Ok, 2 post in one day… I just ran across these videos on YouTube just after I uploaded my Lake McQueeney Video Tour (see below). This is actual video from 1964-1968 of people skiing on Lake McQueeney. Compare this video with the Lake McQueeney Video Tour below and you will definitely notice the lack of houses and the unimproved waterfront on the lake in 1964. For example, when they are jumping, look at Treasure Island. Where are all the houses? It is just amazing to see the amount of development on this Lake McQueeney since 1964. There are many more lots than house regardless where they were skiing on the lake in this video. Now it is hard to find a vacant lot on Lake McQueeney. I thought there had been a significant amount of development since I first came to the lake in 1983 but it was nowhere near as undeveloped as Lake McQueeney in 1964. These videos was too good not to put up on my blog… ENJOY!
I am often contact by people who run across my website, www.LakeHouses4Sale.net, that have never heard of Lake McQueeney, Lake Dunlap, Lake Placid, or Meadow Lake (Click here for a description of the lakes including aerial maps). There is only so much you can tell from aerial maps of the lakes. For this reason I have created this video below. This video is decided to give you a quick tour of Lake McQueeney while also giving you an idea of what the the homes look like to give you a better idea of what the “true” curb appeal of Lake McQueeney Real Estate. I had previously posted a similar video awhile back before Google offered the “HQ” button. Please enjoy the video and as always please feel free to contact me anytime with any questions or concerns. Take a look at my older post for a real video tour of Meadow Lake. There will be videos of Lake Dunlap and Lake Placid coming this spring…
A common questions from many of my clients is, “What is the difference between the area lakes?” and “Which one is the biggest?” and “How long are they?”. Thanks to the new tools on www.googlemaps.com I am now able to find out exactly how long each lake is. Take a look at the map at the bottom of this post… All of these lakes are wide enough to Waterski/Wakeboard on, jet ski, fish, or just to cruise the lake in your boat. The typical length of a boat on these lakes is around 21.5’ with some larger (typically under 25’) and some smaller.
Lake Dunlap measured 7.1 Miles of usable/boatable lake using Google Maps. This lake at is widest is close to 900’ wide (about the width of 3 football fields. The Guadalupe Blanco River Authority (www.gbra.org) lists this lake as 410 acres with a capacity of 5900 acre-feet. An acre foot is defined by the volume of one acre of surface area to a depth of one foot (43560 Cubic Feet).
Lake McQueeney measured 7.15 Miles of usable/boatable lake if you consider driving around Treasure Island. GBRA lists this lake as 400 acres with a storage capacity of 5050 acre feet. One of the attractions to Lake McQueeney is its wide area at the bottom of the lake that measures as wide as 2700’.
Lake Placid measured 4.9 miles of usable/boatable lake. This lake has quite a few wide straightaways and the widest of them are about 464’ wide. GBRA list this lake as 248 acres with a capacity of 2,624 acre-feet.
Meadow Lake is approximately 3.82 miles of usable/boatable lake. This lake is narrower than the other lakes listed above but still has plenty of room for boating, water skiing/wakeboarding, jet skiing, and fishing. This lake has historically been a fisherman’s lake but it is starting to change with the popularity of jet skiing and waterskiing and wakeboarding. The widest part of this lake is about 450’ wide. GBRA list this lake as 153 acres with a storage capacity of 1,550 acre-feet.
Zoom in to the different Lakes and click on the blue lines for more information.
I am constantly being asked by people to let them know where the main hazardous areas are on Lake Dunlap, Lake McQueeney, Lake Placid, and Meadow Lake. I am very familiar with these lakes. I have actually lived on all of them except Lake Placid, however I do have quite a few friends that live on that lake. Thanks to recent updates to Google maps. They have allowed me to mark the hazardous areas on the various lakes. This map marks large hazardous areas but does not mark all of them. A good rule to go by is never get too close to shore. I always try to stay at least 75′ for shore at all times. Click on Lake Maps to see all the lake maps. Lake McQueeney Map is shown below. Use the “+” & “-” buttons to zoom in. Also click on the shaded areas and icons for more info, including boatable areas of the lakes, details about the hazardous areas, and boat launch locations.
Ever since I was a child my family has spent July 4th on Lake McQueeney. This tradition I still continue today over 20 years later. In fact, it was on July 4th at Lake McQueeney six years ago when I met my wife, and we continue to look forward to the excitement of this annual event year to year.
Most people would agree that July 4th on Lake McQueeney is one of the most popular holidays of the year. It is a social event that includes a boat parade, barbeques, fireworks, water balloons, and a whole lot of fun. Nearly every other house has a band, DJ, or at least music playing with friends and family hanging out by the lake watching all the action on the water. So don’t expect a calm ski run on July 4th. My recommendation is to watch from shore or cruise in a pontoon boat to catch all the excitement, unless you do not like water balloons.
The Boat parade is not officially put on by any person or organization (that I know of). The decorated boats usually meet around Las Brisas at about 2pm. Anyone is welcome to join the parade, but don’t be surprised if you get hit by a few water balloons from the many gatherings at various lake houses. I also have heard that there are similar parades on Lake Placid and Lake Dunlap as well.
