L&H Randy Fisher Mar/Apr '21

Subscribe at w w w.lakeandhomemagazine.com YEAR 21 / ISSUE 2

MARCH / APRIL 2020

R

REAL ESTATE

Spending summer days on lakes in Minnesota has been a long-held family tradition throughout the years and throughout the state. For many of those families, that tradition often involved a week or two of renting a cabin at a family-owned resort.

As the cost of lake frontage has continued to rise in Minnesota over the last 20 years, along with an increase in operating costs, the number of small, independent resorts renting out cabins on a short-term basis is dwindling.

For many remaining resort owners who often operate their business as a labor of love, it can be difficult to ignore the lure of a lucrative offer from a developer.

Ron and Patricia Meyers bought a resort on Alexandria’s Lake Mary back in 1978, when it was originally known as Lou’s 20 Acres. The spacious property sits on a wide peninsula at

the end of a private road. With 790 feet of lakeshore, sandy beaches, a convenience store and a bait shop, it went through a few name changes over the years, and is now known as Eden Acres.

“The name wasn’t the only thing that changed,” according to Ron Meyers. “At one time we had 85 campsites, along with the cabins, which we rented out on a nightly basis.

The first big change was when we switched most of them from nightly to seasonal rentals, helping to eliminate the extra staff needed for reservations and ongoing check-ins and check-outs.”

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The number of family-owned resorts that were “lost” during that time continued to climb, according to Meyers. The next step to curb that flow for Eden Acres was the consolidation and formation of a resort association.

“We loved it on the lake, but if we sold the resort to a developer, we would also have to leave the property,” he continues.

“By forming an association, it allowed us to stay on the lake by individually selling off the 76 remaining campsites, one by one, and renting out the remaining units or cabins that weren’t sold.”

The 10 original cabins were all eventually torn down. Within the past 10 years, eight of them have been rebuilt and updated with high ceilings, expansive windows, front decks, and knotty pine interiors.

“We sold three of the new cabins, but continued to rent out five of them,” says Meyers. “Now it’s time for me to step back from the day-to-day operations and sell those five premium seasonal cabins that are right on the lakefront.”

Julie Rambow, Owner/Broker of Randy Fischer Real Estate in Alexandria is working with Meyers as he completes the sales to transition the final rental cabins to be part of the association. She feels that the formation of resort associations is an option that’s a win for everyone, providing a workable, livable, and enjoyable situation for the owners.

“So many people have been priced out of owning a cabin, and this is a great way to balance the creation of summer memories without all of the upkeep,” she explains. “You own the cabin through this association, but someone else does the work for you – puts the docks in, maintains the grounds, rakes the beaches, and even turns the water on in the spring and drains the pipes in the fall.”

With a common garden, pristine grounds, and a well-kept path, Eden Acres residents can often be seen “scooting around” on their golf carts.

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There doesn’t seem to be any particular type of people or those from any specific age group that would be attracted to the style of lake living found in association resort ownership. They come from all walks of life.

When Jessica Boyer, of Kreat & Design in Alexandria, helped stage the cabins for the real estate photos, her main goal was to display different possibilities for someone to personalize each of these cabins once they were purchased.

“People often ask how they can come in and make a cabin ‘their own’ with limited time “Living in Eden Acres isn’t for those ‘loners’ out there,” says Meyers with a laugh.

“One of the things I enjoy the most is the camaraderie. It brings people together, and it brings the kids together, but you can participate in group activities as much as you want – or not at all.”

The costs are shared with all the owners, but according to Meyers, “Nobody pays for anybody else.” Basic costs, like city sewer, are split evenly, but electric usage is metered, and the resort fee property taxes are pro-rated and divided accordingly.

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and budget,” she says. “For cabins that are only used seasonally, it can be especially important to be able to relax once you get there. Some ideas are to use the existing furniture, like beds and couches, as a starting point and then bring in accent pieces in warmer colors like blues and greens. For others, painting the stained wood walls a lighter neutral color, adding greenery, and complementing it all with fresh, colorful linens can add character and personality.”

There are some rules that need to be followed so that all the residents in Eden Acres can cohabit peacefully, like quiet time during overnight hours. Meyers can’t think of a single negative that you wouldn’t run into with private ownership, however, and claims they haven’t had any major issues arise.

stay here for the rest of our lives,” he adds. “As I’ve seen these changes going from nightly to seasonal, and then from renting to the association model, I feel that it’s not only good for us, but it’s good for the lakes, it’s good for Alexandria, and it’s good for Douglas County.

Each of these owners has an investment in this lake and the surrounding area, and they are committed and concerned with taking care of the lake and the land.” ~L&H

“Our home is right in the middle of the resort.

We’ve been here since 1978, and we plan to

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