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!!

Ok so how did the lake tour go?...

Alright, how was the first lake tour of 2016?

Well the pictures don't lie, the weather was beautiful the sun felt great and Richland Chambers Lake was absolutely beautiful.  We got a little chili out on the open water going from neighborhood to neighborhood, but the warm sun was just what we needed. 

So all in all how did it go? 

"Any day on the water, barring mechanical failure or a dis-functional captain is a good day."

The modern day ancient mariner        

We had a wonderful day.  The lake was calm and the wind was light so we made really good time.  We started out checking out some lots along the peninsula in The Shores and then cruised down to Southpoint and Sandy Cove to look at some more properties for sale.  We then set our course back in a north easterly direction, went under the 287 bridge and cruised up on the eastern shore of the Chambers Creek arm of the lake.






The next lake tour is scheduled for this next Saturday afternoon, yeah baby.   I am taking clients to go see houses on the south side.  Saturday calls for partly sunny, highs in the 70's and maybe a little wind.
Sounds good to me!!...

Here are a couple of the lots we looked at last Thursday along the eastern shore:

Lot 38 Shoreline Road in Chambers Point-BuyRCLake.com

This one is over in Chambers Point on the east side of the lake. Chambers Point is a great neighborhood and the lot is build ready.  Utilities in place, retaining wall and sidewalk along the water and good water.  Lot 28 is listed for $85,000.







Lots 57/58 Arrowhead Point  Sweetwater Ranch-BuyRCLake.com

           Great Deal Alert!!

Lots 57/58  are being sold together for a total of about 1.3 acres.  They have very nice trees and views for miles.  Sweetwater Ranch on Richland Chambers is one of those off the beaten path communities that has nature at it's finest and lots of friendly folks. These lots are a great deal at $89,000 for the two.

                     

What are the good deals on Richland Chambers?

What are the good deals on Richland Chambers Lake?....

Ah, the magic question.  Every buyer wants to get a good deal. Depending on what you're looking for, buyers at Richland Chambers Lake generally find them.  Waterfront homes, waterfront lots, acreage tracts and off water lots are for sale around our lake.

We are in the throws of an historic drought and the lake has been down for two years now.  (Richland Chambers lake level will come back but that is the subject of another blog installment)
So, do sellers get more motivated when the water is down?

Let me first say that seller's motivations are always on a case to case basis and each person has their own goals they are driven towards which ultimately contribute to the pricing of their home.
Any category of waterfront home listings has its standouts. To be the next one to sell in a tight market you must be the best in your category with regards to location, condition and pricing.  So as time goes by sellers may make adjustments to position themselves to be the next one to sell.

So, as a buyer what are the good deals?  How do you know?
Ask yourself two questions:
First: Do you like it?
Second:How does it compare to similar listings (in regards to location, condition and pricing)?

Here is an example of a good deal on Richland Chambers Lake:
153 Stockton Point  Sweetwater Ranch
Click for details

Location:
It is located on the Chambers arm of the lake out on a point with a south-south-westerly orientation. The home is in Sweetwater Ranch on RC Lake. Sweetwater Ranch is a very quiet neighborhood with several beautiful homes and lots of nature.
Condition: 
Inside and out, his home is move in ready.  All it needs is you to make it your own.
Pricing: 
At $363,000 this is a lot for the money. Compared to what is out there no matter what lake you're considering this is a good deal!

Do prices follow lake level?...Best Deal on the Lake...10-16-14

Best Deal on the Lake Alert!!!   Low lake level at Richland Chambers Lake does have  upside.... 

What can possibly be the upside to the current lake level at Richland Chambers Lake?  Well for frequent boaters you do get to get to know where the hazards are located, but besides that:

 1. When the lake comes back (and it will) there will be lots of new underwater cover for spring spawning and bait fish. So an already great fishing lake will be that much better.. and...

   2. With lots of property for sale and only a few properties selling,  some prices have fallen with the lake level.  If you are looking for a good deal on prime water front property, this is it,  lots 32 And 33 Azure Bay.

Both lots have northerly facing wide open water front with a steel retaining wall in  place and in the neighborhood of 100' of waterfront each.  They are priced at $95,000 each, which in was unheard of in years past for premium water font property.  Azure Bay is a very nice community with only site built homes and lots of wildlife.

Check it out:

Lot 33 Details Lot 32 Details

Our Home Construction on Richland Chambers The Slab

Plumbing rough-in, forms and beams

Post tension cables

This is the 2nd installment of the house building chronicle:   One of the requirements of building in The Shores on Richland Chambers is the engineering process for your slab.  We got the drawings and turned them over to the concrete contractor.  He took them and got started forming and digging the grade beams.  We selected a plumber after reviewing several bids and they came to rough in the slab.  Once the plumber was done I called our local Orkin franchise to 'pre-treat' the slab.  They came out and sprayed really good stuff around all the plumbing openings in the concrete.  This will seriously dissuade any bugs with the intention of coming inside form underneath.  This is step one of their process.  They will come back after the house is just about done and spray around the edge of the foundation.

