Below is a list of items and links to the recommended product on Amazon Required: Satellite, Cable or streaming (YouTube TV) that includes ESPN, SEC Channel and local channels Smoke Detector(s) (over the door of any room attached to kitchen area) Fire extinguisher (in kitchen) First Aid kit Clearly marked address sign or house name […]
Articles posted by Jeff Thomas
Vacation Rental status on Smith Lake (Oct, 22)
The last two years have seen an influx of buyers on Smith Lake. As the feeding frenzy is calming down and everyone is going back to schools and offices, I am seeing a lot of homes/condos hit the vacation rental market. We have gone from ~125 vacation rentals in 2000 to ~250 vacation rentals in […]
What can I make renting my lake home?

Covid changed the game last year as everyone was staying at home “away from home” or if they were not, they were wanting to. Also, the season was extended through October with good weather and schools starting late or allowing zoom school. So lets throw most of that out…but not all of it. As we […]
VRBO/Homeaway/AirBnB…save 5-12% and book direct!

I did a booking of one of our properties (Paradise Point) through our website (www.SmithLakeRentals.com) and through VRBO.com. Here are the things that bother me about VRBO: they added 8% to the nightly rate. This can be up to 12% and there is no rhyme or reason to the percentage, they call our Damage Deposit […]
Lewis Smith Lake, Smith Lake, Smith Lake Rentals, Smith Lake Rentals and Sales, VRBORule of thumb on the cost of a lot on Lewis Smith Lake (updated 10/2022)

Updated in Oct, 2022 (post-pandemic) 325 or so lots for sale ranging from $25k-$1M. The price per frontage foot for the ideal lot is going to be somewhere around $1500-2000 per frontage foot. If you want a decent lot these days you should budget $200k+. There are some new developments (Pointe Sixteen on Ryan and […]
Cost of property on Smith Lake, lots on Smith Lake, Property on Smith Lake, Smith LakeCan rental income pay for a lake house?

I get a lot of calls from prospective lake home owners wanting to know whether they can put a home on our rental program and it pay for itself. The short answer is NO! The rental income will definitely help but it will not pay the expenses of the house AND the mortgage. […]
What is the cost of a Smith Lake house these days?

This is a tough question as there are a lot of variables: house, lot, dock, convenience, water location, view, steps, etc. In general, most clients start looking for a newer house, on gradual lot with less than 40 steps, with at least a 1 slip dock, on the side of the lake closest to […]
What is the status of property on Smith Lake in 2016?

I meet a lot of people going about my daily activities. I am fortunate to live in an area where people desire and can afford to purchase lake property. They want to know what is going on with property prices: are prices rising or falling, are properties moving, and are there any deals. […]
Cost of property on Smith Lake, lots on Smith Lake, Property on Smith Lake, Smith LakeTax Strategies when Purchasing a Lake Home

When purchasing a lake house, you have a couple of approaches: 1) purchase for personal use or 2) purchase as an investment that includes renting the house out. Lets discuss these options. Personal use. This is pretty straight forward. It works just like your primary home with the mortgage interest being your one tax […]
Smith Lake Drought impact on owners, renters, prospective buyers
Smith Lake is suffering along with most other lakes in the south. We are holding our own right now at inches over winter pool (496msl) but with little rain in sight the expectation is that we will continue to drop below 496msl. Below winter pool is when damage will start happening as most plan […]