Why "lakeside" isn't one category of house
A property built or used as a seasonal cottage often has different insulation, foundation, plumbing and heating setups than a year-round home nearby, even on the same street. That's not a flaw — it's simply what the property was built for — but it changes what a buyer has to account for, particularly around winterization, water lines, and whether the house is realistically livable through an Ontario winter as-is.
Being upfront about which category your house falls into, and what's actually been done to it over the years, gets you a more accurate number faster than letting a buyer guess from the outside.
What still applies, lakeside or not
Roof age, furnace or heating system condition, and wiring type still drive the number the same way they do anywhere else in Chatham-Kent. Proximity to the lake can add its own wrinkles — flood risk, shoreline erosion considerations, and property-specific insurance questions — worth raising directly with any buyer rather than assuming they've already factored it in.