[hazelnut]

As the owner of an island property on the market maybe I can give you some insight as to what a seller is thinking.

Also maybe can give you bug insight as well.

As for issue number 2. There are bugs on the islands. I think there are less bugs Mosquitos for one, but they are less abundant. Especially later in the season. Not. At night though we have plenty of bugs hovering around our lights at night. I thinks major factor is the size of the island. And the exposure to the wind.

As for selling. I am sure many are in financial trouble and some are just moving on and doing something different. Others may have had life changes such as kids off to college or new kids or whatever. What I can tell you from my perspective is, this is our second home it's a vacation property. It's not like we are selling our residence to move and buy another house. It's not as if we have an offer on another house and we need the money to buy it. With that said a lowball offer would not even get a second glance. We can wait, and we will. We have options, like renting the house out, which we do. You may be dealing with someone in a similar situation. It's an investment and we might wait around to see the rebound in the market (if it comes), and see our investment pay off. So for the most part the normal home buying rules don't necessarily apply in most cases. Unless of course somebody is in dire straights. But a house that has lingered on the market may fall into the category that I described.

Good Luck on your search I hope you find your dream cottage!