My dad retired at 62 and sold his house in the city and moved to the lake. Lived there for 18 years until his health gave out. I didn't think I would want to follow in his footsteps, but I am thinking about doing it. Anyone have any advice, good or bad?

Depends upon the lake.

As much as I like fishing and would really like a retreat on a lake for weekends or week long trips, I have way too many interests and past times to spend retirement on a lake house.

Your mileage may very.

Come down to Lake Travis outside Austin. 69ft. low. People's docks look like little decks out in the wilderness.

Keep in mind that you're everyone's best friend once you have a lake home and you'll spend a lot of time and money keeping it up for others to enjoy.

my generation won't get to retire, so I envy those who can now.

I agree with Walt, everyone I knows who has a lake house suddenly is everyone's new best friend.

I did. Bought a lake house on Lake Ozark(quiet end) in 2000, put a few bucks in it and retired in 2001. Still have it but don't claim it as a residence. Just got back from a two week stay. I have no intention of selling any time soon. Best investment I ever made.

My choices are Oklahoma lakes Tenkiller or Broken Bow, both clear water lakes with year around tailwater trout streams below the dam (Illinois River and Lower Mt. Fork) or Arkansas Beaver Lake with trout stream tailwater White River. The idea is to provide a place close to my kids (in OKC) where they can visit and bring the grand kids . . . not to mention the great hunting and fishing in the vicinity. Have also thought of buying a small cabin and just keeping my house in OKC and visiting the cabin whenever I want.

Am thinking of the same thing, OrangeOkie. I live in Edmond and would really like to have a lake house, somewhere...

Oklahoma has lakes...?

Many are surprised to learn that Oklahoma has more freshwater shoreline than any other state (except Minnesota.)

I am surprised.

Many of the outstate plates up here in the upper lakes region (MN) in the summer, resort months, are OK.

OK has a buttload of lakes.

That is an awfully good point. One way to make sure that kids and grandkids spend time with you if far away is to have lake access. My father even had one in North Dakota and it worked that way.

I haven't retired yet, but I can give you some information on Broken Bow.

There is no lake front private property on Broken Bow. If you can find something within three or four miles of a ramp, you will be doing good. The Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex has found Broken Bow and the Texans are buying up everything within a reasonable distance of Beavers Bend for astronomical prices.

Other than hunting and fishing, there isn't a whole lot to do in the area. Assuming that there is a Mrs. Orange Okie, she might find adjustment from OKC to Broken Bow to be tough, if she isn't the outdoors type.

The closest metro area (and decent health care) is in Texarkana, two hours away.

Spain is out?

Sycamore

ha ha ha . . . no Spain is still in the mix. My wife (being from Spain) prefers that idea. We like different things. She likes being around alot of people. I like solitude and tranquility and flora and fauna.



Here's an idea I had for Broken Bow Lake in OK . . . (15 acres)

[video:youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sJu8FwSOedw[/video]


. . . and here's another for the Beaver Lake area in Arkansas . . .

Good points. As Corps lakes, neither allows lake-front homes.

Lake front lots in Georgia are available. Hunting on state land and private land is near by, with a deer season that runs from the middle of September (Bow season, rifle is middle of October) to the middle of January. Golf is year round, if you are one of those that is so inclined. The lakes in GA don't get hard in the winter either.

damn I was just gettin ready to post that

I'm a slave to a $300 a month phone bill.

The 1970s man put a hundred acres on a 20yr note with that.

My dad bought a cabin in the mountains [he retired once and hasn't stopped working since....actually got another job]. Most of the family spends Christmas or a hot summer day at his cabin because it's less than 30 miles to drive to.

I retired and moved to Kotzebue. Does that count?

A bit out of synch here. I haven't retired nor have I bought a lake house. I prefer the woods and do enjoy lakes so I bought a place ten years ago in the mountains of north Idaho that is fifteen minutes from a big azz lake and within sixty minutes of a multitude of small ones and great rivers. Deer, elk, moose and bear pass through the property. I will retire first quarter next year and will spend a bunch of time up there.

I would think Alaska would be a contender there, too.

Not bad..not bad at all!

I built a lake home, and now I'm building the lake. I don't think I will ever really retire though.

I have a neighbor in Texas that did the same and his lake is near bone dry since he built a couple of years ago. I hope you do not suffer the same and wish you rain.

I don't need no stinking rain!

Lots of factors you'll wanna consider.

But I've had a few friends do just that and immediately regretted it.

1) Too many bugs
2) Taxes jump through the roof
3) Never-ending sounds of chain saws

But - each to his own.. Some love it - others do not..

As for me personally - not a chance in hades..

Put together a modular house on Lake Gaston about 30 years ago. I live just outside of DC in Northern Virginia & Lake Gaston is on the Virginia-North Carolina border. My family including two daughters spent many weekends there skiing, tubing, fishing, swimming, & riding jet skis. Adult daughters still visit & grandson loves it there. Would like to move there & sell DC area house, but can't do so at the present. There is also good deer & some black bear hunting nearby. Love to sit on the large screened front porch & sip a Wild Turkey or bloody mary. If you can afford it definitely move to a lake. There are always homes for sale sometimes at good prices due to the economy. Family's split up & some times have to sell rapidly due to settlements.

