‘Ozark’-Inspired Resort Goes On The Market At Lake Of The Ozarks

Buddy's Harbor Resort got its inspiration from an old retired hitman with a penchant for skinny dipping.

'Ozark,' the Netflix series directed by Jason Bateman, set Lake of the Ozarks on an international stage. While some locals shy from the dark and gritty ‘Ozark,’ others have embraced the hit series, making The Blue Cat, Marty Byrds, apparel and one-liners part of a quasi-underground theme.

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But Buddy’s Harbor is different, less overt with understated humor, much like the ‘Ozark’ character.

Buddy, a character in the shadows (who may or may not have killed Jimmy Hoffa), dying of cancer, cuts a deal with Wendy Byrd to sell his Lake home for a song in exchange for living the rest of his days in the basement. He befriends Marty and Wendy Byrd's teenage son, and teaches him how to shoot, which ultimately comes in handy in the dark and gritty series about a Chicago couple forced to wash money for a Mexican cartel, using business fronts at Lake of the Ozarks.

It took a gutsy Australian with a sense of humor and a connection to Buddy’s character to take a big risk at the Lake -- and emblazon the old man on it.

Oscar Jenkins risked a boatload of capital, remodeled and repaired the family resort from the ground up, built an impressive tech stack, and added revenue streams well beyond heads-in-beds. Complete with watercraft rentals, gas dock, a rustically cool lounge with wood-fired pizza oven, a lakefront tiki bar next to the pool and short-order kitchen for food on the fly, Buddy’s Resort is on the upswing with plenty of room and ground for growth.

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But Oscar has family matters to attend to in Australia, so he’s looking to pass the torch to a new owner to take Buddy’s Resort to the next level with a game plan already in place.

Now Buddy's Harbor is for sale - View Photos & Listing

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The Lake Ozark resort and marina — ideally located at the 2MM in McCoy Branch Cove by water and off Horseshoe Bend Pkwy by land — sits on six acres, with around 500 feet of lakefront, between Four Seasons and the all the action of the Lake Ozark Strip.

The recently updated facilities include 18 cabins, two condos, 40'x22' heated/cooled pool, 24-slip marina, gas dock, marina store, boat and jet ski rentals.

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The new public lakefront tiki bar, lounge bar and pizzeria, also comes complete with a commercial kitchen on site.

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The all-new resort technology and systems have been set up for easy operations with minimal staff.

There is room for further resort development on the 2.5-acre waterfront lot and the adjacent undeveloped 3.5 acre lot, which is also included.

By The Numbers

Cap Rate range 8.5%

Sales up 140%+ from 2022 to 2024

ADR up 128% from 2022 to 2024

RevPAR up 25% from 2022 to 2024

Buddy’s has undergone a complete business update undertaken in 2022 and 2023 and is now offered as a turnkey operation with up-to-the-minute technology, marketing and loyal core team.

Financials are available to interested buyers proving financial capacity.

Find Out More: See The Full Listing