$300,000
Wooded acreage with private shoreline
4 bd4 ba
1,450 sqft
80 ft shore
Covered boathouse
$3,750/ft
Lake Martin covers 44,000 acres in Alabama and drops to 155 feet at its deepest point. It is a reservoir impounded in 1926 and managed by Alabama Power. Short-term rental posture: Allowed with permit in most areas. Confirm at the municipal level before underwriting rental income.
Each axis is computed by published formula from this lake's own attributes. How we score.
Computed from measured clarity, trophic state, and drawdown magnitude — not an opinion. See the formula.
Weighted: water 26% · recreation 22% · investment 20% · value 18% · access 14%.
The dock sits at full-pool elevation. At low pool the waterline retreats and the reach to navigable water changes. Scale is illustrative; the 6 ft figure is from published operations for this lake.
Idealized cross-section. Max depth 155 ft, average 50 ft. Depth at a specific dock depends on local bathymetry — verify at the property.
Allowed with permit in most areas
What a median-priced home on Lake Martin actually costs to carry, with waterfront-specific line items most calculators omit.
| Principal & interest | $26,555 |
| Property taxes | $4,410 |
| Hazard insurance | $1,764 |
| Flood insurance | $650 |
| Utilities | $2,700 |
| Maintenance reserve (1.1%) | $4,620 |
| Septic service | $520 |
| Well & water testing | $260 |
| Dock maintenance | $900 |
| Winterization / seasonal close | $750 |
| Shoreline / seawall reserve | $960 |
| Total | $44,089 |
Beautiful clear water and the fishing is genuinely good. Be aware the level drops in the fall and our dock needed a longer walkway than we budgeted for. Not a dealbreaker, just plan for it.
Main channel is fantastic. Some of the back coves get shallow and mucky by late summer. Walk the actual shoreline before you commit, not just the listing photos.
Smallmouth and walleye both fish well. Water clarity has held up over the fifteen years we have been here, which I credit to the watershed protections.
