missouri/arkansas residents help?

WiJC · Aug 9, 2005

hello

the wife and i are planning on purchasing some land in the missouri/arkansas area to build a house on a few years down the road when we want to retire.

we are looking at getting some land on either bull shoals or table rock lake. lakeview isnt necessary but lake access is. (a place to put the boat so i dont have to haul it all the time)

does anyone down there have experience with these lakes? are there things about them (good or bad) that i should be aware of?

any info would be appreciated.

thanks

beenthere · Aug 9, 2005

From what I know, they are getting crowded with people from Iowa, Minnesota, and northern Missouri. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

jeffinsgf · Aug 9, 2005

I grew up spending weekends on Bull Shoals. I spent my first honeymoon on Table Rock (maybe the best part of the whole marriage). I moved away from the area for 18 years and came back last year.

The two have completely different personalities. Both are Corps of Engineers lakes, which means that you cannot own shoreline property and commercial development of the shoreline is carefully and strictly controlled. That said, Table Rock is much more developed than Bull Shoals. Some people prefer that. There are more marinas, more restaurants and clubs, and more traffic. Bull Shoals is quieter and less developed. You'll likely get more for your money, but getting a good steak and a highball is a challenge (or used to be -- I haven't been around there for several years, but if it had changed I think I would have heard about it from friends). Historically, the Corps of Engineers has been much more careful about controlling the level of Table Rock. I and friends that hung out at Bull Shoals always assumed it was to keep the Table Rock developers and tourist industry happy. Bull Shoals can experience huge swings in level according to how the Corps decides to control river flow and electrical production. You'll rarely see that on Table Rock.

Now the good news. Everything is so close together, it just doesn't matter. I live 15 miles north of Springfield, and I can be at any theater in Branson or on either Table Rock or Bull Shoals in under an hour.

West end of the Bull Shoals area might be the biggest bang for your buck. You could get a great buy on land, yet be at the hot spots in Branson in half an hour -- or at least at the edge of Branson -- getting from the edge to where you want to go is another issue.

rockyridgefarm · Aug 10, 2005

The Branson area really works hard at being 'family friendly'. There definitely are big crowds, but the infrastructure is tremendously improved over even just a couple of years ago. Once you know the ropes, it is pretty handy to get around, even at the busiest..

Eureka Springs is to the east of Bull Shoals. They have gone out of their way to be un-Family Friendly. We used to go there frequently, but it wore down on us. If you are looking for year round Carnalval, its just the ticket.

I doubt that has any effect on the West Side of Bull Shoals, and everything Jeff says is dead on.

I also live in the Ozarks, but I live in the Promised Land. We don't let just ANYBODY come to Oklahoma... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

WiJC · Aug 10, 2005

anybody you say? i dont have a deere, but does a kubota make me somebody?? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

basically i like the idea of living where my boat is in the water and i can fish when i want to. both bull shoals and table rock look interesting to me since they are so big with so many nooks and crannies to explore.

oh ya...and my wife likes the idea of a milder winter....and when momma bear is happy, the whole den is happy /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
(i on the other hand enjoy driving the dodge out on the lake and ice fishing almost as much as summer fishing)

anyways...land on water down there is MUCH cheaper than up here. that part is nice.

it should be interesting trying to find something when i am not within driving distance to check things out.

it seems that getting your own slip on either of these is pretty tough to do...especially one in front of your piece of property. does anyone know a good way of trying to achieve that? the realtors ive been in contact with just keep telling me i can have one in a community slip for anywhere from 15000 to 30000 bucks. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

thanks again for the info

rockyridgefarm · Aug 10, 2005

it should be interesting trying to find something when i am not within driving distance to check things out. 

Can you do a vacation down here? In the fall there ought to be some good package deals. I am sure Realtors have their place, but you could save a whole lot more than the cost of a vacation by getting there and looking for yourself.

jeffinsgf · Aug 10, 2005

( The Branson area really works hard at being 'family friendly'. There definitely are big crowds, but the infrastructure is tremendously improved over even just a couple of years ago. Once you know the ropes, it is pretty handy to get around, even at the busiest..... )

Shhhhh! If you tell everyone about the shortcuts, they won't be shortcuts anymore! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I guess it is too late. The Branson Tourism Commission office on the North side of town on 65 gives away a map that shows the back way to everywhere. I can't figure out why everyone takes the strip when you can get just about anywhere by going around.

jeffinsgf · Aug 10, 2005

( ...it seems that getting your own slip on either of these is pretty tough to do...especially one in front of your piece of property. .... )

Not tough to do, impossible. No such thing as a private dock on Corps of Engineers lakes. Lake of the Ozarks is owned by Show Me Power, and they do allow private purchase of shoreline and private docks. The downside is that you have to put up with offshore cigarette boats going balls to the wall down the main channel and when you swing around into a cove to do some fishing, you're likely to find 10 of those monsters tied together with some thumping stereo and a bunch of drunken spoiled kids. That price for a marina slip sounds high, though. That must be a purchase or long term lease. We always rented a slip through the summer and trailered through the winter.

WiJC · Aug 10, 2005

yes, that price range is for a purchased slip. most of these are listed as "a short walk" from the property in question and that $$ is tacked on to the price if you want one.

i was hoping that with the size of these lakes, that one could find parts (a cove somewhere) that arent so busy....to fish or just lounge on the water in peace. is this not the case? or is that more a problem on lake of the ozarks?

thanks again

jeffinsgf · Aug 10, 2005

Lots and lots of quiet places on both Table Rock and Bull Shoals. Maybe slightly more on Bull Shoals. The Niangua arm of LofO is quieter. The closer to the dam you get, the crazier the traffic is. I only mentioned LofO since you sounded intent on a private dock. You can have one there.