Here is a simple little test to do when you are out shopping for a cottage, ski chalet or summer home.  Take out your cell phone and try to call a friend. 

We all think that there are communication towers everywhere and that cell phone reception (and the accompanying data transmission) will work throughout North America.  Not so.  Telephone companies need to know that there are sufficient users to warrant having a communications tower installed.  In addition, the range for some towers may not go too far with geographic interference such as hills and mountains.  Of course cities and towns will get reception but not in remote and sparsely populated lakes and mountain areas. 

If you are in real estate and need to be constantly available to clients, rule out areas with no cell phone reception.  Your smart phone is not going to be so smart if it cannot pick up a signal. 

Some cell phones have better reception than others.   See if you can upgrade to get reception so as not to rule out a specific cottage country.  Talk to others living in the area and find out if they have cell phone reception.  Maybe they have found a work around.

Without reception but with a land line, you can do a couple of things:

  • partner with another agent.  Leave your smart phone with them so that they can monitor your calls and messages and contact you at the lake to let you know if you are needed.  Trust is leaving your smart phone with a friend or business partner. 
  • call your company a couple of times a day to keep in touch with the booking group and the receptionist.  Let them know you are away but will be collecting your messages daily.   
  • Tell all of your active clients that you will be away.  Give them your number at the lake or, better still, the number of the agent who is handling your files.

Last year I traveled in Italy and had constant blackberry reception and access to all of my messages.   This year, I drove for 70 minutes to a friend’s cottage and lost reception after 55 minutes.    One of the benefits of buying a cottage with no cell phone reception is the peace and quiet you and your teenage children will have.  

Do not assume there is cell phone coverage everywhere in the world.  Test before you buy. 


Photo credit:  British communications tower, Derry


Other posts about cottages include:

Buying a Cottage - No CNN in the AM! 

Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink. Buying a Cottage

5 Things to Keep at the Summer Cottage

5 Things to Toss From the Summer Home

 

Valerie Zinger  valeriezinger@gmail.com 

Ottawa, Canada      613-859-7759

 

 
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81 Comments on Buying a Cottage - No Cell Phone Coverage

20 Most Recent Comments Displayed Show All

AUG
10
858,553 Points 184 Featured Posts Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Preaching to the choir here, I have no cell coverage at my cabin. But then I bought it before I even realized it was a big deal.
7:34am • #62
193,392 Points 2 Featured Posts Called Shot Master

I never thought of this either, but of course when someone moves into a new home they would want mobile/data coverage to extend to the area he or she is at the majority of the time! But I agree also that for a vacation home it is not as important to me, but maybe it is to a potential client.
7:38am • #63
592,253 Points 7 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

My husband and I took a road trip in Colorado last weekend.  He has Verizon, I have AT&T.  Just for fun, I kept checking to see if we had coverage.  Often, one of us did and the other didn't.  That was true even when we could see a cell tower. It was interesting, but no hands-down winner.
7:39am • #64
142,967 Points 2 Featured Posts Outside Blog

There's a little cottage my wife and I go to in the mountains here in NC with no cell phone reception unless you walk a mile to the top of the hill. Actually very nice! :-)
8:35am • #65
549,245 Points 3 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Valerie, there are many areas in my marketplace where cell reception and internet is minimal or non-existent.  Many times there are ways to achieve the connection to the world, but they do have a cost...
9:26am • #66
597,083 Points 110 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

I think it's interesting to see how people have become so dependent on their phones - and on being in constant touch with the world.

Where I live there is no cell service and I doubt if there will be in the forseeable future. There's just not enough population here to make it cost-effective for them. I wish there was, however. Then I could get Internet service from Verizon and quit dealing with Wild Blue.

We've made progress, however. 40 years ago we didn't even have land lines out here. If we wanted to talk to someone, we had to go see them.

