The Golf Courses of Cherokee Village

The Golf Courses of Cherokee Village

Golf in Cherokee Village, Arkansas is, in one word…uncrowded.

No tee times.

Yes, you read it correct. Most golfers would think that a scenic course with no tee times and rarely very busy would not exist. Most would say if there are no tee times, then it must be very exclusive and expensive. If it’s not busy, then it must be a poorly groomed course and not very much fun to play.

Wrong on all counts.

Cherokee Village is golf paradise with its two championship eighteen hole golf courses. Both courses are beautiful and uncrowded. Arkansas' mild climate gives you the chance most years to play golf year round.

Cherokee Village South Course is an 18 hole regulation length golf course. The South Course is the longer of the two courses. It is hilly and offers wide open fairways. This championship layout plays fairly long from the back tees at 7058 yards. Modestly difficult, this golf course definitely rewards good shots and can be forgiving of bad ones. You'll enjoy many nice views on the South course. The view from the first tee is incredible as is the view from the clubhouse overlooking the course.

Cherokee Village North Course is also an 18 hole regulation length golf course. This medium-length 6687 yard course offers a more challenging layout than the South Course where strategy and finesse will help. Water is in play on 6 holes. This course has the South Fork River meandering through it and is very picturesque.

Both courses are private and available only to property owners and their registered guests. Both courses have a pro shop and a driving range.

The fees for each course for property owners currently are $13 for 9 holes, $18 for 18 holes, and an all day pass is $29.

Cherokee Village North Course
75 Pro Shop Rd
Cherokee Village, AR 72529
Tel 870-257-3430

Cherokee Village South Course
5 Laguna Drive
Cherokee Village, AR 72529
Tel 870-257-2555

The Lakes of Cherokee Village, Arkansas

The Lakes of Cherokee Village, Arkansas

Cherokee Village has seven private lakes that offer plenty of outdoor recreation. These lakes are operated by the Cherokee Village Suburban Improvement District (SID) for the use and enjoyment of property owners and their guests. Lake Patrol officers monitor the lakes to make sure all boats are in compliance with state and local regulations, and that all users of the lakes are property owners and/or their registered guests.

The lakes are:

Lake Aztec
19.3 acres
Maximum depth unknown
Fishing, swimming, no-wake boating, and canoeing allowed

Lake Chanute
65 acres
2.273 miles of shoreline
Maximum depth unknown
Fishing, swimming, no-wake boating, and canoeing allowed

Lake Cherokee
37 acres
1.461 miles of shoreline
Maximum depth 40 feet
Fishing, swimming, no-wake boating, and canoeing allowed
Lake Cherokee flows with a scenic waterfall into and through Papoose Park.

Lake Navajo
34 acres
Maximum depth 25 feet
Fishing, swimming, no-wake boating, and canoeing allowed

Lake Omaha
139 acres
4.7 miles of shoreline
Maximum depth 40 feet
Boating, water-skiing, tubing, fishing, swimming, and canoeing allowed
Marina

Lake Sequoyah
75.5 acres
2.361 miles of shoreline
Maximum depth 55 feet
Fishing, swimming, no-wake boating, and canoeing allowed
Gitche Gummee Swimming Beach
Channel connects and allows boat access between Lake Sequoyah and Lake Thunderbird

Lake Thunderbird
264 acres
7.2 miles of shoreline
Maximum depth 75 feet
Boating, water-skiing, tubing, fishing, swimming, and canoeing allowed
The most popular lake in Cherokee Village
Marina w/ boat rentals

All of the lakes in Cherokee Village have been stocked with Largemouth Bass, crappie, catfish and other native fish.

