Lake Of The Ozarks... (Kansas City, Lebanon: rental market, lawyers, houses)

[Bird_Watcher]

Hi all!...can anyone give me some tips about the area? Like employment opportunities, the rental market (single homes) and general info.

Another area I'd like to ask about is Lebanon....same as above, as far as info...

Thanks in advance!
BW

[fancyyanc]

First of all Lebanon is close, but not at all considered "lake of the ozarks". My Dad grew up there and recently I was through there....it has not changed in 30 years, no kidding. It is completely rural. If you want work, you probably should open your own business, LOL. Small time jobs, work and pay are the norm. Quiet, peaceable, pretty in spring and fall, humid hot and buggy in the summer. The Ozarks is gorgeous in the Spring, Summer and Fall---breathtaking. I lived there for a year in our lake home at Sunrise Beach, but had been visiting the area from Kansas City since before I was born, Ha! Love that place! Corps of Engineers Lake. Like all places, has it's ups and downs. You can find cheap rent there, but it won't be on the lake. You could buy a fixer-upper and be better off by fixing and selling and then moving up. There are small homes all along the lake, and they retain value through the lake front itself more than the building. You can seldom go wrong with a lake home. It's hard to find construction type helpers as they all go fishing, and I am quite literal. When they want or need money, then they will come do your job. You could find work with good pay during the summers in the busy west side of the lake, mainly in shops, restaurants. It's such a laid back area, many people refuse to accept getting in the grind of just "making money"...they instead LIVE LIFE, and many live poor - but that is just an illusion. They have chosen priorities of nature, beauty over money and cities. The rich have found it, and have built their mansions and brought their humongous boats that have made weekend boating a treacherous affair for all, but if you live there, you simply go during the week. You can boat from one restaurant to another...it's an absolute wonderful life, but not if you prefer big city life. You can purchase rural property around but not on the lake for a song....a part of my heart will always reside there...and if you get hungry enough...well, there's tons of deer! It's a haven for hunters and fishermen...which we are not, but also a haven for just plain nature lovers who hate "cities". In summers it's very, very busy. In winters, it's dead quiet. Lovely

[Bird_Watcher]

Originally Posted by fancyyanc

It's such a laid back area, many people refuse to accept getting in the grind of just "making money"...they instead LIVE LIFE, and many live poor - but that is just an illusion. They have chosen priorities of nature, beauty over money and cities.

Thanks for the reply!

That is exactly why I LOVE the area...you defined it with words that I totally can relate with...if I had to set my priorities it would most definetely be nature & beauty over money and the big city.
I realize this now that I recently moved back to Cleveland, Ohio....I totally dislike the big city life...it's just not me anymore...things and people change I guess, eh?...or maybe this is what happens when you hit 40+... ...even the "rural" areas around here are just not the same as what I experienced in Missouri....I digress....

[Hillman]

I have a place 25 miles South of Lake of the Ozarks.Land is cheap here,but there is no good paying Jobs,mostly Tourist Jobs durring the Summer.

Lebanon has some Factory Work,but most go through Tempory Job Service,then if the company decides to put you on Full time they will.

I have another place up by Warsaw on Truman Lake.Very quiet and the very best of any lake in the state.

Hillman

[CamdentonMO]

Whatever you do, do not move to Camdenton, Mo. I moved here in December and I am ready to slit my throat. There is absolutely NOTHING to do for children. This is the most UNCIVILIZED place I have ever lived. We have had nothing but trouble with the developer of the subdivision and the builder that built the houses. The neighbors are having problems with their homes too. Lebanon is nice and the people are more civilized. Now that we've bought the house we can not get the developer or builder to do any repairs or corrections and they are both so braisen they have refused to provide the fire marshall with permits and things he has ask for. They left hazardous materials on our property and I had to call the state department of Natural Rources to make them remove the waste or be fined. Save yourself alot of misery and move to Lebanon or Osage Beach, any town around the lake except Camdenton. We have only dealt with one company here that knew what customer service was all about. Locals have told me if I am going to live here I need to buy a gun. This town does not like or welcome newcomers. They do not want us here and have let us know it. Don't make the same mistake we did, you will regret it for as long as you have to live here. We can't sell our house because the market is so bad. Make sure you do adequate research on the builders and developers before you buy. The builder that built our house threaten my handicapped husband with physical violence and the developer who contract the builder agreed with the builder. The developers are a bunch of lawyers and think they can get away with anything, because they evidently always have and all they want is your money and then to hell with you. Please be careful.

