Lake Tahoe Waterfront Condos

Tahoe is a Big Lake, divided down the middle between California & Nevada. If you have considered buying a vacation home here, a lakefront condo is a great way to dip your toe in the market. Prices are lower than what you would expect to pay for a single-family home on Lake Tahoe, starting around $1 million for some of the more affordable developments like the St. Francis just outside of Tahoe City. (Read more ...)

California Lakefront Condos (Click here for Nevada)

Tahoe Lakefront Condos

Browse Lake Tahoe Waterfront Condos

Tahoe NV Waterfront Condos

Pros & Cons of Condos at Lake Tahoe

A waterfront condo at Lake Tahoe offers a carefree vacation. Exterior maintenance, the lawns, and everything outside your property is handled by the HOA, which means you just show up & have fun (as opposed to doing home maintenance during your vacation). Many of the waterfront condo developments at the Lake also have extaordinary amenities like piers, buoy fields & lakefront swimming pools ... perks that would cost upwards of several million for a single-family lakefront setting.

Some offer onsite management, which makes it easy to cash flow your vacation home when you're not using it. (Developments with on-site management are mostly exempt from short-term rental restrictions, but that's a fast changing landscape, so check with me for an update on any developments you might be eyeing)

On the California side of Lake Tahoe, many of the waterfront condos also offer easy access to a two-lane bike trail that runs along the shoreline from Dollar Point in the north all the way down the Westshore past Sunnyside and along the Truckee River past Alpine Meadows and down to Olympic Valley (home to Palisades Tahoe).

Steep HOA Fees

All that comes with a cost. The HOA fees at many of Lake Tahoe's waterfront developments can be steep, ranging from as much as $6,000 at the exclusive Fleur de Lac on the Westhore to upwards of $600 for places like The Franciscan on the North Shore. Expect to pay around $700 to $1,200/month on average for most.

Boater's Dream

If you love boating, the lakefront setting (many offer docks or buoy fields) is beyond ideal. At almost 22 miles long, Tahoe offers endless opportunities for boating, water skiing and wakeboarding. Several waterfront restaurants offer boat valet service (amid Covid shutdowns, some lakefront restaurants were even offering a drive-up lunch/bar service ... kind of like a drive-in on the water!). That makes for a fun destination with friends or family. And while you're paying a lot for the HOA fees, it's less in many cases than what you would pay to rent a buoy for the season from one of the private marinas.

Life is short

Who really needs a vacation home on Lake Tahoe?  No one, really. But the reality is that life is meant to be lived, and some of my happiest clients are those who embrace that philosophy. Money in the bank offers security, no doubt. But the memories created with family & loved ones at the Lake are, well, priceless.

Contact me at Jackie@TahoeisHome.com or call me at 775-391-9443 for additional information on your waterfront options here in Tahoe!