[Luvvarkansas]

I've looked at the existing posts already on Fairfield Bay, but I'm still curious to know more.

The houses seem so inexpensive, it makes me wonder if the area is shabbier than it appears in pictures and on google. Or are the HOA fees so excessive that the homes have to be priced lower? I see a lot of mud on the roads and lots of "road closed" signs on google street view, so I wonder if maybe the roads are not well-kept. Seems like there must be a catch somewhere.

Greers Ferry looks like a pretty lake, and it appears to be more mountainous around there than I thought.....we've made many a trip to Jasper by going up 65 and always saw the sign to Fairfield Bay, but it wasn't very mountainous at the turn-off, so I never thought it would be very pretty over there. I've always wanted to hike to the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain, though, ever since I heard of it.

I'd like to "retire" (my husband will be retiring from teaching but will still have to work) to Arkansas, and Fairfield Bay seems like a pretty neat place, maybe one to consider. Heber Springs looks like a neat town also.

Anything anyone could tell me about either of these places would be appreciated.

[Dutchman01]

Originally Posted by Luvvarkansas

I've looked at the existing posts already on Fairfield Bay, but I'm still curious to know more.

The houses seem so inexpensive, it makes me wonder if the area is shabbier than it appears in pictures and on google. Or are the HOA fees so excessive that the homes have to be priced lower? I see a lot of mud on the roads and lots of "road closed" signs on google street view, so I wonder if maybe the roads are not well-kept. Seems like there must be a catch somewhere.

Greers Ferry looks like a pretty lake, and it appears to be more mountainous around there than I thought.....we've made many a trip to Jasper by going up 65 and always saw the sign to Fairfield Bay, but it wasn't very mountainous at the turn-off, so I never thought it would be very pretty over there. I've always wanted to hike to the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain, though, ever since I heard of it.

I'd like to "retire" (my husband will be retiring from teaching but will still have to work) to Arkansas, and Fairfield Bay seems like a pretty neat place, maybe one to consider. Heber Springs looks like a neat town also.

Anything anyone could tell me about either of these places would be appreciated.

Arkansas is a land of low taxes and virtually no unions. Naturally that means low wages and public roads that are less than they could be. You will find "shabbier" homes around the fairfield bay area. Those are called local folks, many of them my relatives. Try treating them like they're human beings that just happened to get there a couple of hundred years before you did and you'll do just fine. Be prepared to drive across half the state to find a decent mall. I'd live there myself but out of state retirees have priced the land out of my reach.

[bjrush]

The lake is nice. On a recent fishing trip, I didn't see a whole lot of "shabby" houses. For the most part I think the Greers Ferry area is for rich retired out of state folks. I also thought there were a lot of businesses and restaurants in Clinton for its size.

To be honest, it seems like you are talking down to the people who live in the "shabby" homes. If you do move there, I would recommend going with an open mind. Remember, just because those people don't have as much as you doesn't make them bad people.

[Luvvarkansas]

Well, I guess I gave the wrong impression.

If you all will read my question again, you will notice that I said the houses were inexpensively priced, not shabby. I've learned, from looking at thousands of houses for sale all across NW Arkansas, that there is usually some kind of "catch" when something is reasonably priced, especially in retirement communities. I was just wondering what the "catch" was.

The houses are cute, IMO, and in surprisingly good shape for their prices. I am not rich at all (exactly why I am checking out FF Bay), and I want a small, but well-kept home. These seem to fit the bill.

I had not even dreamed of treating the locals as less than human. I don't even want to live in an "exclusive" area and get into the rat race of trying to keep up with the Joneses. But I do want clean, neat neighbors, even if they live in a trailer. I do not ever want to live next to pigs again, as I do now. When you see filth and mess around every day it's depressing and affects your outlook on life!

So, I hope this helps everyone understand where I'm coming from.

[bjrush]

Well the only "catch" I can think of is how far you are from the nearest major shopping mall and things like that. Fairfield Bay is kind of off the beaten path it seems.

