I've been considering buying waterfront property. I prefer a lake that allows your own private dock that the water level doesn't go up and down 20' every year. What are some of the other things to look for or watch out for?

Tax's,Termite's,A retaining Wall,If you do need a retaining wall,make sure it is galvanized,Open water can be much rougher than a cove,The depth of the water? Neighbors? Neighborhood?Boat lift,what kind of condition will the boat lift be in? Take your time,don't get in a hurry,Water pump to water the lawn??

The above just about covers it.. Taxes are a killer on water front depending on where you live.. I guess they think your rich....

There is a lot of maintenance with water front property, but it has it's advantages too.
Billy

Are the tax rates high or is it because of the property value? It would be nice to be somewhat close to civilization but, seems like the more remote lakes might be better? Of course if the lake had stripers, hybrids, florida hybrid blacks, crappie, channel cat etc..... That would be a plus. Neighbors can be a problem regardless of city, ranch or waterfront. It does seem like lake folks are a little more social. A friend has a weekend place that he bought to go chill at. His neighbors are always coming over wanting to do things together. He said his wife would like to just sit on the dock and relax without having to get all fixed up. He's thinking about selling and buying a ranch instead.

What are some of the maintenance issues that differ from lawn maintenance etc... ?

Taxes and price are high,but I would'nt trade the last 5 years to live anywhere else.We spend a lot of time on our dock fishing and just relaxing.

we have found the maintenance other than just the regular lawn stuff is problems associated with humidity and shifting soil
our boat lift needed a little work
and I agree on the cove thing, I have a neighbor just outside of our cove who had some stuff torn up from a strong north wind a month ago (he had a tie down rope break and his boat crashed into a few things at his lift)
property values will be higher = higher taxes (lots across the street for me are 60-75% lower because we are lake side)
but, hard to beat a back yard with a lake in it

Any theft issues with things in your boat or boathouse? I guess the wind on the open water part of the lake could be a big problem.

most people I know that end up getting waterfront lots... do less fishing and more work...

I agree with Ronnie sold my house on the lake last year. It was always my dream to own on the water until I experienced it first hand. 1. taxes will eat you alive I also owned lot across the street that lot was twice the size and 1/10 of the tax (imagine this a good piece of property will add close to a $1000 to your mortgage payment). 2. Maint. everything from cleanup to constantly sinking money into repairs and general maint. 3. Insurance is higher, Smells, Snakes, Bugs (can't use any kind of pest control near the water), Water varmits (that includes people),floods, droughts (repairing damage from),rust prevention,pumping water from the lake is not necesarily cheaper (dues, maint on pump, electricity, sprinkler system breakage, high lake saltwater content kills grass, etc) 4.Boat lifts over time can mar, scratch or damage your boat 5. The main reason I purchased lake front was to have easy access for fishing (then came the fish kills you ever net and rake up 100's of dead fish off your property I have.)

Don't buy anything on a COE lake.

I would definatley look into where my drinking water was coming from, is it a well or public.

Those were the reasons I bought!

91

I have lived on a lake front for most of my life.. maintenance
issues are mostly cosmetic stuff, nothing a power washer won't fix most of the time.. If you build correctly; and plan for the damp and shady conditions that may occur, it helps.

As far as bug and varmints go, I use the home defense method in liquid and LEAD to handle those problems..You can get the liquid at home depot and the lead at any sporting goods store.

The neighbor thing is a blessing in disguise.. thou nosey they watch your place when your away and if you have a health issue
helps not far away either.

I'm a lucky man I guess, our small subdivision is populated with couples about our age and everyone gets along great and we have some over the top cook outs. Lots of fun..

A little yard work or maintenance issues have never kept me or my family off the water when we want too go that's for sure.. I try too do any necessary work during the winter or early in the mornings in the summer..

Every thing cost more out in the country, water,gas,elec, even your trash pickup. But I wouldn't trade with any one..

JM2C's

Billy

91

I second what Keystone said!!! I too have a house at Cedar Creek (Tool) as well as Fork. If it is going to be just property, sitebuilt home or MFG community. All have pros and cons. Weekender or full time.

So far I haven't heard anything I didn't already expect. Two things in life that are certain are Death and Taxes. I know folks who have places on Cedar Creek and Grandbury. The biggest complaints were neighbors and spiders. One of the positives was neighbors. Like you mentioned RedS, good ones are worth their weight in gold.

