What is the hardest and easiest thing about selling a home in a golf course community? What do your customers say they like or dislike about a golf course community?
“The hardest thing about selling homes in a gated golf course community is losing the benefit of the drive-by traffic that one would normally experience in a non-gated community. Also, the restrictions on signage, open houses, and just getting through the gate also hinders the selling process as a listing agent. As a buyer’s agent, selling in a gated golf course community is easy! With the manicured lawns, rolling fairways, and refreshments at the 19th hole, what buyer wouldn’t want to live in one!”
— Phyllis Staines
RE/MAX Coastal Real Estate
“Easiest thing is the convenience, beautiful views, openness and prestige. The hardest thing is that on a golf course, you may experience loss of privacy, danger of being hit by wayward balls and some people object to the fees.”
— Clare Berry
Berry & Co. Real Estate
“Hardest thing about selling a home in a golf course community is probably justifying the price of real estate or the value of the land being on the course. A lot of buyers feel that they will ultimately ‘pay’ for being in a golf course community. Also, the location of the course is paramount. If it’s out in the middle of nowhere, it is a little harder to get them to see the growth potential. However, if they are true golf enthusiasts, they don’t mind at all! It is pretty nice to have wide open spaces, greenery, landscaping and 150 acres of manicured lawn in your back yard. Can you tell I live on a golf course? There are definitely tradeoffs when you pay the price tag of living in or on a golf course community.”
— Kim Davis
Ponte Vedra Beach Realty
“Golf course view and golf course community are two different things. The hardest thing about selling a home in a golf course community is if a customer is not familiar with a planned community, they tend to balk at the fees. They don’t understand the concept of a master-planned community. The easiest thing about selling a home in a golf course community is that most people love and appreciate the concept of a master planned community, and are willing to pay a little more for the feeling of belonging and to pay the fees that accompany it. From a golf course view perspective, the view is the easiest thing about selling because it can be truly be spectacular. The hardest thing is walking a homesite and finding stray golf balls where the family room or nursery would normally be or viewing a spec home with a recently broken window and/or a golf ball actually in the family room.”
—Linda Moore
Centex Homes
“Once they’ve moved in, the golfers love watching the course in play. They look for their friends and neighbors and like to pick up pointers from the good [and the bad] golfers as they go by. Non-golfers don’t like having golfers behind their homes. They don’t know what they’re missing!”
— Rose Bock
Arvida
“From my experience as a sales agent for many years at Queen’s Harbour Properties and years as sales manager with Beazer Homes, the positives and negatives appear to remain the same. The easiest thing about selling on the golf course is the perception of a higher value, greater equity for resale and the exceptional views of the course. The buyer can have choices of water to golf, water to golf to preserve or wide fairways. Some buyers enjoy the action at the tees and the greens. I enjoyed great success selling golf course homesites. On the other hand, the hardest part of selling on a golf course homesite is selling to families with small children who want lots of playground equipment, and a dog or two which sometimes does not mix well on a golf course homesite. Some buyers also feel like they are giving up privacy. Overall, selling in a golf course community is actually the easiest, because you are selling a lifestyle of amenities for the entire family other than golf.”
— Mary Anne Hashem
Beazer Homes
“The hardest thing about selling in a golf course community is that some people are just not golfers. Even if someone is not a golfer, you can generally convince them that even though they don’t play golf, just the beauty of a golf course is a very special amenity. The easiest thing about selling in a golf course community is the beauty it brings. Also homeowners who are golfers enjoy living and playing in the same area. The camaraderie of golfers is a special bond.”
— Pud English
Hines at Palencia