Tag: lake home buyers

2019 Best Retirement Lakes

Posted on Mark Griggs

retired couple toasting on the dock on one of America's best retirement lakes

The “golden years” of retirement are often characterized by leisure activities like golfing, fishing and gardening; spending time with family, and enjoying the little things in life like sunsets and relaxing in a hammock. 

Now think about what it would be like to live on a lake. All the same leisure activities come to mind, right? Lake homeowners enjoy all those activities along with natural beauty, boating and fishing, and special time with their children and grandchildren. Lake living and retirement go hand-in-hand.

LakeHomes.com covers more than 3,000 lakes across the country, ranging from small community lakes to the Great Lakes. Each lake has its own personality and lifestyle. Knowing where to start your search for the perfect retirement lake can be intimidating, so we created this guide to assist in the decision-making process.

Using the 2019 SmartAsset Best Places to Retire and cross-referencing our own Lake Real Estate Market Report, we devised the list criteria. To determine the winners of the 2019 Best Retirement Lake Award, the LakeHomes.com media team analyzed dozens of lake real estate markets across the United States.
In order to be eligible for award consideration, markets had to have a minimum total market listing value of $10 million as of Feb. 1, 2019.

Welcome to our inaugural list of the Best Retirement Lakes in America!

Lake Granbury, Texas

Lake Granbury, Texas, one of America's best retirement lakes
Photo courtesy of Chazim via Reddit.

Located within the town of Granbury, Texas, Lake Granbury is a 2019 Best Retirement Lake.

This Texas treasure is located less than an hour from the Dallas-Fort Worth metro, making the lake perfectly placed. It’s far enough away to escape the stressors of city life, but close enough for weekend adventuring.
Lake Granbury is primarily known for its striped bass fishing, numerous house-boats and the award-winning Inn on Lake Granbury.

Nationally, the area surrounding Lake Granbury ranks 63rd among the country’s best overall places to retire in 2019 and offers residents a charming boutique shopping experience, a retro drive-in theater, and the historic Granbury Opera House, constructed in the late 1880s.

Lake Hickory, North Carolina

Photo courtesy of City-Data.

Lake Hickory covers more than 4,200 acres in Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, and Catawba counties in North Carolina.

A real retiree jewel, Lake Hickory’s namesake, the town of Hickory, was named among the Top 10 least expensive retirement towns in the U.S. and the Top 20 safest towns in America in 2018.

The lake and surrounding community offer residents a variety of golf courses along its more than 100 miles of shoreline. Boating and fishing are popular activities. There are numerous wineries and vineyards to frequent throughout the year for the wine enthusiast.

In the Lake Hickory area, there are multiple historical centers and more than a dozen parks and nature trails. The lake’s abundance of recreational opportunities, along with its convenient distance to Charlotte, Asheville, and Winston-Salem, makes Lake Hickory an ideal place for one’s golden years of retirement.

Lake Lanier, Georgia

browns bridge at lake lanier in georgia
Photo courtesy of Thomson200, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Lake Lanier is abuzz with tourists along its southern shores. The lake’s northern end offers residents a peaceful reprieve and a small-town environment along the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

This retirement lake features numerous Robert Trent Jones and Arnold Palmer-designed golf courses, day spas, southern-inspired cuisine, and an equestrian center at Lake Lanier Islands.

Lake Lanier’s natural attractions include picturesque waterfalls, hiking trails with a robust fishing and boating scene. There are 45 parks and recreation centers in the area around the lake, providing value for retirees regardless of where they are on the adventure and activities spectrum. Lake Lanier boasts a blissfully blended lake life lifestyle for retirees and their families.

Lake Lanier’s natural attractions include picturesque waterfalls, hiking trails, a healthy fishing and boating scene, and 45 parks and recreation centers.

With something for retirees on both ends of the adventure and activities spectrum, Lake Lanier boasts a blissfully blended lake life lifestyle.

Lake Guntersville, Alabama

Lake Guntersville, Alabama
Photo courtesy of The City of Guntersville, Alabama.

As if painted into the alluring backdrop of the Appalachian Mountains, Lake Guntersville is recognized as one of the most scenic lakes in America and was recently recognized by Bassmaster magazine in the top 10 lakes on their list of 100 Best Bass Lakes.

