Home, Second Home: New Memories Await in These 5 Texas Locales
In Texas, finding a dream vacation home often means stepping back into beloved times and places: summer camp on the placid Guadalupe River, the freedom of a lake weekend, sandy tailgate picnics on Mustang Island.
The state is one of the hottest spots for a national house-hunting spree started by aging baby boomers with the time and the savings to follow their hearts. Now is a good time to consider the investment here: Out-of-staters are jetting in and buying beach property and desert hideaways that look extremely affordable to them.
“Almost all of Texas is attractive for a second home in one way or another, from the coast to the Hill Country to the Piney Woods, to the West Texas plains and prairies,” says Jim Gaines, research economist at the Texas A&M Real Estate Center.
To make househunting a little easier, we investigated five possibilities: lakes; a booming piece of the Gulf Coast; the Hill Country; the Big Bend area; and the edge of the Piney Woods. Here, you’ll find a guide to help you get started.
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LAKES
Texans have always loved their lake houses, and these remain among the most affordable of vacation homes. We focus here on two lakes to the west _ Possum Kingdom Lake and Granbury Lake _ because they’re easy to get to and popular. The areas around both also are worth a look.
_Possum Kingdom Lake
The buzz: “PK,” as it’s affectionately known by North Texans, is one of the area’s biggest and clearest lakes _ 63 miles long, with 360 miles of shoreline. It’s about two hours from Tarrant County: “Just far enough that we don’t get the weekend warriors,” says Vee Hanssen, of ReMax Possum Kingdom. Large chunks of land are owned by the Brazos River Authority, but this gives PK its famous, uncluttered vistas. Hanssen says plenty of property is available.
Who it’s for: Middle- to high-income buyers who want to make use of big water for boating and fishing, and people who enjoy rugged terrain and big sky.
What you can get: Home prices here range from rustic cabins (or manufactured housing) as affordable as $30,000, says Hanssen, to condos in the $100,000-$200,000 to lakefront property starting at around $150,000. Several gated communities offer both condos and single-family homes. If you enjoy amenities such as grounds maintenance and a convenient dock, those could be for you. Otherwise, you may find them a little sterile.
House-hunting tips: Do your research, and call for appointments, particularly if you’re shopping in a gated community, which might not be prepared for surprise visitors. Go armed with detailed area maps _ you can drive miles out of your way trying to find places on obscure roads with nothing in sight.
Surrounding area: You can breathe here in Palo Pinto County, with its endless views past the curving Brazos River, rose rock bluffs and tree-lined roads. But beware: Fort Worth real estate agent Clay Brants, of Brants Realtors, says property values here have tripled in recent years. Considering buying land now, and thinking about housing later.
_Lake Granbury
The buzz: Granbury is coming into its own as a weekend destination, with seven major golf courses, a picturesque town square, better restaurants and, of course, the lake. With 103 miles of shoreline just 30 minutes from Fort Worth, Lake Granbury has been a weekend spot for Fort Worth residents or a permanent home to commuters for years.
Who it’s for: People who want a quick getaway that’s not too remote. You’ll get some city amenities. (Relatively speaking. Residents were excited when a Chili’s went in a few years back.) And it’s small enough to keep traffic down.
What you can get: Suzi Lewis of Prudential Texas Properties, who has worked the area for 13 years, says, “We’re actually building more condos and town homes than we ever have, so you don’t have a lot of yard maintenance and upkeep.” Lakefront property still can be affordable _ Lewis says she just listed a mobile home on the lake for $85,000. Otherwise, condos in the area start at around $65,000 for a one-bedroom, one-bath. A trend she has spotted: Fort Worth area homeowners are downsizing their permanent homes in the city and buying bigger residences in Granbury. “We’re building more upper-end things; they seem to be what people are wanting.” Bigger homes in gated communities with lake, golf-course and riverfront properties, such as Pecan Plantation, are in the $350,000-$750,000 range, she says.
House-hunting tips: You don’t have to do quite as much homework here, because your drive to Granbury is shorter than the trip to PK. You could head out more than once and not waste too much time. Still, it still doesn’t hurt to get online and look through listings. And mention your interest in Granbury to friends and acquaintances _ its long-term popularity means you could easily run across someone in the know.
Surrounding area: Little Hico once had “Brushy Bill” as its major attraction _ he was a resident who claimed to be Billy the Kid. Now, Austinites are moving in with high-end shops, a trend some longtime residents aren’t so sure about. It’s still a safe, sleepy small town. Housing here is affordable: Realtor Cynthia Hunt of Crystal Realty says the average home price is $75,000-$95,000. Nearby Glen Rose is known for its Fossil Rim wildlife park and the elegant Rough Creek Lodge. Realtor Linna Trees of ReMax Pinnacle in Glen Rose says people are buying up old Sears “kit” homes in Hico and “bringing them back to life.” Those run $65,000-$150,000 depending on size and condition, she says.
