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BUIZILLA
02-28-2006, 04:08 PM
looking for input in this area..... I am considering selling my Center Hill Lake house, and buying on the water on the east side of the state... I have some family in that area, but their on-water knowledge is zippo.... I want a house on the water, with direct main water access, with my own dock, somewhere in the Knox-ChooChoo theatre...

can anybody can shed some light on this???

thanx, Jim

RickSE
02-28-2006, 05:58 PM
My dad is currently building on 5-acres just below Norris Dam. His property rolls right up to the water but no boat docks allowed; have to use the ramp down the street. Looks like a great place to build and unbelievably affordable. Let me know if I can find anything out for you.

BUIZILLA
02-28-2006, 06:31 PM
Rick.... PM me your phone number.

thanx, Jim

dr
02-28-2006, 07:43 PM
I know the East TN market reasonably well, but of course it’s constantly changing. I live in Knoxville and have property on Norris. Norris and Tellico are my favorites. Lots of good lakes in the area, all TVA administered, no Core of Eng...

The property Rick referenced if I am reading this right would be on the Clinch River, not Norris Lake…the Clinch feeds into Melton Hill Lake. If you want to discuss let me know and I’ll send you my numbers.

David

Lenny
02-28-2006, 08:51 PM
Jim, when you build,... please make LOTS of extra rooms c/w ensuites :D

Personal Dock VROOM is nice too

;)

CHACHI
03-01-2006, 06:18 AM
My bride and I are going down to Knoxville in April to look at property, hopefully with waterfront. I can send you info when we return. Ken

DAULEY
03-01-2006, 07:55 AM
when you say cheep land what do you mean
how much are lake front lot going for
i have been looking in mo at table rock lake and prices there are reasonable
how big are the lakes

RedDog
03-01-2006, 09:51 AM
My dad is currently building on 5-acres just below Norris Dam. His property rolls right up to the water but no boat docks allowed; have to use the ramp down the street. Looks like a great place to build and unbelievably affordable. Let me know if I can find anything out for you.
5 acres below the dam means in the trout stream - canoes yes, Donzis no. Maybe you mean above the dam...

Watts Bar and Ft Loudon Lakes are on the TN River. A lot of deep waterfronts available. Chickamogga (sp?) is at Chattanooga and also on hte TN River. Tellico is really clean and is connected to Ft Loundon via a canal right at the 2 dams. Tellico would remind you of Center Hill. Norris is also a really clean and big lake, but very limited dockage can be had (permit restrictions) and in the winter the Corp drops the water level emisely (50 feet). I have also come to like Cherokee Lake alot. It is about 45 minutes from Knoxville.

Mail me with some specific questions and I'll try to guide you.

RickSE
03-01-2006, 11:01 AM
I sent my dad an email to confirm where his property is. From what I remember him saying it is below Norris Dam, water is moving and cold. He said he could put either of his boats, 33ZX or ProLine 32 Walk, in near his home and go all the way to the Gulf through the rivers and locks. The water way seems pretty wide in front of his land and I know prop guys are often running up and down the water way. I'm not familiar with the area though and I only know what I've been told by my dad and seen in pictures. I believe this picture shows where my Dad's property is, up from the train bridge.

He did get a deal on the land a few years ago, bought for $80K and claims the current value is around $250K. He's also building a premium home and boat house for under $100/sqft which is unheard of here out west.

J&K SHAHBAS
03-01-2006, 11:14 AM
I have looked at property in and around west knoxville and lenoir city , Lake property is hot in this area for a lot, 300,000to700,000 houses from 500toover a million depending on your taste. I would check out louisville Tn. its on the same lake but a bit more affordable but not for long. Good luck its a great area.

dr
03-01-2006, 11:27 AM
Sounds like its several miles below Norris Dam…as alluded to the Clinch River which comes out of the dam is a stream but transitions into a river then Melton Hill Lake…

The Clinch is beautiful and as you noted very cold…

I bought some lakefront land on Norris in 1980 for 7K an acre and sold it in 1995 for a lot more…thought I was a genius….well that wasn’t the case…its value is almost 3 times what I sold it for...