Don’t miss the firework display in front of the Lake Breeze Ski Lodge (A private club). The firework show starts around 9-9:15. The best view of the show is from the shores of the Ski Lodge or from within a boat nearby. The show gets better and better every year.
Last year I showed a few lake houses and lake properties over the July 4th weekend on Lake McQueeney. Some of the buyers were concerned by the social events going on next to the houses we looked at. However, this is not a normal occurrence for weekends on Lake McQueeney.
If you have not made it to a July 4th on Lake McQueeney, I highly encourage you to check it out this year. Regardless of where you spend your July 4th holiday please be safe and have fun.
I recently received an email with a question about being able to Waterski on Lake McQueeney:
Question:
I was looking at a few of the houses on Lake McQueeny. Can you tell me how big that lake is? Is it bigger or smaller than Somerville? Do people water ski on that lake? Or is it more of a river that people fish on?
Answer:
Lake McQueeney and the other area lakes (Lake Dunlap, Lake Placid, Meadow Lake) are very waterski friendly. In fact, Lake McQueeney has been referred to as the “Waterski Capital of Texas”. These chain of lakes are all sections of the Guadalupe River which makes them “River Like” which is very good for keeping the water calm for several reasons.
On a windy day Canyon Lake or Somerville get “blown out” making skiing and boating difficult and definitely not as fun. The central Texas Lakes (Lake McQueeney, Lake Dunlap, Lake Placid, and Meadow Lake) are winding lakes that will have at least one straightaway that the trees block the wind (even on the windiest days).
River like lakes force boats to drive the same line. Even on a calm day at a lake like Somerville you always have the few boats that love to pull their tubes right where everyone is skiing. In a river like lake most tubers will stay in the wide parts of the lake (typically downriver) for the safety of their tuber. Even if the tubers are not out in the big lakes, uneducated boat drives tend to drive their skier all over the lake instead of sharing the same line which makes the lake calmer for everyone. Think about it for a second. If everyone shares the same line then all the boats wakes go in the same direction. Boats that drive in all different directions also send their waves in all different directions which makes the lake rough for everyone.
Descriptions of each lake which can also on found on to home page of my website, www.LakeHouses4Sale.net. There you will also find links to Lake Maps and much more. Scroll through my older blogs and you will also find a Video Tour of Meadow Lake and Lake McQueeney.
Beginning Sunday April19, 2009 Lake McQueeney level will be lowered approximately 12 to 18 inches below normal so that Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) hydroelectric crews can perform routine maintenance to the dam.
GBRA officials are advising that these scheduled operations may be completed before May 22, 2009, or may need to be extended for an additional period of time. Operations also may be adjusted or canceled in the event of adverse weather conditions. GBRA officials advise anyone using Lake McQueeney for recreational purposes during this time to exercise caution. Lower lake levels may expose debris and other potential hazards that are normally underwater. For questions about Lake McQueeney levels during maintenance, please call GBRA (830) 379-5822 ext. 241.
There has never been a better time to purchase a lake house/waterfront property.
Interest rates are at 30 year lows (see graph below..) You can now afford more for less.
Lakefront real estate on these small lakes is limited (Lake Dunlap, Lake McQueeney, Lake Placid, & Meadow Lake). Supply and Demand: When there is little supply the demand for Lakefront Real Estate will rise causing prices to rise.
Sellers are negotiating: The economy had made it tough on some sellers and some of them need out, which means great deals for buyers.
The way I see it:
Put your money in the stock market and pray the stock market goes up all while getting no enjoyment out of your investment. OR:
Buy a lake house and actually enjoy your investment as you watch the lakefront market appreciate.
While other states are being hit hard by the recent economic downtown, Texas is look up. If you watch any national news program you will hear doom and gloom stories about more layoffs. However Texas, more specifically San Antonio is hiring. Several area employers, including Methodist Health Care, Wachovia, Home Depot and the U.S. Census Bureau will be accepting job applications this Wednesday (3/11/2009). The job fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the St. Mary’s Family Resource and Learning Center at 3141 Culebra Road. The jobs bring in more people which creates a demand for Real Estate/Home Sales in Texas. Just Remember Real Estate is local. Do not pay attention to the nationwide statistics.
The video below is a Texas specific Housing and economic forecast of sorts. This very informative video needs to be watched by every Texan. See why the Texas Real Estatemarket is one of the strongest in the nation. Visit www.TexaPlex.com for more information.
I was watching Good Morning America (GMA) when a segment on Real Estate Video Tours came on. According to the report, people stay at a Real Estate website 78% longer if there is a video. Video Tours are the real estate marketing tool of the future currently be used by very few agents. Click play below to see a video tour I recently produced which helped me get this Lake Placid lake house under contract in less than a week. As I have always said in listing appointments, “If a picture is worth a 1000 words then a video is worth 10,000.” Take a look at the link below for the full story.
