{"id":2468,"date":"2015-01-22T08:00:35","date_gmt":"2015-01-22T14:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/?p=2468"},"modified":"2015-01-22T17:06:59","modified_gmt":"2015-01-22T23:06:59","slug":"escaping-boom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2015\/01\/22\/escaping-boom\/","title":{"rendered":"ESCAPING THE BOOM"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many Lake Area Residents Looking To Move To More Spacious, Quieter Areas Ahead Of Expansion<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The vast majority of Lake Area residents are encouraged by the thought of the economic expansion the next few years will bring. Residents, from those looking to enter a lucrative career in industrial construction and maintenance to business owners anticipating a huge growth in customer base and sales, are embracing the coming growth in the area.<\/p>\n

But not all of them are willing to live in the middle of it.<\/p>\n

A quick look at the Homefinder\u2019s Guide website (hfguide.com) reveals that a huge number of properties in (for now) rural areas such as Ragley, northern Moss Bluff and Longville are coming on the market. The reason? There\u2019s a growing demand, say area Realtors, for single-family homes with some acreage, as residents of the Lake Charles area look to move to quieter areas before the expansion begins in full-force, and before skyrocketing property values in outlying areas become too much to handle financially.<\/p>\n

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Breathing Room<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people are looking for some breathing room,\u201d says Jody Guidry, owner of Guidry Realty Group in Lake Charles, who says that he, himself, is looking to relocate to a home with some acreage. \u201cThey\u2019re looking for three- to five-acre properties; they\u2019re looking to get out of the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

That trend, says Josh Foster with Exit Realty in DeRidder, has been evident for some time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been interest in two- to five-acre tracts, even some 10-acre tracts, in the Ragley and South Beauregard area \u2014 the Hwy. 171 corridor \u2014 since 2005,\u201d he says. \u201cBut there\u2019s been a big increase since the expansion announcements were made. Homes are staying on the market for a shorter period of time since the announcements. People want more space. Things are getting crowded (in Lake Charles).\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a big increase in the number of people looking to move to areas such as Moss Bluff and Ragley,\u201d says JoAnn Fisette, with Ingle Safari Realty in Lake Charles. \u201cPeople are looking for a small-town feel, they\u2019re looking for acreage \u2014 for a country feel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are looking for a small town environment,\u201d agrees Guidry. \u201cAnd, with the expansion, you\u2019re not going to get that (in Lake Charles). We\u2019re all hearing about the coming traffic congestion in Lake Charles, and you\u2019re already seeing some of that on Nelson Rd.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Hot Spots\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course, Ragley and North Moss Bluff are what most Realtors will mention when asked about \u201chot spots\u201d for interest in semi-rural living. Longville, DeRidder, even Leesville properties are big listings on Homefinder\u2019s Guide.<\/p>\n

Basically, says Guidry, most buyers are looking for homes within 30 minutes of Lake Charles, Sulphur and Westlake \u2014 within driving distance to work.<\/p>\n

That commuting issue is one of the reasons that the Ragley\/Moss Bluff\/Longville area is so popular, says Foster.<\/p>\n

\u201cHwy. 171 is a great road to travel,\u201d he says. \u201c(The Ragley area) is a short commute to and from work, and you\u2019ve got a good highway to travel.\u201d<\/p>\n

The area, says Foster, offers spacious, country living with access to the shopping, entertainment and job opportunities a growing city has to offer.<\/p>\n

The area is also sought after, says Fisette, for its schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoss Bluff, Ragley and Beauregard Parish have wonderful schools,\u201d she says. \u201cSouth Beauregard just added middle and elementary school buildings; and they\u2019re already outgrowing their elementary school. The area has a really great school system.\u201d<\/p>\n

The area also boasts a new recreational center and park, she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe area is a growing, thriving community,\u201d says Foster. \u201cAnd people want to be a part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s hardly the only outlying area in SWLA that\u2019s getting attention from potential home buyers, says Guidry.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a lot of interest in areas east of Lake Charles,\u201d Guidry says. \u201cIowa, Bell City, Lacassine. \u201cDevelopments like Harper Ranch near Iowa are selling well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guidry also points to areas north of Sulphur, and the Carlyss and Hackberry areas, as popular for buyers who want a place to get away from the congestion and noise of a growing Lake Charles, but still be close enough to work there.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get a lot of calls about the Carlyss area,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Will home buyers continue to be willing to trade a daily commute for some peace and quiet?<\/p>\n

Absolutely, according to all three Realtors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trend will definitely continue,\u201d says Fisette.<\/p>\n

After all, as the population and traffic continue to swell in Lake Charles, says Guidry, \u201cpeople will have to go somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

All three Realtors also see property values in these outlying areas continue to rise.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a matter of supply and demand,\u201d says Guidry. \u201cValues are going to increase in the next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thus, Guidry says, those looking to invest in a bit of breathing room should make their move soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe time (to buy) is now,\u201d he says, \u201cbefore property values go up too much.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many Lake Area Residents Looking To Move To More Spacious, Quieter Areas Ahead Of Expansion     The vast majority of Lake Area residents are encouraged by the thought of the economic expansion the next few years will bring. Residents, from those looking to enter a lucrative career in industrial construction and maintenance to business [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":2469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[651,655,4,328,649,656,650,654,326,653,51,652,648,647],"yoast_head":"\nESCAPING THE BOOM - BestOfSwla<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2015\/01\/22\/escaping-boom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ESCAPING THE BOOM - BestOfSwla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Many Lake Area Residents Looking To Move To More Spacious, Quieter Areas Ahead Of Expansion     The vast majority of Lake Area residents are encouraged by the thought of the economic expansion the next few years will bring. 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