Owning a private island sounds like the kind of dream that belongs in a luxury travel brochure. But one unusual property currently on the market in Ohio is making that fantasy feel a little more real — and a lot more Midwestern.

Listed for $1.125 million, Red Oak Island is a roughly two-acre island on Indian Lake near Lakeview, Ohio. Yet the island is only part of the deal. The sale also includes a mainland parcel with road access, parking, waterfront, dockage and a practical route for getting out to the island. There is, however, one major detail future buyers need to know before imagining their perfect island home.

Red Oak Island is being offered for $1.125 million

The property is officially associated with 11029 Newland Drive in Lakeview, Ohio, but the listing covers two separate properties: the mainland parcel and Red Oak Island itself.

The island measures approximately two acres and has around 1,700 feet of waterfront, according to the listing.

The mainland property adds another important piece to the package, providing the road access and lakefront connection needed to make island ownership more practical.

Here is what the $1.125 million listing includes:

Property feature	Listing details
Red Oak Island	Approximately 2 acres
Island waterfront	Approximately 1,700 feet
Mainland address	11029 Newland Drive, Lakeview, Ohio
Mainland road frontage	Approximately 40 feet
Mainland depth	Approximately 114 feet
Mainland waterfront	Approximately 45 feet
Waterfront features	Seawall and boat dockage
Sewer	Capped city sewer connection
Parking	Space for vehicles and boat trailers
Island electrical service	Electrical service previously run to the island, with a utility pole in place
HOA	None listed
Zoning	Listed as unzoned
Asking price	$1.125 million
MLS number	1047915

The property was listed on August 21, 2026, and remained active in the latest available records. The listing is marketed by Eric Schnipke of Choice Properties Real Estate.

But the biggest surprise is not the price.

It is what is — and isn’t — sitting on the island.

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There is no house waiting on Red Oak Island

For anyone picturing a ready-made lake retreat, this is where the reality of the listing comes into focus.

There is currently no house on Red Oak Island.

The property is essentially an undeveloped, wooded island with extensive waterfront and existing electrical infrastructure. A utility pole is already on the island, but that does not mean there is a completed residence ready for someone to move into.

So the $1.125 million asking price is primarily buying the land, the waterfront, the island itself and the accompanying mainland access property.

That also means the buyer would be starting with a blank canvas.

The listing suggests a number of possible directions for the properties, including a private island retreat, lakefront residence, family or friends compound, recreational getaway, rental cabin development or even a boutique hotel.

But there is an important qualification attached to those possibilities.

They are possibilities — not automatic permissions.

The “unzoned” detail does not mean anything goes

Both properties are described in the listing as unzoned and without an HOA.

That may sound like a huge amount of freedom, particularly for someone imagining a custom-built island retreat. But the listing itself cautions potential buyers to independently verify intended uses, utility availability and condition, development feasibility and applicable government requirements.

In other words, the absence of zoning or an HOA does not automatically give a buyer permission to build whatever they want.

Anyone considering a major project would still need to establish what can actually be developed and what requirements apply.

That distinction matters even more because the marketing presents a surprisingly wide range of potential uses.

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What could the buyer potentially do with the island?

The possibilities described in the listing stretch well beyond simply putting a small cabin on the water.

Potential uses mentioned include:

• A private island retreat
• A lakefront residence
• A family or friends compound
• A recreational getaway
• Rental cabin development
• A boutique hotel
• Other potential residential or commercial uses

The mainland property at 11029 Newland Drive also has potential uses of its own. The listing describes possibilities including a house, building, camper, park model or office/commercial structure, subject to applicable requirements.

For someone who ultimately wants to develop both parcels, that could create a very different kind of project from simply buying a standalone piece of waterfront land.

But first, there is the small matter of actually getting to the island.

The mainland property is the secret weapon of the listing

The mainland parcel may not have the instant wow factor of owning an island, but it could be one of the most useful parts of the entire package.

It has approximately 40 feet of road frontage and is about 114 feet deep.

It also has approximately 45 feet of waterfront, along with a seawall and boat dockage.

That gives the buyer a physical connection between the road and the lake — essentially providing a practical mainland staging area for Red Oak Island.

The property also has a capped city sewer connection and space for vehicles and boat trailers.

That means someone buying the island would not simply be handed a piece of land offshore and left to figure out where to park a car or trailer.

The mainland parcel is already part of the deal.

Red Oak Island is in Indian Lake, not some remote ocean

Despite the “private island” headline, Red Oak Island is not an isolated tropical escape.

It sits on Indian Lake in Logan County, Ohio, near Lakeview.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources includes Red Oak Island on its official Indian Lake State Park map alongside other islands and lake landmarks.

Indian Lake is a large recreational lake in central Ohio, surrounded by residential communities, marinas and other privately owned waterfront properties.

That setting gives the listing a distinctly different feel from the stereotypical image of private-island ownership.

There is no ocean voyage involved. The island is part of an inland recreational environment, while the accompanying mainland property provides direct road access to the lake.

For the eventual buyer, the appeal is less about disappearing into the middle of nowhere and more about having an unusual private space without being completely disconnected from the mainland.

The island’s 1,700 feet of waterfront is a major feature

The amount of shoreline is one of the listing’s most striking details.

Red Oak Island is approximately two acres, yet the listing puts its waterfront at roughly 1,700 feet.

