Water depth and levels
A home can sit on the water at full pool and still face a long walk to the lake in a dry year. Deep-water access, where a boat can stay in most of the year, holds value best. Read our water levels guide.
For Buyers · Lake Travis, Texas
How to Buy a Lake Travis Waterfront Home
Buying on Lake Travis is different from buying anywhere else in the Austin area. Water depth, dock rights, and lake levels all shape value. Will Garrison has worked this shoreline since 2001, so you get a veteran broker who knows which homes hold their value and which only look like a deal.
Since 1987Family-owned Lake Travis brokerage
25+ yrsWill licensed since 2001
22% belowOne recent buyer's price under asking
VeteranU.S. Marine Corps owner-broker
Why waterfront is a different purchase
On dry land, two similar homes tend to be worth similar amounts. On Lake Travis, two homes with the same square footage can be worth very different amounts once you factor in the water. Depth, dock rights, view, and where the property meets the lake all change the price and the day-to-day experience of owning the home.
Lake Travis is a reservoir on the Colorado River northwest of Austin, formed by Mansfield Dam and managed by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA). Because it stores water and controls floods, its level rises and falls with rainfall and drought. That single fact drives most of the questions below, and it is exactly where a broker who knows the water earns his keep.
What to check before you buy
Docks and permits
Docks on Lake Travis require an LCRA permit. Confirm an existing dock is permitted and in good standing before you close. Read our docks and permits overview.
The lease line
Much of the shoreline sits within an LCRA management area rather than private ownership to the water. Knowing where the lease line falls tells you what you can build and change near the lake.
Financing
Get pre-approved before you shop. Higher-value and waterfront homes sometimes call for loan products beyond a standard conforming mortgage, so give your lender the full picture up front.
Inspections
Order a home inspection and, on the water, have the dock, lift, and shoreline checked too. Septic and well systems are common in the Hill Country and worth a close look.
Real comparable sales
Do not trust an online estimate. Will grounds your offer in what similar homes actually sold for, so you buy against a number that makes sense.
How to buy on Lake Travis, step by step
Here is the path Will walks buyers through, from first call to closing.
- Set your budget and get pre-approved. Talk to a lender before you shop so you know your price range and can move fast. A pre-approval letter also makes your offer stronger in a competitive market. Will works with buyers who finance and buyers who pay cash.
- Define how you will use the lake. Weekend escape or full-time home. Boat slip or quiet view. Will learns what matters most to you so every home he shows fits your real plans.
- Tour homes and read the water. Will walks the shoreline with you and flags the water depth, dock, and lease-line details a weekend buyer would miss, including private and off-market options.
- Check the comps and make a strong offer. Before you offer, Will shows you what similar homes actually sold for, then structures terms that protect you and negotiates hard for your number.
- Inspect the home and the dock. Order a home inspection, and on a waterfront property have the dock, lift, and shoreline looked at too. Septic and well systems are common in the Hill Country. Will helps you read the reports and ask for fair repairs.
- Close with confidence. Will coordinates the survey, title work, financing, and dock questions and stays with you through closing so nothing slips.
Ready to start? Browse current Lake Travis listings or tell Will what you are looking for.
Buyers on working with Will
5.0★ from 27 Google reviews. Read them all.
★★★★★
Will and Austin Lakeside Properties have helped my family buy and sell across the Austin area for over ten years. He recently helped us purchase a property 22 percent below asking. That is unheard of in this market, and it came down to his persistence and knowledge.
★★★★★
I cannot say enough about the experience I had with Will. Professional, quick to respond, and deeply knowledgeable. His history in the area helped us both with the purchase and with settling into the community.
Buyer questions
Does it cost me anything to use Will as my buyer's agent?
How the buyer's agent is paid can vary by transaction, and the terms are put in writing up front. Call or text Will at (512) 289-4079 and he will explain exactly how it works before you commit.
Do I own the land down to the water?
Often not all the way. Much of the Lake Travis shoreline sits within an LCRA management or flood-easement area. The lease line marks where private ownership meets the managed shoreline. Will helps you understand where it falls.
How do low water levels affect what I buy?
Lake Travis is a reservoir, so it rises and falls with rain and drought. A home with deep-water access holds its usability and value better than one that faces a mudflat in a dry year. Ask how the water behaves off the property.
Can Will show me homes from other brokers?
Yes. As your buyer's agent, Will can show you almost any home for sale on and around Lake Travis, no matter which company holds the listing.
Selling instead?
If you are selling a Lake Travis home, Will handles pricing, staging, and marketing that reaches serious lake buyers. Many of his listings sell fast, and several have sold at or above asking. See the seller's guide and listing services, or explore all services.
Ready to buy on Lake Travis?
Tell Will how you plan to use the lake and your budget. He will bring you homes that fit, including off-market options. For a Weekend or For a Lifetime.
Austin Lakeside Properties is an Equal Housing Opportunity broker. Will Garrison, Texas Licensed Real Estate Broker #494376.