What should I check before buying a cottage resort?

A cottage resort is a small place with many parts: a handful of cabins, shared grounds, a water supply, a waste system and a road. There is no front desk or large staff, and much of the work rests on the owners. That changes what a careful buyer looks at. Our general guide to buying a resort covers larger properties. This page is for the small ones.

Cabin by cabin

Walk every cabin, not a sample. Ask which cabins are rented most and which are rarely booked, then look at the roof, floor, windows, heating and kitchen in each. Ask for the repair history on each. Cabins are often built at different times and to different standards, so one good unit says little about the next.

Water, septic and access

Guests expect water that runs and waste that goes away. Ask where the water comes from, how it is tested, how the septic system is sized and when it was last serviced. A qualified inspector should look at both. Then check the road: who owns and maintains it, how it is cleared, and whether guests can reach the cabins at the edges of the season.

The calendar and returning families

Ask to see the booking calendar for several seasons. Look for families who return in the same week each year, and ask how much of the business rests on those bookings. Ask the seller how those families would react to a change of owner. A page on repeat guests at a fishing lodge covers a similar question.

What the owners do themselves

Ask whether the owners clean, repair, cut grass, answer the phone and greet guests. List those jobs and decide who would do them under your ownership. If the answer is you, be sure you want that life. If it is someone you hire, expect the results to look different.