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BEACHES
Nearly everyone dreams of that little place on the beach, the endless ocean a few sandy steps from the front door. Unfortunately, Texas beaches have a messy reputation _ oily, brown water and too much seaweed are the main complaints. But Texans who know where to go understand that Gulf beaches are the real deal. They have the clean salt air, the water, the unmistakable laid-back vibe so that even developers run around in flip-flops. The shallow waters and grassy, unspoiled dunes at Mustang Island make it a special place, likely to stay that way because much of the beach is part of Mustang Island State Park. Besides, where else can you drive on the beach? The downside: That idyllic house right on the beach won’t happen here, because those dunes are protected, and because no one built on these beaches in the 1960s, when many beach houses were going up on other coasts.
The buzz: You’d better get busy. Gulf Coast real estate prices, which seem high to native Texans, are bargains to vacation-home buyers from the other two coasts. They’re jetting in and snapping up properties, Realtors say. Plans for a resort on North Padre Island in Corpus Christi have ignited a building frenzy, both in condos and single-family homes. Up the road in Port Aransas, Newport Dunes, an Arnold Palmer-designed golf course built on two sides of Texas 361, will be part of a large resort. New beach houses are going up all around the area.
Growth in Galveston also has been strong, with new condominium developments added in recent years. This year, the average home price in Galveston is $232,800, according to the Texas A&M Real Estate Center.
South Padre Island, always attractive to out-of-state and Mexican buyers, remains a popular option for those buyers.
Who it’s for: Buyers who need saltwater and sand in their lives and like to get away for a week or so instead of a weekend. The flight from Dallas/Fort Worth Airport to Corpus Christi takes about an hour and runs around $200 round-trip; otherwise, you’re looking at seven hours or so in the car. Healthcare is readily available for those who eventually want to retire there.
What you can get: One group of new town homes on North Padre, the Breezeways of Encantada, is $223,900-$309,000 each, says Gene Guernsey of ReMax Metro Properties in Corpus Christi. These are better than basic, but still simple units with easy-care tile floors and shatterproof glass (in case of a hurricane). In some units, the living room is on the third floor. Sounds odd, but it actually works, to take advantage of views. Another town-home development, the Cottage House at Padre Beach, is a waterfront development where prices start at $319,000. Both Breezeways and Cottage House are near a resort planned by Asset Development Corp., which owns more than 1,000 acres on North Padre. Another development, Palm Bay Village, allows town-home owners to join a rental pool, so that the condo could be rented and managed on-site. Prices there are $174,000-$240,000. An older condo on the North Padre Island seawall, one that was built before 1985, would be priced around $165,000, Guernsey says.
On the other hand, it’s easy to fall in love with Port Aransas, where there isn’t yet a Starbucks in sight. There, $261,000 will buy you a three-bedroom, 1,518-square-foot single-family home near the new golf course in a new development called Village Walk. The extra touches include wiring for your flat-screen TV, says Keith McMullin of Port Aransas Realty, who also is on the city council. Yes, it’s a development, and you will have neighbors nearby. That’s also the situation at the Moorings at Mustang Island, a gated canal-front community with boat slips for residents. One model home priced at $750,000 was a knockout no matter how you looked at it, with beautiful wood floors and tall windows to take full advantage of the canal view. A new, master-planned development called Cinnamon Shores will employ “new urbanism,” mixing retail shops with homes _ lots there are $125,000 to $595,000, with homes $360,000 to $1 million. Older homes in the town are selling for as little as $199,000, but if you go much lower in price you’re looking at manufactured housing or a small, older condo off the beach.
House-hunting tips: It doesn’t work to just head for the coast and ask a Realtor to find you a beach house. You’ll both be disappointed, say McMullin and Guernsey. The little $100,000 house on the beach isn’t there, and buyers are shocked to learn that instead, they’re looking at a $200,000-$300,000 condo with beach access nearby. To get the most from your trip, get a detailed map of the area first and go online. Best of all: Find the MLS numbers of the properties you want and contact an agent, who can research them for you and often learn details that aren’t in the listings. With a solid list in hand, you can look at properties that you’re really interested in over a few days and skip the stuff you’d never live in. Another strategy could be to get together with friends and pool your money to buy a group of condos. Guernsey says a Dallas buyer is considering just that to purchase La Mansion on Fortuna Bay, at $2.8 million for 10 condos.