This picturesque retirement paradise is located within the 6,000-acre Lake Guntersville State Park, home of the Eagle’s Nest Golf Course – an 18-hole premier course renovated and redesigned in collaboration with pro golfer Jerry Pate.

This Alabama lake offers nearly 40 miles of hiking trails, best-in-class fishing, sailing clubs and is part of the North Alabama Birding Trail.

Situated about 30 miles south of Huntsville, Lake Guntersville is the ideal place to enjoy modern conveniences alongside the relaxing qualities of retirement lake living.

Lake Keowee, South Carolina

Lake Keowee, South Carolina
Photo courtesy of Luxury Portfolio International.

Lake Keowee is known as one of the safest and cleanest lakes in the country, and as one of the best boating lakes in the Palmetto State.

The area surrounding this spectacular lake boasts moderate temperatures year-round. It’s an ideal climate for teeing-off at any one of the multiple Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses located around Lake Keowee.

The lake also offers residents a quaint collection of antique and vintage shops, beautiful waterfalls and an abundance of lakeside casual dining restaurants.

This retirement gem is conveniently located less than 10 miles from the Clemson University campus and roughly an hour’s drive from Greenville, making Lake Keowee a quiet retirement haven hidden amongst the excitement of South Carolina’s “Golden Corner.”

Tellico Lake, Tennessee

fort loudoun at tellico lake in tennessee
Photo courtesy of Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Located in Tennessee, Tellico Lake is the epitome of a retirement paradise. It checks all the boxes for retirees regardless of what they are seeking.

In addition to its renowned retirement communities, Tellico Lake is also famous for its year-round activities like boating, fishing, and skiing in the summer, and hiking, golfing and fine dining in the off-season

The lake is conveniently located just minutes from the No. 1 retirement town in Tennessee, Loudoun, and is 45 minutes from Knoxville.

Tellico Lake’s proximity to urban centers and the lake’s active adult-friendly communities make it the perfect place to enjoy all the serenity and charm of lake living without being too far from modern conveniences.

Lake of the Woods, Virginia

lake of the woods virginia entrance
Photo courtesy of JohnnyReb67, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Lake of the Woods area is perfect for spending one’s golden years of retirement. The 2019 Best Retirement Lake designation goes to this community for its not one, but two lakes.

Spanning 2,600 acres, the lake of the Woods master-planned lake paradise offers residents exclusive access to its on-site equestrian center, 18-hole PGA golf course, tennis courts, and two outdoor pools.

The community also invites its retirees to enjoy lying on the beaches of Lake of the Woods’ 500-acre Main Lake. Here, residents can sunbathe, sail, fish or waterski. The lake is located roughly 20 miles from historic Fredericksburg.

Keaton Lake, the smaller of the community’s water bodies, is perfect for non-gas-powered boating activities like swimming, kayaking, and canoeing.

2019 Best Retirement Lake Award Methodology

Referencing the 2019 SmartAsset Best Places to Retire list for each state, eligible markets were cross-referenced using LakeHomes.com search features to identify those markets located within a 10-mile radius of any town/city named by Smart Asset’s Best list.

These towns were determined by SmartAsset using information about accessibility to healthcare facilities, and the portion of the population that were senior citizens (age was not specified according to Smart Asset’s methodology.) Additionally, each area’s cost of living and tax burden were taken into consideration.

Lake real estate markets determined to be located within a 10-mile radius* of the SmartAsset-named towns were then analyzed for how the average home price in each market compared to the state’s average home price for lake properties.

Proximity to the nearest metro, as named by Google Analytics, and the number of lake-focused retirement communities in each market were also deciding factors in choosing the 2019 Best Retirement Lake Award winners.

Each category was weighted differently, with the number of lake-focused retirement communities weighted more substantially, followed by proximity to the nearest major metro and average home price compared to the state’s average home price for lake properties.

Making Waves With the Morrisons – A Lake Homes Realty Success Story

Posted on Staff
Lake Homes Realty clients, The Morrisons with daughter and son-in-law, in front of new homes.

In 2018, Tricia and Ric Morrison decided it was time to sell their beloved home on Lake Marion and make a move to nearby Lexington, South Carolina to be closer to their daughter and son-in-law.

The pair began their search for a listing agent where most people do these days, online, and quickly discovered Lake Homes Realty/LakeHomes.com. 

For two months, the Morrisons searched the site’s more than 65,000 properties and read about the company’s nontraditional way of approaching lake real estate by only employing agents who lived, worked and played in their local lake markets.

