Richland Chambers Lake Level Nerd Alert!

If you've been on Richland Chambers very long you've seen  ups and downs, highs and lows and in-betweens.  Some folks came here and built just in time to see 5 tough years. While some have been here only long enough to enjoy very good years. One thing for sure, fluctuation is a part of life on RC Lake. Actually folks on pretty much every Texas lake experience fluctuation. When we have normal rainfall, lake levels are good.  Less rainfall means lower lake levels. It's really pretty simple. The Great State of Texas could not support even close to today's population without man made reservoirs catching the rainfall. The ability to store water in many places in the United States allows large populations to thrive. Our modern standards and lifestyle require vast amounts of the most precious natural resource we have, water.  Richland Chambers lake, like most every man made lake, has had its ups and downs depending on water falling from the sky.

Time on Richland Chambers can be measured by pre-March 11, 2015 and post March 11, 2015.

March 11, 2015 was the day the lake hit 315' and stayed after almost 5 long years of Texas drought. During the period from late 2010 to March of 2015 we experienced 3 of the lowest lake levels in the 30 year history of Richland Chambers. Then a lot of water fell from the sky and regularly continues to do so.
So here comes the nerd part... The average lake level during that time was 309', 6 feet low. Since March 11 2015 the average lake level has been 313', a level we can all appreciate. But,

Half of the time for the last 30 years Richland Chambers Lake has been less than 1 foot below Full Pool

The chart above is made up of 11,003 daily lake levels, dating back to Jan 1st 1990. The average of all of those levels is 313.01'. So can we say these last 4 years or so have been normal?
Since Jan 1st 1990 we have experienced 3274 days above 315' (full pool) and 5526 days above 314'.  
So half of the time for the last 30 years Richland Chambers Lake has been less than 1 foot below full. Think about that! 
313' and above - 6893 days and one more just for fun: 
Less than 3ft down, 8134 days or 74% of the last 30 years. 
So yes there have been and will be ups and downs in the life of the lake but remember, They built the lake here for a reason!

#richlandchambers. #richlandchamberslake  #richlandchamberslakelevel

Ever heard of Matterport 3D?

This thing is way cool!!....Matterport 3D Imaging is the latest, cutting edge, Real Estate  Marketing tool for showcasing homes and other spaces.   

Doll House View

Matterport 3D Imaging allows you be virtually inside of a home!  Matterport is a 3 Dimensional Imaging System that allows the viewer to personally tour your home in amazing 3D!  You can see everything; walls, floors, ceilings, fixtures and more, all in amazing detail, right on your screen, from almost any angle and direction!

Floor Plan View

The Teel Team at RE/MAX LakeSide Dreams on Richland Chambers Lake is thrilled to add this Incredible Tool to 

Our Marketing Plan!

We have always been committed to providing our Sellers the absolute best marketing and attention to detail of any Real Estate company ANYWHERE!  It is our our mission to provide our Sellers with the greatest exposure to the most potential buyers.  Combine that with a second to none online presentation featuring the best and most cutting edge tools... 

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238 Lincoln Drive
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Richland Chambers Lake Level Feb 2018

So if you live on Richland Chambers or any other Texas Lake the lake level is always on your mind.   Somewhere in your thoughts, whether the lake is up or down, you're thinking about the lake level.  Sometimes in the summer you jump off your dock and its a long way to the bottom.  And then  you're out on the boat one day and you see a sand bar you haven't seen in a while.  Or, you wake up one morning and the water is up to your dock!  

So what's the lake level now?

Here is a chart of Richland Chambers Lake Level  up to February 11, 2018 for the last five years. 

Richland Chambers Lake Level

 Taken from: http://richlandchambers.uslakes.info/Level.asp

This chart represents more than 9,000 daily lake level entries and tracks the lake since January of 1990. It shows the majority of lows occur in the winter, this time of year. Also Richland Chambers fills very rapidly. The average fluctuation for this chart is: 312.46 which is a 2.54 ft fluctuation. 
To see a bigger version of this go to:  BuyRCLakeLakeLevelHistory 

So where does it need to rain to fill the Lake?

Like most Texas lakes, Richland Chambers is a rainfall dependent lake.  There has to be appreciable rainfall in the watershed to keep the lake full. 

Here is a map of where it needs to rain to fill Richland Chambers Lake.

Richland Chambers Lake Watershed

The orange area is out of the 100 yr flood plain and any major floodway

This map is a work in progress and shows the approximate boundaries of the Richland Chambers Lake Watershed. Also all the creeks that need to fill and flow in order to fill RC Lake. The watershed is approximately 1947 square miles, stretching into 6 counties.  It can be divided into two major sections by following the creeks. 

The Richland Creek Watershed and the Chambers Creek Watershed  These two can be further divided by major creek sections and both include a Corps of Engineer Lake, Lake Bardwell and Navarro Mills Lake. These lakes are used to hold back flood flood waters and control the amount of water going downstream to Richland Chambers and ultimately the Trinity River. 

In the life of the lake the average fluctuation is less than 3ft.  

They built Richland Chambers here for a reason, a lot of water comes this way to form the 3rd largest lake in Texas!!

