Who: Robert and Deborah Skarda, and their college-age boys, Nicholas and Michael

Where: Lake Oconee

Christopher Oquendo/Special (ENLARGE)

Their Lake Ocenee home features a wraparound porch.

Christopher Oquendo/Special (ENLARGE)

Robert and Deborah Skarda paddle on Lake Oconee near their home. Along for the ride is one of their dogs, who love visiting the lake as much as they do.

Christopher Oquendo/Special (ENLARGE)

The Skardas relax in the living room of their Lake Ocenee home.

When purchased: They bought the property in the town of Buckhead in 1997. After building his sister-in-law's house next door, Robert Skarda started construction on his home in September 2004. They finished the home this fall.

Their home: A 1,500-square-foot lake home with three bedrooms, two baths and a wraparound deck.

The location: It's on a slight hill about 25-30 feet above the lake, in the back of a cove. The home is located on about 100 feet of waterfront.

How often they are there: Almost every weekend, to finish construction on the home and enjoy the lake. "We give our teenage boys about two minutes to say, 'Yes, they're going to the lake,' and we jump in the car and race out of the driveway. The dogs are usually ahead of us," Robert said.

How far from home: An hour and 20 minutes from their home just inside the Perimeter. "I can go out Friday night after rush hour traffic and then leave on Sunday anytime," he said.

The financial benefit so far: Skarda describes it as an investment property his family can use. Since he bought the property for about $40,000, lot prices have increased more than 300 percent in the last decade, he said.

Lessons they've learned about building a vacation home: When Skarda once called a plumber he had contracted to work on the house, he was told the guy was in his deer stand. "There's so much work that they don't want small jobs. If it interrupts football season or deer hunting, it's real 'round to it' stuff ... when they get around to it."

What they do when they're there: Fishing, swimming, boating, skiing. "The beauty of it is you don't have the kamikaze boat drivers like you do on [lakes] Lanier or Allatoona. You can drive the kids around without worrying about them getting run over by some big boat."

LAKE OCONEE

The 19,000-acre lake, owned and operated by Georgia Power, has 374 miles of shoreline. Buckhead is about two miles north of I-20, in Morgan County. The population of Buckhead was 205 in 2000, according to census figures.

The communities are smaller than metro Atlantans are used to, with only 12-20 homes, said real estate agent Patricia Mason, owner of Minchey Properties. They include Grayson Pointe, Apalachee Woods, Apalachee Point, Oconee Shores, Sugar Creek Trail and Woods of Lake Oconee.

While the lake market didn't seem to be affected last year when others were hit by the housing market slowdown, sales "fell off the cliff" in the past couple of months, Mason said. For example, in August, 34 lakefront homes sold. In September, that number dropped to five. "It's probably going to stay this way for another six months," she said.

Home prices in Buckhead range from $325,000-$875,000. Waterfront lots in Buckhead range from $150,000-$429,000.

RECENT SALES

1010 Apalachee Court, three-bedroom, two-bath home in Oconee Shores on a 1.5-acre waterfront lot offering lake and national forest views, covered porch, great room with stone fireplace. Sold for $288,000.

1880 Apalachee Woods Trail, remodeled three-bedroom, two-bath ranch home in Apalachee Point with new granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, tiled baths and kitchen, new interior and exterior paint, light fixtures, carpet and refinished hardwood floors. Sold for $447,500.

WEB RESOURCES

Lake Oconee

www.georgiapower.com/lakes

Greene County Tourism

www.visitlakeoconee.com

Realtors with listings online include Minchey Properties at www.mincheyproperties.com.

GETTING THERE

From downtown Atlanta, take I-20 east toward Augusta. Take Exit 121 (one past the Madison exit) and turn left. Travel north about 2 miles to Buckhead.