Riverfront

Riverfront homes are the type of water view that most cities and towns are able to offer. This is because in the olden days before cars or trains when these cities and towns were being founded, they valued rivers above all else for transportation. Modern Poughkeepsie, NY homes near the Hudson River were built for the pretty views, but you can bet the properties they occupy used to be warehouses or factories that needed the river to transport their goods elsewhere. Some riverfront property still does belong to industry, but a large percentage of it is being converted to gorgeous housing as transport becomes more and more truck based.

Rivers vs Lakes or Oceans

Riverfront properties may be considered the bottom rung of water views by some, but rivers have advantages over oceans and lakes. Firstly, there is more riverfront available than ocean or lakefront, so more people who want a quaint cottage wedding and a romantic rowboat ride afterward are able to get it. Secondly, the unceasing flow of rivers gives them more of a chance to refresh themselves and flush out toxins, so rivers are less likely to become polluted than lakes. Thirdly, they don't generate the violent, property damaging storms that the ocean does.

Pricing a Riverfront Home

Many riverfront houses are actually affordable, so if you've been headhunted by an Ottawa recruitment firm don't automatically give up the idea of a home with a view of the Ottawa River because you assume it will be too expensive. While some homes are quite expensive, these are generally the finished ones. If you're willing to put in a little work updating an older home in a transition neighborhood or converting an old industrial property into a home, you can secure a water view for less. The price of the riverfront home will also, of course, depend on the municipality, because in general larger cities are more expensive to live in than smaller towns.

Choosing a River View

Every river is different, so choose the river with the right views for you. Some rivers, like the Mississippi, are wide, muddy looking, and unlikely to inspire companies to produce stick-on wall sayings that extol their beauty. While others are slim, wild, and rough, good for white-water rafting but not for settling next to. Rivers can even change drastically along their own lengths due to differences in land gradients that make it flow faster or slower and the presence of dumping in some areas which can lead to pollution downstream. Rivers also go through seasonal changes, even going so far as to disappear completely at times, like the Okavango in Africa.

Building a Riverfront Home

If you're going to buy or build a house on riverfront property, you should be prepared for emergencies. Because rivers often overflow their banks during spring runoff season or in rainstorms, keep sand bags on hand to protect your property. Keep water, battery powered lights, a camp stove and some tools on hand in case you lose power and water service. The tools should obviously be hand tools, not power tools. (Bahco Tools sells some that are ergonomic if you're worried about comfort)