So far we seem to be in a rainy groove this winter, let's hope it continues!

Lake Adventures on Richland Chambers

Osprey nest in Mattie Caston

On Mother's Day the weather was great and Julie and I found ourselves at home with little Mother's Day fanfare so it was time for a SeaDoo adventure.  So we loaded up and took off.  We decided to follow the shoreline from our dock heading northwest as far as we cared to go.  We explored every cove and creek we could find and took our time taking in the sights.  
First to Northshore Harbor, then around Moonlight Point to Collins Lane and White Rock.  We headed north under 287 bridge to Oak Cove Marina.  We came around to Paradise Bay and talked to some friends, Brent and Brenda and then on to Hidden Oaks.  Vista Ridge was next and then up the creek in Lakeview all the way to the 3140 bridge.  We came out of the creek, after slight technical difficulty, and headed into Mattie Caston. 
Mattie Caston Cove is kind of tough to navigate in a boat as there is a lot of timber in the water.  We took it easy and slow and made it all the way in.  We came across a huge Osprey Nest with a pair of Ospreys patrolling and defending the nest from overhead.  We saw a lot of homes and docks we have never seen from the water.

Here is our course:

Central Area of Richland Chambers Lake

Our former Bennington

We continued on north through Starcrest and then under the 2859 Bridge around to Hide Away Harbor.  Hideaway Harbor is named very well. This quiet neighborhood is tucked away just north of the bridge.  We came across our old boat tied up to TJ's dock, in good shape.

2859 Bridge, think the blue spot means anything?

Our adventure had started about 2:30 so by now we started thinking about heading back and actually had a couple of destinations in mind.  The first stop was to go find a big nest in the trees we knew about north of Hickey Island and check it out.  The lake was perfect, the wind was fairly calm and the sky was beautiful.  Our Seadoos were running great.  Julie's is a 2009 Seadoo Wake and mine is a 2010 Seadoo 215 Wake Pro.. We bought both of them new and they have been very good machines.

Osprey nest close to Hickey Island

Julie in action, just off of Hickey Island

Our next stop was Hickey Island.  We made our way in to the south side of the island, beached the Seadoos and had a picnic. The seadoos have plenty of room to carry drinks and snacks.   The Island is pretty large (maybe 300 acres?) and we found a pretty nice, small beach area.  Hickey Island is completely grown up and there is all kinds of wildlife running around on it.  We didn't venture too far from the shore, just enjoyed the view and took it all in.  Next we shoved off and headed south.

   

Picnic on the Island

The last big adventure of the day was to visit the Oil Derrick south of the island off of Vista Ridge.   The rig doesn't appear to be functioning, but then again I'm no expert.  There was another big Osprey nest up in the rig and the pair were circling around while we were close.

Osprey nest on the Oil Rig

It was getting late in the day by now so we headed on back to The Shores and docked the Seadoos.  It was a great afternoon!

Julie's Market Thoughts

Spring is in the air and with it, sales are ramping up at Richland Chambers Lake.  We're heading into the third year of a full Richland Chambers Lake and this market is finally catching up to other markets around the state. Inventories are down and prices are inching up for the lake area home market.
The lot market is changing as well. It has been a tough 6 to 7 years for the lake lot market challenged by previous droughts and the struggling real estate market in general prior to the drought years. Inventories for waterfront lots were as high as 330 lots in 2015, with only a few a month selling.
2016 brought us a reduction in inventories down to 270.  With a full lake, the market was churning double what it had done in the previous year.
With Spring of 2017 upon us, inventories are down further, with 238 currently for sale.  Some of the screaming deals churned out and sold in 2016, as a result, the lake lot market is destined to eventually make it's way back.
But the good news is, there are still some great waterfront lot deals to be found.  Call us for a complete list of fabulous lot opportunities and make your dreams of living on a lake a reality!
Come join us lake rats and have some fun!!

The Shores on Richland Chambers Lake, what's going on in there?

New house on Deepwater Cove

The Shores on Richland Chambers Lake is the biggest subdivision on RC Lake. It is over 600 acres with about 620 lots.  The Shores was developed later in the life of Richland Chambers (from the best I can remember 2004-5 or so). The developer, Texas Land and Lakes, finished up and pulled out late in the spring of 2009.
The subdivision has maintained it's amenities, common areas, and roads very well and the place looks great to this day.  It is conveniently located right off of US 287 on the Corsicana side of the bridge and is gated 24 hours a day to provide security for residents and minimize drive through traffic.
So after 8 years of autonomy over 12 years or so of existence, 3 drought years and a housing market crash, how is the neighborhood doing?

New construction on Sailboat Drive

I had the pleasure a week or so ago of interviewing Gary Sharon who is a resident of The Shores and the head of the Architectural Control Committee (ACC).  Gary gave me the latest on The Shores and is a wealth of information about the growth of the community. The Shores currently has 83 completed homes with 8 currently under construction.  The pace has varied over the years, 9 were approved in 2014, 2 in 2015 and 2016 saw 13 sets of plans approved. This makes The Shores on pace to be at 100 homes before we know it, making it the largest community on Richland Chambers Lake with plenty of room to spare.


