Canada’s millions of kilometers of shoreline are up for grabs. Waterfront properties are hot real estate in even the most modest markets.

If waterfront ownership is your goal, protect your investment by learning how to evaluate more than the house, cottage or condominium on the site. To ensure your real estate increases in value rather than becoming a source of disappointment or frustration, investigate what to expect from shoreline erosion and declining water quality in your chosen area.

Just as all waterfront properties are not created equal, none of these properties will stay in the same condition or at the same level of desirability forever without a lot of help from owners, neighbours, governments and everyone else that uses the waterway in question. Human impact is the greatest shoreline and water quality destructor, so how people use land in your area will affect your future.

When Bob and Mary Lou Carroll retired to the country, they built a new home on a waterfront lot near Adolphustown on Lake Ontario. Years later, their European cycling holidays triggered such a strong love of B & Bs that they decided to turn their modern lakeside home into a welcoming retreat for travellers attracted to their quiet green corner in the Picton-area.

“You get used to it – the water, the view, the beauty,” said Bob Carroll, explaining how visitors from around the world revitalize the couple’s appreciation of shoreline living. “There are a few drawbacks to living on the lake, but mainly it is well worth it.”

The Carrolls, who love their waterfront home even more than they had expected to, find the relentless wear of winter storms is their main concern.

“It depends on the size of the body of water,” said Mr. Carroll who has learned the value of low-maintenance, weather-resistant exterior finishes the hard way. “We get the full blast of Lake Ontario storms so the wood siding gets it full blast and needs constant staining.”

Lakes, rivers and oceans are dynamic systems. Think beyond today when you select a waterfront property, especially if you intend to live there “forever” or want leave the land to your children: