Move out of Midland so you don't have to drive 400 miles to get to a lake.... I grew up in Odessa and believe me Taco Villa isn't bad when all you have up here in Dallas is Taco Bell. Finally got a Rosa's pretty close to my house, try to stop by at least once a week.

Didnt think about Rough Canyon but that would be a good place for sure!

Get a boat dock (floating cabin) on McCartney Island at Lake Brownwood.

Luke how exactly does that work?? Ive seen some for sale down there and that would be in some deep water which would be nice! If you have some info for me please send it to me via pm or on here so all can learn. How do you get out there??? Do you have to boat your way to the island??
Thanks

I would suggest Buchanan but anywhere in the hill country is going to be pricey. Buchanan also fluctuates a bit but it sure is nice. I have a deer lease about 5-10 miles northeast of Tow. Our cabin sits right on the lake-river and it is a pretty place.

I have to echo what Stump said about the Highland Lakes (Buchanan, Tow, LBJ, Marble Falls, Travis, Austin). We live near Dripping Springs (no lakes within 30 miles or more), and when we bought our home in '95, prices were around 6K for an acre. Now, around 25K+/acre.

You'd have a time finding a nice lot to build on for 50K near the Highland Lakes like Buchanan, Tow, LBJ, or Marble Falls. Trust me, we've shopped around ourselves for such a place. Crappy houses, almost tear-downs, in Granite Shoals or Cottonwood Shores are 80-100K. Waterfront? Fuggedaboudit! Lake Travis and Austin?!?! If you have to ask, you can't afford it.

Have no desire to get near Austin! No offense!

Hey Bit Man -

Here is something different just to consider. Why dont you consider a nice motor home? This way, your not locked on always having to go to and fish the same lake. To me, that would be the biggest draw back. At least with a motorhome, you and your family can experience different lakes, while you park it at different lakes every year. Good RV parks with long term rates are typically not hard to find especially around key lakes. Heck, by doing this you will experience each lake/surroundig area and determine where you eventually want a lake house if its still what you want.

Also, you can use the motorhome as part of your vacation to go to RV parks on some beaches along the Gulf. This gives you time to go do some salt water fishing and enjoy a different scenery.

You and your kids will meet and make lots of friends at RV parks.

You dont need a huge RV to be comfortable. We rent a 30 FT and all 5 of us thru 8 days are still having a good time. RVs sites have clean facilities and offer cable TV, internet, swimming pools, etc

just my worthless 2 cents...

Its a pretty good gig to have a dock on the island at lake Brownwood. It's an island so the only way to get there is by boat. Most of the lots have deep water. Last time I was out there ,on the 4th, there where several docks for sale . And I think there are several lots w/out docks for sale so you can get one built and float it out there. The county owns the lake and the lots, so you have to pay a fee yearly.

BIT MAN I've been looking at Amistad for 2 years. I would love to have one in Rough Canyon also. Devils Shores has community water. They say it causes problems. All the others are pretty high. My budget looks like yours and I have not been able to find anything there. Good Luck!!

No offense taken! I hate going into town myself!!

Jumburrito all the way..

If you search www.lakehouse.com for property within 400 miles of 79701 zip under 60K, you get 108 properties. Limit it to waterfront, you get 10. Not all lake property is listed here, but it's a pretty good way to get an idea of what is available.

1) First, make sure the lake is acceptable. Lake property is all about the lake, so visit there, fish there, check out local shopping and restaurants, etc. If the lake isn't right, no investment, no matter how small, will be acceptable.

2) Don't forget about maintenance/upkeep time. You will always want to fish and relax, but you will want to maintain your investment. Yard work, house repairs, etc. During the 5 years I owned a waterfront house, I had a major hail storm destroy the roof, last minute hard freezes when the water was left on, septic tank backups, and a large tree blow over across the neighbor's yard. These things have to be addressed and generally take priority.

3) I was 60 miles door-to-door, so the 400 miles seems a bit far to me, but I know a lot of folks don't mind that. I sold my house to a couple from Roswell, NM.

The motor home would give you a chance to visit a lot of state parks and use for vacations other than fishing. I loved my place at the lake and am actually considering another. I'm not trying to turn you off the lake house thing, just trying to set realistic expectations.

A No Brainer here,,,Amistad.

I have been looking into some lakefront property over the last year and trying to decide on a worthy lake/location. I want something for family time to share for now but something nice enough to retire in later.

I have also given a lot of thought towards a motor coach so I could see all the different lakes before I decide, but the cost of a new one is close to the price of a piece of property.

What I would like, is to find a few that want to go in on one and share the expense. My drawback from buying my own, is that I do not have enough spare time to enjoy it enough to justify the cost. Storage alone cost even when not in use. If I could find a few to share the expense and use it when I am not able that would be great.

When one of us does find a piece of lakefront property, it could be stored there and ued by all until one of us wants to check out the next lake.

If any of this sounds good to anyone, send me a PM so we can talk about it.