Fremont · Relocation
Relocating to Fremont
What a town address really covers out here, which town does what, and what surprises people in February.
Most People Who Land Here Were Aiming Somewhere Else
Fremont is the one town I cover that is not on the lakeshore, and a good share of the people who move here started out searching the coast.
They ran the numbers, looked at what they would be giving up inside the house, and found that the same budget buys considerably more here with real ground around it. That is a good trade for a lot of people and a bad one for others, and it is much easier to work out before you move than after.
The honest framing is that you are trading proximity for space. If being minutes from the big water is the reason you are moving to Michigan at all, this is the wrong town and I will say so.
What a Remote Buyer Systematically Underprices Out Here
Somebody moving from a city or a subdivision has never had to price any of this, which is not ignorance, it is simply a different set of experiences.
A well and a septic system have no monthly bill and a replacement cost with a rough date on it. The road may be private, and private means somebody plows and grades it, and that somebody may become you. The drive that photographs beautifully in June behaves differently after a thaw.
Acreage asks for upkeep whether or not you use it. Outbuildings look like free value and are worth what they can honestly still be used for rather than what they were built for. And internet, which people assume and should check, varies street by street out here.
None of that is a reason not to come. All of it belongs in your numbers before you own it.
In their words
In their words
I had a very specific idea of what we wanted. An unspoiled piece of lakefront land on a wooded lot. I quickly learned that finding such a property is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Tamara diligently stayed on the search for our dream property and was always on the lookout for us... When that perfect property finally came up, Tamara knew it was the one. She called us from her car urging us to come up and see it immediately.
What I Do Before You Get on a Plane
My office is here, so walking a property is not a trip I have to arrange. I read the ground the way somebody who will have to live with it would.
Where the lines actually run against the record, what the ground is like at the back rather than at the gate, how the access behaves in a wet spring and who maintains the road, what the buildings will genuinely carry, and what the internet situation is on that specific street.
Then I tell you what I found, including the times it means this one is not worth the flight.
More than $4 million in closed sales over my last twelve months, up from under a million the year before. I work the lakeshore and inland both, which is exactly why I can tell you honestly whether the trade you are making suits what you have said you want.
Before You Book a Trip
Tell me what you want the land to do as well as the house, because out here those are two different questions and only one of them is on the listing.
More about the town, Fremont Lake and the drive across M120 is on the Fremont area page. The buying process is at how buying works, and if you are still weighing the coast, there is more at waterfront in Fremont.
Frequently Asked Questions
I was looking at the lakeshore. Why would I move here instead?
Because the same money generally buys considerably more house and real ground around it, and a lot of people decide that is the better life once they see both. It is a trade rather than a compromise. If being minutes from the big water is the whole reason you are moving to Michigan, this is the wrong town and I will tell you so.
What do people moving from a city most often fail to budget for?
The land. A well and a septic have no monthly bill and a replacement cost with a date attached. A private road means somebody maintains it and that somebody may become you. Acreage asks for upkeep whether or not you use it. None of that is a problem; being surprised by it in year one is.
Should I check internet before I buy out here?
Yes, and check it for the specific address rather than the town, because it varies street by street. People moving from a city reasonably assume it is a given. It is the single most common thing I see a remote buyer discover after closing rather than before, and it is easy to establish beforehand.
Fremont
What relocation looks like in Fremont
Inland in Newaygo County, where Gerber started in 1927 and where the same money buys land instead of frontage. My office is here.
Fremont is the one town I cover that is not on the lakeshore, and I would rather say so plainly. It has Fremont Lake by town with a public beach, a campground and a boat launch, and M120 runs across to Twin Lake and on toward Muskegon.
The trade is the point. The same budget that gets you a modest cottage on the water will generally get you a house with real acreage here, which is why people who start out searching for lakefront often end up looking at this side of the map.
Relocation: keep exploring
Ready to make your move with Tamara Hekkema?