Townhouses For Sale in Rural Ramara, Ramara

Why a canal condo is tagged rural

Area tags on listings follow boundaries that do not always match how residents think about a place. In Ramara, units in complexes such as 30 Laguna Parkway have appeared under both Brechin and Rural Ramara, and 81 Laguna Parkway is tagged rural as well. If you are searching Lagoon City, look at both tags so you do not miss anything.

For practical purposes, a Rural Ramara townhouse on Laguna Parkway is the same kind of purchase as one tagged Brechin: an older condo townhouse in a waterfront complex, with the same questions about docks, shorewalls and reserve funds.

The safest approach is to save a search that covers both tags and filter by street. That way a new unit at a complex you like will show up no matter how the listing was coded.

Boat access and the Trent-Severn connection

For many buyers the canals are the whole point. Lagoon City's waterways open onto Lake Simcoe, which links to Lake Couchiching and the Trent-Severn Waterway. A unit with a usable dock means you can leave from your back door and reach a long chain of lakes.

Before you buy for the boating, confirm:

• Water depth at the dock and in the channel, which can vary with lake levels.
• The maximum boat length the slip can handle.
• Whether the dock is part of your unit, a common element, or a rented space.
• Rules on boat lifts, covers and winter storage.

The waterways levy and shorewall upkeep

The Lagoon City Parks and Waterways Commission maintains the canals, beach parks, footbridges and shorewalls, and it can recover those costs from benefiting properties. Ask the seller for a recent tax bill so you can see any related charge, and ask the condo corporation which parts of the shoreline behind the complex are its responsibility. Shorewall work is expensive, and knowing who pays is part of pricing the unit.

Financing and insuring an older canal condo

Lenders and insurers look at more than the unit when the building is decades old and sits on the water. Before you remove conditions, find out:

• Whether your lender has any concerns about the complex's age, reserve fund or seasonal use history.
• What the condo corporation's master insurance policy covers and what its deductible is, since a high deductible can be passed on to owners after a claim.
• What your own unit insurance will cost, and whether the insurer asks about water exposure.
• Whether the dock or slip is covered under the corporation's policy or needs separate coverage.

These answers vary from complex to complex, even along the same street, so get them for the specific building you are buying in.

Townhouses elsewhere in the township

Outside Lagoon City, Ramara is mostly farmland, lakeshore cottages and small communities such as Atherley, Uptergrove and Longford Mills. A townhouse here is unusual. If you find one, check whether it is on municipal or private water and septic, whether the road is maintained year-round, and how far it is to Orillia for daily needs. Atherley, closest to Orillia, has the shortest drive to the city's services.