Jordan wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JoeMX1825 wrote:</div>
for those that do own a cabin, the smartest thing I ever did was pay somebody else to mow my grass.

Sounds like good advise. Might need to look into that!

-J.

Neighbor kids are a great option for this, I made enough money for my first boat (14′ with a 6 hp) when I was in middle school mowing for multiple cabins on the lake I grew up on. Then I used the boat to get to those cabins.

My parents have a seasonal up on little wolf lake just north of Cass Lake. First thing is check size of lots and see how close your neighbors are and the crowd that makes up the campers. They have plenty room quiet neighbors but enough space to enjoy a fire. A lot of great fishing within an hour to two. Leech, Cass, Bemidji, Winnie, Red and many smaller lakes. The bonus part of the seasonal is they take care of the lawn mowing and chores.

to_setter wrote:

If in Northern MN, I’m with BigWerm on the Walker/Park Rapids area. My folks Live just north of Nevis, and that’s a great area! Beautiful lake and lot’s of other lakes nearby to fish and explore. I’ve been living in Eau Claire WI though so that’s a 5 hour drive for me. Last spring the wife and I pulled the trigger on a small cabin on a nice lake in the Hayward area and it’s been awesome. I work remotely, so it doesn’t matter where I’m physically sitting and my wife can work from the lake at times. It’s only 90 miles at 1.5 hours drive to the lake regardless of the weekend and including holiday weekends. There just isn’t really any traffic heading up like there is in MN. We’re trying to figure out how we can move up there full time, but would really need better high speed internet options for my wife to pull it off full time. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before high speed internet goes the last mile and we’ll be set!

Congrats on the new cabin Todd! That’s a great area.

My wife and I bought land on a pretty secluded part of a lake in Nevis. To echo BigWerm, it’s a fantastic area. 20 minutes to Leech, the Crow Wing chain is minutes away. The area is peppered with great fishing lakes. Park Rapids has a good hospital (stitches twice).
We’re at 21 months and counting until we move up there, one month after my 60th Birthday. Can’t wait.

orve4 wrote:

My parents have a seasonal up on little wolf lake just north of Cass Lake. First thing is check size of lots and see how close your neighbors are and the crowd that makes up the campers. They have plenty room quiet neighbors but enough space to enjoy a fire. A lot of great fishing within an hour to two. Leech, Cass, Bemidji, Winnie, Red and many smaller lakes. The bonus part of the seasonal is they take care of the lawn mowing and chores.

I do the seasonal thing also. I’m to poor for a real cabin plus I couldn’t pry my wife out of our house with a crow bar. So it works for me.

You pay a yearly fee and you are set. I flip my neighbor a hundo a year and he mows the grass and keeps a eye on things. Docks are taken care of. I choose to go to Kab. for a couple of reasons. I’m not big on crowds and I don’t want “friends & relatives” just dropping in to go fishing. I’m not opposed to them but this way I always get a heads up ahead of time to be sure I’m there.

What I like most is everything is there. Frig is running. I keep a set of fishing clothes there so I don’t even need to pack much. It’s generally one bag with clothes, towels, linens ect that I had taken home to wash.

I work like a dog in the winter and have tons of 3 & 4 day weekends in the summer so I avoid all the Friday & Sunday traffic.

I do have a problem now tho. Grandkids are getting old enough that I want to spend more time with them. Toying with the idea of relocating to the Mille Lacs area. I will stick with the seasonal option vs owning a cabin however.

As been mentioned several times cabins and lake homes can at times double your work and your expenses. The in laws have had a lake place north of Moose Lake for over 40 years. I remember going up there with them while living in the cities and dating my now wife. I’d go over there on Thursday and help her dad load the truck and trailer with everything they would need at the cabin that coming weekend. He told me “Never buy a lake home. you go to the hardware store you have to buy 2 of everything because you need one at the lake, you get two electric bills a month, two mortgages and twice the work. And in his case he was absolutely right.

His 5 sons now my brother in laws were not happy unless there was a project to do at the lake every weekend. Not small ones either. Pouring concrete patios, rebuilding the boat house even though it was never used, building storage sheds, building random decks every where. It was literally a labor camp every weekend.

All this culminated into turning a two room cabin into a two story 4 bedroom home that my elderly mother in law live in and one of my brother in laws who lives with her. No one else hardly ever goes up there any more. No projects left to do I guess.

I don’t want to have a second lake home with all the upkeep and heavy taxes. Lake property with power to plug in the motor home is fine with me. I learned my lesson from my father in law.

I’m thinking somewhere around the Alexandria or Fergus Falls area would be a great compromise without really compromising. I’d love to retire in the area. I couldn’t live in a remote area but I’d like to be close to remote areas for getaways. Like others have said, I dont want to drive 20-30 minutes for a 10$ box of nails or spend all my time doing maintenance. Having a FleetFarm/Menards/supermarket/healthcare within close driving distance to a smaller city would be a big deal to me. I could also whack pheasants and waterfowl on a daily basis in the fall if I wasn’t too far north. I guess I’m really talking a place to live though, not a cabin. Too much work for me at my age. (Gulp) I’d actually consider a condo/town home on lake if the situation was perfect.

Great question to get a person thinking about what they really want…