*** Lakes Oconnee, Sinclair, Clarks Hill, Hartwell, Russell (Atlanta, Oconee: insurance, house)

[tjstrain]

Anyone live or have any info on any of these lakes? I've stopped by Oconee and Sinclair a month ago. Was told that Oconee is the "up and coming" place to be. Looks like their going try to be another Naples, Florida with the prices, gated communities and golf courses. I'm looking for waterfront with a view. ****, aren't we all!
Lake Sinclair is full of older cheaper/less expensive homes. The lake rises and falls daily 2-3 feet.
The other lakes look to be all connected which would be great for exploration by boat. Won't get bored easy with the same old surroundings while boating. Whose taxes are lower, GA or SC. pro's and cons of each state? Any and all comments would be graciously appreciated. Thank you, TJ (another SW Floridian tired of the crowds,taxes,insurance, etc, hurricanes don't bother me.) Charley and Wilma both blew us around!

[tjstrain]

The reason for those lakes is because of their proximity to Florida. Only 8 to 10 hours away from home now. We'll probably travel back and forth before selling totally here. FYI

[tjstrain]

I'd move right to Norris Lake,TN if it were as close. I love those mountains!

[BigMunch]

I hear Georgia has high tax rates.

[tjstrain]

How abot South Carolina? Taxes?

[weisel]

I lived at Lake Oconee for 10 yrs, moved 4 times while i was there. Lived 2 times on the lake and 2 times off the lake. Property value at lake Oconee has really taken off, very expensive now. If you want to live on the lake you better dig deep in your pockets. And if you want to purchase on Lake Sinclair better not waste any time about it, worst mistake i ever made was selling the first house i purchased there. I will say one thing i moved to Walton County from there and i can say equally priced homes at Lake Oconee ( Putnam County or Green County) the property taxes in Walton County along with School Taxes are 2 times as high as they were at Lake Oconee.

[DisgustaTruth]

The problem with Clarrks Hill(Thurmond), Russell, and Hartwell lakes is that they are managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers.. and they behave like Nazis when it comes to doing anything with your property. Also these lakes are not actually connected. YOu cannot go from one lake to the next by boat (there is this barrier called a dam). You'd have to haul your boat out of the water and relaunch it.Oconee is probably your best bet.. It is a beautiful lake.. short drive to Atlanta and Athens and there is a lot of nice devt going on around that lake.. plus you have more freedom to enjoy it then you would a corps managed lake.

[rasmom]

Originally Posted by weisel

I lived at Lake Oconee for 10 yrs, moved 4 times while i was there. Lived 2 times on the lake and 2 times off the lake. Property value at lake Oconee has really taken off, very expensive now. If you want to live on the lake you better dig deep in your pockets. And if you want to purchase on Lake Sinclair better not waste any time about it, worst mistake i ever made was selling the first house i purchased there. I will say one thing i moved to Walton County from there and i can say equally priced homes at Lake Oconee ( Putnam County or Green County) the property taxes in Walton County along with School Taxes are 2 times as high as they were at Lake Oconee.

Where are you in Walton county? I was surprised when you said our taxes are higher here than by the lake! Is it a significant difference? My husband would love to retire in a home by the lake!Any info you could provide would be appreciated! Thanks!

[pickleswanson]

all you mentiond are great but i feel are or getting over developed. if you like smaller country feel try lake eufaula on either ga's or al's side. al's side is more developed but still very nice.

[small town south]

I currently live in a development at Lake Oconee - on the Greene County side. Having moved from the northeast (altho graced to be a southerner by birth), I view taxes here as a bargain. Lake Oconee is a beautiful area and while it is getting more expensive daily, there are some non-gated areas that are still reasonable. This lake is nice as it does not fluctuate level more than 2-3', as compared to other lakes (Lanier, etc) that experience major level drop during summer. And as another post mentioned, we are almost centered between Augusta and Atlanta, and Athens is within an hour. Great area - would suggest a visit to compare and check it out...

As to the comment about lakes managed by Corps of Engineers, Lake Oconee is a Georgia Power property and they also tightly manage the area, which is in some ways good, in others not.