Of course, for many people that is a positive

[Luvvarkansas]

Yes, it would be a positive for me....I'm not into shopping malls. Heber Springs or Clinton would be enough shopping for me (like Wal-Mart or hardware store, etc.), and maybe 2-3 times a year I would go into Conway to the mall to get some new clothes or buy furniture or such as that.

I'm more into peace and quiet, being able to hear the birds sing, hills and trees, rocks and lakes, sunsets, nice places to take evening strolls, etc. And FFB is also close to the Buffalo River and Jasper, one of my very favorite places in Arkansas. I would live there if my husband could actually find work there.

[bjrush]

You would totally be able to hear the birds sing. I was very impressed with the area the first time I visited, and like I said, Clinton had more going on in it that I expected for a town its size.

[Lenore White]

I have just visited Fairfield Bay, Arkansas this past May. It is a beautiful area, not too far from Greer's Ferry Lake. The community is small. You would have to go to a larger town for any major grocery shopping. From what I understand, if you own property in the community, you get free access to the local gym...which is REALLY nice. There is a golf course, bowling alley, small local grocery store...all in a few mile radius. If I were retiring, I would love to live in the area. You asked about the roads? From what I saw, they are paved and in good condition. I would imagine there are a few areas that are low and may experience some flooding if there was an excessive rain. I will warn you to actually go look at the property you want to buy. I bought a lot, sight unseen, with the expectations that it would be improved, but it sits vacant and is in an area that has dirt roads and is basically inexcessible. I still have to pay HOA fees, which run me $46 per month for unimproved lot. The taxes are $14 per year on it. Yes, the taxes in Arkansas are very reasonable. The most costly part is the HOA fees. Personally, I would prefer Fairfield Bay to Greers Ferry.

[btoverdrive]

Originally Posted by Lenore White

I have just visited Fairfield Bay, Arkansas this past May. It is a beautiful area, not too far from Greer's Ferry Lake. The community is small. You would have to go to a larger town for any major grocery shopping. From what I understand, if you own property in the community, you get free access to the local gym...which is REALLY nice. There is a golf course, bowling alley, small local grocery store...all in a few mile radius. If I were retiring, I would love to live in the area. You asked about the roads? From what I saw, they are paved and in good condition. I would imagine there are a few areas that are low and may experience some flooding if there was an excessive rain. I will warn you to actually go look at the property you want to buy. I bought a lot, sight unseen, with the expectations that it would be improved, but it sits vacant and is in an area that has dirt roads and is basically inexcessible. I still have to pay HOA fees, which run me $46 per month for unimproved lot. The taxes are $14 per year on it. Yes, the taxes in Arkansas are very reasonable. The most costly part is the HOA fees. Personally, I would prefer Fairfield Bay to Greers Ferry.

If Fairfield Bay is like Hot Springs Village, the road to your property will be paved as soon as you verify that you will be building there. I could be wrong as these are two different developments.

[Luvvarkansas]

Originally Posted by Lenore White

From what I understand, if you own property in the community, you get free access to the local gym...which is REALLY nice.

It is my understanding that you only get discounted rates at all the amenities, not free access. That kind of bummed me out when I read that on their web site. Of course, the gym may be different, maybe they let HOA members in there for free.

You mentioned $46 monthly HOA fees for an unimproved lot.....one of the real estate sites I stumbled across actually listed the HOA fees for each house -- some were over $100 a month! I think I've discovered why the houses are relatively inexpensive. The HOA fees are mandatory. That would add significantly to the "cheap" house payment you would have each month. As I said before, if I lived there I would not be a "rich retiree"....I would be the wife of a retired teacher (who never made any money in the first place, so his retirement won't be enough to live on) who would still be working at a job. That's another thing that has made me back up and think....the fact that my husband would have to go to a job every day and it seems like FFB is sort of out of the way. I'm not sure how long it takes to drive from there to Heber Springs. Lots of small, curvy roads to get to the interior of FFB.

I've "traveled" FFB extensively on google street view, and I can tell it is a beautiful place. In my area of the country, Google has started replacing some of their older street view pictures with brighter, sharper ones....wish they would hurry up and do all of Arkansas! It's the only way I can travel for now.