5 Things To Consider When Buying a Home On a Golf Course
When considering the possibility of buying a home on a golf course, it is only natural to imagine all of the exciting ways that life will improve by becoming a member of such a community. Beautiful views of the course, easy access to an improved swing, and surrounding yourself with like minded individuals all come to mind, just to name a few. To the avid golfer, or even to a family looking for a peaceful lifestyle and scenic neighborhood, golf course living might just be a dream come true. But it isn’t very often that people consider the negative possibilities of living in a golf community.
Realty101.com makes the point that, as with any other property type, it is very important to weigh the pros and cons when searching for a home on a golf course. Just knowing what to be aware of can help you better identify your dream property. Below is Realty 101’s list of top five things to keep in mind when hunting for golf course home:
- Courses are maintained, early and often.
Golf courses don’t get that pristine, well-groomed look all on their own. It takes a lot of care and maintenance, generally well before business hours to keep them looking that fresh.
- Pay attention to location of cart paths when house hunting.
Though at first glance, being right up against the course may be exactly what you want, you are going to want a certain amount of privacy. Having people whiz by on golf carts, or walking right through your backyard talking about their next business venture may not be ideal while you’re trying to grill steaks for the in-laws.
- Tee boxes and greens are regular stopping points.
Again, it might be really exciting to live right next to a tee box or green. The view would be spectacular, no doubt about it. But for the same reasons as above, it is important to consider how much privacy would be possible given the space between you and the course on any given day.
- Understand all of the deed restrictions.
It is very important to look carefully at deed restrictions (which can be somewhat limiting) in a golf course community. It can be a deal-breaker, and it would be unfortunate to overlook that kind of detail while making such a major life decision. You’d hate to want to paint your house a particular color, but have the homeowner’s association restrict you from doing so.
- Golf course land is often off-limits for non-golf activities.
Want to walk the dog along the cart path as the sun goes down at the far-end of the 18th hole? Forget about it. Be sure to pay close attention to these rules as well. The good news is, many Michigan courses close down for the winter. So you could at the very least take the kids sledding on that hill out there somewhere between holes 9 and 10.
To read more on why these things are so important to consider, and how to fix the potential issues that may arise, read Realty101’s full article here.