In recent years almost all the little mom and pop marinas and boat docks have sold out to developers and they have/are being converted into condo’s waterfront communities, clubs, ect…

Norris is both clean and clear….feed from mountain steams with no significant industrial factors….just a few years ago you could boat in relative privacy on a weekday

dr
03-01-2006, 11:56 AM
(Tim?) You mentioned Cherokee in a earlier reply….Cherokee and Douglass are 2 lakes I always enjoyed but spent little time on….I think they used to be some of the more affordable and available lakes in the area, has that changed? Is lakefront property available both on and out of developments? What are the average costs?

Thanks

RedDog
03-01-2006, 01:26 PM
(Tim?) You mentioned Cherokee in a earlier reply….Cherokee and Douglass are 2 lakes I always enjoyed but spent little time on….I think they used to be some of the more affordable and available lakes in the area, has that changed? Is lakefront property available both on and out of developments? What are the average costs?
Thanks

Costs? I don't know. But existing homes or lots outside of developments are available on both

RickSE
03-01-2006, 01:26 PM
My dad just responded. He's 10-15 miles down from Norris Dam and in the picture I posted, east side of the river, just past the 90 deg. river bend. Claims he's at $460K for 5-acres, 5400 sqft home & 2500+ sqft boat house.

RedDog
03-01-2006, 01:56 PM
My dad just responded. He's 10-15 miles down from Norris Dam and in the picture I posted, east side of the river, just after the river bend.
That is downstream of Clinton TN - I bet it is more like 15 to 20 to Norris Dam. Forget his big boats. What is needed is a 14 to 16 foot john boat with a 15 to 20 horse motor. Run it about 10 to 15 miles upstream of Clinton to the weir dam (when Norris Dam is generating / passing water) and float back catching lunker trout (20+ pounders caught every year. The river record was 33 pounds last I heard). From where he is at it a direct shot to the Gulf of Mexico - TN R to Ohio R to Miss R or TN R to the Tom-Bigbee. Just takes a lot of gas and time.

A friend just bought a small house on the river about 5 miles downstream of the dam (2 to 3 down from the weir dam). At this location a john boat is all you can get in the water and the dam must be generating to do that. I don't know what he paid and it has been several months since I saw the MLS listing - something like 1 acre, pool, 2000 sqft, 300K

BUIZILLA
03-01-2006, 06:09 PM
RD, we want to stay south of 40 and have water access all the way to Choo-Choo town, or even Guntersville... Loudon, Tellico, north of Watts Bar Dam would work....

JH

dr
03-01-2006, 06:57 PM
Property on Loudon or Tellico is very expensive now….Watts Bar started to warm up a few/couple of years ago…

Someone else may be able to add more info (Reddog) but a few years ago there were concerns regarding some contaminants in the river bottom from the nuclear activity in Oak Ridge…there were discussions about dredging, ECT but all of that kind of went away?

RedDog
03-02-2006, 07:20 AM
RD, we want to stay south of 40 and have water access all the way to Choo-Choo town, or even Guntersville... Loudon, Tellico, north of Watts Bar Dam would work....
JH

I'll start watching the newspapers and clip any ads you may be interested in.

The contamination that dr refers to I think is actually mercury* - not radiation. I think all of the lakes on the TN river have a contamination concern of some type. Usually mercury or PCBs. The levels are such that it is only a concern if you eat the fish every day of the year.

*At one time the Y-12 Weapons Plant (weapons as in the big one) had the worlds largest inventory of mercury in the world. Their storage practices were not particularily environmentally friendly. A creek on Y-12 leads to the Clinch River which lead to the TN River / Watts Bar Lake.

BUIZILLA
03-02-2006, 08:37 AM
RD, thank you.... my game plan is to take a couple days lookysee on the way to AOTH.

dr, where do you live or boat mainly??

thanx, Jim

dr
03-02-2006, 03:32 PM
I live just north of Knoxville and boat primarily in my mind now days, managing to get out with the Donzi only 5 or 6 times a year on Norris. RedDog listed you’re the lakes that meet your criteria in the Knoxville area…IE Loudon, Tellico and Watts Bar…not knowing what’s important to you makes any real conclusions on my part premature

If you want to give me a call or if there is anything I can do for you just let me know. If you need a guided tour on the water I would be happy to help.

David

BUIZILLA
03-02-2006, 03:51 PM
well, hell yeah I would like a tour..... all the way from Norris to ChooChoo would be great by me...:cool:

thanx :yes:

dr
03-02-2006, 08:04 PM
I’ll take ‘part of that action’…..I know Norris and Tellico well and can show you those…let me know when you have in mind.