Due diligence at the top of the township
Start with paper. Ask for the survey, the well record and a recent potability and flow test, a septic inspection, any conservation authority permits for docks or shoreline protection, and the zoning confirmation for the use you intend. On a farm, understand which fields are rented to a neighbouring operator and on what terms, whether the property is in the farm property tax program, and how the sale affects that. On the water, find out how deep it is at the end of the dock through the summer and how the ice behaves in spring, since Lake Simcoe can push ice onto the shore. Bring in a mortgage broker who works on rural files early, because lenders limit how much acreage they will value and look closely at second dwellings and large outbuildings. Randy and Alexander Miller can point you to inspectors, surveyors and lawyers who work in the township regularly.