Does a golf course/water view really worth it?
 

I am sure this is discussed in Nauseam, but can’t seem to find much on a search with recent opinions.

I expect my wife and I will want to design our house vs purchase an already made and ready new home if we go in the new home direction.

However, looking at locations TV releases to build lots on the price can go from 5k to 200k.

I get the idea of pick what you can afford and want, but I am still the kind of person that needs to confirm value. Say, we decide to move to a new location in 10 years. I don’t want to loose 200k in value. Up North, the area and size of house would all be similar in price. View would not mean anything to valuation of sale.

So, do the golf course views really sell for 200k more than a same style home without the view? Or do you understand and accept a loss if you purchase the view?

An additional thought, difficult to find water view that doesn’t come with alligator!

In my opinion, you should definitely buy a golf and/or water view site. It will sell quickly and you will get your investment back. It is worth it.

A good golf course view sells for more than 200k premium on an existing build

& mowers

& golfers

& golf balls

:ho:

There is no guarantee that there will always be water in you pond

Money better spent to have a nice quiet open space lot behind your home with a water view. Lots to look at and peaceful. If we ever put our home on the market, it will go long before other homes of the same type. We love ours.

Yes they do, and they sell faster as well. View lots are often larger as well and that is a factor in the price. That is why, if you try to buy the $150K lot that you have your eye on, you can't just do it. You have to enter a random drawing with other people will also want the lot.

The $0 and $5K interior lots on the other hand, you can just take your pick. But, unfortunately the beautiful house you want to build on the view lot, doesn't fit on the $5K lot. So there is that.

Yes, golf course views command the extra coin on the front end and they are more likely to sell quickly on the back end. If you get your money back, well, that depends on a lot of things. No one can really tell you what’s going to happen in 10 years. But, it will more than likely sell quicker than a home that backs up to another or one that is on the turnpike or near a busy street.

Look at it this way, what view would you rather have for the next 10 years in that house that you are custom building? The back of someone else’s house or that golf course / pond.

Also, when you pick your lot, choose wisely! You don’t want golf balls hitting your lanai…or those irresponsible golfers trespassing on your property because they can’t hit a ball straight.

Interesting that there is a lottery drawing for the new lots. Maybe it makes sense to buy a home with the view you like in a pre-owned home. It could save some money.

Be sure to research and choose your site carefully. These are not PGA professionals playing our courses. What you think may be a safe location most likely will not be. In the past we were on a par 3 at the friendly tee thinking no one would hit into us. We were wrong and our neighbor downstream was very wrong. Sitting in the lanai was inhibited and a lot of cursing from golfers as they go by, but a nice view.

The biggest mistake you can make is to build a premier or a large designer house with a lot of upgrades on an interior lot.

I would suggest driving through the neighborhood on Iron Oak Way and Morse Blvd. This is the last premier house neighborhood built north of Rt 44 before they stopped building premiers. The houses on the water preserve are all worth well over $1 million dollars. But can you imagine owning one of the huge premier houses on an interior lot, when you could have purchased one of the preserve lots for about a hundred thousand dollars more?

I love golf, but wouldn’t live on a course if there was zero up charge. Getting woken up at the crack of dawn by lawnmowers isn’t my idea of a good time.

Water or marsh view with a northeast exposure on the rear of the house.

If you search the databases for asking prices for pre-owned homes on view lots, you will be quickly disabused of that notion.

We have a golf & lakes view, very open. We can sit in the great room & see the view. Very relaxing.

Worse lots: The tee or green view. Lots of carts, loud conversations, and many jack a$$es.
Better lots: Fairway or water view. Somewhat quiet, low water smell, and bugs
Best lots: Nature view. Quiet, trees covered in moss blowing in the wind, and animals

Sitting in your hot tub and nobody can see you - priceless

I need a 😂 button. This did make me laugh. But, I actually like looking at the alligators.

Look at existing homes for sale (or sold) and compare with what they paid on their county website. Also, a view home is not going to bring a premium on resale if you do silly things like overdo the landscaping or use non neutral specific to you upgrades, etc. I have seen this type of home for sale.

Posters will tell you what lot you should or shouldn’t choose. However my bet is they haven’t tried for a build lot with a view for at least 4 years.

First if you want to build, choose the $$$$ you need for your budget. Then try for every available lot.

There will be around 30-50+ names for each lot. You will be very lucky to be #1. You have 48 hours to say Yes or No.

So think if you and hundreds are trying for lot release available, those lots will also be highly sought after if you build a desirable model.

