Relocating to a lake in the south? (shop, humidity)

[rodderking]

Originally Posted by LakeGuy

If you're looking in the Lake Norman area, and that reminds you too much of the big rat race you're leaving, drive 90 minutes northeast to check out Lake Lure. While there are a lot of expensive homes on the lake, prices for properties with views of the mountains and water are much lower than lakefront.

We live on a ridgeline overlooking the lake and drive 15 minutes when we want to get on our boat. That "inconvenience" saved us about $200K when we bought in 1999. You can find homesites with that kind of view for around $200K (or less on a good day) or a home (conditions will vary widely) for $300K and up.

Also, many lakes in the region are controlled by either the power company, Corps of Engineers or TVA and water levels will fluctuate widely. This lake is unique, I believe in that it's owned by the taxpayers and managed by the town.

Weather here is good, check out weather.com for average stats. We have 4 seasons but very little snow. Humidity is very low compared with Silver Spring, MD and Shreveport, LA where we lived earlier. Temps in July and August explain the need for air conditioning, however.

Let me know if you want more information. Like most everyone in western NC, I have a real estate license.

Hi Lakeguy,
We had a family reunion at a waterfront home on Lake Lure in Oct '05. We all loved it. The only turnoff was the price of the waterfront homes. We had a realtor take us around the lake & show us all of the homes that were available. The bottom line: anything under $1M was practically a teardown if you want a nice place. The log cabin two houses down from where we were staying was listed at $1.4M. It was a nice, rustic home with a large boathouse but it wasn't anything too spectacular. I guess this is one of the premier lakes in NC due to the beautiful surrounding mountains, slightly cooler weather and proximity to Ashland, so plenty of people are willing to pay a lot of money to live on the lake. I thought of a lake view property as a compromise, but we did not have time to look at any while we were there. If you could give me more info on lakeview homes in the area, I would appreciate it. Also, does the marina have boat slips available? If so, at what price?
Thanks

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by rodderking

Hi Lakeguy,
We had a family reunion at a waterfront home on Lake Lure in Oct '05. We all loved it. The only turnoff was the price of the waterfront homes. We had a realtor take us around the lake & show us all of the homes that were available. The bottom line: anything under $1M was practically a teardown if you want a nice place. The log cabin two houses down from where we were staying was listed at $1.4M. It was a nice, rustic home with a large boathouse but it wasn't anything too spectacular. I guess this is one of the premier lakes in NC due to the beautiful surrounding mountains, slightly cooler weather and proximity to Ashland, so plenty of people are willing to pay a lot of money to live on the lake. I thought of a lake view property as a compromise, but we did not have time to look at any while we were there. If you could give me more info on lakeview homes in the area, I would appreciate it. Also, does the marina have boat slips available? If so, at what price?
Thanks

Would you be interested in beautiful lots high up above Lake Lure with a vew looking back to it?

[SuperchargedSS]

Lake Norman is hardly a rat race on the west end. Consider Denver, NC, it's booming over there and there are some great lake front properties still! If you were looking to spend $1M, the house you could get would amaze you. It's still quiet over here on the west end of the lake, we love it.

If you are looking to buy on Lake Norman, send me a message, I am not a realtor, but I can recommend the realtor that found us our house. Unlike most realtors, our realtor is now a family friend who calls us weekly to say hello and even stops by from time to time to see how things are going. And we closed on this place back in September and he STILL calls... great people!

[LakeGuy]

SuperchargedSS
Glad to hear about the west end of Lake Norman. I want to come and visit sometime. Just head east from Lincolnton I guess?