Here a few links of photos of the lakes in Cherokee Village

http://cherokeevillagear.blogspot.com/2008/05/water-skiing-on-lake-thunderbird.html


Lakes Aztec, Cherokee Village, Arkansas

Lake Chanute, Cherokee Village, Arkansas

Lake Omaha, Cherokee Village, Arkansas

Lake Sequoyah, Cherokee Village, Arkansas

Lake Thunderbird, Cherokee Village, Arkansas

Thunderbird Marina on Lake Thunderbird, Cherokee Village, Arkansas

Moving to Arkansas? A tax guide for new residents

Moving to Arkansas? A tax guide for new residents

Are you planning a move to Arkansas? Read this tax guide for new residents put out by Arkansas' official website. Arkansas has long been known as a state with low taxes making it an attractive option for retirees.

http://www.arkansas.gov/dfa/income_tax/tax_general_moving.html

http://www.arkansas.gov/dfa/income_tax/documents/moving_2_arkansas.pdf

There's loads of information on these websites for those thinking about or are making a move to the State of Arkansas.

Free or low cost things to do in Arkansas

What are your favorite things to do in The Natural State that are free or low cost?

101 Free Things To Do in The Natural State!
http://www.arkansas.com/things-to-do/101things/

Things To Do in Arkansas State Parks
http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/things-to-do/

Kids and Family Fun in Arkansas
http://www.arkansaskids.com/borednomore/

Arkansas.com Things to Do
http://www.arkansas.com/things-to-do/

Things to do in the Ozarks Region
http://www.thingstodo.com/states/AR/ozarks.htm

Free Things To Do In Little Rock
http://www.littlerock.com/media/free-things.asp

Twenty Five Free Things to Do in Arkansas
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6982/twenty_five_free_things_to_do_in_arkansas.html?cat=16

Please feel free to add to this list

Summer may be over, but Cherokee Village isn't!

Most of the country is winding down after a hopefully pleasant and enjoyable summer wherever you are. In many resort style communities, once Labor Day Weekend is over, the tourists go back home, the summer residents pack up and leave, and it gets real quiet fast.

That holds true for Cherokee Village also, but it doesn't have to be. Many people come to Cherokee Village only in the fall to take advantage of the scenery, mild weather, and bargain lodging. If you want an enjoyable time of the year to visit Cherokee Village, Arkansas, and want to take advantage of lower rates, the fall is it.

The weather is very nice this time of year, and our already uncrowded golf courses are even less crowded. Boats are still in the water, the temperatures during the day right now are still in the 70s and 80s, and the nights are starting to cool down. As fall progresses, the temperatures will get lower, but still very mild compared to more northern locales.

If you are not a homeowner in Cherokee Village, take advantage of lower rates on vacation home rentals and stay in a private home for what a decent hotel room would cost.

Call me toll free at 888-261-2167 for more details on coming to Cherokee Village this fall and not spending a fortune. You'll be glad you did!

Map of Cherokee Village, Arkansas

Map of Cherokee Village, Arkansas

This is the map many of you may have seen that you can pick up at local real estate offices and other locales in and around the village.

This image of the map is only good for general viewing because as you zoom in it will get a little fuzzy.

http://cherokeevillagear.blogspot.com/2009/08/map-of-cherokee-village-arkansas.html

This is the full sized version:

Full size Cherokee Village Arkansas Map

Arkansas Launches RelocateToArkansas.com

The Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism launches a website to aid in the relocation to the state.

RelocateToArkansas.com simpliflies the moving processes to Arkansas.

The following quote is from the website:

"Because of Arkansas's vast expanse of natural surroundings -- lakes, rivers, state parks, etc. -- as well as abundance of activities and events such as golf, art galleries and spas, it's one of the fastest growing places for people looking to retire."

Here is the press release:

www.marketwire.com/press-release/Arkansas-Department-Of-Parks-And-Tourism-1033902.html

www.relocatetoarkansas.com

Cherokee Village Plat Maps and Bills of Assurance

For those interested in locating specific lots inside Cherokee Village, the city's website offers the plat maps of all subdivisions in Cherokee Village in pdf format at:

www.cherokeevillage.org/Plat_Maps

The Bill of Assurance for any subdivision inside Cherokee Village can be located at:

www.cherokeevillage.org/Bills_Of_Assurance

If you have any questions regarding these links, or if you need any help in your search, you can contact Cherokee Village City Hall at (870) 257-5522 or the Cherokee Village Suburban Improvement District at (870) 257-2468 for further information.