That $200,000 lot does sell well if you can only afford a $200,000 model.

You have to decide for yourself what you want to see out the back of your house, combined with how often you'll be looking.

If you feel a golf view is your ideal location, consider two important things:

1. The spot right in front of the tees will often be more congested with golf carts, and some of them are noisier than others.
2. The spot closest to the point at which most balls are likely to land after taking their first shot - is more prone to damage to siding, stucco, windows, and screens, due to slices and whatever other terminology indicates someone messed up their shot.

Try and find the sweet spot. Maybe between the last hole and the next tee, at whichever part of the course you fancy.

its always location , location , location with real estate.

Simple to find out facts. Look up the Assessed Value of homes with "views", vs similar homes without (or even Redfin or Zillow).

I can tell you one thing for sure. If you ever walked into a neutral bank (NOT Citizen's or whoever TV is using now) and tried to finance an extra $200,000 because the home you wanted to buy is on a detention basin, they'd laugh at you.

As an avid golfer, I would be very reluctant to own a home on a golf course. Carts zooming past my lanai would drive me nuts. If you are lucky to be anywhere from 20 to 100 yards off a driving hole expect to be peppered by shanks, hooks and slices. Good golfers are not immune from errant shots. Handicap goes up and your odds increase. Guys having fun can be offensive to some.

We lived on a Golf Course for 11 years and were very excited to move in until we actually moved in. There was no privacy, lots of noise, foul language, littering, men relieving themselves right out in the open with no regard of the residents or their children (and yes I did get the police involved with that no-no), spectators for local tournaments would set up their chairs on our lawn without asking and leave their trash behind when they left for another hole, the groundskeepers are on the course before dawn working with lights and after sunset to keep the course free of debris, leaves, mowed, watered, etc. Golf balls were the least of our worries, it was the pigs that were disguised as Country Club Elites that were the biggest problem. When we moved here we decided no golf course but we did want the privacy and peacefulness of a water view which is what we bought with no regrets. For a good return on you home investment try to get on a all stucco street or cul-de-sac where all of the neighbors on the street have a water view. The homes on our street that have been sold to date were off the market almost overnight.

Not necessarily.
I attended a class on water management in The Villages, presented by The Villages. They have a map that identifies the three types of ponds in The Villages.
1. Ponds with liners. These always have water, and water is moved in and out of these ponds. It is used to store excess water in the rainy season.
2. Unlined ponds. These might completely dry up in the dry season. So there is a chance that when you purchase the property you have a water view, six months later you are looking at a mud hole.
3. Ponds that are adjacent to nature preserves. They never interfere with these ponds.
So if you are purchasing a home have your sales agent find out what type of pond you’re on. At our class they had a big map that clearly identified the purpose of each body of water. I took a picture of it. Make sure you know what you’re buying.
I have lived on the 3rd type for 13 years. We usually do have one gator . …very entertaining.
If you are comfortable with the price…go for the water view.
It’s a great investment.

I have a theory that the housing economics for moderately affluent retirees is different from young working people. When you are coming up you buy the home that you can afford based on your savings and your income. The house is mortgaged and the maximum you can pay for the house is limited by how much mortgage you can afford.

But when you are retired it is different. If you have money you can buy any house you want. So then the question is not how much can you afford, its how much of your money do you want tied up in real estate. Your estate is going your heirs. Whether you leave them a million dollar house and some money or a 500K house and 500K more money its not all that different. So you might as well live in the nicer house.

My theory is that this is one factor holding up house prices for nicer homes in the Villages and that buying a view lot is a good idea.

Good for you. In my 4 years in TV, I have never run across a single person, who has a clue how the "ponds" and drainage system works and why.

What you're describing are "Retention Ponds", "Detention Ponds" and natural impoundments (of various types).

You're 100% right. Folks should know what their "view" actually is and most don't seem to have a clue.

Totally agree, home equity is a solid asset that increases with cost of living. It’s a conservative part of your portfolio that you get to enjoy daily. Spending wisely on upgrades increases the value of the asset. Key is to always make choices with the mindset of resale.

View lots are in demand. Kissing lanais are not. You don’t have a lottery for kissing lanais.

Check out the preowned houses in Moultrie Creek that have a view that are for sale. They are a year old. Check out the original sales price and check out the asking price. And then follow up for the sales price. Prices are available at Sumter County appraisers website.


