Real Estate in Porters Lake

Real Estate in Porters is highly sought after by families that want large lots and privacy. All homes will be on septic & well services. Most lots are around 1 acre or greater in the Porter’s Lake area. Porter’s Lake is the main lake but there are other smaller lakes in the area as well. It is approximately a 25-minute commute on highway 107 to get to work in Burnside, Cole Harbour, or Dartmouth. It is approximately a 35–40 minute commute to downtown Halifax. There is a Park & Ride bus terminal at exit 20, on William Porter Connector, beside the Porter’s Lake Elementary school. A few minutes up the road you will find Ecole des Beaux-Marais, which is a full Francophone school. Between the schools are the amenities of Porters Lake, which include but are not limited to, a Superstore, NSLC, Tim Hortons, Home Hardware, Royal Bank, Gas Stations, & the Porters Lake Pub. The amenities in this area are continuing to grow. Residents of Porters Lake find that the 25-minute commute to Dartmouth & Burnside for work is well worth it for the serenity, natural beauty, and large lots. If you want to live in nature, with an easy commute to the inner core of HRM then Porters Lake is an ideal area for you to look at real estate. It is close to Lawrencetown Beach for surfing & the Atlantic Trail for biking, hiking, or walking.

The history of real estate development in Porters Lake began with a road connecting Upper Lawrencetown to Dartmouth in 1754. As the western section of real estate settlement began the Acadians were re-settling in the communities now known as Grand Desert & West Chezzetcook. In these areas, you will still see aspects of Acadian culture. District 8 & 9 of the municipal plan includes Porters Lake & Lake Echo. The area within the Porters Lake planning district extends from Lake Echo to Gaetz Brook and Petpeswick Lake. Economic opportunities around Porters Lake communities were historically focused on opportunities provided by natural resources in the area.

The long-term municipal plan states that the first project was to connect Musquidoboit via highway 107. These roads have encouraged real estate in subdivisions that are centred around the beautiful lakes in the area. Many existing summer cottages have now been converted into year-round homes. This conversion has provided more real estate opportunities for buyers seeking the space & serenity, the city core doesn’t offer.

During Covid, the city’s long-term strategy, of incorporating real estate in Musquoibobit, succeeded. During the covid pandemic, we saw many out-of-province buyers purchase properties on Ostrea Lake. Ostrea Lake is a 45-minute commute on Highway 107 into the Dartmouth & Burnside areas. The pandemic significantly accelerated the development of the Musquodoboit area with the people returning from BC, Ontario, and Alberta. These out-of-town buyers were used to much longer commutes and higher real estate prices on lakes.

For local Nova Scotians, Porters Lake real estate has consistently been a desirable area. This is attributed to the watersport activities on Porters Lake & easy commute. As real estate developments have grown, so have the amenities which continue to develop.

Future of Real Estate in Porters Lake:

The next major access road project in the municipal plans is for Myra Road to connect to the airport. Myra road currently extends up the entire west side of Porter’s Lake and terminates at the north end of the lake. There are very few residential real estate opportunities past Myra Road. Presently there is little to no residential real estate available on the east side of the lake, for there are no roads. You will find some great deals on cabins that are only accessible by water or paths through the woods on the east side of Porters Lake.

Currently, as of 2022, the lakes with the majority of real estate development are Lake Echo, Porters Lake, Chezzetcook Lake, & Petpeswick Lake. We would anticipate the east side of Porters Lake, to gain more real estate opportunities once Myra Road is extended to the airport.

There are still many lakes with minimal development including Thompson Lake, Conrad Lake, Long Bridge Lake, Goose Lake, Roast Lake, and Bell Lake to name a few. Once again road access to these lakes are minimal.

The most recent large-scale real estate development is “Villages of Seven Lakes”, which has taken a conservationist approach to real estate. It is a bare-land-condo project. Bare-land condos allow the residents to share the cost of sewage treatment, road maintenance, and maintenance of the community park spaces. It provides its residents with parks, nature trails, and access to Bell Lake. The Seven Lakes real estate development offers custom builds on a wide variety of house styles from award-winning architect firm Stephen Hunt Designs.

There will be more development in Porters Lake real estate in the coming years due to the proximity of Dartmouth, Burnside, and Halifax.


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