The four groups that help unpack priorities for readying your home for sale

When getting your home ready to be listed for sale, most people obviously would like to make their home the most attractive it can be utilizing the resources they have to work with. For most people, there also never seems to be as much time as they need to accomplish the task.

It can be very overwhelming when you see all that needs to be done to receive top dollar for your property, especially in the competitive environment we find ourselves in today. You need a plan and you need to get it all done in a specified time frame. This what you're telling yourself, right?

The written plan is a major part of getting started. You need to first get yourself organized and put the projects and tasks in a list of priority. What should be done first? Do I do the biggest projects first, or get the little ones out of the way? These are all very good questions to ask yourself.

In any project, whether it is work related or not, I use a system I read about in a book called, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", by Stephen R. Covey. It is a system that helps to prioritize the tasks that are in front of me.

They are separated into four quadrants and are as follows:

1. Important and Urgent (Quadrant I)

2. Important, but not Urgent (Quadrant II)

3. Urgent, but not Important (Quadrant III)

4. Not Urgent and not Important (Quadrant IV)

Quadrant I consists of deadlines and emergencies, but Covey suggests that some of us spend too much time on things that are important and urgent. This is because we have let them become urgent by possibly spending too much time we don't have on time wasters in Quadrant IV, for example. In the long run, if we stick to the important priorities, we will have less things piling up in Quadrant I because you have taken care of them before they became urgent. One good example of Quadrant II might be replacing that old and cracking washing machine water hose before it springs a leak and floods your home when you're on vacation. You saw it was old and needed replacing. You knew it was important because of the potential damage it could cause, yet it wasn't urgent because it may last awhile longer. You went ahead and replaced it, problem now solved.

In how this relates to getting your house ready for sale, I have come up with a few examples.

Quadrant I: They should be the things you do immediately, at the expense of anything else such as a crisis, pressing problems, and all deadline driven projects. It's July and your a/c unit just died. That's a crisis. An example of a deadline driven project might be that you have agreed to move all the furniture out of the bedroom yourself in exchange for a lower carpet installation price. The installers are coming to replace the carpet in that bedroom on Wednesday. It's Tuesday afternoon and you haven't moved anything out of the room yet.

Quadrant II: Here an example might be the flower bed alongside the sidewalk that leads up to the front door is overgrown and full of weeds. At the same time, that sidewalk is dirty and moldy and in need of a good pressure washing. Good first impressions are very important, so this needs to be done for sure, but if you don't get to it until next week, it's not the end of the world. This is not a crisis, but it is still very important. Choosing the colors for repainting the exterior of the home is always an important decision, but if you're not scheduled to have the house painted until next month, it's not very urgent. One more example may be making sure you have necessary tools and supplies ahead of time for a project instead of waiting until the morning of the day you're going to do that project to go out and get them, only to find out the tool you need is now not available. Quadrant II produces the strongest results. This is where the real work happens, where we’re able to get things done that will help you move forward towards that end goal. Problem prevention, project planning, scheduling, and preparation also fall under this category.

Quadrant III: It may be urgent that you choose your choice of size for the backyard utility shed you plan on replacing two months from now by the end of the day so it arrives on time, but it's hardly important. One thing that is very important to remember is that sometimes we tend to focus on urgent activities and making the mistake of thinking they are also important when they're not. You will have to determine how important some of these urgent tasks really are. This is a tricky Quadrant to get right.

Quadrant IV: Replacing the mailbox with a dent in it, You have a few boxes of old personal items in the attic that you don't know if you want to move, and you want to go through them. It's great if you ever got to these projects for your personal accomplishment and enjoyment, but it's not going to have any impact on how fast your home may sell or any impact on squeezing that extra few bucks out of the selling price. These tasks may also be called "busywork". Ask yourself if you even need to bother with anything on this list. If you have everything else done, and you have the time, have at it.