Since my plan is to start out with a weekend place security is important. I don't really want to have to drag everything out when I get there and then put it all away when I leave. Likewise I don't want to spend all weekend doing lawn work.

HEY GOLDFISH,MUST HAVE BEEN SOMETHING ABOUT YOU THAT JUST PISSED THAT LAKE OFF.I DON'T HAVE ALL THOSE PROBLEMS.

I've been thinking about using this sight for a test drive Lake house vacations That way I can try before I buy. Some of these rentals look pretty nice.

Cajun,

One thing I have not seen mentioned that applies to some lakes is that you have to pay an additional fee to the governing body of the lake in order to have a dock there. For instance the lake I am on, Eagle Mountain, charges $0.10 per year per square foot of dock space you have. It is a nominal fee, but it is there. Other then that I think living on the lake can not be beat. I have nto experienced anymore problems here then with any other house. The retaining wall someone else mentioned would be one of the bigger expenses you can get into. Good luck.

Is Eagle Mountain a Core Of Engineer lake?

I just signed a contract for a concrete wall here at Fork and it was $90.00 per liner foot. There is a lease for the SRA property. Mine runs about $75.00 per year. It also requires a water pull permit (sprinkler system off the lake) it is a one time deal around $40.

The neighbor thing is a blessing in disguise.,[Big Thumbs up to that}I've been blessed to have the best neighbors..
If you're into the green yard,Here at CC the Moles and i have been going around and around,they can be a pain,Had a sister who almost broke her ankle from the Moles and their tunnel's.

91,Call a realtor down here at CC,these people will go out of their way to help you find what your looking for if indeed you are interested in CC,There are some Beautiful Homes here,then others that yet have been weeded out,Just a matter of time for some.

Justwingem-Your house still for sale in Tool?

we pay about the same to SRA for our leaseback and water pumping rights- a very good deal

No Permit here Yet,Henderson County must not of thought of that yet.
Taxes are based on property value,Most waterfront's with a dock,Figure at least $100,000.00..

The one off the water is still for sale.

I'm 80% done Building mine on Richland Chambers.
one time $100 for boatdock Bulkhead, 1 time $100 to pump water for life. Size of Boatdock = Ft of waterfront
Like Red Skeeter build it right & work with the neighbors you watch theres they watch your.

good luck

I'd make sure the Subdivison you consider has good Restrictions. You don't want to build your "Dream Home" or even a Weekend Get-A-Way, and have folks move their 19' RV's on either side of you. This may be their Weekend Get-A-Way too, but it sure doesn't help your Property value when you decide to sell.

Richland Chambers has many Subdivisions that have Restrictions that have kept this from happening. Even the older, Double-Wide MFG Home communities have restrictions such as Brick Skirting that make the communuity look nicer.

Also, check out the condition of the Roads thru the community. Lake area roads are often in poor condition due to low funds for improvement.

Most folks we know really enjoy the Lake living, but most that own waterfront don't have to worry about the cost. I couldn't justify waterfront for a Business/Weekend home, so I own off water. It's a lot cheaper and I just walk a block to look at the Lake.

Royce
http://www.gonefishin.biz

We have a place on CC. Wouldn't part with it. We're "Weekenders". The neighbors will be what you make of them. "Full Timers" are a good thing.
Be sure and check the Homeowners Association. Some have "got above their raisin". Can be a real pain if you don't agree with all their ideas.
On CC waterfront determines the size of your dock and can run as high as $2000.00 per running foot as a taxing base. All depends on where you are relative to "good water".
Also check out public services,fire, medical,shopping, etc.
The water company should be able to show you certification. If you don't like the taste, Ozarka has several options.
Good luck and keep in mind that anything worth having is worth working on.
Desperado

All good information, I'm going to start a list to make sure I don't miss anything. What lakes are constant level besides Grandury?

I don't know how far away you want to look but Palestine is a constant level lake. I have had property there 25+ years and this last drought brought the lake down around 5 feet, not bad considering the levels of many of the other lakes. I was still able to get my boat out at the lowest level. There are a wide range of developments around the lake and it is run by the Upper Neches River Authority. The dock and water pumping rights are very reasonable. I live in Dallas and I can leave my driveway and be sitting on my dock in 2 hrs 15 minutes.

