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You do realize that you may not have it all here? and that you really need to make some visits, we can't possibly suggest more, you have to narrow it down by getting here.
Actually considering western Nc eastern Tenn and perhaps western SC or Ga
We are on Skaneatles Lake now. John Walsh Americas Most Wanted lives across the lake
Our Lake is Syracuse drinking water.
If we moved it would accomplish 2 things...cut my non income producing assets more than half.
Put us at midway point between our 3 kids and grandchildren.
I own almost 2 acres on lake with large Victorian home barn and boathouse.
Also own vacant lot next door
I would spend 1 to 1.8 million buying or building.
Of course I need to visit ...more than a few times. And probably rent.
Finding a clean lake for my wife and long range mountain views for me with shopping within a reasonable distance and good golf nearby is quite the challenge.
I do like Brad Wright design type home
And suspect I may have to build.
I'm 65 and need to
get this right.
I think you are right. Finding all of these things to recreate what we have at half the price leads me to believe it will be daunting task.
Thanks
One more thing. I liked the overall concept of The Cliffs on Lake Keowee in SC. However, in SC, if this is not your primary residence, then you can pay much more in property taxes. And no lakes in other Cliff communitites. Also think 50k to become a member is high. But loved the quality of the community and golf courses. My interests are golf, practice golf and going to gym. Not into horses, croquet or other club type things.
Nor need to live on golf course since I already have that in Fl
Thanks for listening.
You do realize that you may not have it all here? and that you really need to make some visits, we can't possibly suggest more, you have to narrow it down by getting here.
Actually considering western Nc eastern Tenn and perhaps western SC or Ga
We are on Skaneatles Lake now. John Walsh Americas Most Wanted lives across the lake
Our Lake is Syracuse drinking water.
If we moved it would accomplish 3 things...cut my non income producing assets more than half.
Increase my income by over 60k annually and also
Puts us at midway point between our 3 kids and grandchildren.... NY St Louis and Cleveland
I own almost 2 acres on lake with large Victorian home barn and boathouse.
Also own vacant lot next door
I would spend 1 to 1.8 million buying or building.
Of course I need to visit ...more than a few times. And probably rent.
Finding a clean lake for my wife and long range mountain views for me with shopping within a reasonable distance and good golf nearby is quite the challenge.
I do like Brad Wright design type home
And suspect I may have to build.
I'm 65 and need to
get this right.
I think you are right. Finding all of these things to recreate what we have at half the price leads me to believe it will be daunting task.
Thanks
One more thing. I liked the overall concept of The Cliffs on Lake Keowee in SC. However, in SC, if this is not your primary residence, then you can pay much more in property taxes. And no lakes in other Cliff communitites. Also think 50k to become a member is high. But loved the quality of the community and golf courses. My interests are golf, practice golf and going to gym. Not into horses, croquet or other club type things.
Nor need to live on golf course since I already have that in Fl
Thanks for listening.
When we lived in NY, we did the FLs several times a year, inc Skaneatles.
A diff vibe and much more gentle topography in NY vs much of western NC.
No expert on Glenville vs Toxaway, but both are nice and both potentially have the views, land, lake scene and accoutrements you may be looking for.
In western NC, those would be the lake/mtn picks, with maybe Fontana a distant third.
Some elevation up one of the slopes surrounding either will afford more views, but maybe much less 'on lakefront', but the elevation will also make May through Oct delightful vs warmer than the lower western NC elevations. Fwiw, Toxaway may be a bit more upscale in some sections. Both are slightly 'remote' as in all the usual joints aren't just down the street.
You are on the right track, but it will take some serious on the ground looking. Your budget helps sooth a lot of the usual constraints, too.
GL, mD
Actually considering western Nc eastern Tenn and perhaps western SC or Ga
We are on Skaneatles Lake now. John Walsh Americas Most Wanted lives across the lake
Our Lake is Syracuse drinking water.
If we moved it would accomplish 3 things...cut my non income producing assets more than half.
Increase my income by over 60k annually and also
Puts us at midway point between our 3 kids and grandchildren.... NY St Louis and Cleveland
I own almost 2 acres on lake with large Victorian home barn and boathouse.
Also own vacant lot next door
I would spend 1 to 1.8 million buying or building.
Of course I need to visit ...more than a few times. And probably rent.
Finding a clean lake for my wife and long range mountain views for me with shopping within a reasonable distance and good golf nearby is quite the challenge.
I do like Brad Wright design type home
And suspect I may have to build.
I'm 65 and need to
get this right.
I think you are right. Finding all of these things to recreate what we have at half the price leads me to believe it will be daunting task.
Thanks
One more thing. I liked the overall concept of The Cliffs on Lake Keowee in SC. However, in SC, if this is not your primary residence, then you can pay much more in property taxes. And no lakes in other Cliff communitites. Also think 50k to become a member is high. But loved the quality of the community and golf courses. My interests are golf, practice golf and going to gym. Not into horses, croquet or other club type things.
Nor need to live on golf course since I already have that in Fl
Thanks for listening.
In that price range, you should be able to find most of what you are looking for within a 30 mile radius of Asheville; some beautiful areas. Hope you have the time to do some serious on the ground scouting. Also Google Earth will be of some assistance in orienting lakes to views. Terrain should be your #1 consideration. If you are too isolated, believe me ... that will be tiring, and you will wish you were closer to entertainment, culture, friends. You will want to take advantage of what the area has to offer during the months you are here. Others savvy on your tax advantages/disadvantages will chime in. Best wishes.
