BUYING AT LAKE PANORAMA 101

Research

Familiarize yourself with the lake market by visiting websites like Realtor.com, Zillow and Sunsetrealtyia.com. Have a general wish list:

• # of bedrooms, # of bathrooms
• square footage
• Will this be your primary home or a second/vacation home?
• Private family home or condominium/townhome?

Budget

Determine what your budget will be for your lake home!

Waterfront homes currently start in the $700K range and can go as high at $2.5million. 

The five-year average from 2019 to Oct. of 2023 is $783K.

The current 2023 average is $888K.

Offshore homes have also continued to go up in price. Ranging from $400K to $650K with the five year average of $349K and 2023 average of $454K.

Waterfront condos five year average is $427K and are currently at $556K in 2023.

Offshore condos five year average is $195K and 2023 average is $242K.

Pre-Qualification

If your method of payment is a mortgage, talk to your lender and get prequalified for a loan. A prequalification letter is helpful to make your offer stronger.

Be Ready

We have been in a strong Seller’s market since 2020, which means very little inventory and lots of Buyers. The market is shifting some but as the Buyer, you should be ready to act fairly quickly on a property when it becomes available. The last number of contingencies you have, the better. Ask your Realtor how to make your offer more attractive, and it is NOT a love letter to the Sellers.

Find the right Real Estate Agent

Find a Realtor that you trust and who has local knowledge of the area. Purchasing a property at Lake Panorama is unique & special. Our team of agents at Sunset Realty have all the helpful information on areas and details of Lake Panorama that aren’t easily accessible to most others. Your Realtor’s knowledge of the homebuying process, negotiating skills and familiarity of the area can be invaluable. We live here and take pride in this beautiful lake community. We are here to help you long after the purchase. 

Shop for Homes

Call your agent to set up appointments to see the homes that you are interested in. You might be tempted to just take a drive and hope to see some homes, but not all the homes for sale are vacant! Also, you will want to tour homes that will best fit you and your family’s needs. Your Realtor might suggest homes you hadn’t considered.

What’s up with…

• Docks and Lifts: Most will need to be removed in the fall and reinstalled in the spring. Lake Panorama has two Barge Companies that will do this work for you. In some of the smaller coves, you can leave them in all year.
• Landscaping/Mowing/Snow Removal: Homeowners are responsible for these on their property. The Lake Association plows the snow on the roads and mows some roadsides. For the names of our preferred vendors, check our list.
• Boats: For all the boating regulations and rules, click here.
• Storage: You have some boat storage options. Check with Coulter Panorama Marine or Scott’s Outdoor Supply for pricing and availability.

Sunset Realty Agent can help with almost all of these questions and you will want to reference the LPA Website often! www.Lakepanorama.org

All other Lake Panorama Association related questions could be answered here: https://lakepanorama.org/faqs/