The function of the ACC is to ensure that all improvements in the neighborhood align with and meet the guidelines in the community's Deed Restrictions. The process is actually pretty simple.  When a lot owner wants to do an improvement on their property they must submit the plans to the ACC for approval. The ACC  tends to move quickly so you are not out a bunch of time waiting for an answer. Gary also said he "encourages anyone with questions or concerns to call and talk about it". This can save you time and money and keep you from paying an Architect to plan something that does not meet the Improvement Guidelines.  Not to mention paying the Architect to amend the plans after the fact.

Just completed on Clubhouse Drive

Under construction on Waters Edge

Just starting on Deepwater Cove

The ACC not only reviews plans for homes but also sidewalks, sheds, retaining walls, boathouses and really any improvements made above ground. Gary also wanted to point out that any improvements made below the 320' line must also be approved by Tarrant Regional Water District. This would include boathouses, retainer walls, sidewalks, etc.
The Shores property owners can check out more information and download forms from the community's website www.POAofTheShores.com.

Finishing touches going on at the end of Canal Street

Looking good on Hatteras Drive

Side by Side on The Shores Drive

Side by Side on The Shores Drive

So to answer the question, The Shores on Richland Chambers Lake is alive and well and growing!!
#richlandchambers #theshoresonrichlandchambers #richlandchamberslake

The Power of a Local Agent

I usually write our blogs and I hope you've found them useful and somewhat entertaining. But this time Julie has something to say and has taken over the keyboard... enjoy! 

Market knowledge is very important when choosing an agent to represent you in a real estate transaction.  It is considerably more important in a resort market such as ours, Richland Chambers Lake, where there is so much data to be gathered before making a decision to purchase a waterfront property. When we opened our office on the Lake in 2008, we had no idea of how much information gathering that would be required to properly serve our clients.  We quickly realized this fact and began to drive all the neighborhoods, pull all the plats, copy all the restrictions for the more than 60 subdivisions and  began our schooling of all things Richland Chambers Lake! We worked tirelessly 7 days a week those first few years to inculcate ourselves to be equipped to serve and become the RC Lake experts!

Questions that often arise on a daily basis are those related to HOA's, building requirements, subdivision amenities, lake fluctuations, lake depths, marina locations, boathouse building information, and whether or not RV's or Vacation Rentals are allowed in each of the subdivisions. These answers vary depending on the subdivision on the lake.  There are no two that are the same.

With the booming of real estate markets in metropolitan areas around us and the lack of inventory in those markets, we are seeing more and more agents getting out of their comfort zones and attempting to represent their clients in markets not within their scope of expertise.
Part of a Realtor's fiduciary duties to their client's as lined out in the Texas Real Estate Commission's
Canon of Ethics is competency, to be knowledgeable and informed on market conditions that affect
real estate and exercise judgment and skill in performing these duties.

If you are considering a move to a lake area or resort market in the state of Texas, and feel loyalty to an agent where you currently live or in another market, and are unsure of the unknown, ask them to research agents and refer you to an expert agent in that market.  This enables your local agent to make some money while insuring that you are getting all the benefits of working with an agent that is equipped to handle your real estate investment and guide you through the lake buying process.

Real Estate is a part of your portfolio that requires extra special care and expertise. Like the rest of your investment portfolio, you must take extra care to avoid the pitfalls that could occur without a well equipped professional on your side.

Whether you are buying or selling, the local agent is always the best choice to protect your investment.  If you are selling a property, the benefits of hiring a local agent are numerous as well.
For example, market knowledge and pricing are key in getting your property sold.  Local area agents
in markets like ours, have been inside almost every home that has sold and everyone that is currently on the market for sale.  They can help you make specific comparisons to each of these competing properties that will help you to establish the best listing price that will achieve your goals of both time and money depending on your own motivations. They are also available to check on the property if you are an absentee seller.  They also have the benefits of knowing which marketing works and can implement the right tools.  But most importantly, and often overlooked, the agent you hire must be fully equipped with all the data and information needed to sell the lake area first.  Most lake area and resort buyers are shopping lakes and this is vitally important to the sell.  Out of town Agents are not equipped to sell in markets they do not know.

To sum it up, real estate is one of the most valuable and important investments you will make in your lifetime.  Protect that investment by careful selection of a real estate professional that is an expert in that market.              

Richland Chambers Dockable Waterfront $19,900

Great property in The Shores, Lot 415 Sailboat Drive listed at only $19,900.  This is a canal front lot with 100' of shoreline and 6 and 1/2 ft of water in front of it today.  
It's a half acre lot with a level building site and the retaining wall is already in place. No time limit to build and you can go ahead and build a boat dock on your own shoreline.

Click here for the listing: Lot 415 The Shores

Richland Chambers Lake 2016 Tubing

 Hope and Kelsey's last tube ride of 2016.  We did this a couple of weeks ago when the kids were here. Hope has a GoPro strapped to her head and thankfully tied to her life jacket.  What a great summer it's been on Richland Chambers.  You're never too old to be a kid on the lake.

We've got lots of Richland Chambers info on our website www.BuyRCLake.com