Real Estate Statistics
| Average Price | $2.3M |
|---|---|
| Lowest Price | $295K |
| Highest Price | $63M |
| Total Listings | 549 |
| Avg. Days On Market | 144 |
| Avg. Price/SQFT | $669 |
Property Types (active listings)
Highland Lakes Homes For Sale
- All Listings
- Under $500,000
- $500,000 - $800,000
- $800,000 - $1,200,000
- $1,200,000 - $1,700,000
- $1,700,000 - $2,200,000
- $2,200,000 - $4,000,000
- Over $4,000,000
Discover All the Highland Lakes
The Rivers That Feed the Highland LakesEvery one of the Highland Lakes is a dammed section of the Colorado River. Between the lakes, some stretches of the river are not boatable and live more like a river than a lake, the section below the Lake Marble Falls dam being the best known example. Riverfront property on those stretches offers a different kind of waterfront: moving water, natural banks, and no power boats. The Pedernales River joins the chain at Lake Travis, and when the lake is at or close to full pool the lower Pedernales is part of the lake itself. Its calm, river-like flow and natural shorelines make it one of the best stretches of water in Central Texas for watersports, and it is a favorite of competitive wakeboarders such as our very own Hunter Croan and barefoot skiers. Buyers weighing lake water against river water can start with River Living vs. Lake Living. Work With Highland Lakes Waterfront SpecialistsThe Highland Lakes are six different markets on one river, and the right lake depends on what a buyer wants from the water: constant level or not, big water or quiet coves, an hour from Austin or a weekend escape. Hunter Croan, owner of The Lakefront Group, built the team to cover Central Texas waterfront from the Guadalupe lakes to the Highland Lakes, and it leads the #1 producing group at Keller Williams Heritage, the largest Keller Williams market center in the world, three years in a row. A meaningful share of the team's Highland Lakes sales never reach the open market, and our off-market and coming-soon access is often the difference for buyers on lakes where waterfront inventory is thin. Brooke LeMond has sold waterfront on Lake Travis for her entire 20-plus-year career and spends her own family time on that lake, so she knows which coves hold water in a dry year and which docks stay useful when the level drops. She grew up in Llano, at the upper end of the chain, and works the whole run from Lake Buchanan to Lake Austin. As a Certified KW Real Estate Planner she helps clients structure 1031 exchanges, luxury transitions, and legacy purchases, and her clients note that she listens first and does not waste their time on properties that miss the mark. Billy Stephens moved to the Hill Country in 2011 after growing up hunting, fishing, and on the water in Southwest Louisiana, and he covers all of the Highland Lakes and River including Lake LBJ, Lake Marble Falls, Inks Lake, Lake Buchanan, Lake Travis and Lake Austin. More than a decade in building materials sales means he can price a dock or house rebuild, a deck, or an exterior update on the spot, so buyers know what a property will cost to own and sellers know which improvements will move the sale price. His clients say they felt like family before the deal was done. Call The Lakefront Group at 830.253.5253 to talk through which Highland Lake fits you. Who Buys on the Highland LakesMost Highland Lakes buyers are second-home owners. San Antonio, Austin, and the Midland and Odessa area make up the largest share, with some buyers from Dallas and Fort Worth and a few from Houston, which sits outside the roughly three-hour drive most lake buyers set as their limit. Full-time residents are more common on Lake Travis, which is close enough to Austin for a daily commute, and in Horseshoe Bay on Lake LBJ. Short-term rental investors gravitate to Lake Travis, where name recognition keeps bookings strong, and to Lake LBJ. Buyers comparing lakes can read Understanding Waterfront Communities Pricing on the Highland Lakes and What Is the Best Lake to Live on in Texas. Highland Lakes Real Estate FAQsHow many lakes are in the Highland Lakes, and in what order? Six. From the top of the Colorado River down: Lake Buchanan, Inks Lake, Lake LBJ, Lake Marble Falls, Lake Travis, and Lake Austin. All six are operated by the Lower Colorado River Authority. Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin sits just below Lake Austin and is sometimes counted as a seventh, but it is closed to gas-powered boats and is not a waterfront real estate market in the same sense. Which Highland Lakes are constant level? Lake LBJ, Lake Marble Falls, Inks Lake, and Lake Austin are held at a near-constant level as pass-through lakes. Lake Travis (flood control) and Lake Buchanan (water supply) are the two storage reservoirs of the chain, so their levels rise and fall with rainfall and drought. Constant level does not mean never lowered: the LCRA periodically draws down the pass-through lakes for dam and dock maintenance, and buyers should ask about the schedule on the lake they are considering. Does it matter that Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan are not constant level? It matters for how you use the property, not whether it is worth owning. On both lakes, buyers should look at where the shoreline sits at full pool and at low water, whether the dock floats or is fixed, and how far the water pulls back from the house in a dry year. Deep-water lots on the main body hold up best; shallow coves can go dry. Our post on how lake levels affect property values covers the pricing side, and Lake Travis vs. Lake Buchanan compares the two directly. Which Highland Lake is best for full-time living, and which for a second home? Lake Austin and Lake Travis are the easiest full-time choices because of their proximity to Austin jobs, hospitals, and schools. Lake Marble Falls offers full-time convenience with a city on the shore at a lower entry point. Lake LBJ is primarily a second-home lake, with Horseshoe Bay drawing the most full-time residents. Inks Lake and Lake Buchanan lean toward second homes and retirees who want quiet water and are comfortable being further from a major city. How far are the Highland Lakes from Austin and San Antonio? Lake Austin is inside the city. Lake Travis is roughly 15 miles northwest of downtown Austin. Lake Marble Falls and Lake LBJ are roughly an hour northwest of Austin and about an hour and a half from San Antonio, depending on where on the lake you land. Inks Lake and Lake Buchanan add another 20 to 30 minutes beyond that. All of these are approximate and traffic dependent, and the Austin side of the drive varies the most by time of day. What should buyers compare when looking across several Highland Lakes? Start with the water itself: constant level or fluctuating, depth at the dock, and whether the lot faces open water or a cove. Then look at what is allowed on the shoreline, since dock, boat house, and bulkhead rules differ by lake and by community, and at whether any part of the lot is fill or sits below the LCRA's project boundary, which our post on fill property on the Highland Lakes explains. Finally, weigh drive time honestly. A lake that is 45 minutes further away gets used less than most buyers expect. Find Your Home on the Highland LakesWhether you are drawn to the deep water of Lake Travis, the steady level of Lake LBJ, or the quiet reaches of Lake Buchanan, The Lakefront Group can help you find the right lake and the right home, including properties that never hit the public sites. Set up Lake House Alerts to see new and off-market Highland Lakes listings first, call us at 830.253.5253, or contact our team to start the conversation. |