View Full Version : Lake Lot???



Misty
06-12-2007, 10:03 AM
So, a few people have told me that you can buy a lake lot in Oklahoma CHEAP! Like, $3000-$4000 cheap? I can’t find any info at all. I’m interested in a small lakefront lot (on a decent lake not too far away, maybe Murray?) that we can use for recreation. We’d like to build a little tiny cabin, nothing fancy. But lake front OR lake access is a necessity. Can anyone point me in the right direction, and does land this cheap exist??? Thanks!

Karried
06-12-2007, 10:18 AM
It all depends on proximity to the actual lake. I don't think Murray has waterfront/lake lots... from what I remember skiing there, I didn't see any.

Lake Eufala, Grand Lake, Lake Tenkiller, closer to home .. Ski Island and Lake Hiwassee (small residential but you can still boat on them).

Oklahoma lake real estate, lake property, lake home, for sale, properties, homes, lakefront, waterfront (http://www.lakehouse.com/search.php?s_res=OR&cid=40&f_type=lot&stype=any)

bandnerd
06-12-2007, 10:30 AM
I don't think it does, either, Karried. I grew up there ;)

Good luck, Misty!

Midtowner
06-12-2007, 11:24 AM
The thing with most good sized lakes in OK is that the land around them is owned by the Army Core of Engineers. That means that even if you own the land abutting that land, they're not going to let you make improvements on it.

Grand Lake has some actual lake lots. I understand it's run by the Grand River Dam Authority, so they'd retain the right to sell the property and the right to develop the shoreline to private persons.

Eufala, Grand, Tenkiller, Hiwassee, etc., those are all Core of Engineers lakes as far as I know.

jbrown84
06-12-2007, 12:12 PM
Yeah, many of them do not have lakefront property.

I would recommend Eufala for one that is close. There is easy access to parts of it from I-40. I would check into the area around Porum. There are a lot of developments there, and that's where my aunt and uncle have a cabin. Always loved going out there. We'd take the boat out by the dam and jump off the bluffs. Water ski, play board games. Good times.

CCOKC
06-13-2007, 08:56 PM
I have a lake front lot at Lake Texoma. Let me tell you that this lot has been in my family for 30 years or more. This particular lot is the closest lot to the lake on the entire lake. This is a huge lake so this is no small feat. We are approximately 30 yards from the water. We rent our lot which is owned by the Corps of Engineeres which determines what we can or can not do on our lot. We pay our rent ($155/mo) to the owner of the resort area who manages all of the properties around us. We have a trailer home (single wide 16x80) on this lot which is the only thing allowed, that is to say not permanent house can be built here. In 1989, before my husband and I purchased this property there was a huge flood which completey covered the trailer that was there at the time. My grandmother put another one in and the Corps told her that if it ever flooded again she couldn't put another trailer there.

About 15 years ago, after we bought it from my grandmother's estate there was another flood and the water actually went around the trailer and the Corps started putting more and more restrictions on what we could do. Basically we are grandfathered in and they can't make us move but they can make life hard on us.

Two years ago our septic tank failed. You can imagine the epa problems of having a septic tank 30 yards from a recreational lake. We are not allowed to put in another tank but have to put in a pumping station to connect to the resort's treatment station. Estimated cost $10,000. Now we aren't allowed to move, can't sell, we are pretty much stuck. My sister called every resort on the lake, Oklahoma and Texas side and there was not one single lot available with a view of the lake. And most of the trailer lots are very close to each other. We have been sitting on this problem for two years paying rent the whole time and not being able to use the place without paying the money to fix our sewage problem.

The Corps this year let the owner of the resort put 5 lots in about 100 yards up the hill. They price of the lots are $12,500. Now this is just for the right to put a trailer on the lot. The poperty is still owned by the Corps and the rental issue still applies. The good news for us is they will give us credit for our old lot and they will take the old trailer off our hands. They require a 2002 or newer model which means we are buying a new trailer (still single wide) which we are finding will cost in the neighborhood of 30k-40k. What we are finding is that single wides are pretty hard to come by and used ones are almost as expensive as new.

I know that Lake Murray has no lake view lots. I talked to a guy who is a manager at Best Buy on Memorial this spring and he told me he owns one of about 10 that have been there forever and they just don't go on the market, ever, and if they ever did they would be a lot more than your budget.

I know this was rambling and has a lot of irrelevant info, but it should give you an idea of what being close to the lake is reaaly like and what it costs.

Drake
06-13-2007, 09:35 PM
So, a few people have told me that you can buy a lake lot in Oklahoma CHEAP! Like, $3000-$4000 cheap? I can’t find any info at all. I’m interested in a small lakefront lot (on a decent lake not too far away, maybe Murray?) that we can use for recreation. We’d like to build a little tiny cabin, nothing fancy. But lake front OR lake access is a necessity. Can anyone point me in the right direction, and does land this cheap exist??? Thanks!