The island itself is wooded, adding another layer to the undeveloped character of the property.

Combined with the mainland parcel’s waterfront, seawall and dockage, the package gives the buyer access to both sides of the island experience: privacy offshore and practical infrastructure onshore.

And then there is the electrical service.

Electricity has already been run to the island

Another unusual detail in the listing is the existing electrical infrastructure.

Electrical service has previously been run to Red Oak Island, with a utility pole already in place on the property.

That could be useful for whoever eventually develops the island, but it should not be confused with having a completed building or fully operational residential connection.

The listing advises prospective buyers to independently verify utility availability and condition, just as it does with the property’s development possibilities.

So even with the infrastructure already present, the island remains very much a blank canvas.

The mainland lot could become something more than a launch point

There is also nothing stopping a future owner from viewing the mainland property as a property in its own right.

According to the listing, the parcel could potentially accommodate a house, camper, park model, office or commercial structure, subject to applicable requirements.

Or it could simply remain the practical base for Red Oak Island.

With road frontage, parking, boat-trailer space, waterfront and dockage, the mainland parcel gives the owner somewhere to leave vehicles and prepare for the trip across Indian Lake.

That built-in boat connection is one of the reasons this listing is considerably more interesting than an island being sold completely on its own.

Red Oak Island is not the only unusual island property in Ohio

The $1.125 million Red Oak Island listing is certainly unusual, but Ohio has other island opportunities as well.

Indian Lake itself has other island properties, including residential listings.

One current listing for Crystal Beach Island is asking $1.295 million and includes two renovated homes, according to lakefront property listings.

That creates an interesting contrast.

Red Oak Island is less about buying a finished luxury property and more about buying the opportunity to decide what the property could eventually become.

There is no existing island house dictating the layout or style.

Instead, the buyer gets the land, the waterfront and the mainland connection — and then has to determine what is actually feasible.

The listing’s $1.125 million price tells only half the story

At first glance, “$1.125 million for a private island” sounds like the headline.

But the actual package is more nuanced.

The buyer would receive a roughly two-acre wooded island with approximately 1,700 feet of waterfront, alongside a mainland parcel with road access and its own approximately 45 feet of waterfront.

There is a seawall, boat dockage, a capped city sewer connection and room for vehicles and boat trailers.

Electrical service has previously been run to the island, with a utility pole already there.

The listing also describes the properties as unzoned and without an HOA.

But there is no completed home waiting on the island.

That is perhaps the defining detail of the entire opportunity.

A private island — but still a blank canvas

The appeal of Red Oak Island ultimately comes down to what a buyer wants from the property.

Someone looking for a finished luxury retreat would be looking at a very different proposition from someone who wants to create a property from scratch.

The listing presents the possibility of a private retreat, residence, family compound, recreational getaway, rental cabins or boutique hotel, among other potential uses.

Yet each possibility depends on what the buyer can legally and practically develop.

The island’s undeveloped condition therefore works both ways.

It means there is no finished home.

But it also means the buyer is not simply inheriting someone else’s vision.

For someone with a specific idea for an Indian Lake property, that blank canvas could be the entire point.

Why this Ohio island listing is attracting attention

The combination is what makes the property stand out.

It is not just an island.

It is an island plus a mainland launch point, with road access, parking, boat-trailer space, waterfront, dockage and other infrastructure already included in the sale.

And it is not a remote island thousands of miles from civilisation.

It sits on Indian Lake near Lakeview, Ohio, within the recreational landscape of central Ohio.

At the same time, the buyer is not purchasing a completed resort or ready-to-move-into vacation home.

The property is an opportunity — and a substantial project — wrapped into one $1.125 million listing.

Conclusion: What the $1.125 million Red Oak Island listing really offers

Red Oak Island offers a particularly unusual version of the private-island dream.

For $1.125 million, the listing includes approximately two acres on Indian Lake, around 1,700 feet of island waterfront and a mainland parcel at 11029 Newland Drive with road access, parking, approximately 45 feet of waterfront, a seawall and boat dockage.

The property also has a capped city sewer connection and electrical service previously run to the island.

But there is no house on Red Oak Island.

The listing describes the properties as unzoned and without an HOA and highlights several potential future uses, while making clear that buyers must independently verify development feasibility, utilities and applicable requirements.

So this is not a ready-made island escape.

It is something arguably more unusual: a private Ohio island and its own mainland access point, waiting for its next owner to determine what comes next.

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Source and Research Disclaimer

This article has been prepared based on thorough research of the sources provided in the original material, including the active MLS listing and the cited Coldwell Banker, Sibcy Cline, AOL/WCMH, Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Dexerto sources. Property measurements, infrastructure details, potential uses and listing information are presented as reported in those materials. Prospective buyers should independently verify property details, utilities, development feasibility and applicable government requirements. This article does not imply independent verification beyond the information supported by the provided sources.

Sources

• Coldwell Banker – 11029 Newland Drive / Red Oak Island listing
• Sibcy Cline – 11029 Newland Drive MLS listing
• AOL/WCMH – For sale: 2-acre private island in Ohio hits the market
• Ohio Department of Natural Resources – Indian Lake State Park map
• Dexerto – You can buy a private island for just $1.1 million, but it’s in Ohio

Featured Image Credit: Dajana Reçi / Pexels