SmartMoney.com, the online publication of Smart Money Magazine, recently ranked Lake Tahoe, Calif., in its list of five best places where vacation home bargains can be found, reports Dickson Realty. Dickson Realty has offices in Incline Village, Reno, Sparks, Montrêux, South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe Keys, Zephyr Cove and Truckee.

The “Top 5ive Places to Own a Summer Home,” ranked Lake Tahoe fourth on the list that also included Panama City Beach, Fla., Pocono Mountains, Penn., The Crystal Coast, N.C., and the Great Smokey Mountains, Tenn.

Lake Tahoe was also ranked by the travel Web site, TripAdvisor.com, as first in the nation, and 10th worldwide, among all rated vacation destinations.

“Lake Tahoe not only offers people a place to live with incredible scenic beauty, it also offers an incredible sense of community,” said Dennis Liebl, broker and manager of Dickson Realty’s South Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Keys offices. “Lake Tahoe has safe streets, friendly neighborhoods and many ways to enjoy the outdoors making it a very attractive location to own a vacation home at a reasonable cost.

People buy homes for quality of lifestyle, and Lake Tahoe’s is second to none.”

Among Lake Tahoe’s attractive attributes cited by SmartMoney.com were its 71 square miles of mountainous shoreline allowing most properties to have lake views, various music and wine festivals, the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, swimming and boating in the lake and its many ski resorts for winter recreation.