Lake Buchanan questions. (Austin, Burnet, Llano: real estate, rentals, houses)

[Trainwreck20]

Is anyone a current or former property owner on or near Lake Buchanan? We are very casually looking at buying some (as yet, unidentified) property up there, but wondered if anyone had experience there or the different areas?

Looking at both 'on water' and 'near water' properties, while understanding that the lake level fluctuates similar to Travis (making lake front a possible misnomer, sometimes).

In any case, it looks like there are some good deals on property out there, I am guessing due at least somewhat to the low lake level and people that need to get out now. I am an optimist (and plan to own for a while, at least 12-15 years), so I am thinking that the lake will be back to normal levels at least some of the upcoming years.

With interest rates as low as they are, you can get smaller houses for less (PMI) than the cost of a slip on the constant level lakes. Taxes also look absurdly low out there, but I am fairly sure I must be missing something....

[hoffdano]

Neither a current or former owner but a good friend has lived on Buchanan for many years now. The lake level varies, but not as much because the lake is much shallower but relatively more surface area. I like the area because it is just so calm. I expect the lake level will return to more normal levels eventually, just like Lake Travis. But I don't claim to have any special knowledge of lake levels.

If you buy waterfront, just be sure you know what you are in for. If you have a dock, it will need to move with the water level. Be sure you understand the water depth in front of your property.

[Trainwreck20]

I like the area because it is just so calm.

That is one of the main reasons that we are looking out there - calm. We have younger kids, and the more prevalent sloping entries and the less busy shore and lake are very attractive.

If you have a dock, it will need to move with the water level.

We are planning to either a) avoid a boat dock entirely (to avoid having to worry about lake levels) or b) get a dock that we can let set down if the water goes down (i.e. no boat left there). I really don't want to be hustling out there during a rain storm to raise the dock .

Be sure you understand the water depth in front of your property.

Yes, this is one of the things that is difficult to assess from 'afar' or via internet, so we will have to make some visits. Google Earth can be quite useful, though, too. You can see what facilities the neighboring properties have built, even if the one in question does not have a dock.

We would, possibly, build a pier so that we could tie up a boat while we were there, but then trailer it out when we were leaving.

[EricEstate]

Of all the Lakes near Austin, Buchanan is the northernmost, and farthest away. Halfway between Llano and Burnet. There are a lot of great deals on real estate, pretty much all the time, mostly because it's farther away.
I've got several friends with homes there, and for them it's a weekend destination trip from Austin. Leave Friday, and come back late sunday night. They like it because it isn't always as busy with boaters. Plus the fishing is good.

I'd recommend taking the plunge and getting something "on the water" with a dock. Especially if you have a boat because sometimes they public boat ramps close.

[Trainwreck20]

and for them it's a weekend destination trip from Austin. Leave Friday, and come back late sunday night. They like it because it isn't always as busy with boaters.

That would be our plan. Most areas on the lake are 1.25 to 1.75 hours away from our house, so although a round trip on a sat. or sun. would be possible, it would not be optimal. We also have two groups of friends that are in very similar situations as us - families with younger kids, some disposable income, and like going to the lake(s) - and we would probably 'time share' a house with them.

I'd recommend taking the plunge and getting something "on the water" with a dock. Especially if you have a boat because sometimes they public boat ramps close.

We are leaning toward on the water, but w/o the dock. The hassle of keeping the dock afloat, especially in the price range of properties we are looking at, would be more than we want to have to deal with. The more expensive properties appear to have deeper water access and would still need to adjust docks, but much less frequently. We would be looking at one of the creek coves, and very roughly, the property values are 100k for an acre, although there is a huge range based on water front length, location, and various other factors. Decent homes on the water (3/2 minimum) start at around 200k, so about half that is in the lot :P.

[hoffdano]

The hassle factor of your own dock can range from not much to huge. It depends most of all on the slope of the land you have and the depth of water in front of your property.

The good news is that Buchanan doesn't rise or fall as quickly as Travis. If the lake rises a bunch, the general worst case scenario is that you can't reach the dock any more because it is some distance from shore. So you either swim out there or take your canoe or small boat. Then you pull the dock in with the winches you have on the dock. The lake cannot drop quickly. So keeping up with the dock during droughts is not so difficult.

To assess the water depth - I would take a boat with a depth finder and take your own readings. Apologies to any realtors here but I absolutely would not trust what any realtor says about the water on any property you look at. Too often you will hear "they have never run out of water in the cove" or "when the water drops their neighbor lets them move the dock." Google Earth is useful - especially if you use its historical map features which lets you look at satellite images at various points in time.

[Trainwreck20]

Funny Google Earth picture of Lake Buchanan where two photos from different times overlap:

[Trainwreck20]

A photo from 2008 and one from 2011:

[Moonlady]

Have you spent any time at all on Buchanan? I don't really care for it as a recreational lake. If it's more the lake setting that you're after, you can't beat the views and the quiet, but IMO the recreational aspect of the lake leaves something to be desired.

My feeling is that due to the location, you won't see much increase in the property value if that means anything to you.

Have you ever rented any of the cabins they have around the lake? It seems like there are a bunch of them. I've always thought that would be a good way to experience it firsthand, but haven't gotten around to doing so.

[Trainwreck20]

I spent quite a bit of time up there 10+ years ago, but have not been up there lately. Our recreation would be pretty limited - we are not avid skiers, although we could try some up there . Floating around, maybe getting some fishing in, pulling some tubes behind the boat. We are not looking for water parks or nice restaurants, we would likely be cooking in mostly.

The remote location is a plus and a minus, ofc. Less interest in the area means lower prices but lower (if any) appreciation. It appears there was a pretty decent run up in values until recently, and then they have dropped off noticeably - kinda like most places recently, but I think the low lake level and the bad economy have been a double whammy. Anyway, we have not really gotten into looking at the value fluctuations in the area yet, but that is on the list IF we decide we really want to head that way. In any case, it doesn't appear that the market is hot right now, which is what we would be trying to avoid anyway.

Cabin rentals are on the to-do list. There are quite a few places up there, and we will likely make multiple weekend trips out to the area to check out the drive and the lake. With the lake down as much as it is, it will be hard to tell much about the 'typical' water other than water lines and such. We are, ofc, betting on the come - that the water will be back to normal levels at some point in the near future and present for most of the time (as it historically has). But I suspect prices will start to come back with the water .