As Lake Marion residents for many years, Tricia and Ric were well aware that selling a property on the lake was unlike selling an off-lake property in many ways and that working with an agent who was also an area local would provide them a unique advantage to selling their home. 

Ultimately, they enlisted the help of Lake Homes Realty agent Kristie Anderson. 

“I’d sold one of their friend’s condos and was thrilled when they were referred to me,” said Anderson. “The Morrisons’ condo was right on the water, and I was confident we could get it sold in a timely manner and excited to get them closer to their family.” 

Traditionally, lake properties stay on the market for extended periods of time. Much longer than off-lake properties because many of them serve as vacation or second homes. It’s not uncommon for lake listings to be on the market for more than a year in high-priced markets, or be taken off the MLS during the off season. 

The Morrisons’ Lake Marion home sold in 210 days. 

“Kristie has lived in the Lake Marion area all her life and could answer any question our prospective buyers had,” Tricia said. “If it weren’t for her lake-specific expertise, we wouldn’t have had the confidence we did that she was providing accurate and data-supported information to our buyers and us.”

During the process, Kristie connected the Morrisons with Doug Geisler, another Lake Homes Realty agent on Lake Murray, located near Lexington and their daughter. 

“Kristie truly cares for her clients and wants the best for them. We knew Doug would be the same,” Tricia said.

“The first house I showed them was my neighbors’,” remembered Geisler. “It wasn’t a fit for them, but they thought it would be perfect for their daughter and her husband, and pretty soon I was working with Chelsea and Chris, too!”

After looking at a handful of resale properties, Tricia and Ric chose to purchase a new build in the Summer Lake community, which would allow them plenty of time to let Kristie sell their current residence and have their new one constructed. 

Chelsea and Chris however, continued the hunt for their perfect home.

“They had just signed a six-month lease at their current residence, so I thought a new build might be a good option for them to consider,” Geisler said. “As luck would have it, they found a home plan they loved in the same neighborhood as Mom and Dad.”

Doug, Chris, and Chelsea kept their purchase a secret for nearly two months!

“Chelsea and Chris came to visit us to celebrate her birthday, and after we had the cake, she gave us a present to open,” said Tricia. “It was a framed picture of our lot, all graded and ready for our home to be built.”

Chelsea proceeds to give her mother a second picture, which showed off the lot she and her husband had decided to buy. 

“Then a third picture showed both lots together, and their sign said “HI NEIGHBORS,” exclaimed Tricia. “Doug had kept their secret, and helped them in buying the lot next to ours to build their dream home!”

The Morrison’s Lake Marion property and their new build purchase closed just two days apart, and the couple moved into their new home the day after closing on it. 

“Everything worked out so perfectly. Had their home sold any faster, they would have been homeless,” joked Anderson. “I don’t think I’ve ever missed my clients as much as I miss the Morrisons. It was such a joy working with them.”

For the Morrisons, the feeling is mutual. 

“Our Lake Homes Realtors® definitely took away all the stress in the personal and legal aspects of selling and buying our homes,” the Morrison’s said. “They both went above and beyond, and we can’t thank them enough for helping us work out our timeline in selling our lake house and the purchase of our new home.”

Today both couples are living their dreams side-by-side, enjoying family dinners, becoming part of the community and spending time on the lake. 

Canyon Lake Expects Market Uptick From Lake Dunlap

Posted on Staff

Canyon Lake expects to see an influx of new potential buyers this lake season, as former Lake Dunlap consumers turn their attention to the lake’s more ideal market conditions following recent issues with the Lake Dunlap dam.

“There is a lot of uncertainty for our neighbors in the Lake Dunlap community as we wait to hear what the timeline will be for restoring the dam,” said Tara Biesboer, a Lake Homes Realty agent who specializes in Lake Dunlap properties. “Lakefront property owners are also concerned about how recent events will affect the lake’s real estate market this summer.”

While plans for reconstruction are in development, many buyers previously interested in Lake Dunlap real estate will likely turn their attention to Canyon Lake, located roughly 30 miles northwest.

Overlooking Canyon Lake from lake home balcony

The tenth-largest lake real estate market in the Lone Star State, Canyon Lake’s inventory is primed to meet the anticipated needs of these consumers.