If you have that kind of budget then please check out some of the Crescent communities on Lake James such as Black Forest, Old Wildlife Club and 1780. These are 1st class planned communities with great amenities and the market there is still depressed so there are good bargains available. Lake James is much closer to modern shopping and conveniences than the other lakes that have been mentioned in this thread. You could have a large lakeside compound lot with mountain views and still have plenty of money for a beautiful craftsman-style house.
Just a very minor 2 cents, you mention that you can drink the water in your lake and it is used to provide water in Syracuse. I am not sure that is attainable in our part of the country.
I do not know if watershed reservoirs allow development or even roads, but the power company lakes do allow development.
I may be real wrong with your intention or availability of safe to drink lake water. But you have the time and the means to investigate if that is important to you.
Now a nice lake to live on or enjoy the recreation, all lakes mentioned are nice for that if the terrain suits you.
The lake is at ~3,000 ft elevation. Summers will be much less hot than down in the 1500-2000 ft elevations. Winters are more like winter, but not Finger Lakes winters.
Mobility in winter will be reduced, but if one is retired, getting out 'daily' for a run to 'town' may not be high on the list of concerns.
If I was doing it again and trying to 'get it right' as the OP wisely wrote, I would look for existing house vs building, esp in the various sections the OP might be considering.
My 50Cts.
GL, mD
We have acquaintances that have a house on Lake Toxaway - pristine mountain lake, amazing views - mild summer weather (compared to Charlotte/Greenville SC) - cold water, even in the summer - quite remote (this would be a concern if you need specialist medical care).
Lakes Keowee/Jocassee in SC are as pristine as Toxaway but much larger - I lived on Keowee - amazing lake with mountain views - of course, relatively cheaper than NC (although any Cliffs' community will be more expensive than other lake subdivisions) - additionally, summers are much warmer (and lake temps are warmer than Toxaway) - very little snow to "shovel" in the winter
Last edited by drfranklin; 10-14-2014 at 07:34 AM..
Toxaway is by no means remote or a "long haul." It's about 30 minutes from Cashiers which has a little shopping, and roughly 30 minutes into Brevard. If some of you think that is remote or a long haul, then yall need to visit some other places in WNC that are truly remote. Also, if you cant go more than 30mph on the road from Toxaway to Brevard, then you need to turn your license back in. It's actually a pretty good road that only has a short section of very curvy road. But again, I know some of the move ins have never seen a tree or a curve and freak out.
So having forgotten my user name and password, I guess I'lll start over !!!
Old people…harrumph !
Anyway….for the OP…
We too are looking in the area. We have lived in Atlanta and vacationed in the NC area a few times so we have a fair understanding of the area.
Also lived in New England, Rockies, Far West, DC, etc.
so….
NC "mountains" are not like central NY. The Appalachians are steep and rugged. The lakes are almost all man made. That means they chose a deep steep canyon, damed the river and filled the canyon. Very little, or no, level or semi level land to the water edge.
Not all, but many are like this. Lake Lure is one. Waterfront property is very likely to be house on a hillside with a long stairway down to your dock and boathouse
There are others with less severe topography, like near Morristown TN and Morgantown NC as some have noted, but please be aware the topography is filled with steep ravines.
Lake Lure, like many 2nd home areas, boomed with the free money times and have had serious problems since the reality of '08. Many properties for sale..most seriously upside down.
Lake Lure was the spot of the HGTV dream home giveaway of '06 that turned into a bankrupt disaster. The developer of the area skipped town, the feds went after him for wire fraud, he finally ended up in the slammer for shooting his wife in the head (Florida). There were LOTS of big plans to develop the entire area and make a fortune. Lots and Lots of people went bust and Lots and Lots of property still trying to make their money back, somehow still believing 2007 will return any day now.
Lake Lure location is pretty good. Better near the "town" and Chimney Rock. Access to amenities from there is good. Hendersonville NC is about 20 minutes away. If you choose the north end of the lake, you'll add 30 minutes to the drive.
Morgantown/Marion NC and Morristown TN are, perhaps, more complete areas. Just keep in mind, the topography is very different than NY and there are buckets of properties for sale.
We've used Zillow as a resource and it's pretty good.
Weather….well, it's the south. It will be humid. It will be hot. Like Florida in the summer, no, but it is the Carolinas. No real way to block the heat and humidity coming from the Gulf.
Fall much like NY, but longer
Winter not as severe but you will get cold temps and snow/ice. Even Charlotte NC gets snow/ice.
You may want to check with weather.com or underground.com for historical weather patterns, or even contact NOAA
Bugs…don't get the skeeters down here that are mistaken for aircraft that you have up there, but they're still here. Altitude limitations…ummm yea. Once upon a time I believed skeeters couldn't survive above 9,000 feet. So standing under a rock outcropping at 11,000 ft in the Sierras waiting out a rain shower, I was amused to watch the skeeters chew through my socks and gloves. DEET is your friend.
With your budget, you should have people falling all over themselves in the area. I might suggest a few long weekend trips to some of the areas, find a couple of areas you like and them decided what you want: house type, size, property, water/mountain view, water access, amenities, etc. but leave the numbers low. let the Real Estate folks do some searching . You may find what you're looking for at a far lower price. Zillow is helpful for this…most listings will give you a sales and listing price history.
It's a very, very different place. Still an occasional vibe of the "carpetbagging yankee" issue, but overall nie people. Lots of options, don't jump on the first one
Good luck.
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