When Ted and I moved to the lake in 1997, we were a young couple building our careers and eventually, raising our family. It was a very different place then. It was smaller and known mostly as a retirement and golf community.
Nearly three decades later, our children are young adults and out of the house, and the community has grown up right alongside them. We have watched new neighborhoods emerge and world-class amenities open to experience a lifestyle that those of us who lived here in the early days could only have imagined.
There is an old saying that it takes a village to raise a child. I know firsthand that it is true. Our children are who they are today partly because of the neighbors and friends who helped us raise them. I remember summers when Ted and I would work long hours and people we barely knew offered to pick them up every day and drive them to summer camp in downtown Greensboro. There was no expectation of anything in return. It was simply, you’re working. We can take them.
I remember friends opening their home to our children so that Ted and I can get away. Our kids didn’t feel as though their parents were leaving them with someone. They felt like they were going to another home. There were always neighbors watching out for them, friends cheering them on and other parents stepping in.
Looking back, I realize those gestures were anything but small. Our children grew up surrounded by adults who knew their names, asked how they were doing and cared about the people they would become.
Today, our community has become one of the Southeast’s most desirable lifestyle destinations. But I sometimes wonder whether someone arriving today sees what I believe is this area’s greatest amenity.
It isn’t something you can join, build or put a price on. It is the people.
And perhaps that is why I have never thought of my job as simply selling houses. The MLS can tell you how many bedrooms a house has. It cannot tell you about the neighbor who will notice your garage door is open when you’re out of town and call you. And it certainly cannot tell a young family that the people they meet here may someday become part of their children’s story.
Nearly three decades after we arrived, many things have changed. But underneath all the growth, I still recognize the community that helped raise my children. And that may be the most valuable thing about Lake Oconee that you will never find on the MLS.
You can buy a beautiful home almost anywhere. Finding a place where people make you feel at home…that is something truly special.
About Riezl Baker and Luxury Lake Oconee Real Estate Group
Riezl Baker is the top real estate agent and market expert in Lake Country and Reynolds Lake Oconee, Georgia with an extraordinary $129 million sold in 2025 and $1 billion in career sales. With 25 years of experience, Riezl has built a reputation for excellence, trusted guidance, and unmatched market knowledge in real estate.
Nationally recognized as a Top Luxury Real Estate Leader by Modern Luxury and named a 2025 Real Estate Luminary by RISMedia, Riezl is also recognized by The Atlantan as an expert in vacation and second-home markets. A sought-after public speaker, she has been invited to share her insights at leading real estate conferences in Las Vegas, including the RISMedia CEO & Leadership Exchange, and her expertise has been featured in Mansion Global and on Fox News.
Known for her strategic vision, deep community roots, and results-driven approach, Riezl Baker continues to set the standard for real estate at Lake Oconee and Lake Country, Georgia locally respected, nationally recognized, and consistently delivering at the highest level.
Luxury Lake Oconee Real Estate Group is a premier, award-winning brokerage based in Greensboro, Georgia, specializing in lakefront and golf community properties throughout Lake Country and Reynolds Lake Oconee. Co-founded by Riezl and Ted Baker, the firm has redefined the standard of excellence in Georgia’s luxury real estate market through its commitment to integrity, personalized service, and innovative marketing. With a proven track record representing some of the region’s most exclusive properties, Luxury Lake Oconee Real Estate Group continues to set the benchmark for exceptional results and client experience. (www.luxurylakeoconee.com; www.riezlbaker.com)