9:57am • #67
1 Featured Post Outside Blog

The Buyer's Advisory has a section on EMFs and I have several buyers who have turned down properties because of proximity to cell towers so that cottage would be a winner in my book.
10:42am • #68
556,276 Points 122 Featured Posts Called Shot Master

Audeliz:  So many people are giving up on the land line.  Remember, there are some areas where that is the only way you will communications with the outside world.    Now, I need to know why you worry about shooting yourself in the foot.

Karen:  Any you and you clients have all adjusted so there is no issue.

Lynda:  What amazed me was that my clients were more concerned about my access in Italy to my access at the lake.   Little did they know......

Joetta:  A good test but what would happen if that was your area of work?  Maybe you would have 2 phones??

Mitch:  And my bet is that you seldom need to go to the top of the hill (unless, like Audeliz you shoot yourself ---- YIKES!!!  LOL
10:56am • #69
556,276 Points 122 Featured Posts Called Shot Master

Chris:  There is something appealing about not being accessible - forget the cost issue and just think of the privacy.  Sweet!

Marte:  What kind of craziness is that - actually putting on clothes and walking down the road to talk to the  neighbours.  For business purposes, access would be nice but for quality of life - count your blessings.

Valerie:  True.  NIMBY on the tower but within radius of access would be nice if you need to have a cell phone.  
11:01am • #70
306,123 Points 6 Featured Posts

I actually had one apartment for sale on the Upper West Side that had no cell phone signal in the apartment!  And this is in Manhattan!  

The buyers that purchased the apartment loved that fact there was no cell phone signal so no one would be bothering them when they were home.

I wouldn't be able to survive like this because of the business we are in.
11:22am • #71
173,058 Points 4 Featured Posts

Have you had any buyers purchase where there is no signal, either internet or phone?  
I had one, one time, who had a real problem with their country home, and I felt really bad about that. 

Sarah In Nashville 
11:43am • #72
648,951 Points 111 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master
Val that probably would have worked. Lol
12:19pm • #73
139,252 Points 1 Featured Post Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp

I have to go outside my house to talk on my cell phone.  I get text and email inside, but no calls.  There is also a dead spot in our office, and if you happen to walk through it, your call will drop.
2:23pm • #74
1,028,818 Points 16 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Called Shot Master

When discontecting teenagers from the collective (Cell, Text, on-line gaming) use caution.  slowly reintroduce them to books, family, real people, games with real dice, and so on.  
3:22pm • #75

If there is High Speed Internet access at the location one can use a "micro-cell" that will provide mobile phone service via that connection. Check with your service provider for the details.
8:22pm • #76
452,979 Points 18 Featured Posts Called Shot Master

Great Advice Valerie, location is important but if considering getting a rural cottage, you should also consider which cell phone carrier you use.  My staff find that it is all about the carrier and not the location, some of my people get coverage everywhere and some who use att or sprint can only get coverage in the city.
8:29pm • #77
AUG
11
556,276 Points 122 Featured Posts Called Shot Master

Jennifer:  As long as they knew going into the purchase that there would be no coverage......  Like you, I want the cell phone to be operable.

Sarah:  sometimes the place gets sold after those problems are discovered.  I hope they found a way to stay.

Charita:  Tin foil has amazing conductive properties - especially during a storm.  LOL

Karen:  I bet you forget this from time to time and lose calls.  I know I would.

Gene:  Good caution.  Most teenagers will refuse to go to the cottage if they can't text.  Might be time to hog tie them to the roof rack....  LOL

Green:  In addition to no cell phone there is no high speed internet.  It really is 'away'.

Bob:  Are you suggesting Verison as having better coverage?  People will want to know.  
6:02am • #78
511,016 Points 13 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

Hi Valerie, see our re-blog for a great way to get rich off of this need.  lol
10:03am • #79
AUG
12
556,276 Points 122 Featured Posts Called Shot Master
Thanks for the re blog. Now if only someone would start building more towers!
4:19am • #80
789,083 Points 112 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

Actually Valerie, she is in Chicago. The winters get pretty cold there and yes, she steps outside to take the call. Crazy!!
9:48pm • #81

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