243 Net River Rd

An off-grid log cabin on Net River Road north of Crystal Falls, 425 square feet with a loft bedroom, no water, no septic and no utilities of any kind, listed at $159,500. The listing describes 80 acres of wooded land with creek access on Barnes Creek, ATV trails, and thousands of acres of surrounding forestry land, plus a pole barn for equipment. It names two parcel numbers, and Iron County records the one it prices at 40 acres, so the 80 depends on both conveying. The listing counts zero bathrooms, which for a camp with no water and no septic is the honest number.

The land and setting

The listing gives 80 acres, 1,320 by 2,640 feet, and names two parcels, 00105300610 and 00330008100. Iron County records the first as 001-053-006-10, 1,742,400 square feet, 40 acres, in Bates Township, legal description “SEC 3 T44N R34W NW 1/4 OF SW 1/4. 40 A.” Two adjoining 40 acre parcels would make the 80.

Waterfront features are listed as Creek/Stream/Brook and the body of water is Barnes Creek, with a frontage length of 1,320 feet. Frontage type reads “See Remarks”, and the remarks say creek access rather than describing the frontage. None of the twenty listing photos shows the creek, so what that access amounts to, and how far it sits from the cabin, is worth asking about before you go out there.

The listing says thousands of acres of surrounding forestry land and ATV trails galore. The view is Rural View, zoning Agricultural, Mixed Use.

Road surface is Gravel. The listing does not say who owns or maintains Net River Road, or whether it is plowed. In Iron County that is the difference between a year-round property and a seasonal one.

The camp

Built in 1992, 425 square feet over one and a half stories, log construction, listed as a Log Home. One bedroom, zero bathrooms. The bedroom is on the second level, 8 by 8, 64 square feet, which is the loft the remarks describe.

Heating is listed as Other and Wood, with a wood stove the remarks name. Cooling is None, there is no basement and no fireplace. Flooring is hardwood, ceilings are listed as high. The only appliance included is a refrigerator, and the listing does not say what powers it.

The listing gives sewer as None, and the photos show what that means: an outhouse standing in the ferns behind the cabin, its door marked Outhouse. There are also two smaller outbuildings in the photos that the listing does not name.

The remarks describe additional main-floor sleeping space alongside the loft bedroom, so the camp sleeps more than the one bedroom count suggests. The photos show bunks built against the wall and a couch in the main room.

The pole barn is the second structure, listed as Pole Barn and separately as two detached garage spaces. The remarks call it a large pole building for ATVs, hunting gear and equipment.

The facts

Price	$159,500
Acreage	80 acres per the listing, dimensions 1,320 x 2,640, across parcels 00105300610 and 00330008100. County record for 001-053-006-10: 1,742,400 sq ft, 40 acres. See the acreage note below
Beds / baths / sqft	1 / 0 / 425 per the listing. Bedroom 1 is on the second level, 8 x 8, 64 sq ft. County record: no beds, baths or square footage on file
Year built	1992 per the listing. County record: not on file
Property type	Single Family Residence, style Log Home, per the listing. County record: Residential Improved, state use Residential
Property taxes	$4,087 annual per the listing. County tax history: $2,112.46 in 2025, $2,901.34 in 2024, $2,737.49 in 2023, $2,537.53 in 2021, $499.34 in 2020. See the tax note below
HOA	Yes per the listing. Name: Net River Association. Dues, what they cover and whether they are mandatory: Not listed
Financing	Cash or Conventional per the listing. No FHA, VA or USDA named
Water	None per the listing
Sewer	None per the listing
Utilities	None per the listing
Power	Off-grid. The listing lists no utilities and names no generator or solar
Internet	Not listed
Heating / cooling	Other and Wood per the listing, with a wood stove. Cooling None
Appliances	Refrigerator per the listing
Flooring	Hardwood per the listing
Basement	None per the listing
Structures	Cabin and a pole barn, listed as Pole Barn under additional structures and as 2 detached garage spaces. Permits Not listed
Levels	One and One Half, 1.5 stories per the listing
Waterfront	Creek/Stream/Brook per the listing. Body of water Barnes Creek, frontage length 1,320. Frontage type “See Remarks”
View	Rural View per the listing
Road access	Gravel per the listing. Ownership, maintenance and winter plowing Not listed
Zoning	Agricultural, Mixed Use per the listing. County use description: Residential Improved
Flood zone	Not listed
Days on market	32 on Zillow, 36 cumulative. Listed August 3, 2026
Listing history	Listed 8/3/2026 at $159,500. No prior sales shown
Special conditions	Private, Standard per the listing
Listing agents	Jordyn Leonarduzzi, 906-284-3547, and Danelle Dove, 906-367-6331
Brokerage	RE/MAX North Country, 877-875-6331
Agent email	Not listed
MLS	MiRealSource #50217182. Originating MLS: Upper Peninsula Assoc of Realtors. Parcels 00105300610 and 00330008100, Iron County, Bates Township