In early March, the lake’s real estate market was valued at approximately $93 million and featured 422 total listings. But as the market approaches Memorial Day weekend — and the unofficial kick-off to lake season — inventory has increased roughly 6% to about 450 listings.

Listings will likely continue increasing as summer progresses when homeowners know the most potential buyers will be in their market. Traditionally, summer sees the highest inventory volumes and lowest average home prices of the year.

“Lake Dunlap sees buyers from all across the country,” Biesboer said, “many of them from California. Californians, in particular, have been flocking to Texas for its affordability in comparison to vacation and second home prices on the west coast.”

According to a recent report published by LakeHomes.com, more than 25% of all potential Texas lake home buyers, including those shopping Lake Dunlap properties, come from outside the Lone Star State, with the highest concentration of potential buyers originating in the Los Angeles area.

Similarly, web-traffic data indicates Canyon Lake’s market will likely see increased interest from buyers in LA, Denver and New York, along with consumers in Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, Odessa-Midland and the Waco-Temple-Bryan areas of Texas.

Buyers looking for lake homes listed near Canyon Lake’s average home price of $426,000 will have the largest variety of properties to shop this summer, as listings priced in the $250,000 to $500,000 range represent 44% of all Canyon Lake homes for sale, according to LakeHomes.com’s 2019 Spring Lake Real Estate Market Report.

Homes listed for below $250,000 represent 33% of all residential properties on the market, followed by listings priced between $500,000 and $700,000.

Canyon Lake homes for sale between $750,000 and $2 million in list price make up a combined 8% of total home listings, with roughly 1% of homes listed at or above $2 million.

“This past week was a whirlwind for many homeowners, and we are all sending up good thoughts that their lives return to normal as soon as possible,” Biesboer said. “Moving forward, I hope I can continue to be a source for the community as we learn more about future market conditions.”

If you are interested, click here to view our current Canyon Lake Listings

3 Lake-Inspired Closing Gifts Your Clients will Love

Posted on Staff

Sometimes it’s nice to show a little gratitude.

Presenting clients with a gift after closing on a property is a way for agents to show their appreciation of the client’s patronage as well as congratulate them on their sale or purchase.

Closing gifts help ensure clients walk away feeling valued by their agent. They’re also a great way for agents to make themselves memorable for future real estate opportunities.

The best closing gifts are personal, thoughtful and creative.

We’ve put together a list of three unique, lake-inspired closing gifts that are sure to leave a lasting impression with any client. Check them out below!

Lake Silhouettes

Founded in 2013, Custom Crafted Silhouettes takes every-day maps of America’s favorite lakes and transforms them into beautiful pieces of art.

lake-inspired closing gift of laser-etched wooden lake of the ozarks map

Pieces are individually laser-etched on beautiful birch wood and embellished with hand-painted details.

These one-of-a-kind lake silhouettes are then placed in custom wood frames and enclosed in glass to ensure their preservation for years to come.

Silhouettes also come with an adhesive crystal, with which agents can mark the location of a client’s home or favorite fishing hole.

Custom Crafted Silhouettes offers lake maps in 31 states as well as custom, laser-etched silhouette cutting boards and wine glasses.

These works of art are perfect for recent lake home buyers.

Agents can even go the extra mile by presenting the silhouettes with the buyers’ home already marked or with a bottle of wine to accompany a set of personalized wine glasses.

For more information about Custom Crafted Silhouettes’ collections and pricing, visit their website here.

Grilling Accessories

Grilling and a lake home go hand-in-hand, so why not present your clients with custom grilling accessories?

Real Estate Seasoning Gifts offers personalized meat seasonings that feature your picture, name, contact information and company logo.

Seasonings and rubs come in variety of options including ancho rib rub, steak and veggie seasonings and Cajun rub! Agents can purchase these individually or in sets of four.

What better way to make a lasting impression than by putting your name and face on this staple of lake living? This closing gift is not only creative and thoughtful, but practical as it’s something your clients will actually use.

To accompany the custom grill seasonings, consider presenting your clients with a personalized set of BBQ utensils.

Any number of online shopping sites, including Etsy and Amazon, offer a wide selection of options for choosing the custom set that is just right for your clients.

Present clients with a utensil set enclosed in a branded wooden case that features their lake home address or family name, or pair of laser-engraved tongs and spatula.