I am not retired, but have this:







My advice has more to do with the health side of things: If you have health issues, make sure that there are facilities around that can deal with anything that comes up, or be prepared (and willing) to drive a long ways for your health care.

Unfortunately, the quality and level of care in the US (heck, probably everywhere on earth) is VERY geographical.

So long as I don't have neighbors I can live most anywhere.

My sister and her husband once built a lake house. Houses were packed tight all around the shore.

Weekends, it was a freaking zoo all across the surface of the lake.

They don't talk about lake houses anymore. Kind of a sore subject.

Hadn't thought of this angle. I guess one just needs to be ready to pull the trigger and keep your feelers out with a few agents to let you know when one of these "motivated seller" deals is on the way. Good advice. Thanks.

Lived on a local lake the first year we were married. Family has had a lake house there going on 40 years. My father and his ummm wife live in it now. Nobody bothers them for some reason.
I had a waterfront lot on this lake and thought that we would have a home there some day, then more land around my current residence became available. That was the end of that lot.

I really doubt Oklahoma has more fresh water shoreline than Alaska.

I'm retired and living in the same house we bought 29 years ago. I can see the Great Salt Lake from here - does that count?

Maybe they're counting cattle tanks.

The whole norther border of New York is freshwater shoreline, lakes Erie and Ontario and the St. Lawrence river, then you've got Lake Champlain along the eastern border with Vermont, the Hudson river running most of the rest of the way from there to N(f'in)YC. The rest of the state is full of lakes and rivers.

I lived with my 2nd ex-wife for 25 years on the shore of the St. Lawrence and there's a lot to be said about just walking down to the boat house, dropping the boat in, and going duck hunting or fishing.

Current wife and I bought a place on the river before we got married, fixed it up into our dream home, then this summer moved down here, a couple miles from Lake Ontario (great job for her.) We are still keeping the river home unless the financial strain gets to be too much. I have been promised that if we do sell the river home we're getting a 26' Grady White all outfitted for trout and salmon down here.

My older sister has, and it's very quiet and secluded, especially for Penn. Maybe a section in size with a dozen cabins around in the forest and no additional development allowed. Great place to float a canoe and do bass, crappie, and sunfish on a fly. Unknowingly missed an opportunity for a $15,000 lot where a cabin had burned some years back. Deer, beaver, osprey, black bear, waterfowl, gray squirrels, etc. Color me envious.

At a destination resort with hundreds of holiday boaters and such, not much interest.

OK Water Facts

I grew up in the North Country of New York, St. Lawrence County to be exact. Lot's of lakes and rivers. Hunted and fished a fair bit on the St. Lawrence River. My dad is still back there.

I know a few guys keep catfish in their cattle tanks so I guess they would qualify as freshwater lakes.

Gadfly,

Interesting link. Oklahoma has 1401 square miles of water area in it's lakes and ponds. I wouldn't have guessed that. Here's some water facts from our state.

Alaska water

Or Michigan. You're never more than 5 miles from a pond, lake or stream here.

I don't know how they do it, but Alaska has water that sits on hillsides.

Yep, Alaska is definately a wet state. I don't really know how OK compares to the great lake states, but it is a lot wetter, particularly the eastern half, than most people think.

On the other hand, the OP might find a bargain on a lake house here

Yeah! Buy a place where there's lots of wild turkey and deer!

Screw the Lake House!!

Here are a couple of properties we looked at in Eastern Oklahoma (Lake Tenkiller.) $50K difference between the two. First one built in 2004 and the second one in 1974.


This home sits on 3+ acres just a short walk to a marina.




Really nice/big garage/man cave


Built in exercise machine (cutting the grass)


















Another property on 2+ acres just minutes to the tailwaters of the Illinois and perhaps the best trout fishing in Oklahoma.



On the banks of the lower Illinois River, just minutes from this property.

[img]http://photos3.zillowstatic.com/p_f/IS9hzzblgw89af0000000000.jpg[/img]

[img]http://photos2.zillowstatic.com/p_f/ISt4vbb88gseaf0000000000.jpg[/img]

[img]http://photos1.zillowstatic.com/p_f/ISdsqnavzzbkaf0000000000.jpg[/img]

[img]http://photos3.zillowstatic.com/p_f/IS9xfzqyev6yaf0000000000.jpg[/img]

A few photos showing the beauty of Lake Tenkiller and the Lower Illinois River . . .

Been to Tenkiller, Grand Lake, Keystone, Eufala, Skiatook. Tenkiller by far was the nicest, although Keystone is pretty good, too. Tenkiller just seems more wild.

Was living on a river before I retired. Living on a river now that I have.

Damn 'gators are a bunch of mooching bastids and liberals are in short supply around here. If you want to live on a lake, make sure there aren't any moochers hanging around.

Spent a lot of time on Tenkiller as a kid. Was a spectacular fishing hole back in the '60s.