[lakelife76]

It sounds like you have already made up your mind about this place, I moved here 7 years ago with my husband and two children from a big city that we had lived in for over 20 years, It is a major ajustment, but give it time the house build sounds like it was horrible but for your childrens sake dont give up just yet, this is the best place I could have brought my children the school district is wonderfull and people are more friendly here than in the city if you give them a chance! We dont want you to leave. I got my children involved in an after school sport 4 days a week which has made them new friends as well as myself! Dont give up on us yet!

[tcs1366]

We too are considering Osage Beach. We have a few friends who live there, though we have not been there ourselves. yet. We have only been doing research.

I know i'd be torn between a county setting on a few acres and a lake house - which i know there are many of ... but they are so much closer together. I guess we'd have to go with priorities.

My hubby will be semi retired, and i'd probably go for the part time job to keep me busy.

Thanks for the tip on Camdenton.

While I'm still doing research, i'd certainly be interested in topics like weather, taxes, and general cost of living. OH is there cable TV or would one have to use a "dish"? and what about hi speed internet access? cable or dsl?

[binxnotis]

I recently moved away from Camdenton after living there for 4 years. I'm sorry that the other poster has had such a poor experience. However, we enjoyed our time there. Our neighbors were very welcoming and pleasant.

Regarding the job market, the hospital is a large employer (Lake Regional Hospital) and there are many nice specialty shops in the area. Plus, some large resorts (Tantara and Lodge of the Four Seasons). If you work at a resort, you may get a discount for the spa services...I'm not sure. Of course, there are also plenty of restaurants as well.

Weather-wise, it is hot in summer (80's and 90's) and cold in winter (20's-40's). We didn't get much snow the past few years. However, make sure you live somewhere with easy access to main roads. There are a lot of gravel roads which ice up quickly and take days to clear. Plus, many of the lake roads are steep and have a lot of twists and turns--not something you want to deal with in icy conditions. Usually, the highways are cleared out pretty quickly (5 and 54) but it may take several hours to a full day to clear out some of the main lake roads. If you live in Four Seasons, I think they have their own plows and clear the roads pretty efficiently.

Taxes are cheap. We moved from a big city and our home value at the lake was over double the value of our home in Memphis and our property taxes were the same.

There is cable TV (Charter) but also the satellites. DSL was not available where we lived so we opted for cable internet through Charter.

Cost of living is comparable to a suburb of a city (we now live outside St.Louis and our expenses are about the same). You may save money in some areas but there are added costs in others. Trash and sewer (if you have sewer and not septic) are more expensive since it's such a rural area. Also be prepared to drive a lot since everything is pretty much located on 54.

For convenience, you may want to consider Osage Beach since it's closer to the large grocery store (HyVee) which I love! and is also close to Target, the mall, most restaurants and churches. I wouldn't count out Camdenton, though. It is close to gorgeous Ha Ha Tonka state park which is accessible by car or by boat.

A lot of people also like Laurie, Sunrise Beach, Lake Ozark.

Whatever you decide, cost of living and lifestyle will be relatively the same in all the towns.

Good luck!

[ajf131]

I have only ever been to the Lake of the Ozarks one time, but my experience there suggested to me that this likely had to be one of the most popular Midwestern tourist attractions.

[aragx6]

It's a very popular tourist attraction yes, but I would never want to live there full time.
Some of the most fun summer days of my childhood were spent there, but in the winter the place shows what it really is- a mostly impoverished, low economic opportunity, rural environment. The place really just shuts down in the winter. And meth is a huge problem down there!