By KeyCrew Media
Buying a waterfront property in the Adirondacks is not like buying one anywhere else in the country. The land is regulated by the Adirondack Park Agency (APA), a state body whose rules override local zoning boards and determine what every buyer can and cannot do with a property for as long as they own it. Chase Jermano, a luxury and waterfront specialist at Tina Leonard Real Estate, has worked this market for years, and the mistakes he sees first-time lake home buyers make are consistent, costly, and almost always avoidable.
Here are the ones that come up most often.
Falling in Love Before Doing Due Diligence
Emotional attachment is the most common mistake and the most expensive. A buyer stands on a dock at golden hour, looking out over the water, and mentally moves in. From that point on, the inspection becomes an afterthought. The septic is ignored because the camp has been in the same family for 50 years. The shoreline classification is never checked. The dock that forms the centerpiece of every mental image may be unpermitted.
The Adirondacks are genuinely beautiful, and that attachment is understandable. But the same APA regulations that protect the landscape mean a failed inspection can end a deal. A buyer who is already emotionally committed is in a much weaker position to walk away or negotiate.
Assuming Every Waterfront Property Comes with the Same Rights
Properties on the same lake can have dramatically different rights, setbacks, and development potential. Lake Placid spans two towns, and the rules on one side are not the rules on the other. The APA classifies land on a spectrum from resource management to hamlet designation, and that classification determines what you can build, expand, or change on a property.
Two camps that look identical from the water can have completely different development futures. A buyer who does not check the APA classification on a specific parcel before making an offer is buying without the most basic information.
Getting Blindsided by the Septic
In most markets, a septic issue is a repair cost. In the Adirondacks, it can stop a deal entirely. Replacement options are constrained by lot size, setbacks from the water, and APA requirements. Some properties have no straightforward replacement option under current regulations. The deal falls apart not because of the cost of repair but because current regulations may not allow a new system to be installed at all.
Lake Placid now requires every septic system to be inspected. When a system fails that inspection with no viable replacement, neither the seller nor the buyer has a path forward that money can solve.
Not Asking About the Dock
The dock in the listing photos may be unpermitted. If it needs replacing or significant repair, the permit to do so may not be available, depending on the shoreline designation. Some properties cannot have a new dock installed under the current APA or municipal rules. The dock that is there is the dock you are getting, and its permit status needs to be confirmed before closing.
On certain shoreline designations, a damaged dock cannot be replaced outright. Repairs are possible, but each one requires a permit, and what you are allowed to do is strictly defined. This is not information that surfaces automatically in a standard inspection.
Overlooking Water Rights and Shared Access
Not every waterfront deed conveys full rights to the water. Shared deeded rights of way and seasonal easements are more common in the Adirondacks than buyers expect, and they affect both how you use the property today and what it is worth when you sell.
In some cases, a buyer may not even own the trees directly in front of the property. After a few years of growth, those trees can block the view that drove the purchase decision, with no clear recourse available because the trees sit on someone else’s land.
Not Asking About Year-Round Access
A property that is perfect in July may sit on a road that is not maintained in winter, or may be accessible only by water. The active season on many Adirondack waterfront properties runs roughly four to five months. If year-round use is the plan, that question needs to be answered before the offer, not after closing.
For buyers considering a purchase in the Adirondack region, a current market snapshot is available at tinaleonardrealestate.com/snapshot.
Chase Jermano is a luxury and waterfront real estate specialist at Tina Leonard Real Estate, serving the Adirondacks, Lake Placid, Keene, and Saranac Lake markets in New York. A three-time consecutive winner of the Best Real Estate Agent of the Mountains award from the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, Chase specializes in waterfront properties, second homes, and high-end buyer and seller transactions throughout the region.
Disclaimer: This article is based on information provided by the expert source cited above. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or real estate advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult qualified professionals before making any real estate or financial decisions.
