Red flags to look for when buying vacant land - Cottage Life

You’re going to want to write these down. Cottage Life Editor Michelle Kelly shares her expert insight into key red flags for any potential buyer looking to buy vacant land as a prospective site for a new cottage.

Cottage Q&A: Can I stop construction equipment on my right-of-way?

General

Cottage Q&A: Here’s how to tell how old a tree is

Outdoors

Cottage Q&A: What to do if a rattlesnake bites your dog

General

Cottage Q&A: Here’s how to safely take photos of wildlife

General

Cottage Q&A: Should I include my boat in my cottage rental?

General

Cottage Q&A: How to stop geese from pooping on your shoreline

Outdoors

Cottage Q&A: How to remove black stains from your cedar deck or fence

Should I remove water weeds around my dock?

Outdoors

How to remove the rotten-egg smell from well water

General

Cottage Q&A: What happens to wildlife after a large forest fire?

Outdoors

Cottage Q&A: Why ice cream gives you brain freeze

General

group of friends at a cottage playing badminton

How should I approach telling my neighbours we’re renting out our cottage

Real Estate

Aerial view of crown land

Watch this video for a primer on how to buy Crown land for your new cottage build

General

Jeep climbing a hill

Cottage Q&A: What’s the difference between 2WD, 4WD and AWD?

General

blue jay at a bird feeder in winter

Cottage Q&A: What should I feed birds over winter in Canada?

General

pipes under a roof

Cottage Q&A: How to find and fix a frozen pipe

Woman cleaning toilet bowl in bathroom

The best way to unclog a toilet

General

A beautiful White tailed Deer – Doe and her fawn visits the backyard today

How to make your garden more wildlife friendly in winter

Outdoors

Curling, team playing on the ice.

Facts you never knew about curling

General

Young man healing knee to a young woman who has been injured doing trekking

Important survival skills everyone should know: Part 2

Outdoors

Upgrade your cottage with more sleep space

General

Meet the Atlantic walrus

Outdoors

Man lighting a fire in a dark winter forest, preparing for an overnight sleep in nature, warming himself with DIY fire. Adventure, scouting, survival concept.

Important survival skills everyone should know: Part 1

Outdoors

Baikal Lake. Winter travel on the ice by car

How to safely drive on frozen lakes

Outdoors

Santa Claus sitting on beach chairs with blue sky and cloud.Christmas Day concept.

Santa’s day off

Santa Claus enjoys Cookies and Milk on Christmas Eve

‘Twas the night before Christmas

Natural winter background with snow drifts and falling snow

What makes a snowflake unique

Outdoors

Man Removal Snow with a Shovel

How to shovel snow correctly

Outdoors

Tasty homemade Christmas cookies on blue plate, closeup view

Classic Christmas treats that are easy to make

General

Man Taking Roast Turkey Out Of The Oven

Energy saving tips for the holidays

General

Negroni coctail standing on the table close up

Easy to make cocktails for a holiday party

Krasnoyarsk, Russia, January 2020: ice sculptures, the festival "Magic ice of Siberia"

Beautiful ice sculptures that will amaze you

Outdoors

Open book by the Fireplace with Christmas ornaments. Open storybook lying on a wooden bench by the fireside. Cozy relaxed magical atmosphere in a chalet house decorated for Christmas. Holiday concept.

How to safely heat a cottage in winter

General

Grizzly Bear Portrait

Meet the grizzly bear

Outdoors

red wooden cottage in a snow landscape

Easy repairs that will winterize your cottage

General

Arctic fox in the snow in winter.

How Canadian animals adapt to winter

Outdoors

Female feet walking on warm heated floor close up view, barefoot girl legs going on hardwood living room wooden flooring at modern home house, domestic underfloor heating concept, close up rear view

How to warm up a cold floor

A pipe showing freeze damage

How to deal with frozen pipes

General

Meet the mighty moose

Outdoors

Group of people playing hockey on a frozen lake in Canada with glacier in the background

The coolest outdoor rinks in Canada

Outdoors

Unusual winter sports

Outdoors

These are the best paddling destinations in Canada

Outdoors

How to clean and reseason rusty cast iron

Outdoors

polar bear with her yearling cubs against Arctic sunset

Facts you didn’t know about polar bears

Outdoors

Man stargazing on a dock in Muskoka, Ontario, Canada

Here are the best places to stargaze in Ontario

Outdoors

Meet the white sturgeon

Outdoors

Pesuta Shipwreck, Naikoon Provincial Park, Haida Gwaii British Columbia Canada

5 stunning islands in Canada you have to visit

Outdoors

Group of retro home wooden furniture on Tel Aviv flea market street . Finishing: staining and varnishing. Useful for background.

Cash or trash: What to do with these items

General

close up macro a gypsy moth caterpillar eating leaves. nature life

How to protect your trees from LDD moths

Outdoors

water skiing on the river

Water sports wipeouts that will make you go ‘ouch’

Outdoors

Wonderful Halloween pumpkin with a wolf as a motive AND Portrait of Arctic wolf

Wildlife inspired pumpkin carvings

Outdoors

Maple carved leaves natural floral autumn colorful background

Why do leaves change colour in fall?

