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 Slick Ford on the Sipsey ) that have about anything one desires….just be willing to pay the price. There are a number of good one-off lots but the prices have not come down. As always, do your due diligence on the lot to make sure the cost to prepare the lot is not going to be out of sight.
From 2016 (pre-pandemic)
Finding a lot on Smith can be overwhelming. On my MLS, there are 444 lots ranging from $14,000 to $1,500,000. The 444 does not include the other MLSs that service the lake. I am going to guess there are over 600 lots available on the lake.
I get a lot of calls about finding a lot to purchase on the lake. It usually goes something like this: client..”what is the best lot you know about?”, me…”depends on what is important to you, is it money, view, flat, deep water, privacy, etc.” As you can imagine, not an easy answer.
Most people want many of the same things: deep water, <50 steps, view, on or close to the main channel. This is considered a very nice lot and a good rule of thumb price for this lot is $1000/frontage foot. Lots prices can have a higher price/frontage ft than this but they must have special features. Anything higher than this is usually priced too high. There are many lots available in the $750/frontage foot range but anything lower will require some sort of compromise (e.g. seasonal, steep, in slough).
Another thing about lots, waterfront is the primary driver. A 5 acre lot with 100′ of waterfront is not worth a whole lot more than a 1 acre lot with 100′. Unless you really want the 5 acres it has very little value.
When looking for a lot, think through what you want or do not want so that your realtor can quickly narrow the search. Unless you are willing to pay top dollar, be ready to compromise, be open-minded and be ready to exercise your creativity muscle.