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SATURDAY, MAY 27, 2023 • LAKE LIFE • THE BRANDON SUN
Buying a lakeside cottage
a great lifestyle choice
A cottage at Riding Mountain National Park. (Photos by Ken Frazer)
After a surge in cottage
sales spurring from COVID
lockdowns, particularly in
2021, the market of summer
getaways seems to be re-
turning to normal.
Cottage country hot spots
such as Pelican Lake, Oak
Lake Beach, Clear Lake and
surrounding areas all saw a
sharp increase in property
sales in 2021, according to
data provided by Brandon
Area Realtors, only to slow
throughout 2022.
"I have never seen num-
bers like that, and I've been
selling for 15 years," said Les-
lie Barnett, real estate agent
with Century 21 Westman
Realty. "It was an anomaly."
Barnett services Clear
Lake (Wasagaming), Erick-
son, Onanole, Sandy Lake,
Ditch Lake and surrounding
areas. She recalled having
approximately 1,700 show-
ings in 2021, sometimes
showing as many as 23
properties in one day.
"Real estate in the area
will always be strong … the
properties hold their value,
but there was a little more of
an extra push," Barnett said,
adding that last year showed
closer to regular numbers.
"Nothing is indicating to
me that we're going to do
anything different [in 2023]
than we've done in previous
years."
» Continued on Page 4
BY ERIN DEBOOY
