Path to the shore
Waterfront home appeal comes with own considerations
Agents who specialize in waterfront real estate know bodies of water the way someone else might know a neighborhood. Instead of tips about who makes the best slice of pizza and where drivers take the turn too fast, they can tell you who to talk to about permits, where the swimming is best and what to expect from water level fluctuations.
If you're looking to buy waterfront real estate, getting flood insurance might come to mind, but there's more to owning a house on the water.
Lana Ruggiero has long been selling real estate on the shores of Fulton County's many lakes and ponds. The most unique is also the biggest — the Great Sacandaga
Lake, a 29-mile-long manmade reservoir. Even people who own property directly on the water don't actually own the shoreline; it is owned by the state and to use the lake, you must have a permit from the Hudson River Black River Regulating District.
"If you don't keep current on it, they can take it away from you and giving it to someone on the waiting list, and it's a long list — at least 20 years," Ruggiero said.
Because the GSL was built for flood control along the Hudson River, the level fluctuates quite a lot by the season, and it depends where along the shoreline you're looking at — the water is shallower on the west side, deeper near the Conklingville Dam in Hadley.
"I find myself in the role of educator," Ruggiero said. "People don't know about the permit system or permits, plus it's a funny lake. They flooded farmland and cemeteries to build it, so when the water level is low you have to consider what's under the surface."
Still, Ruggiero said, life along the lake is worth it. Called the Adirondacks' best kept secret on VisitSacandaga.com it's a destination for recreation all year and less than an hour from the Albany International Airport.
Northeast along Lake George, pollution is a growing concern, said Jeff York, a real estate agent with the York Team/Brokers-Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Blake. Some of the homes around the 32-mile-long lake are serviced by municipal sewer systems, but many are not, and the septic system needs to be
checked whenever the property changes hands, York said. In Queensbury, a town inspector must look at each system before a sale can go forward. Storm water management must also be addressed, York said. Unfettered storm water running into the lake brings pollution with it.
York and his wife, Pam, also sell property along several other shorelines in Warren and Essex County — Schroon, Loon, Friends, Brant, Glen and Trout lakes, along with the Hudson and Schroon Rivers. They each have different flood risks — the rivers more than the lakes, York said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency publishes maps on its web site to help determine flood risk. The cost of insurance will vary based on how close the property is
to the 100-year flood zone, York said.
For new construction, building height, set-back from the water and storm water mitigation are controlled by the town, York said.
"My advice is to find a real estate agent who knows the area, then go to the town to find out what's allowed," York said. "It's all for the purpose of preserving the beauty and quality of the
water."
One more consideration — waterfront buyers are often in the market for a second home, one they only use in the summer. You will want someone to check on your property for weatherrelated
damage or a break-in. The Yorks keep a referral network of contractors to help their clients find people for projects, and Jeff York noted property management companies have emerged in recent years in the Lake George area.