The Lake House Look—When You Don’t Live Near Water

Evoke that laid-back, free-flowing waterside vibe—no vacation required. By Vanessa Richetti, MoutainLiving.com. A lazy summer day reclining on the back deck of your mountain home might look a little something like this: snow-capped peaks in the distance, rolling green hills lined with trees waving in the breeze, your dog playing in the yard, and a […]

Defining Your Lake Home Budget

Before going out and viewing lakefront dream homes, it’s important to understand what you can comfortably afford. It’s no fun falling in love with a home only to find out you can’t qualify for it. Not to mention, most sellers will now require a buyer to be pre-approved for a mortgage prior to viewing the […]

Will My Dream Lakefront Home Require Flood Insurance?

About 15% of all lakefront properties will require flood insurance by the lender. This means that they have determined (through FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps) that the property sits in a flood zone. Flood insurance is not cheap and can cost anywhere from $500 per year to $5,000 per year. Here’s some facts about flood […]

How to Choose the Perfect LAKE for Your Lakefront Lifestyle

Understand that you are not just buying a house, you are buying a LAKE! After all, it’s the lakefront lifestyle you wish to experience. Therefore, all the specific details of the lake become critically important to enjoy the lifestyle you desire. Ask yourself (and your family) the following questions. It will help you understand your […]

Why Choose a Lakefront Specialist When Selling your Lake Home?

Lakefront property is unique, your home is unique… and it takes a focused marketing approach to attract & educate the best buyers from a nation-wide audience. So why would you trust your most important investment to a generalist? Most Real Estate agents sell every type of property they can get their hands on…and there’s nothing wrong with that. But lakefront […]

The Benefits of Creating a Buffer Zone on Your Lake Shoreline

More and more of us are choosing to live near lakes, streams and rivers, with the expectation that our shoreline property will provide lovely views, wildlife habitat, and clean water for fishing, swimming, boating, and other recreational activities. But as development increases it can seriously affect the water quality of our lakes, rivers and streams. Visual signs of […]

Considerations When Building a Lake Home

Nothing beats the serenity and beauty of lakefront home. The views are out of this world, and there’s something peaceful about the sound and sight of water. But if you plan on building a lake home from the ground up, you should know that you’ve got a challenging road ahead of you. There’s a lot […]

How To Calculate The Value of Your Lake Home

Tired of inaccurate on-line valuations for lakefront homes? Automated Valuation Models – or “AVMs” – can be a valuable tool for buyers & sellers…but they are notoriously inaccurate for certain types of homes…especially lakefront. AVMs cannot account for all the variables that accompany unique locations, especially the details of the lake itself. We consistently find them […]

Four Design Tips For Your Lakefront Home

Living on the lake is very different from living anywhere else. Since living on the lake — even if it is just for a weekend — is different, shouldn’t the houses be different? The most attractive and valuable houses on Lake Martin have one thing in common — they are designed for the lake! What […]