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WEST TEXAS/DAVIS MOUNTAINS
Mesas, blue in the distance against a big, even bluer sky meet the spare desert in Big Bend country, where open space from horizon to horizon lifts the weight from your shoulders and lets you breathe. Texans who want mountains in their home state head for the Davis Mountains.
The buzz: This area hard by the Mexican border is still enjoying a mini-boom driven by the national art community’s discovery of Marfa. But the days of picking up an old adobe at bargain prices are over, says Tammy King of Texas Mountain Realty. “They’re holding their ground around the $200,000 mark,” she says. Buyers are starting to look in nearby Fort Davis, she says.
Who it’s for: Lovers of the desert and of the quiet, small-town life with the added kick of a sophisticated art scene in Marfa. Buyers who don’t mind traveling eight hours by car or four by air and car (flights to Midland take about an hour and start at about $120; Marfa is another three hours drive away). Outdoor enthusiasts who want to enjoy the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park’s miles of hiking and biking, plus kayaking and canoeing on the Rio Grande. People who eventually will want access to advanced healthcare should think twice: El Paso and Midland, both hours away, are the closest large cities.
What you can get: In general, Marfa properties that need renovation run $100,000-$200,000; homes ready for move-in can start around $185,000 for a ranch-style brick home built in 1960 to 1980, says Bob Wright of Marfa Realty. But Valda Livingston of Livingston Realty says prices aren’t consistent: “There’s no real rhyme or reason to what people want to ask.”
In Fort Davis, King says, she’s selling fixer-uppers for $150,000-$215,000. “But anything that’s nice, newer, with more character is going to be in the $300,000 and $400,000 price range, and we are getting those buyers. I just had a photographer who sold his place in Santa Fe and bought a ranch-style house in a subdivision that had a gravel road, and he paid $400,000.”
House-hunting tips: Think twice about fixing up the quaint, old adobe, even if you don’t mind paying $200,000 for something that’s unlivable. Adobe construction can be complicated to renovate. Electrical wiring, for example, can’t be dropped down a solid adobe wall. Marfa is small enough to visit and scout out by driving around on a preliminary trip, but if you’re in a hurry, look online before you go.
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EAST TEXAS
Tall pine trees, evergreen and clean-smelling, create their own horizon _ a shelter from the outside world. It’s just this sense of enclave that has given East Texas some of its reputation for being almost a different state. People who live here love it, and they easily admit that this side of the state has a redneck reputation to overcome.
The buzz: The North East Texas Tourism Council is working to draw more people to the area, noting that there are more lakes here than in any other 30-county region of Texas. Those include Caddo Lake, Sam Rayburn and many more. The city of Palestine, with its slow pace and collection of well-priced Victorian homes, is just an hour and a half from the Dallas/Fort Worth area and is seeing a few interested North Texas vacation home buyers, says Realtor Dan Davis of Combined Associates Real Estate in Palestine.
Who it’s for: People who want to quickly get to a small-town feel amid grassy, rolling hills and pine trees. Buyers who want a quiet place in the country away from traffic and who don’t require many outdoor recreational opportunities. Healthcare options for retirees are good. If you’ve always wished you could afford a gracious Victorian home in a town with just enough amenities to be convenient and just few enough people to be relaxed, Palestine could be the place. If you want a spot out in the woods, you’ll have to watch for available properties. Heavily timbered properties that will require major work and heavy equipment to clear go on the market at around $2,000 an acre.
What you can get: Davis pointed out a simple home _ a metal building converted to a house _ on property with trees that he says would sell today for around $235,000. The prices in Palestine itself seem more attractive _ for example, a 3,700-square-foot restored Victorian that would fetch a lot more elsewhere was about $200,000. Davis says it’s possible to pick up an old farmhouse that needs major work for $70,000. A brick home on five to 10 acres, around 1,700 square feet, would run around $120,000, he says.
House-hunting tips: Get to the area before you look at specific homes and see if these woods are for you. Pine trees without the mountains that usually accompany them may not be your thing. If you want something out of town, get a good map and find someone who knows their way around. The little roads can be confusing.
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THE HILL COUNTRY
One of the great pleasures of living in Texas is to float a river flowing slow and cool against emerald shady banks, free to lie back and soak up the blue sky. Another is a Hill Country drive sweet with anticipation of the wildflower view at each crest. This country has had vacation appeal since before air conditioning, when Houstonians fed up with the heat and humidity headed for the hills in the summertime. This is still a popular place for Houston vacation-home buyers, but real estate agents say they’re seeing more and more buyers from Dallas/Fort Worth.
The buzz: “Live water” is the catch phrase here. With Guadalupe riverfront property prices climbing into the millions, developers are working on a few condo and town-home developments in Hunt and Ingram, but these are not on the water. Maggy Swyers of Paddle Creek Properties in Kerrville says more affordable properties with creeks can be found _ away from the river. In the Hunt area, property is moving so fast that Mark Kiefer, owner of a rental-cabin establishment, said he sold 15 cabins in three days, when he decided to phase out the rental business and sell them individually.
