The building of Bagnell Dam and Lake of the Ozarks brought people to the area and created a solid economic base during the time of the Great Depression.  Today, the economy continues to do well along the historic Bagnell Dam Strip.  With so much to do and see along "The Strip", locals and visitors alike continue to flock to the area. At the entrance to the strip a giant Indian stands with an upraised arm.  He is one of the notorious "muffler men" created in the 1960's for various gas station chains.  Made entirely of fiberglass, this chief once held a giant muffler as advertisement for the services of his particular station.  He now stands guard at the entrance to Bagnell Dam Strip, welcoming guests to the fun and entertainment that awaits. Currently there are 95 stores along The Strip ... 03/11/2010

Whether you see golf as the ideal vacation pastime or as part of your lifestyle, one of the great allurements of Lake of the Ozarks is golf.  Sporting more than 13 golf courses, Lake of the Ozarks has become known as the golf mecca of the Midwest.  Championship courses have been cut into the rocks, hills and wooded areas to provide a challenge for golfers at every skill level.  Bay View's 9-hole, hilly course provides a unique experience for a reasonable rate.  Other courses, such as Bear Creek Valley, meander through the forests, meadows and valleys of Lake of the Ozarks country.  The Hidden Lakes Golf Course at Tan-Tar-A Resort was ranked by USA Today as one of the best 9-hole courses in the US.  The resort also provides a marina and an indoor waterpark - providing fun for the entire ... 03/06/2010

Lake Real Estate Pros proudly specializes in the communities of Lake Ozark, Osage Beach, Four Seasons, The Villages, Porta Cima, and Camdenton and serves the entire Lake Ozark area of Missouri.  Our agency and our founder, Lisa Elliott, have won many awards but we keep our focus on the client.  It is not hard to sell our area, so we endeavor to always match our client with the home in the Lake of the Ozarks region that suits their season of life. People love it here! Though our area is home to a broad spectrum of people, many who settle here seek second (or third) homes, or perhaps rent out their property for much of the year while savoring a few weeks at the Lake with their families.  Most first timers to our market start by renting a condominium on the lake; once they fall in love wi... 02/27/2010

Click here for details Have FUN! Lora Elliott - 573-280-2953 - www.LoraElliott.com   02/09/2010

Osage National Golf Resort, the Willmore Lodge,  Bagnell Dam  Bait Shop and Tom Sawyer Cruises to Host Live Eagle Viewings   This past weekend, Jan. 9th and 10th,  you would have found me with my binoculars out at the 10th Annual Lake of the Ozarks Eagle Days.  From 9 AM to 4 PM on Saturday, and again on Sunday from 10 AM to 3 PM hundreds of visitors braved the cold at Lake Ozarks in a celebration of wild eagles.  At the Osage National Golf Resort there were be hourly eagle programs by the World Bird Sanctuary, as well as vendor booths, eagle viewing and eagle nest activities.  Closer to the dam area there was eagle viewing at Bagnell Dam Bait Shop and at the Bagnell Dam Access.  On down the road a bit, at Willmore Lodge were craft and vendor booths in addition to wild eagle viewing. I'... 01/13/2010

A Quiet Fall Moment at the Lake of the Ozarks    Can you imagine the quiet of this crisp fall moment taken by Kansas City photographer Rick Heiberstreit on a recent visit to the Lake of the Ozarks?   I am a little curious what he was doing under there though, aren't you?    Uhh,  Rick......?   (This post originally appeared on Melody's blog "www.PostcardsFromTheLake.com) 11/01/2009

100% Financing Option Not Just for First Time Homebuyers   Camden County homebuyers who qualify for USDA home loans are discovering the benefits over FHA home loans or conventional mortgages. No Down Payment - Genuinely a 100% home loan 2% loan guarantee fee (rolled into mortgage) replaces costly PMI insurance. Can qualify without high credit score No Minimum Credit History Required No limits to seller concessions - seller is allowed to pay closing costs USDA Rural Home Loans offer rates competitive with FHA and conventional mortgages.  There are income caps for the program, however. A family of  1-4 cannot exceed $73,600 annual income;  and a family of up to 8 can have a household income of up to $97,150. Sorry, but manufactured homes are excluded from this program; and the home must b... 08/08/2009

Happy News for this Lake of the Ozarks Realtor! Effective August 28, the State of Missouri will officially classify boat docks as real property.  This is very welcomed news not only to dock owners here at the Lake of the Ozarks, but for any realtor in the area, like myself, who has struggled lately trying to get lake homes under contract to appraise.   Two of my own sales in the last 3 months were threatened with low appraisals, due to more stringent underwriting guidelines imposed by Freddie, Fannie and FHA.    This new action should go a long way to relieving those difficulties.   Hence, happy news indeed (this post originally appeared on my outside blog:  http://PostcardsFromTheLake.com) 07/11/2009

