Your Local Austin Real Estate Guide
I frequently get asked what Lake Frontage Property goes for in Austin. It varies widely depending on the property, which lake it is on, and how much linear footage of lake front the property has. But this will provide a quick explaination that will provide a general idea of what lake front homes are going for.
Generally speaking, water FRONT property on Lake Austin will start around $1M and go up from there. There is a community on the northwest side of the lake called Apache Shores where you can often find “water front” for less. Most of the water front properties there sit high up on the cliff (over 100ft) overlooking the water and usually have private boat docks down below (you would have to drive to the dock). The entrance of the community is near Lakeway, off of RR620.
There are several large communities on/near Lake Austin that contain homes starting in the upper $200k’s and extending up into the $2-5M range (i.e. Steiner Ranch, River Place). They each have their own lake access for boats. The majority of these homes are in the $400k-$650k range and most are in subdivisions that are 1+ mile from the lake and will not likely have a direct view of the lake.
Lake Travis is a large lake with a fluctuating lake level that feeds Lake Austin. It has several smaller towns surrounding it and prices and access will vary widely. On the south side is the most well know, Lakeway. On the north side (which due to access would take 1+ hour to drive to from Austin) there are more affordable places such as Jonestown, Lago Vista and Point Venture. As a whole Lake Front is still going to be in the $600k+ range. If you exclude the $1M+ properties (that skew the averages), the average sales price for Lake Front property on Lake Travis is about $675k. But you can probably find places as low as $350k and well into the millions on the high side.
Further out you will find Lake LBJ/Marble Falls. This is also where a well known community called Horseshoe Bay is located. Prices will come down a little as you move out, but this is also a constant level lake (like Lake Austin) and you will find that prices are quite comparable to those of Lake Travis. If you go as far out as Kingsland, just before Lake Buchanan (the largest) you may be able to find smaller cabin style homes on the lake for as low as $250k.
Please understand these are all just general numbers. If you would like me to send you properties that fit certain criteria and price ranges, please let me know what they are and I will send you the properties that are currently available in the Austin MLS.