Long-Term Renters Trying Out A Leelanau Winter Figure Out What Comes Next

At just shy of two weeks till spring, the team at Leelanau Vacation Rentals in Glen Arbor is reflecting on one of the busiest “off seasons” in memory. This winter’s number of vacation rentals was double that from last year’s, according to the company’s CEO Ranae Ihme, going from an average of 30 rentals per month to up to 60. But, she says, what was even more unusual: rather than being for a night or two, or even a weeklong ski-cation, many of these were extended stays. As in, the entire winter.

“This is very, very odd for us,” says Ihme. “Winter is usually fairly quiet; it has not been quiet.”

As owner and broker at both Leelanau Vacation Rentals and LVR Realty, Ihme has been fully immersed in the winter scene in Glen Arbor from both the property management side and the real estate sales perspective. She says the extended rentals over the winter months have included both condos in The Homestead and private cottages in Glen Arbor. Many renters were here to try a Leelanau County winter on for size. Others are biding time, waiting for the current housing market to calm down. 

One client — who has been renting since June — stayed on through the winter, “hopping between different areas of The Homestead, feeling it out. She is booked through June.” 

Because of the demand, Ihme says many Glen Arbor private vacation home owners decided to open up for longer-term renting this winter for the very first time.

Angela DeWitt, marketer and real estate agent at Leelanau Vacation Rentals/LVR Realty, says the price range that people can rent either condos or homes over winter in the greater Glen Arbor region varies greatly. “Anywhere from $1000 a month and up, plus utilities.” (In contrast to weekly summer rentals, where the owner is responsible for all utilities). “If someone is paying for a long-term winter rental, typically they are getting an adjusted rate,” DeWitt explains. “We aren’t able to do that for people in the summer.”

And for property owners, the prospect of bringing in even a little additional rental income from otherwise vacant homes during the off season was too good to miss out on. Explains Ihme, “One of the biggest misconceptions is that people are buying all these homes to make money. They don’t make money renting them, at $1,800 to $2,000 a week, with taxes. For the most part, they were renters at one time, and want to come up for a few weeks and utilize the home themselves.”

Says DeWitt, “They are keeping their dream afloat until they can come up.”

And yes, nationally speaking, Glen Arbor was called out as one of the most affordable lake towns to live, in a recent trend watch published by realtor.com, which identified the Top Affordable Lake Towns In The U.S.

Glen Arbor ranked number three — with a median lake home price of $390,000 — behind Branson, Missouri, whose median lake home price is $444,900; and Chestertown, New York, with a median lake home price of $493,900. But circumstances are changing quickly, Ihme tells the Leelanau Ticker: “I would honestly say it’s more like $450,000 to $550,000 at this point.” Indeed, the most recent Zillow home value index indicates that Glen Arbor home values have gone up 5.3 percent over the past year, with a typical home value of $514,966. 

So, who are some of long-term winter renters here testing the waters?

“Some of the families are using this experience to see what it is really like living and working here and experiencing winter in a place where outdoor activities are abundant,” DeWitt says, with the added draw that “Glen Lake Schools offer in-person learning.”

Ihme says families are thriving in their renting “experiment.” “I know of three families that have enrolled their kids in Glen Lake — staying here this winter allowed their kids to be in-person.”

But, most Glen Arbor vacation rentals will switch back to weekly in May, says Ihme. This means people are now getting extra creative, like the couple from Chicago who moved up here for a job and are renting in downtown Glen Arbor. “When the market turned to what is it, they are now contemplating getting a camper this summer as they explore more options for living here year-round,” she says.

For Lisa and Chad Borodychuk (pictured), major changes in their family situation propelled them to find a way to make Glen Arbor a permanent home for their family, something Lisa had visualized since she first came to visit in 2010. “After losing our 8-year-old daughter, my husband's job became remote due to COVID. Knowing that 2020 was a favorable real estate market to sell [our Lansing] home; we knew that we would most likely be renting over the winter until we were able to secure a home to purchase,” she says.

They are currently renting a vacation home in downtown Glen Arbor, with their 6-year-old son Oliver and their goldendoodle Ruby.

Says Lisa, “We have visited the area for several years until it was too hard to travel with our daughter because of her illness and the critical care that she needed.”

The thought of living up here as a family never went away, she adds, “But, in all the years we visited the area, we never came up in winter. We kept hearing from the locals that winter in Leelanau County is completely different from downstate winters.”

The verdict? “It has offered our family the peace and the healing that we have been desiring. The people and the culture are so different up here; everything is so much slower-paced, and we truly love that.”

Now as the clock ticks on their long winter stay, “we are excited to make a decision on what our next steps will be as far as housing.”

DeWitt says, “We showed them a condo in South Village, at The Homestead.” She says the condos’ relative affordability can make them a good stepping stone: “A one-bedroom in the hillside of The Homestead — South Village or Hawks Nest, for example…ones off the water — start around $160,000 and up, currently, making it more affordable and comparable to many suburban areas. Larger properties in the hillside or ones that are waterfront are typically $250,000 and upwards, with waterfront averaging around $450,000 and up.” Yes, there are still monthly association dues, “but the entrance price range is more palatable.”

And one thing is for sure in contemplating a condo: if they suddenly find their dream home, says Ihme, “they can always rent it.”

Photo: The Borodychuk family experiencing the winter beach at Glen Haven, in their adopted home of Glen Arbor, courtesy Lisa Borodychuk.