The deal with all the busts is after one of the south fla hurricanes, several developers bought lakefront property at Smith Lake and developed it for the retirees that had normally moved to south fla. It really didn't take off like they expected. The great thing about Smith Lake is the scenery and the calm clear water if you ski. The bad thing is the fact that your are at least a 30 minute drive from anything, grocery store, Wal mart, restaurant, and don't even look for a bar. It is also a power generating reservoir so the water level fluctuates drastically. If you purchase a lot, the most important question is, does it have year round water. If it's on a main channel, you are probably ok, if it's in a cove, your boathouse may be on the ground in the winter for a couple of months. We started going there in the early 80s and at that time, you could buy a nice lot for under 10 grand, those same lots will sell for over 100 k now.