Well, things are moving right along with the new Highway 54 and Highway 5. They are scheduled to open in about a year, making the sometimes crazy summer traffic here at the lake a lot more manageable. I snapped a couple of pictures on my way to show property today....please forgive the fuzziness and the dashboard you see in some of them. Apparently, according to the honks and people flying past me, I should've pulled over somewhere to take my pictures. LOL.   04/17/2009

Lake of the Ozarks residents have been waiting to hear about the new Camden County master plan.  On February 23 and 24, the county will host two "Community Visioning Workshops."  The County began a series of public meetings last summer as part of the whole revising process.  The first meetings were held back in August of 2008.  This second round of public meetings will begin this month with visioning workshops. Anyone attending the visioning workshops will get to take part in a series of exercises that are intended to prioritize many major issues that impact the whole lake area.  They will get to provide feedback to the draft committee and discuss what will define the future of planning and zoning in the county district. The workshops will be facilitated by MACTEC Consulting Company Pla... 02/04/2009

Snapshots from a winter stroll After days of subfreezing temperatures last week, I took advantage of a pretty day Sunday afternoon to walk around at Ha Ha Tonka, located on the western south western tip of the Lake of the Ozarks.   I was struck throughout the afternoon by the quiet there.  I would pass  people on trails now and then, and see an occasional fisherman at the water’s edge, but mostly there was only the sound of birds and rippling waters.  Absent the lush greens and vibrant colors of other seasons, I saw how the winter season at Ha Ha Tonka offers a beauty all its own:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAjddJzSaGc   If you enjoyed this video and would like to see others as they are made available, visit my web blog www.PostcardsFromTheLake.com and subscribe to receive new pos... 02/03/2009

Amateur photographer, Rick Hebenstreit makes photography fun.   Rick Heberstreit's self-portrait During an internet search the other day I came upon a series of photos by Kansas City area photography hobbiest, Rick Heberstreit.  Following a link which lead me to his online photo gallery, I was captivated for more than an hour.  As I strolled through his photo albums,  I would 'ooh' and 'ahh' over his beautiful landscapes, delight in the personality and fun captured in photos of his friends, and would occassionally laugh out loud at his 'action figure' photos. I'm happy to report that Rick has graciously granted me permission to share with you some of his photos here on this blog.   You'll soon be able to identify them, no doubt, by their quality and composition.  I sense there is also a... 11/24/2008

Realtors, builders, tradesmen and general public from Lake of the Ozarks to gather at Captain Ron's Bar & Grill to raise funds.  The inagural "Builders Bash" - a community effort to raise enough money, building material and in-kind services to build the ninth Habitat for Humanity home - will be held Saturday, Nov. 15 at Captain Ron's Bar & Grill in Sunrise Beach. Not only is this event for a great cause, but it promises to be a really fun evening. The restaurant will be decorated to resemble a construction site, music will be provided by Johnny G and the AllStars, area disc jockey Mike Clayton will emcee, and lots of great good can be expected. Tickets for the event are $25 in advance, and $30 at the door.  For more information call Mike Shepherd at 374-5852.  Once the goal of raising $... 11/05/2008

County Clerk's office to open on Saturday for early voters . I was surprised to encounter this site Wednesday as I stopped in at the Camden County Clerk's office to place an absentee vote.  Arriving jshortly after lunch, I had a little bit of a wait while 4 clerks checked in other voters in line ahead of me.   Demand for early voting is so high that the County Clerk's office is scheduled to be opened on Saturday, Nov. 2 until noon. With Missouri being such a hotly contended battleground state for the Presidential election, one can't help but wonder the effects of such a strong turnout. (This article originally appeared on my community and real estate blog:  www.PostcardsFromTheLake.com.)   10/31/2008

I've got a question for you...how many of you are familiar with The Lake Of The Ozarks?  While it's pretty well known here in the Midwest, I've got a sneaky suspicion that a good number of you folks outside of the region aren't aware of this gem!Lake of the Ozarks is a 93 mile long, 55,000 acre, man made lake located in south central Missouri, about 3 hours or so from St. Louis and slightly less from Kansas City.  At one point it was the largest man made lake in the United States and one of the largest in the world.  It was formed by damming the Osage river.  Three other tributaries of the Osage are also inundated in the process.  The result of the flooding was a very large lake that has a stable lake level.  The lay of the land that was flooded made for a lake that has thousands of cov... 01/15/2008

My name is Michael Lasson and I have been working for Premier Bank as a Residential Mortgage Lender since March of 2006.  Prior to this I was associated with another Mortgage Lending Firm at the Lake of the Ozarks for just short of 5 years.  FHA, VA, and USDA Financing available with Premier Bank. I specialize in financing for the purchase, or refinance of Residential Property, Condominiums, Homes or Muliti-family properties are some of the properties that we loan on.  We are located in the Lake of the Ozarks Region which has many many Second and Vacation Homes.  Give me a call today 573-302-0909 or visit my personal website at www.yourlakeloan.com.  Rates are back to low levels call us today for a no obligation pre-qualification you will be glad you did...No Points!!!! 12/12/2007