If You Only Live Once

Pick a place you love!

Lake Martin is definitely one of the bright spots in the national economy. For several months, we have been reporting real estate sales and available inventory levels for the lake. Since March 1, sales have been very brisk, and available inventory has become scarce. View previous articles >

At first, this seems counter-intuitive, until you talk to those making purchases. What we have heard can best be summed up this way: “With COVID, you can either live in a crowded city or in a beautiful place. Since we only have one life to live, we choose to live here at Lake Martin.”

That is not an isolated sentiment. In fact, that thought is nearly universal. We hear the same comment from Montgomery, Birmingham, and Atlanta area purchasers. They come and visit the lake and immediately fall in love with the area and the lake lifestyle. We have found that buyers fall into one of two categories—temporary or permanent.

Temporary “primary” home

What is not necessarily universal is how the property will be used. Some buyers have moved to the lake to self-isolate during the “safer at home” period. They made their purchase thinking that this will be a weekend place only. Then they decide that they can work from the lake as easily as from home. Weekend stays become week-long and then months-long stays.

Increasingly, the sentiment is that a weekender’s motive evolves into permanence. Why not live in a place that is beautiful, peaceful, amenity-rich and fun? As the economy reopens, there does not appear to be a mass return to city life but rather, the thought occurs that the city house might be the one that gets sold, and a smaller city house might be the “during the week” place to stay while the lake becomes home.

Change of address

We are seeing a trend for those who have had a weekend place on the lake for years trading up to a larger lake home and permanently changing to a Lake Martin address. This has created a demand for neighborhoods like The Ridge and The Willows of Willow Point. These amenity-rich neighborhoods offer beautiful homes and easy access to marinas, dining, shopping, and medical facilities, while enjoying the security of gated entry.

Why do they like living at the lake more than the city? They like that lake homes are typically situated on large lots—at least in Russell Lands neighborhoods. Setback requirements give houses extra privacy. Piers are situated beyond “a safe social distance,” and swimming and boating are all acceptable recreational activities that do not require testing (except to get your boater’s license).

Not an isolated trend

A recent article in The Wall Street Journal (July 17, 2020 issue) indicated that traditional “second home” communities all around the country are experiencing the same dynamic. Cities like New York, Boston, and San Francisco, just to name a few, are seeing an exodus of their residents to non-urban environments. In some cases, the move is to a primary second home and in other cases the move is permanent.

This appears to be a large demographic change that is likely to be long-lasting. More attractive places, with natural beauty, rural environment, and great recreational opportunities, are huge draws for many people who are less inclined to stay in the big cities.

The right place for this time

Russell Lands On Lake Martin is located south of Alexander City, Alabama and comprises roughly 25,000 contiguous acres and more than 250 miles of shoreline on Lake Martin, one of the largest man-made lakes in the world. A fraction of that property has been developed into world-class neighborhoods with resort-like amenities including golf, restaurants, fitness centers and state-of-the-art marinas.

Connecting our 12-plus neighborhoods are thousands of acres of prime forest with more than 100 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails. Who knew when Benjamin Russell compiled this property in the 1920s that it would become such a welcome haven?

If you are thinking about making a move to Lake Martin and want to learn more, give us a call at 256.215.7011 or drop us an e-mail. We are happy to help you learn more about our community and what we believe is the ideal lifestyle. After all—you only live once!