For those who love lake life but prefer to reside in the suburbs instead of the North Woods, there’s a premium price to pay: Metro-area lakeshore is some of the most expensive sand in the Twin Cities.
But there is another option: Buy the view instead of the beach and save boatloads.
Houses with water views can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars less than those directly on the water, according to Dave Gooden, co-founder of a website dedicated to lakeshore property.
Case in point: a house he recently listed across the street from Staring Lake in Eden Prairie. That 4,300-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-bathroom house overlooks Staring Lake Parkway, which traces the north border of one of an untold number of small suburban lakes that cater to kayakers, canoeists and flocks of visiting ducks.
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Gooden cautioned despite the abundance of small lakes within the metro, there aren’t as many lake-view homes for sale as one might imagine. But here’s a look at three options for close-to-lake vibes:
‘An enchanted forest’
The south-facing views from the southwestern suburban home show Staring Lake Park, with year-round peeks at the lake and full-on seasonal views when the trees are bare. All year, the park’s 2½ miles of walking and jogging trails are accessible, Gooden said.
“Its like an enchanted forest around this lake,” Gooden said. “There are no houses directly on the lake. The whole thing is a park.”