Wise Sellers Should Prepare an Informal Cottage Manual
Date: 04/15/2015
We still refer to the three-page booklet the previous owner prepared for us in July of 2006 when we assumed ownership of our cottage in the Kawarthas.
Our informal manual provides a lot of useful information. First, there is a list of neighbours on our road, their full names (and nicknames), and their phone numbers. There’s also a description of their relationship to others on the road if they hail from the same family.
Elizabeth, the previous owner of our cottage, also included a section entitled "people who will help you." Here, she provided the names and contact information for people who would plow the driveway, mow the lawn, fix the tractor, repair the dock, and paint the interior of the cottage. She also wrote down the names and numbers of local companies that provide a range of services from heating, plumbing, and water treatment to well and septic services.
She also reminded us that Monday is our garbage and recycling collection day and that the final tax installment for the year would be due on September 28.
Elizabeth also provided step-by-step instructions on how to turn off the water in the winter.
If you are preparing your cottage for the market, consider preparing a cottage manual for potential buyers. It doesn’t have to be fancy. A hand-written booklet is perfectly fine. And it won’t necessarily take a lot of time to put a cottage manual together.
Here are a few ideas for content for your own cottage manual:
An outline of the cottage’s major systems
Advice on how to operate the cottage’s systems including the little tricks you’ve learned over the years
The location of the septic bed and the septic tank pump-out covers
The date the tank was last pumped out along with the capacity of the tank
The location of the weeping bed
The original septic installation approval and use permit
Counsel on the subtle nuances of cottage plumbing (Elizabeth suggested we purchase one-ply toilet paper)
The location of the well and the type of well
Water test results and the date of the last water test
Tips on operating the water system and maintaining water quality
Information about the electrical service (amperage)
Guidance on the use of household appliances (Elizabeth pointed out the washing machine required half the amount of detergent you would typically use)
The original survey or a full copy
The location of corner markers (iron survey bars)
Places to buy firewood or wood pellets for a pellet stove
Your favourite restaurants in the area
The best places to fish on your lake
It would also be helpful to provide the future owner of your cottage with a manual that includes records of major repairs, receipts for equipment purchases and upgrades, and instruction manuals for appliances.
A cottage manual is a wonderful tool for sellers. It conveys to buyers the cottage sellers want to be helpful, honest, and transparent. We thought it was helpful and considerate of the previous owner to prepare a cottage manual. For us, the manual – and the care the owner took to prepare it – made a clear statement the cottage purchase was more than just a legal and financial transaction.
As we were new to the cottage community, the information – especially the list of local handymen and tradespeople – saved us a lot of legwork. In 2006, we were also first-time cottage owners and had yet to become acquainted with the routines and demands of cottage maintenance.
And if you are buying a cottage, don’t hesitate to ask the seller to prepare a manual for you – even if it’s just a list of useful phone numbers.
Thinking of the person on the other end of the deal as more than just a party to the transaction helps to create goodwill and the foundation for an excellent relationship.
Photo courtesy of Alan Levine No Alterations Made - Creative Commons
