Costa Bella, Lake Travis
Costa Bella is a gated community on Lake Travis oriented toward the water, with large custom homes and controlled access, sitting in the upper tier of the lake market. Mary Hickey has closed two sales there at a median of $2,170,000, including a $2,640,000 listing-side sale in 2024 of a five bedroom home built in 2002. Two transactions is a small sample and is presented as context rather than as a community-wide market rate.
Where it sits in the lake market
Costa Bella belongs to the small group of gated, water-oriented communities on Lake Travis where transactions are infrequent and individually large. In markets like this, a handful of sales can move the apparent median by hundreds of thousands of dollars, so any published figure needs its sample size attached.
Her 2024 closing there at $2,640,000 was on the listing side. Selling at that level in a thin market is a specific skill: there are few comparable sales to price against, the buyer pool is small and often out of market, and time on market runs long.
Waterfront and water level
Lake Travis is a fluctuating reservoir, not a constant-level lake. Its surface elevation moves substantially between drought and flood, and that is the single most important thing for a buyer new to the lake to understand.
Practically, that means a dock usable at one level may be unusable at another, the distance from a home to the water changes, and photographs taken at a full lake are not a description of a typical year. Ask what the level was when the photographs were taken.
What to verify in a gated lake community
Confirm exactly what water access the property conveys: private dock, shared dock, community access, or a view with no access at all. These are four different products and listing language often blurs them.
Then confirm dock permitting status. Docks on Lake Travis are regulated and permits are specific. An unpermitted or non-conforming structure becomes the buyer's problem, so verify rather than assume.
Common questions
What do homes cost in Costa Bella?
Mary's two closings there carry a median of $2,170,000, with a top of $2,640,000 in 2024. This is a small sample from a thin, high-value market and should be read as context rather than a market rate.
Is Costa Bella waterfront?
It is a water-oriented gated community, but water frontage and water access vary by lot. Verify precisely what a specific property conveys rather than inferring it from the community name.
Does Lake Travis water level affect value?
It affects usability directly and market sentiment noticeably. Lake Travis is a fluctuating reservoir, so low periods can leave docks unusable and lengthen the walk to water. Buyers who understand the cycle price it in; buyers who see only full-lake photographs are often surprised.
Can I build a dock?
Dock construction on Lake Travis is regulated and requires permitting, with rules depending on location and the governing authority. Never assume a dock can be added or an existing one enlarged. Verify permitting before you buy.
How long do luxury lake homes take to sell?
Longer than the general market. Waterfront closings across the wider market averaged about 119 days on market against 65 for off-water property, and upper-tier waterfront frequently runs longer than that.
What school district serves Costa Bella?
Lake Travis ISD serves this part of the lake. Attendance boundaries are set by the district and can change, so confirm the assigned campus for a specific address.
Is Costa Bella gated?
Yes, it is a controlled-access community. Confirm current access arrangements for the specific section.
How does waterfront pricing compare to off-water?
Across the wider market over the twelve months ending July 2026, waterfront closings ran to a median near $1,175,000 at about $609 per square foot, against roughly $580,000 and $344 per square foot off water. The premium is substantial and it is not uniform.
Are there other gated lake communities to compare?
Lakecliff on Lake Travis and The Coves at Lakeway are the closest comparisons in Mary's record, at medians of $1,675,000 and $1,250,000 respectively. Vineyard Bay and The Canyons at Lake Travis are also worth looking at.
Can Mary help with a Costa Bella transaction?
Yes. She closed the listing side of a $2,640,000 Costa Bella sale in 2024 and has 24 closings above $2 million overall. Call (512) 796-4245.