Thanks! I'll have to check into Palestine too. I definetely want to avoid the lakes with the huge level changes for obvious reasons. Some are much worse then others.

The only problem with Palestine is it needs some fish in it.


Try looking at the water shed. If it catches lot of water it won't stay down long, usually. Unless it was like last year and we get an extended period of time without rain.

Living on the lake is like a vacation everyday.

Very few fish left in Lake Palestine, sanbasscamp caught all the sandbass and brids. Lake is full of stumps, rude boaters, high saline content, bad septic sysytems, bald eagles, ospreys, pelicans, beavers, nutrias, schooling brids n sandbass, bright starry nights, no malls, power outages, lotsa of annoying and biting bugs, duck poop on the dock, shifting soil,get in your boat and on the water in 5 minutes,live way out in the sticks, bad water, high electric bills, not much choice for phone, cable or internet, and lousy neighbors.
Did I mention that sanbasscammp caught most of the fish. There would not be any sane reason to check out palestine. I've benn here goin on 2 1/2 yrs and would not trade it for any citified cookie cutter house, in another cookie cutter subdivision, that looks just like all the other cookie cutter cities surrounding the metroplex. But that's just me and most of my neighbors.

CBASS - now I'm really going to check Palestine. Sounds like the place to be. Your post sounds more like a keep away from my honey hole in disguise.

If you get on the east side of the lake, sunsets are
a plus:



I will tell you this, you will get spoiled to the lift, you
will not put your boat on the trailer and go to other lakes.
So make sure you buy on the lake you want to fish from now
on. I have lived on Lake Palestine for about 10
years, I have trailered my boat about 6 times to the
coast.
Cove Vs open lake , protected water is great ,but you can't
beat the view across the open water. If you dock is exposed,
putting the boat back in the lift on a windy day can
be tough and hard on equipment.
There are definately a lot things to think about , but
many an evening I sit on the dock, drinking
a cold one, feeding the catfish and wondering what the people
who live in town are doing.

MO

East side is nice. Especially with both kids and fish!

lakefront lot prop runs around 1000 to 1500 linear ft. waterfront.
I did tell you that sanbasscamp caught most of the fish and the 40 to 50 hybrid days we had last year are not happening this year.

http://www.lakepalestinerealty.com/
Here is a link to a local realtor, go to mls listing, punch in waterfront and your price range, all props. listed in bullard, chandler, flint, frankston,and berryville will be lake palestine.
the lake is good for sand bass, hybrids, cats, crappie. I would say fair to good for LM and spots.
Sanbasscamp and his dad have more combined hours on the lake than I have been alive and he may be coerced to share some of his knowledge if asked nicely.

Toledo Bend is poised for a comeback. We have passed the law requiring the power plant to stop running at the 168 ft level.

Already the underwater grass is back. The Toledo Bend Lake Association has released over 200k Bass fingerling's in the last 2 months.

When I bought my house at Pendleton Harbour subdivision, house prices were reasonable. It's a restricted community, your investment is secure.

It's great here, very peaceful, wildlife everywhere, good fishing.

We have lived on the water for 14 years. Have great neighbors, have very few maintenance problems and wouldn't change a thing. Yes, we pay more than twice as much property tax as our neighbors across the street, but this is the style of life we want and we are willing to do that (until the city of Ft. Worth taxes us out of it). We don't take many vacations because of this but as my wife says, every morning when she gets up and looks out on the lake, it is like you are at a resort. I fish almost daily, talk to a lot of FRIENDLY fishermen and have not had a problem with anyone. Yes, I kill a water mocassin occasionally and the ducks can get to be a pest if you feed them (everyone learns the hard way). Are we satisfied--- I told my kids when I assume room temperature, just dump me in the lake for catfish bait.

Good Gosh Man DON"T DO IT

91Cajun, I have a trailer at Mustang Resort on Lake Fork. We looked at waterfront property for a long time and talked to lots of people. What it came down to was this - do you want to go to the lake and relax, fish and enjoy your weekend or do you want to go to the lake and mow the grass, paint, do maintenance and watch the fishermen go by while you're working on something. Some of my neighbors there are v.p.'s at TXU, Frito Lay, Honeywell and others. These guys could afford any lake house they want and some of them have owned lake houses. It comes down to what do you want to do with it. If you're about to retire and move there for good then by all means go for it. If you want a weekend getaway then think about your options.