[LakeGuy]

Rodderking

I've sent you a PM pointing you to a few examples

[jillmos]

You should consider Lake Rhodhiss in Valdese, NC. It has a sand bottom, so the water is very clear, and has more fish per acre than any other lake in the region. Biologists found that Rhodhiss is probably the most fertile reservoir on the Catawba, producing more pounds of fish flesh per surface acre than Lake Hickory or Wylie or James. I live in the area, and am a runner myself. The weather here is actually ideal. The humidity is rarely very bad. Our summers are relatively mild with highs around 80-85. In fact, the town of Valdese hosts a triathlon, 10k and 5k road race, and has an active running community. Nearby Morganton also hosts road races and running clubs. there are many avid kayakers in the area. Lake Rhodhiss has less boat traffic and is considerably less wavy. The Settings of Lake Rhodhiss, a new development, will have kayak and canoe launches as well as an outfitters station. They will also have tennis courts, walking trails, pools, etc. It's definitley worth taking a look at. The golf in the area is great as well. Rock Barn Golf and Country Club 15 minutes away in Hickory hosts a senior pga event every year. Mimosa Hills Country Club is a great course in Morganton, about 10 minutes away from Rhodhiss.

[dunroven55]

Originally Posted by rodderking

I am a retired Southern Californian considering relocating to a home on a lake somewhere in the Carolinas or Tennessee. So here's the deal: California has great weather and is close to ocean, mountains & desert but it also is way too crowded, a big rat race, many rude people, maniac drivers, nobody seems to speak english and real estate prices are thru the roof.
My sister-in-law relocated from Calif to Raleigh in '96 and loves it except for ice storms and summer humidity. My sister relocated from Calif to Wake Forrest in '03 and loves it except for summer humidity. I remember the humidity, I was born & raised in Virginia. I didn't like it much either, but we never had air conditioning so there was no releaf.
My question is, since I'm an outdoors person, (Golf, tennis, fishing, boating, running) is the weather tolerable for this kind of activity in the summer if you do it in the morning or in the evening? Also, can anyone recommend a good lake to live on with clear water and not too much depth variation? We did a family reunion at Lake Lure October of '05 and loved it. The lakefront homes there were too expensive though. Anything under $1,000,000 was practically a teardown. I plan on taking a trip out there this spring to check out several lakes and realtors. Any help will be appreciated.

I live at Lake Wylie in riverpointe. The neighborhood has walking trails, clubs, swimming pool. The fourth of July fireworks are right at your back door and the Boat Parade at Christmas also. We have two golf clubs nearby, Palisades and River Hills both nice courses. Also, tennis is available in the neighborhood however, Or play at Palisades or River Hills both have nice courts. About 20 min. away you can play at Charlotte Indoor. They have wonderful outdoor courts and indoor courts with leagues all winter. Alot of the neighbors run in the neighborhood (lots of hills) or a McDowell Park nearby. Fishing is great on Lake Wylie. We have lots of large tournaments here every year.

My house happens to be for sale right on the lake! If you would like to have more information on the neighborhood or the house, please personal message me and I will be happy to share.

Lake Wylie is growing and there are nice restaurants, shopping close by and you can be at Carolina Place Mall or Southpark within a 30 minute drive.

Good Luck in your search!

[ptfleming]

Lake Auman - My husband and I are non golferes but are considering relocating to the Pinehurst area to semi-retire (we visited and found it very beautiful). Lake Aumen (Seven Lakes, West) is a beautiful community, very new, and affordable. The big draw of this 800-acre lake is that there are NO "Nuke Plants" nearby and no plans to build one. Remember, Lake Norman outside of Charlotte has one...a little scarry if you ask me.

[Belmarin]

We moved here from Calif. 8 years ago and live on Lake Wylie. We enjoy the seclusion and activities where we are located and the proximity (18 miles) to the City of Charlotte and the airport. Here is a link to the community we live in River Hills Community Association - River Hills Plantation. It has all the activities you are interested in. Feel free to PM me if I can be of any help.

[jwrichter]

Originally Posted by ptfleming

Lake Auman - My husband and I are non golferes but are considering relocating to the Pinehurst area to semi-retire (we visited and found it very beautiful). Lake Aumen (Seven Lakes, West) is a beautiful community, very new, and affordable. The big draw of this 800-acre lake is that there are NO "Nuke Plants" nearby and no plans to build one. Remember, Lake Norman outside of Charlotte has one...a little scarry if you ask me.

How far you from any kind of decent shopping and restaurants? My wife would find that more scary.