Vintage Cherokee Village, Arkansas Postcards

For those interested in vintage postcards, check out our collection of Cherokee Village postcards from days gone by.

Here's one of them.



Please click the link below to see them all. Enjoy!

Cherokee Village Vintage Postcard Album

Is now the time to buy lakefront property?

My family and I love the lakes in Cherokee Village. Being an avid water skier, I find Lake Thunderbird ideal for water skiing, teaching kids to ski, as well as pulling kids all over the lake tubing! Cherokee Village, Arkansas lakefront property is in one word, fun! On any nice day, you will find boats out on the lakes fishing, skiiing, tubing, or just having an enjoyable cruise. We have created memories on these lakes that my kids will never forget. If you can't tell by my excitement, then let me show you some properties to help you create memories for many years to come. Now may be one of the greatest times to buy lakefront in quite awhile, but there are many things to watch out for and consider when looking into this unique type of property.

While no agent should claim to have that proverbial crystal ball, nationwide many agree that the market may be leveling out. Many others think we’re at the bottom now or very close. I don’t know if we’re at a bottom nationwide or not, but I’m watching the numbers like everybody else. How that affects Arkansas, one never knows, but with a down economy continuing nationwide and the summer season beginning to wind down after Labor Day, deals should be able to be found. If you are seriously considering Arkansas lakefront property, contact me and I'll show you why I love the lakes of Cherokee Village.

My theory for real estate is that lakefront property is most always a good buy. In fact, lakefront property is one of my favorite types of properties and I will be very happy when someone finds a property that fits their needs, because I know of all the memories they are going to make for themselves with that piece of lakefront they will call their own.

What are some good tips to buying a lakefront property? Lakefront property is generally a more expensive option than property away from the lake. But with a recession creating better deals all around the country by people pulling back and taking the "wait and see" approach, and the fact that interest rates are still very low, finding and securing that piece of lakefront should not be that difficult at all.

Lakefront property shouldn't be that desolate and totally away from civilization. Many lakefront offers you see these days in the southern United States are miles away from the closest town and still in the development stage. I have received in the mail dozens and dozens of such offers from developers in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, and South Carolina all offering deals on lakefront property in their new development. Most of these developments are nowhere near a town, schools or shopping, and most are still in the beginning stages of development. The lakes in Cherokee Village are inside the city limits and a short drive to Town Center, and a short drive to the main highway with shopping and groceries. Why wait a few years to see the development fully built, see your first neighbor, or drive miles and miles to the nearest grocery store, when Cherokee Village is already an established community with all of that already in place?

Try to find a lakefront property near other recreational activities. Cherokee Village has two golf courses each within a few minute drive of any lakefront home. Lakefront homes in Cherokee Village are very short distances from some of the finest outdoor activity Arkansas has to offer such as canoeing on the nearby Spring River, hiking all over the Ozarks, and camping in many campgrounds and parks all over northern Arkansas.

The cost of lakefront property will depend on many variables, one being the quality of the water itself. Did you know the lakes in Cherokee Village are spring fed, very clean, and rarely fluctuate more than a few inches? When you purchase this kind of property, you have to check into many issues. Are you allowed to build a dock on that particular piece of property? Just because the lot next door has a dock doesn't mean the lot you are considering is allowed to have a new dock put in. Is the lake you are looking at under the control of the US Army Corps of Engineers? If so, there are stringent rules and regulations about how you can use your lakefront and it would be advisable to check into how often they lower the lake and how much the water level fluctuates every year.

All of these factors are very important when considering lakefront property. Cherokee Village lakes are private to property owners and their guests, so these US Army Corps of Engineers issues are not a problem. Most every lakefront lot in Cherokee Village has the ability to have a dock put in, however, you must first check with the Cherokee Village SID for what can and cannot be done with the particular lot you're interested in.

Other issues you will want to consider are: Is the water polluted? How deep is the lake? How is the fishing? Does the lake get stocked? What are the zoning regulations? Is there camping allowed on the lot next door to the lot I'm considering building my dream home on? What about mobile homes? The zoning in Cherokee Village allows no camping or mobile homes on the lakefront, but these are examples of some of the factors that should be taken into consideration when looking for lakefront property.

