Need help, quick! (Clarksville, Paris, Waverly: homes, buying, to live in)

[lookin2retire]

I am seriously considering making an offer on a piece of lakefront property in Camden, TN on Kentucky Lake. I am not one to normally act on something without first seeing it however, the price is right and I received all the right answers from the listing agent when talking to her on the phone. I was in the process of doing some research when I came across this forum. What a wonderful, impressive site this is. Anyway, if there is anyone out there that could provide some information on the Camden area, please reply. My wife and I are looking to retire on a quiet lake in Tennessee and I am actively seeking to purchase the property for our retirement home.

[alleycat]

I know the area, but I don't really know Camden. It's west of New Johnsonville and Waverly. North of Camden is Paris, which has a state park and golf course. And, of course, there is the two lakes and the Land Between the Lakes area. There's some pretty country around that area; some of it is rough (steep and very hilly), but scenic.

It's probably a fine place to retire. If you wanted job opportunities then it wouldn't be the best location.

The only negative I would think about is the power plant at New Johnsonville. Did the listing agent furnish photos of the views out from the site?

[By the way, this really should have been posted in the main Tennessee forum. The moderator will probably move it for you when she finds it.]

[lookin2retire]

Thanks alleycat, as I stated in my original post, I came across this forum while researching the area. I am supposed to notify the listing agent tonight as to whether I am going to make an offer. Thus, the urgency of my post. I just made the post according to the largest city in the area hoping to get a response. As far as power plants, the listing agent did not mention any plant. What plant are you referring to and is it in that area?

[alleycat]

The New Johnsonville Steam Plant run by TVA is across the lake from Camden. I'm not sure you could see it from Camden or not.

Camden is a very small town, so the chances of actually having someone here who lives in the area is pretty small. Still, someone might be more familiar with it than I am.

Is there any reason you need to make an offer before even seeing the property? It certainly wouldn't be the only property available near the lake. Kentucky Lake is a long one; I'm not sure how long the coastline is, but it's miles and miles.

[lookin2retire]

The only reason for the urgency is the asking price. $25K for lakefront property is not easy to find. The property has met all of my requirements however, the main concern that I have is the grade (slope) of the property. Although I am still in relatively good condition, there will come a time that I am not going to be able to climb a steeper slope. The agent has stated that the property has a gradual slope to the water and, in her words, is not steep enough that you will be out of breath walking from the lakefront to the future residence. Thats the problem with shopping out of state... when a "seemingly" good deal comes along, you kinda have to roll the dice and trust in people. Unfortunately for us all, thats getting more and more difficult to do.

[alleycat]

Does the listing agent live in Camden, or nearby? I would be more likely to trust what she says if she lives in the area.

As I mentioned, I'm not familiar with Camden, but much of of the land right around the lake isn't too steep; if I remember correctly, it's even less steep on the west side of the lake. I used to live in Clarksville and had family in Dover, so we went to Kentucky Lake all the time. There are some very steep hills from Paris into Dover however; that's north and to the east of Camden.

[lookin2retire]

She didn't say where exactly that she lived however, she was very knowledgeable of the area and mentioned the names of local officials responsible for permits, etc... Based on my conversation with her, I would believe that she lives in the general area. You have mentioned a number of times how scenic the area is. This could be an added bonus as my wife and I spend a lot of time on my 96 H.D. Ultra Classic. Rides in the countryside are a mainstay of our days off when the weather is nice. Even if this offer does not work out, I believe that I have found another resource for helping me find my little piece of heaven. I have worked with so many realtors in the past 2 years and have researched so many websites that I had begun to become quite discouraged. Seems like these major development companies are buying up all of the prime lakefront property to develop these multi-million dollar associations with 3/4 million dollar homes. There seems to be very little remaining for the person like me, who is looking for a small secluded lakefront homesite, where I can build my retirement home to my own specifications, and not have to worry about whether another resident doesn't like the pattern that I cut in my lawn or the color of the Christmas lights on my house.

[alleycat]

Yeah, the land around the lakes to the east of Nashville has become very expensive. One reason the land might be cheaper in that area is because it's more remote (further from Nashville and the larger towns in Middle Tennessee). It hasn't been developed quite as much as, say, the area around Center Hill Lake.

The roads are hilly and curvy in places but scenic. You can also drive from one end of LBL to the other end. It would be something like driving 60 or 80 miles through a park (I can't remember the exact length). Traffic during the "off-season" is fairly light. You really shouldn't have too much trouble finding backroads around Camden to take a drive.

[lookin2retire]

It all sounds beautiful. I just got off the phone with the agent. I made an offer contingent on financing. This will give me another 24 to 48 hours to get some additional information. I really appreciate all the information that you have been able to supply. I am borrowing the funds for this purchase from my retirement account so it's kind of a gamble. But then again, so is the stock market. Perhaps others that read this thread will continue to post and, if this gets re-posted to the main Tennessee forum, I may get additional information from there. Thanks again for your support and feel free to keep in touch. I'll let you know how it all works out.

[alleycat]

Good luck. I hope everything works out for you.

If you get over to Nashville, be sure to take a drive down the Natchez Trace Parkway. It's a great drive. Right before you get on the parkway, you can have breakfast at the Loveless Cafe.