Why you need to purchase this Houghton Lake Resort

Why North Bay Landing Resort on Houghton Lake Is a Smart Buy—Even Before You Count the Income

When buyers look at waterfront properties on Houghton Lake, the conversation usually starts—and ends—with the cabin. A single older lakefront cottage can easily command $600,000 or more, often with limited rental upside, ongoing maintenance, and no meaningful tax advantages.

North Bay Landing Resort flips that equation on its head.

This is one of those rare properties where the real estate alone justifies the purchase price, and the income is almost a bonus.

A Resort Where the Dirt Is Doing the Heavy Lifting

At its core, North Bay Landing Resort is a classic waterfront resort with a layout that simply can’t be replicated today. The property includes:

• Seven waterfront rental cottages
• A primary home on the water
• A second custom Northwoods-style home across the street
• Three separate waterfront tax parcels, offering long-term flexibility

Here’s where the math starts to get interesting.

If you conservatively allocate $350,000 to the value of the primary residence across the street, you’re effectively paying about $845,000 for the income-producing resort itself. That’s seven waterfront cottages and a home—on Houghton Lake—at a price point that is extremely hard to duplicate today.

Now zoom out.

Because the property spans three individual waterfront parcels, a strong argument can be made that:

• Each resort parcel could reasonably support $500,000 in real estate value
• Add the $350,000 home
• Total real estate-only value approaches $1.85 million

And that’s before assigning any value to the operating business or rental income.

Built-In Income with Clear Upside

Even under its current operation, the resort can comfortably generate around $150,000 in annual gross income. That alone provides a solid return while holding premium waterfront real estate that should continue to appreciate over time.

But this is where experienced buyers see opportunity.

Historically, new ownership that brings:

• Improved marketing
• Online booking optimization
• Modest amenity upgrades
• Targeted seasonal pricing strategies

…can often achieve a 50% increase in gross revenue within a couple of years. That kind of growth is common in well-located resorts like this, especially when they haven’t been aggressively pushed from a marketing standpoint.

Compare This to Buying a Single Cabin

Let’s put this in perspective.

• Buy an older Houghton Lake cabin for $600,000
• Limited rental scale
• No operational leverage
• Minimal depreciation benefits
• One structure, one income stream

Now compare that to North Bay Landing:

• Multiple waterfront income units
• Real depreciation to offset taxable income
• Diversified rental streams
• Long-term redevelopment or parcel flexibility
• Appreciation on multiple parcels, not just one lot

From a financial standpoint, the resort simply does more things for you than a single cabin ever could.

Tax Advantages Matter—A Lot

Beyond cash flow and appreciation, this property benefits from meaningful depreciation tied to the rental structures and infrastructure. That’s something a single recreational cabin just can’t compete with.

When depreciation, income, and appreciation are viewed together, North Bay Landing starts to look less like a lifestyle purchase—and more like a strategic waterfront investment that you also get to enjoy.

The Rare Intersection of Lifestyle and Logic

Properties like this don’t come along often, especially on Houghton Lake.

North Bay Landing Resort offers:

• Waterfront enjoyment
• Immediate income
• Strong real estate fundamentals
• Clear upside potential
• A hedge against inflation through hard assets

For buyers comparing options on the lake, the question becomes simple:

Why buy one aging cabin for $600K when you can own an entire waterfront resort where the real estate alone may already justify the price?

North Bay Landing isn’t just a purchase, it’s a position.