I don't know of any type lake front property that can be bought for 4K. At least at any type of real lake. You might find some pond property for that . LOL

Misty
06-14-2007, 07:56 AM
Thanks for the info! A few other people have told me about the hassles in those trailer park recreational areas. I found a few lots for sale ranging from $4000-$6000 that are within a mile or so of Lake Eufaula, that might be what we do, assuming we can build an actual little cabin. I don't think I want a mobile home aka tornado target.

CuatrodeMayo
06-14-2007, 08:05 AM
I hate to promote trailers, but as a vacation home and assuming there is no age restriction, you get a lot more for the money.

jbrown84
06-14-2007, 08:28 AM
My uncle's place on Eufala is an actual cabin, not a trailer, so they don't seem to have those restrictions there.

Misty
06-14-2007, 08:32 AM
I haven't been in a trailer since I was a kid, I'm sure they are nicer and have come a long way. I grew up in Maine and we had a winter camp on the river, a summer camp on the lake, a hunting camp in the woods....all just cute little one room cabins. I guess that's what I'm looking for. Relive my childhood! HA!

jbrown84
06-14-2007, 09:13 AM
You can definitely do that at Eufala.

CCOKC
06-14-2007, 07:33 PM
The trailers we have been looking at are really quite nice. Like I said, the single wides are harder to find and all of the salespeople told us they are mostly sold to people like us who are looking for a lake house. The ones we are interested in actually have real walls and window sills, whirlpool tubs and separate showers, nice utility rooms and pretty good kitchens. All of this for about the price we paid for our Chevy Avalanche last year.

We really enjoy going to the lake to be close to the lake and see it from our house. Most of the people we meet at the lake are really laid back and are not there to impress anybody with how much money they have. Now mind you Ross Perot and Dennis Rodman are reported to have places down there but for the most part we bring our grungy clothes and bathing suit and become lakies for the weekend. There is a reason we kept hold of our property for so long without being able to use it. It is like 20 pounds is lifted off my shoulders every time I go.

There are some developments that have houses, some of the newer ones are really nice but you still have to drive to the lake and they are extremely expensive. Mostly because of supply and demand reasons.
You should get a map of the lake you are interested in and spend a couple of days looking at property.

Another option is to look at rentals available. That way you won't have the guilt of paying for something you may only use 10-20 times a year.

hipsterdoofus
06-18-2007, 08:07 AM
My dad, aunt and uncles bought a lakefront lot on Eufaula for $8k - 5 years later, they realize they would have been much better off getting a lot that is across the road. Corps restrictions make it not worth having a lakefront lot.

jbrown84
06-18-2007, 09:07 AM
My uncle's is a lakefront lot at Eufala, and although I haven't discussed the topic with him, I've never heard him complain about anything involving restrictions.

CuatrodeMayo
06-18-2007, 09:55 AM
Many lakefront lots adjoin Corps land and there is no physical distinction between the two. All of the land that actually touching the water is Corps land and there are certain restrictions, however I'm not sure of the extent of regulations.

hipsterdoofus
06-19-2007, 09:37 AM
Well it doesn't help that our land adjoins a creek that flows into the lake...bigtime restrictions on what you can clear out, etc - I don't know all the restrictions but it is more of a pain than not having corps restrictions.

CuatrodeMayo
06-19-2007, 10:17 AM
When I was young, my grandparents had a place on Lake Tenkiller and I remeber them being afraid to even trim the trees. Things might be getting better tho. (I hate to link this site)

United States Senator James Inhofe : Press Room (http://inhofe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressRoom.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=9f7c3fd1-802a-23ad-44fe-3e739ffafb8b)

Misty
06-19-2007, 12:45 PM
Interesting, the more we look into this the more we think we will just get a little lot CLOSE to the lake so we can have more freedom with the land.

CuatrodeMayo
06-19-2007, 12:57 PM
Ideally, find a lot that adjoins the corps lakefront land. All you do is mow the land along with your property, and voila! you have a lakefront home you can do anything with and a yard that extends to the water's edge.

jbrown84
06-19-2007, 01:16 PM
And you can have a dock.

Misty
06-19-2007, 03:18 PM
And you can have a dock.

Now that sounds perfect!

jbrown84
06-19-2007, 03:22 PM
My uncle's dock is one of the smaller ones, and it has 6 or 8 covered slips, and then the lakeside end has a deck and a ladder for swimming.

Karried
06-28-2007, 10:04 AM
Here are a few Lake Lots on Eufala: Not sure how close they are to the actual lake but the price seems reasonable ...

4 Rustic Lake Lots (http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/rvs/358223558.html)