Lastly, there is only so much quality lakefront property. In any community, there are vastly fewer available lots and homes directly on the lake than there are off the lake. As these fewer and fewer lakefront lots get built upon, what remains may be costlier in the future for those looking for their slice of life on the lake.

Don't Overlook The Details When Preparing Your Home For Sale

In preparing your home for sale, the little things count. We are currently in a buyer's market so the little attention to details count now more than ever. Sellers must do all that they can in order to make their home stand out among all the other similar homes that are for sale in their area. Many of those little things can be done for very little, if any cost. The result can be thousands of more dollars in your pocket at closing. More importantly, it can help to reduce the amount of time your property stays on the market, thereby allowing you to move on to the next stage of your life just that much quicker.

Let's start with first impressions and curb appeal. This cannot be understated. You need to convince potential buyers to get out of the car, and your potential buyers will have an immediate impression in the first five seconds if they want to proceed to look at it or not. Those five seconds are probably the most important of the entire visit to your home. What do you see when you first drive up to your home? Does it give you a positive first impression or not? Be honest with yourself. Is there a "Wow" factor?

Try and get an opinion from someone you know and trust who you believe can give you an unbiased opinion. Let them know you won't be insulted, that you are looking for constructive criticism on what they see when they first pull up to your property. You neve know, your home may be have fantastic curb appeal, but if it does not, it's better to have a couple of knocks to your pride now than never knowing and wondering why your not getting any offers, or the offers you are getting are much lower than you thought they'd be. Get that out of the way in the beginning and take care of those little things first.

When a potential buyer pulls up, the outside is obviously what they see first. Is the landscaping neatly trimmed or is it overgrown and touching the side of the house? The landscaping doesn't need to be expensive, but it should be manicured, trimmed, and not overdone. The lawn needs to be mowed regularly and leaves raked. Simple attention to the front of the house and how the yard and landscaping looks does not need to cost much. Most of it can be done by you for little to no cost. Repainting the front door and replacing a worn out light fixture by the front door will definitely leave a good impression on your potential buyers. Replace torn screening. Wind up and hang your outside hoses neatly by the faucet. Keep your garage door closed.

Once inside, limit the amount of clutter in your home. Removing every item that is not essential will make your rooms appear larger. I know this is hard to do, but remove family photos and other personal knick knacks and pack them away. The potential buyer wants to envision their family living in the home and will have a hard time doing so if the home they are touring is filled with your family's life. If necessary, put a fresh coat of paint on the walls and make sure all of your rooms have been cleaned. Wipe away smudge marks and dirt from all light switches and door knobs. Clean and paint baseboards and trim. Make sure all lights bulbs are in working order and use higher wattage bulbs to make the rooms bright when someone enters.

If you have pets, remember the old saying about the $10,000 cat. If a prospect walks into a home and sees cat food on the kitchen counter or a litter box anywhere in sight, they immediate start deducting dollars off their offer. The same goes for dogs, snakes, gerbils, or any other pet. As much as we love our pets, some people do not, and it can stop a potential offer dead in its tracks. As hard as it may be for some of you, please try and keep evidence of animals living on the property confined to the outside or the garage when your home is for sale.

When it comes to cleanliness inside, nothing is as important as the kitchen and bathrooms. As to kitchens, make sure the garbage is always empty and there are no dirty dishes in the sink or dishwasher. Close all the cabinet doors. I was once told by a very successful real estate agent that the bathrooms need to appear as if they were a hotel bathroom. It makes all the difference in the world. Have new, unused soaps out and none of your personal items showing. Put that hairbrush, razor, and half empty shampoo bottle in a cabinet and out of sight.

These are a few tips that can help greatly in maximizing your home's selling potential. When your home is for sale, you need to cover your tracks as best you can. I realize that's hard to do, but it will pay off in the end if you're diligent in your efforts. Remember, you only get one chance at making a good impression on this potential buyer. Make it count!