Key Hook Wall Hangers

At the lake house, it’s rare to have just one set of keys to keep up with. Often, lake home owners have to juggle boat keys, jet ski keys, keys to the storage shed, car keys, etc.

One great gift to present clients with is a key organizer labeled for each type of key. Cute sayings like “The Lake. The Life. The Dream.” and “Life is Better at the Lake” are nice personalization options for a little something extra.

lake-inspired wooden key holder on wall with GPS coordinates and family name

For something more elegant, a hand-made wall hanger engraved with the family’s name and the property’s GPS coordinates would be a heartwarming closing gift to give clients.

The ones featured here are individually made from butternut hardwood and finished with natural beeswax.

Customization options include custom wrapping, personalized short phrases and four types of pegs to choose from such as chrome and brass.

Other great types of key hook wall hangers include wire baskets for holding mail, cork boards and chalk boards on which to write greetings and reminders.

 

No matter what you choose, your clients are sure to enjoy these one-of-a-kind, lake-inspired closing gifts.

Important Questions to Ask Your Potential Neighbors

Posted on Staff
Get to know your future neighbors before you buy with these three important questions.

Congratulations on finding the perfect lake home!

You’ve talked to your agent, the listing agent and even the sellers to get as much information as possible on the average cost of living in the area, the neighborhood and the homeowner’s association.

By now, you are probably thinking there can’t possibly be any more questions to be answered, but not so fast.

Before buying a home, it is always a good idea to talk to your prospective neighbors. They could be a potential source of invaluable information.

So before you dot the I’s and cross those T’s, consider asking your neighbors-to-be these important questions:

How long have you lived here?

The answer to this question may be simple, but you can learn a lot from how long someone has lived in the neighborhood.

confused business man with question make above his head

If the neighbors have lived in the area for a number of years, they can speak to how the neighborhood has changed and can give insight into the benefits and disadvantages of living in the area, such as a strict HOA.

These neighbors can also give an indication about how long people typically live in the area by pointing out how many new faces they’ve seen come and go in the time they have resided there. You might ask if residents are year-round or seasonal, as well.

In this conversation you could also ask if the neighborhood holds any annual events such as holiday boat parades or a Memorial Day cookout.

How often is crime reported in the area?

Lake houses are frequently bought as second or vacation homes, which means they are not lived in year-round.

Because they are often unoccupied, it is exceptionally important to know how often police and other first-responders are called to the neighborhood.

Prospective neighbors can give you a sense of whether police are called on a regular basis for issues of burglary, theft and vehicle-related crimes.

Frequent police visits are often a red flag for buyers; however, a neighborhood that is NEVER visited may not be the best thing either.

Ask the residents how frequently officers patrol the neighborhood. In neighborhoods where residents are seasonal, regularly scheduled patrols can provide some peace of mind that owners’ properties are being looked after.

What is your favorite and least favorite things about living here?

Whether they have lived there for two years or 20, your potential neighbors will have their fair share to say about what it’s like to live in the area.

By asking this question, you could learn about how everyone in the neighborhood gets along, what the noise levels are like, and if the community is kid friendly or not.

Neighbors could also tell you if the area floods, if the neighborhood is subject to power outages and some of the HOA rules and regulations.

Is there anything I should know about this home?

Finally, be sure to ask your neighbors-to-be if there is anything out of the ordinary you should know about the home you are looking to buy.

Of course, some people want to know if the house is said to be haunted or if anyone has died there.

But more seriously, current neighborhood residents can tell you whether the home was lived in long-term or if it has had many owners.

Additionally, you can learn if the current owners ever had issues with areas of the house flooding, electrical problems, how their lawn was cared for, etc.

Prospective neighbors can be invaluable sources of information. So before you buy, be sure to get to know the neighborhood by getting to know the neighbors.

 

For more home buying advice, take a look at our “5 Questions Before Choosing a Lake Home” and “Questions to Ask about Your Local HOA Before Buying” articles!

7 Major Waterfront Vacation Home Issues You MUST Consider

Posted on Glenn S. Phillips

Buying any type of property—from a small home to a large commercial development—is a complicated and time-consuming process. Emotions have to be carefully checked and buyers need to be highly focused in order to put a great deal together. If you are considering a waterfront vacation home, your job can be even more difficult. You will be faced with several more layers to navigate such as mortgage loans, potential weather problems, and insurance concerns. Here are seven vacation home issues you need to carefully consider:

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