Market file · Emmet County, Michigan

Bay View home appraisals

Bear Creek Township

Bay View cottages sit on land leased from the Bay View Association, and the Association must approve every buyer before a sale closes. Add a season that ends in November and reopens in May, and this is a market of its own. The ACS put the median owner value at $375,500 for 2020 to 2024, with a margin of $45,861.

444Victorian cottages, Bay View Association website, 2026

$375,500Median owner occupied home value, Census Reporter, ACS 2020 to 2024

592Housing units for 164 residents, Census Reporter, ACS 2020 to 2024

1987Year Bay View was listed as a National Historic Landmark district, Wikipedia

A leasehold, not a deed to the ground

Owners here lease the land under their cottages from the Association, which charges annual Chautauqua fees along with taxes. The Association's real estate page says all sales are subject to prior membership approval. Sellers must notify the business office within five days of signing a listing or sales agreement, contiguous leaseholders get written notice at least 30 days before closing, and the seller orders an electrical safety inspection and a survey from the approved Bay View surveyor.

Bay View held its first camp meeting on August 2, 1876. A Chautauqua program followed in 1886.

Open May through October only

Bay View closes from November through April, and residents must vacate their cottages for those months, according to Wikipedia. The 2010 census counted 133 people in the census designated place. The current ACS estimate is 164 residents against 592 housing units, with a median age of 74.4. A fee simple house in Petoskey a few blocks west carries none of these terms. Sales inside Bay View are the cleanest comparisons for a Bay View cottage, and the leasehold terms belong in any report.

Areas, lakes and neighborhoods in this file

Bay View Association grounds
Bear Creek Township
Little Traverse Bay
Petoskey State Park
City of Petoskey
Conway
M-119 south end

Landmarks around Bay View

Bay View AssociationNational Register of Historic Places
Stafford's Bay View InnHistoric inn
Petoskey State ParkState park

Common questions

Can anyone buy a Bay View cottage?

Every sale needs prior membership approval from the Bay View Association, according to its real estate page. The Association publishes membership details on a separate page and lists a business office at 231.347.6225 for questions. Because owners lease the land rather than own it outright, a buyer should read the lease and bylaws before making an offer and share them with the lender.

Can I stay in a Bay View cottage over the winter?

No. Wikipedia reports that the community closes from November through April and residents must leave their cottages during that period. Bay View was founded in 1875 as a Methodist camp meeting, and the summer program still drives the calendar. Buyers who want a year round home near the bay usually look in Petoskey or elsewhere in Bear Creek Township.