Slab pre-treat

Slab pre-treat

Pump truck to place the concrete

 Once the pre-treat was done our concrete contractor came back and continued preparing the slab. They finished and reinforced the forms,  laid  plastic moisture barrier and placed the post tension cables along with some rebar.  Early the next morning  concrete trucks started to arrive.  Since our lot is fairly narrow and the slab is pretty large a pump truck was necessary to place the concrete.  All the concrete was poured at the same time for what is referred to as a 'monolithic' pour.  Which simply means it is all one big piece.

The truck is controlled remotely

Placing concrete

Placing concrete

Finished slab

Once concrete is poured it is there. You have to think through everything that needs to go in the floor. I would have done a couple of thing differently at this point, nothing earth shaking, but definitely causing a little extra work to get accomplished now.

House Construction on Richland Chambers, Step one

My original intention was to document the house building process, so here's goes the first installment to recap the last few months of construction.

Step One: Get a soil analysis.

Everybody knows the foundation is the most important part of any home. The soil analysis is accomplished by doing core samples on the building site, then the engineer prepares a report based on the sample. Around  Richland Chambers Lake  Navarro county has "highly expansive" clay soil which shrinks and expands depending on the amount of moisture in the soil. So an adequate foundation is critical. The soil analysis is then taken to an engineer along with your floor plans and he generates a foundation plan. In our area we see a lot of post tension, big beams and piers depending on the engineers recommendations.

The house pad is prepared by establishing the grade, then select fill is brought in, spread and compacted in 'lifts'. This is not a real glamorous stage of construction, however extremely important.

Select fill being installed in 'lifts onsite

View of back of house pad

Home Construction update on RCLake

The house is moving along nicely, slowly, but looking good. The framers have gone as far as they can with siding, trim and soffits and will be back next week to finish up with posts and beams. We are still waiting for the last window to arrive and when it does they will be finished pretty quick. The HVAC is roughed in, that is the air handlers have been set and all the ducts are in. The plumbers are working on 'top out' and my buddy Fred with Delta Electric is getting started wiring the house. The next thing will be to finish all he cedar and paint the gables and trim.

Richland Chambers is down like most Texas lakes right now so might as well get everything finished now so we can enjoy the lake when it comes back.

Lots of good deals on lots in The Shores right now, the water is falling and prices are too.

Good deal on Richland Chambers Lake Property

The Shores on Richland Chambers is a 600 lot, almost 800 acre subdivision that opened around '04-05' and sold by Texas Land and Lakes. The neighborhood was sold out by about mid 2009. Since that time there have been many changes in the economy and now in 2013 there are quite a few lots for sale by individual owners. There have been some very good deals in The Shores  and this is one of the best.  The lot is .59 acres and is a good building site with just a little slope.  There is also a single slip boat house on the water included with the property.  Check out the listing:  Lot 511 The Shores.  
Like more info or would like to see it in person?  Shoot me an email: johnteelremax@gmail.com

Cool Spot on the south side of Richland Chambers Lake

Cool Spot on the south side of  Richland Chambers Lake

Time for little business!  This is a really cool restaurant / bar on the south side of Richland Chambers on FM 416.  This used to be the 'Draft House Grill and Bar".  The business at one time was moving along pretty well and it was a great hang out on Friday & Saturday nights.  Live music, good food and great atmosphere made for a fun evening on RC Lake.  The facilities are in great shape with all of the kitchen,  bar equipment and some sound equipment is in place.  The owners have moved on to other things and are wanting to sell.  This place is perfect for someone who wants to open a "Pub Style" operation, Sports bar, or just a good restaurant.
Check out the listing:  470 FM 416 Streetman, TX 75859

An impromptu 'jam session' at The Draft House  spring 2012

Like a twig on the shoulders of a mighty stream

Where has the blog gone?  Nothing is worse for a blog than inconsistency, right?  Well it has been many months since I have blogged and you can see in the picture where the house is as of yesterday 17Aug13.  Yes, some progress has been made though not what you would expect from supposedly a well thought out and planned building process.  

Building a house for yourself requires many things, perhaps the most influencing of which is motivation.

Many things have happened in our lives for Julie and I this spring, beginning about the time the blog dropped off.  So not wanting to sound as if I am complaining or offering up excuses, I won't.  Suffice it to say we have not been as motivated to make the change and move south down Chambers Creek about 12 miles or so.

The real estate market has been good and busy this year.  The lake is down 8 1/2 feet and we have moved our boat to a deep water slip in the marina at The Shores.  

We have been on the water quite a bit however not as much as last year.

Our motivation is returning with each new board nailed up and the goal is to move in around Christmas.

We'll see.

"Like a twig on the shoulders of a mighty stream"

~John Candy~

Home Construction

These may not look like much, but this is the pad for the house.  Improved fill has been brought in and put in place.  Our soils here are mostly clay based and they expand and contract according to the amount of moisture present.  The improved fill is put into place (in this case 30") to absorb the movement of the clay under the house.  We had boring samples done and a soil analysis based on the findings.  That analysis and our floor plan drawings are with the engineer now and he is designing our foundation.  Once that is done we will move forward with a concrete company to build the foundation.