Straight answers before you write
The questions people ask before they send a note, answered short. Each answer points to the page with the detail. If yours isn’t here, ask it: hello@sideolakemhc.com.
The place
The lake, the season, and where it is.
Is Side O’ Lake right on the lake?
Yes. The community sits on Bass Lake in West Michigan. Some homes are right on the water, and others are a row or more back. Ask which of the homes for sale face the water.
Is it open all year?
No. Side O’ Lake is a summer community. When it closes for the winter, nobody lives there until it opens again. Ask the manager for this year’s opening and closing dates before you buy.
Why isn’t there an address or a map?
Side O’ Lake is a small, quiet place, and it stays that way because directions come by email. Write in and you get directions, a time to visit and the current homes for sale in one reply.
How far is it from town?
About 17 minutes to Greenville and about 45 to 50 minutes north of Grand Rapids, by road.
The money
What a home here costs, and how people pay for one.
What will a home here cost me?
Two things: the price of the home, and a monthly lot rent for the site under it. A home here sold for $46,900 in April 2025 (public MLS record); that’s history, not a current price. Ask for the current list and asking prices.
What a summer here costs, next to a cottage on the same lake
Why isn’t the lot rent on the site?
Because this season’s amount and what it covers aren’t published yet. Ask for the current lot rent and a written list of what it includes before you agree on a price.
Can I get a loan for a home here?
Possibly. A home on rented ground is usually financed with a home-only (personal-property) loan rather than a mortgage, and some lenders won’t finance a seasonal home. Ask each lender before you apply.
Buying
What you own, and who has to say yes.
How do I see the homes for sale?
Send a note from this site or email hello@sideolakemhc.com. You get the current homes for sale, their asking prices, and directions for a visit.
Do I own the land?
No. You own the home and rent the site under it. The ground stays with the community.
Do I need to be approved if I pay cash?
Yes. Every buyer is approved by the community before the sale closes, cash buyers included. The application is online and includes a background check. That’s separate from any loan approval.
Can I bring my own home?
Ask first. It depends on the site and the home, and the manager has the rules.
Writing in
What a note gets you.
What happens after I send a note?
It goes to Side O’ Lake by email, and the reply comes by email: the homes for sale, their asking prices, and how to find the place. Sending a note isn’t an application, and there’s no fee.
What should I put in my note?
When you’d like to visit, whether you’re after one of the homes for sale or bringing a home, and any question you want answered first, like lot rent or the season dates.
Ask the one that isn’t here.
Put it in a note, and ask for directions and the homes for sale while you’re at it.
A note gets you directions and the current list of homes for sale. No application, no fee, no pressure.