When it comes to prestige, comfort, status, and enjoyment, nothing tops living in a golf course community. But it’s not all perfect. For every benefit, it could be argued that there’s a mitigating factor. And if you’re contemplating making the move to a golf course, you’d be wise to weigh the pros and cons before getting too far into your search.
Living on a golf course is, for millions of Americans, an idyllic goal. And though it isn’t for everyone, there are a number of reasons for buying a house on a golf course. Let’s begin by investigating these benefits:
If you’re an avid golfer, the most obvious benefit of living on a golf course is that you get the chance to play golf as much as you’d like. Simply stroll up to the clubhouse and you can be swinging your clubs in a matter of minutes. This makes it possible to squeeze in a quick round after work or play at a more leisurely pace on lazy weekends.
Golf is typically only one part of what’s available in a golf course community. Depending on where you choose to live, you may have access to other things like swimming, exercise facilities, basketball courts, racquetball, tennis, horseback riding, yoga, and more. The clubhouse may also have a restaurant, bar, live entertainment, and event venues, which make it perfect for relaxing and entertaining guests.
Because friendships and social lives are often maintained around group activities like these, living in a golf course community often makes it easier to meet new people and develop friendships.
Let’s not pretend like there isn’t a certain amount of prestige that comes with living in a golf course community. Whether you downplay it or not, it’s nice to be able to say you live in a well-respected neighborhood. And in certain lines of business, it’s necessary in order to stand out.
By no means is golf course living perfect. If you purchase a home in one of these communities, you need to be aware of some of the potential issues or “cons” you’ll encounter.
When you live in a golf course community, you don’t have some of the same freedoms that you would otherwise have in a single-family property that exists outside of a neighborhood. HOA rules and conditions are often very strict, requiring you to follow specific rules with landscaping, home renovations and additions, where you can park vehicles, etc.
On the one hand, a golf course community provides a lot of privacy. You don’t have a nosy neighbor staring into your backyard or lots of through traffic in front of your house. On the other hand, you simultaneously lose some privacy. Depending on where you’re located, you’ll have golfers near your property line and maintenance staff constantly passing by. (You can also expect lots of golf balls to end up in your yard – potentially breaking windows and causing other disruptions.)
Ever since the beginning of golf in the United States, golf course communities have long been considered great investments. The popularity of the game means houses in these areas tend to appreciate faster than average.
“In recent years, however, The Washington Post and other media outlets have reported a steady decline in the luxury golf community market, with Golf magazine declaring that ‘the gilded age of golf course design is dead,’” real estate expert Bill Ness writes. “A perfect storm of overbuilding, an economic downturn and a decrease in the number of people who play the sport has put nearly 2,000 of the nation’s 16,000 golf courses in jeopardy and made homebuyers, and real estate developers, more cautious.”
This probably shouldn’t be a huge concern – it’s not like a nice home is going to tank in value because of a slight decline in golf’s popularity – but it is something to think about from a long-term investment perspective.
It won’t be an issue during the evening hours, but a particularly busy golf course could leave you with some unwanted noise issues. This is especially true if you’re located in close proximity to a tee box or green. (You’ll also have to get used to the golf course maintenance team working in the wee hours of the morning.)
Few cities in the state of Texas feature better golf courses and golf course communities than the Greater Houston Area.
Whether you’re looking to buy or sell a home on a Houston-area golf course, our friendly and experienced team of real estate professionals at Green Residential can help. We have decades of experience in the area and know Houston’s neighborhoods inside and out. For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
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