“Highland Lakes” gets used loosely, so before we talk about selling your home, it’s worth being specific about what the term actually covers and why it matters for value. I’m Robbie English, Broker and REALTOR at Uncommon Highland Lakes Realty, and this is the region I work day in and day out.
TL;DR
- The Highland Lakes are a chain of Colorado River reservoirs: Lake Buchanan, Inks Lake, Lake LBJ, Lake Marble Falls, and Lake Travis.
- The region spans Burnet, Llano, and Travis counties, with towns like Marble Falls, Kingsland, Horseshoe Bay, and Granite Shoals along the water.
- Because it’s not one market, value depends heavily on which lake, which town, and what kind of access your property has.
What the Highland Lakes actually are
The Highland Lakes are a series of reservoirs on the lower Colorado River, each held back by a dam managed by the Lower Colorado River Authority. Lake Buchanan and Lake Travis are the two largest and serve as the region’s primary water supply reservoirs, with Inks Lake, Lake LBJ, and Lake Marble Falls filling in between them. The chain stretches across Burnet, Llano, and Travis counties, and includes towns like Marble Falls, Kingsland, Horseshoe Bay, Burnet, and Granite Shoals.
Why that geography matters when you sell
A lakefront home on Lake LBJ, a hill country property near Lake Buchanan, and a cottage a few blocks off the water in Marble Falls are three different products, sold to three different kinds of buyers, at three different paces. Treating the whole Highland Lakes region as one pricing average is one of the more common mistakes sellers run into when they haven’t worked with someone who covers the full area.
What tends to drive value across the region
Water access and view carry more weight here than they would in a typical Austin subdivision. So does the specific lake, since Lake Travis, Lake LBJ, and Lake Buchanan each attract a different type of buyer, from full-time hill country residents to second-home and retirement buyers. Distance to the water, lot type, and which town a property sits in all shape what it’s actually worth.
Thinking About Selling?
Getting a real number for your specific property
Because the Highland Lakes cover so much ground, an accurate valuation has to start with recent sales from your specific lake and town, not a regional blend. I’ve worked properties across that range, from lakefront to inland, luxury to modest, which is what it takes to price a given home correctly instead of applying a one-size-fits-all number.
When it’s time to sell, reach out and let’s talk through where your property fits in this market and what it’s actually worth.