What to know before you call

The acreage depends on two parcels, and the county shows 40 acres on the one it records. The listing advertises 80 acres and names two parcel numbers. Iron County records 001-053-006-10 at 1,742,400 square feet, 40 acres, legal description ending “40 A.” The likely reading is two adjoining 40 acre parcels with the visible county record covering one. That is a reading, not a confirmed fact. Get both parcel numbers written into the purchase agreement and have the title company confirm both convey, because if only the recorded parcel transfers you are buying half the land the listing advertises.

There is no water, no septic and no utilities. The listing does not leave these blank, it lists them as None, and the photos show an outhouse. That is a camp, not a house: nothing to drink, nothing to flush, no power drop. The zero bathroom count is consistent. Ask what the refrigerator runs on, whether a generator stays, whether a well was ever drilled, and what a septic permit would require in Bates Township. The answers decide whether this is a weekend camp or a project.

The tax figures do not agree, and they will rise after a sale. The listing says $4,087. Iron County shows $2,112.46 for 2025, $2,901.34 for 2024 and $2,737.49 for 2023, with a jump from $499.34 in 2020 to $2,537.53 in 2021 that looks like an earlier uncapping or a structure added to the roll. None match the listing figure, and the county record covers only one of the two parcels, which may be the explanation. Under Proposal A, taxable value rises by no more than inflation or five percent a year while one owner holds a property, then uncaps after a transfer to the state equalized value, half of market value. A sale at $159,500 points to a taxable value near $79,750. Ask the Bates Township assessor for the taxable value on both parcels and what a sale at this price would set.

Ask whether either parcel is in Commercial Forest. The remarks mention thousands of acres of surrounding forestry land, and county use is Residential Improved with no forestry classification on the recorded parcel. Nothing visible suggests enrollment, but the second parcel is not visible at all, and at 40 acres each either would meet the minimum for Michigan’s Commercial Forest program. Enrollment carries a withdrawal penalty that follows the land rather than the seller, and Commercial Forest land must stay open to public foot access for hunting and fishing, which matters on a property bought as a private camp. Ask the township and the Michigan DNR about each parcel separately.

There is an HOA on a remote hunting camp. The listing says Has HOA: Yes, names the Net River Association, and gives no dues and no description of what it covers. On a property like this an association usually maintains a private road, which would also answer the access question. Ask what the dues are, whether they are mandatory, what it maintains, and whether it plows.

Nothing says the road is plowed. Road surface is Gravel and that is all the listing gives, in country where snow closes unmaintained roads for months. If the Net River Association maintains the road, ask whether that includes winter. If not, ask how people reach the camp between December and April.

Permits on the pole barn are not mentioned. It appears as an additional structure and as two detached garage spaces, and the photos show two smaller outbuildings besides. Ask whether any were permitted, whether they are on the assessment record, and whether they are in the tax figure the listing quotes, since unpermitted structures surface later as tax or resale problems.

The county has it at a different address. Iron County records the parcel as Amasa, MI 49903; the listing gives Crystal Falls, MI 49920. The remarks place it north of Crystal Falls and west of Amasa, so both describe where it sits, but mail, school district, emergency response and insurance rating may follow the county’s version. Confirm the address of record before you write an offer.

Financing will be hard. Terms are Cash or Conventional, no FHA, VA or USDA. A 425 square foot off-grid cabin with no water, no septic and no bathroom is not a conventional appraisal and most lenders will not write on it. Expect cash, and talk to a lender who does recreational land first.

There are only twenty photos on this listing, which is the full gallery the broker published rather than a shortfall on our side. What they show is the cabin inside and out, the pole barn, the outhouse, the two-track and the timber.

You can see everything else we have listed on the properties page. In the same county we have 80 acres with a log camp on the Fence River, also off-grid and also in Crystal Falls, and further east an off-grid cabin on 80 acres near Paradise.

To ask about this one, call Jordyn Leonarduzzi on 906-284-3547 or Danelle Dove on 906-367-6331 at RE/MAX North Country, or the office on 877-875-6331, and reference MLS 50217182. Tell them where you saw it.