Who it’s for: Buyers with plenty of money socked away _ both real estate types and area residents chant the same mantra: “Tell them to bring their money with them.” If you are a baby boomer who floated the river and played at summer camps in the Hill Country, the pretty and pricey property may be worth it. If you don’t have deep pockets, you’ll have to settle for shared river access, or a place near the river from which you can use public access. This is another area where weeklong trips probably make more sense for Dallas/Fort Worth area home buyers. Flights to San Antonio take about an hour, starting at about $120 round trip, and then you’ll have to drive just more than an hour to get to the river country; the drive from the DFW area will take more like six hours round trip.
What you can get: Kiefer sold his rental cabins at Casa Bonita Lodge, (which he will continue to rent this season only), for prices in starting in the mid-$100,000s and going up to about $400,000. The furnished cabins, about 800-2,500 square feet, share river access, a pool and other amenities and will be a gated community. At Stablewood Springs resort, which started construction this past December, the most affordable three-bedroom, three-bath “villa” or town home starts at $510,000. Emily Petty of Limestone Properties says you can still get “a nice house” for $250,000 in the area, but “it’s slim.” She concedes: “This area out here is not affordable for most people _ but it’s one of the most beautiful areas in Texas.” It’s also close to good health care in Kerrville.
House-hunting tips: Do not just start driving and looking for signs here. You won’t see many, and there’s a lot of territory to cover if you want to really investigate the whole Kerrville-Comfort-Hunt-Ingram-Fredricksburg-Bandera area. There probably are affordable homes in the hills, but they may be manufactured housing, and you’ll have to watch the Internet listings like a hawk or get a Realtor to bird-dog them for you. Riverfront property is rare and expensive because much of the land is tied up in camps or belongs to families that have owned it for years.
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NOT READY TO BUY? HERE’S HOW TO RENT:
You’d love a stay near the beach or on the lake, but buying isn’t in your plans _ or budget.
Relax. The boom in vacation-home construction means there are also more vacation-home rentals at your disposal.
The Internet is a great resource for finding places, but be careful about how you choose _ anything can be made to look pretty good in a photograph. A few questions to ask:
_If there’s a pool, is it safely fenced off so small children cannot reach it?
_What appliances are included? A washer and dryer? Is the kitchen in working order, if you plan to cook? What restaurants are nearby, if you don’t?
_What, exactly, does “sleeps 16″ mean? Get a good description of the sleeping arrangements.
_Is there anything unusual about the floor plan? For example, do you have to go through the master bedroom to get to the second bedroom?
_Is there a curfew? An extra charge if extra guests show up?
_What are your responsibilities as far as clean-up? Is there an extra charge if you don’t, for example, launder the sheets before you go?
Armed with the right questions, you can start looking:
_www.vacationhomerentals.com, click on Texas, and you’ll have 174 choices across the state.
_www.vacationhomes.com, click on Texas.
_www.findrentals.com, click on Texas.
_www.vrbo.com, click on Texas. These are rentals by owner.
_For the Port Aransas area, go to www.portaransas.org/stay.html.
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ONLINE RESOURCES
Here are Internet resources to help start your vacation home search: Note: The real estate sites listed are just a few of those available _ in most cases, they will take you to the Realtors mentioned in the story.
General
_For a nationwide, overall look: www.escapehomes.com
_For lots of Texas data: Texas A&M Real Estate Center, recenter.tamu.edu
Lakes and Palo Pinto County
_ReMax Possum Kingdom: www.possumkingdom.com
_Prudential of Texas Properties, Granbury: www.granbury-realestate.com
_Brants Realtors, Fort Worth: www.brantsrealtors.com
Hico and Glen Rose
_Crystal Realty, Hico: www.crystalre.net
_ReMax Pinnacle, Glen Rose: www.linnatrees.com
Beaches
_ReMax Metro Properties, Corpus Christi: www.corpus-homes.com
_Port Aransas Realty: www.portaransasrealty.com
Hill Country
_Paddle Creek Properties, Kerrville: www.come2kerrville.com
_Limestone Properties, Hunt: www.limestoneproperties.biz
West Texas, Davis Mountains
_Marfa Realty: www.marfarealty.com
_Livingston Realty, Marfa: www.marfarealestate.com
_Texas Mountain Realty, Fort Davis: www.texasmountainrealty.com
East Texas
_North East Texas Tourism Council: www.texas-lake-country.com
_Combined Associates Real Estate, Palestine: combinedassociates.com
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