What’s the BAD SIDE of Lake Martin Alabama?

Is there a bad side of Lake Martin for real estate? To answer this question we need to know what describes a good side of the lake. 

I think the good side depends on three things. It depends on where you’re coming from, what you want to do when you’re on the water, and any plans you might have for your house once you have it. In this blog, I am going to try to roll through all three of those things to explain what I mean.

Assessing Your Starting Point on Lake Martin

Some people have a real geographical focus on the lake. That means there will be a good or a bad side for them. What I mean by that is where they’re coming from. 

Some people have a lot of clients that are coming from the east like Georgia. People say, “Hey, I want to be within 2 hours of Atlanta” or “I want to be as close as I can to Auburn.” So, they would want to be on the east side of Lake Martin.

Some people are coming from Birmingham or from the west. If they are coming from Scottsdale, Arizona, and flying into the Birmingham airport because they like Birmingham, then they might want to end up on the west side of the lake. 

Also, I have a lot of people that are coming from the south. They may be coming from Dothan, Florida, Montgomery, or somewhere like that. So, they want to be on the south side of the lake. For them that’s the good side of the lake.

Defining Your Goals and Activities on Lake Martin

The second part to consider is how they’re going to enjoy the lake while they’re here. Sometimes people get irritated at me when they ask about the good and bad sides of the lake. They expect me to say that they wouldn’t want to be in this neighborhood or that slough. However, it really is sometimes because of how they’re going to use their house. 

Well, what do I mean by that? Some people say they want to be near the action such as waterfront restaurants. Therefore, I’ll point out an area close to Chuck’s, Kowaliga, or the Parker Creek area.

If somebody says that they really like to ride in their boat to restaurants, then I’m going to try to start over on the south side. However, if someone really likes to fish and to see nobody else on the lake while they’re out, then I might suggest the north area of the lake. It is near Wind Creek State Park where there’s a lot of good fishing, and it’s lightly populated.

The north side, I call it North Lake, is near the Highway 280 bridge. Looking at a map, 280 is kind of like a hat on the lake. You also have 49 on the east, 63 in the middle, 259 on the west, and 50 on the bottom. 

If you don’t care to be by restaurants and want to be near golf, then Alexander City could be for you. Alex City, as we natives affectionately call it, has a municipal golf course. I’ll tell my clients it’s close to the municipal golf course or Willow Point country club and near The Heritage and Wicker Point Golf Club. So, it’s good to know what your goals and activities are when choosing an area of the lake. 

Planning for Your Home on Lake Martin 

Another way to figure out the good or the bad side of Lake Martin for you is to know how you are going to use your house or your condo. 

Some people would tell me that they would like the option of renting short-term. People might say they want to rent their home or condo 80% of the time or 10% of the time. If you want to have the ability to short-term rent your house, then you have to plan on that before you purchase.

When somebody tells me that, I automatically know these such neighborhoods are not going to be for you. Take Russell Lands for instance. It is our biggest developer on Lake Martin, and none of their neighborhoods have a short-term rent available. That will knock out all of their neighborhoods. It would be my nightmare for somebody to tell me that and then buy their house and realize they can’t short-term rent it. 

In Conclusion

Again, I don’t mean to sound like I’m not answering the question when people ask what’s the good or the bad side of Lake Martin. I’m not here to tell you what you want. I’m here to help you and guide you. You’re the star of this story. I think a good agent listens, ask questions, and then actually listens to the answer. 

Then, I will try to guide you in a way, because l’ve been doing this since 2005. l have helped hundreds of people look at thousands of lake properties, and it is so much fun. One of the fun things about what I do is I might bump into somebody at a restaurant maybe eight years later, and they say that they still love their home. They also might show me pictures. So, I think the main part of that is asking good questions. Therefore, I can find out what would be a good side of Lake Martin for you. 

That’s the point of this whole thing. It’s your stuff, not mine. I want to be a good realtor for you. If you think we’d be a good fit, then please give me a call at the number on the top of this page. You can also reach me through email or our Contact Page. We can set up an initial meeting on the phone whether it’s on the buying side or the selling side. l’d love to help you out.

For more blogs about the different sides of Lake Martin and what to do there, click the links below:

Publix on Lake Martin Alabama

The Social: A Dog Friendly Spot on Lake Martin