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I am going to provide a contrary viewpoint, we bought a lot with a road in the back, a view of 2 golf courses in the distance, and villas with a block wall. Outside of some occasional road noise this is a very nice location. The cars at 30+ MPH, the golf carts at 25+MPH never have a chance to see me in the hot tub, the occasional walker is too busy with their phone, so we actually have a lot of privacy. Lot was $65k (2013) house now appears to be 2.5 to 3 times what we paid, AND we know the rear scenery will never change significantly.

And there is also no guarantee your golf course view will remain, aka the Hacienda Hills syndrome. One day you’re looking across a fairway at a clubhouse, restaurant, swimming pool, tennis courts, etc…, and you have a short walk to go out to dinner. The next day you’re watching a wrecking ball level all of it. Then you get to live next to a construction site while your once beautiful view is turned into a residential Villa complex. That’s why if you buy a view lot you need to make absolutely certain the land encompassing your view can never be built on or is not a man made retention pond that can suddenly become empty. A real lake, such as lake miona, or a wildlife preserve, is a safe bet, otherwise buyer beware.

Our wildlife preserve view (glorified swamp) with a southwest exposure in the rear of our house works for us. The combination of privacy, wildlife, and beautiful sunsets are priceless.

You learn interesting swear words on a golf course.

As you are playing golf, look at the houses next to golf course. Would you like to live in one of those houses?

In my opinion, some of the lots look very nice, but a lot of them do not. Try to figure out why some of them are appealing and try to find a house or a lot that you think will work for you.

A home is worth what someone is willing to pay. I live in a neighborhood where several of the original residents have died, were diagnosed with terminal illness, or desire to be closer to family. There have been times when several homes were placed on the market at relatively the same time. The sold prices differed immensely. Some walked away with $100-300 thousand profit. Others made $50-75 thousand for the same model.

You would assume the homes with better lots and views made the most, right? Amazingly, not always the case. Some interior lots attracted buyers quickly and sold for top dollar. The homes were gorgeous inside and were truly move in ready.

We live in a CYV villa neighborhood. Some of the lots are maintenance free or have much larger back yards than new builds. All have high stucco walls that offer complete privacy. Our neighborhood also has a pool and pavillon solely for neighborhood use. From what I have experienced, some buyers are willing to pay MUCH more for these attributes. Never underestimate a high budget buyer's needs and wants. A nice view is not always at the top of their list.

When you choose a home, consider these options.
1. Do you want to live in a home that has a wonderful view? One in which other posters have warned may have severe drawbacks. Noise, 24/7 golfer invasion, wild animals, a pond that may dry up, etc, etc. But, offers beauty as far as your eyes can see?

2.One that lacks nothing inside? A home with substantial upgrades is a luxury. Are you willing to pay more for this?

3. Is privacy important? Are you willing to pay more for a larger back yard? Some homes are located on small streets. This means fewer neighbors with little or no noise. Does this type of privacy interest you?

You are the one that must live in the home. Choose the one that offers the most bang for your buck. Most likely, if you need to sell, you will quickly find a high budget buyer. The reason? You paid attention to details when purchasing. You will leave with $$$ in your pocket, and the new owner will be thrilled with his/her purchase.

Make sure you’re far away from the Turnpike and major roads so you don’t hear the road traffic all the time!!!

We purchased last year in September. I will not pay allot extra for a view.. As someone else already stated "there is no guarantee there will always be water in the that retention pound".

However here in the villages at this time, houses with a view are bringing allot more. Will that be the same in 10 years?

When we were looking to make a similar decision on whether to pay for a premium lot of some sort, my realtor friend said it seems expensive the day you buy it, but it determines how you feel about living there. We bought on a preserve and have total privacy. That has been amazing for us. Several homes went on the market in our village and the difference between a $690,000 home and those going for over 1 million was the view. None of them were premier style with high ceilings, etc.

I wish we had someone in local real estate who could tell us the percentage of homes that have view lots versus those without, as well as the number of view homes with pools, that will tell us the exclusivity, which is what drives price andthat will also help you understand why it retains value.

I have also seen homes where people design amazing landscaping around the back of their homes so they create their own privacy from a visual standpoint usually adding an enclosed glass room for sound abatement from kissing lanais. Quite a bit less expensive but not the same resale as a true view.

We looked at several houses before deciding on one with a golf and water view. We bought a re-sale since the location was perfect and the view was the best we’d found. We are far enough off the fairway that errant balls are not a problem, but like others have said some golf view houses are right next to cart paths. We have friends on another course who are closer to the fairway near a sand trap and they sometimes get balls in their yard and golfers coming near their lanai in their carts, but not too often. Every house is different, so make sure you really take everything into consideration. When you find the right house/lot you will know. We did when we saw our view!