Outdoors

Scary dark gray wolf (Canis lupus)

Why Canadian wolves matter

Outdoors

mated pair of grizzly bears share a moment

Strange mating habits used by Canadian animals

Outdoors

Grey Squirrel Feeding on Pumpkin Seeds

How to stop squirrels from ruining your pumpkins

Outdoors

Eastern Hognose Snake with flattened neck on sandy soil with grass

Here’s how to identify Canadian snakes

Outdoors

Septic tank: the removal of sewage sludge and cleaning of a domestic septic tank at rural French home.

Signs and symptoms of septic failure

Outdoors

Open door fridge and frosen kitchen interior. 3d conceptual illustration

What can and can’t be left in the kitchen over winter

Outdoors

Mums planted in a gourd on a rustic wooden surface and background

Creative ways to use pumpkins other than for Halloween

Outdoors

boat being loaded onto a truck's trailer on boat ramp

Watch how to prepare your boat for removal, transportation, and storage

Outdoors

warped wooden boards

Warning signs that it’s time to replace or repair your deck

Outdoors

These images from the 2020 Cottage Life Photo Contest will leave you in awe

Outdoors

Wooden table with red apples, cinnamon and sugar

12 genius uses for leftover apples

General

Long lens photograph of the fall leaves at Killarney Provincial Park

Here are Ontario’s best lookout points for viewing the fall colours

Outdoors

Woman pulling smoking dish out of the oven

5 Thanksgiving dinner mistakes you don’t want to make

Closeup of a female Moose eating leaves off a tree

10 Canadian animals you can see in autumn

General

cheerful young man in wheelchair enjoying the spring on the lake

Ways to make the cottage more accessible

General

Thanksgiving dinner. Roasted turkey garnished with cranberries on a rustic style table decoraded with pumpkins, vegetables, pie, flowers and candles

Thanksgiving activities you can do before dinner

General

hand holding young plant on blur green nature background and sunslight. concept eco earth day

Facts about plants that will surprise you

Outdoors

Glasses with different sorts of craft beer on wooden bar. Tap beer in pint glasses arranged in a row. Closeup of five glasses of different types of draught beer in a pub.

Beer 101: Get to know your beer

Outdoors

Young girl bird watching

Learn how to identify these 10 Canadian birds

Outdoors

White hamster and hole in a cardboard box

How to keep your cottage critter-free

Outdoors

The exterior at dusk of a modern log cabin, in the mountains

This is where you should place outdoor lighting at the cottage

Outdoors

a shot of a bird outside window glass

How to stop birds from hitting windows

Outdoors

the northern lights

Cottage Q&A: Do the northern lights make noises?

Outdoors

a bug on a leaf

Cottage Q&A: The reason behind late-season mosquitoes

Outdoors

a starry sky in the country with a lake and trees

Cottage Q&A: How to sleep better at the lake

General

a-bucket-hooked-up-to-a-maple-tree-to-to-tap-the-maple-syrup

5 simple tips for tapping a maple tree

an aerial view of a fall scene of leaves and a lake

Cottage Q&A: Donating my property

Real Estate

a squirrel

Everything you need to know about relocating squirrels

Outdoors

crescent moon outhouse door

Cottage Q&A: The reason behind the outhouse door crescent moon

General

fireplace ash

Cottage Q&A: How to dispose of your fireplace ash

General

Avoid ticks with these tips and tricks

Outdoors

Safe BBQ brush

Think twice before you use a bristle BBQ brush

How to clean your bbq

Avoid these mistakes when cleaning your barbecue

Here’s how to deal with a fallen tree on your shoreline

Outdoors

Dog falls through the ice

Here’s what to do if your dog falls through the ice

Outdoors

Should you buy a cottage in the fall?

Why the off-season is a great time to buy a cottage

Real Estate

dead tree on your property

How to deal with a dead tree on your property

Outdoors

How to stop mice from shacking up in your cottage

How to keep mice out of your cottage

Buoy

What’s the best way to identify shoals?

Stand-up paddleboarding

Tips to get started with stand-up paddleboarding

Outdoors

Unusual uses for lemons

Unusual uses for lemons at the cottage

sulphur water

How to deal with sulphur-smelling water at the cottage

Michelle Kelly on sunscreen

Sunscreen essentials with Michelle Kelly

Outdoors

soothe your cottage sunburn

How to soothe your cottage sunburn

Outdoors

Ticks in dogs and humans

Protect yourself—and your dog—from Lyme disease with these tick-fighting tips

Outdoors

Can a cottage ever have too much wood?

spring cleaning hacks

5 tips for easy spring cleaning at the cottage

How to make your Christmas tree last

No more brown needles! How to keep your Christmas tree lush and green

Tags

apple hanging on tree in orchard

Next StoryThis is where to go apple picking in Ontario

Sign up for our newsletters

By submitting your information via this form, you agree to receive electronic communications from Cottage Life Media, a division of Blue Ant Media Solutions Inc., containing news, updates and promotions regarding cottage living and Cottage Life's products. You may withdraw your consent at any time.

Dockside

Weekly

The latest cottage-country news, trending stories, and how-to advice

Dockside DIY

Bi-weekly

Fix-it info, project ideas, and maintenance tips from our DIY experts

The Great Outdoors

Monthly

Nature and environment news and inspiration for people who love to get outside

The Key

Weekly

Need-to-know info about buying, selling, and renting cottage real estate

Family Matters

Five-part series

Untangle the thorny process of cottage succession with expert advice from lawyer, Peter Lillico