Home prices in communities like Falconhead near Austin, TX, have held up because of job growth at companies in the area and Austin's popularity with retirees. 

    I reconnected yesterday with an insurance agent I hadn't spoken with in 25 years.  Alan sold me disability and life insurance policies back in the early part of my career, but circumstances change, and now I am looking to either convert the policies or just let them lapse.  I called him to discuss my options.
    In the course of conversation, we got around to the current housing market, and Alan said an interesting thing:  "I don't think people can go wrong buying a retirement home, even now."  Noting popular places like Miami, San Diego and Las Vegas, whose housing markets have tanked, I suggested that some people could have gone very wrong if they had bought there three years ago.  "Look," he replied, "this baby boomer

generation is so big and so ready to retire to a new lifestyle that you really can't lose value over time in any of the retirement areas."
    Alan went on to explain that he had purchased a second home in Tampa, FL, a few years ago and runs his business from there and from his Long Island, NY, house, splitting his time pretty equally between both.  He is 61 now and plans to move south permanently in a few years.
    Alan works with many baby boomers at or nearing retirement, so his feel for market trends is worth considering.  First, and most obvious, numbers are on his side.  The 75 million or so boomers, arguably the wealthiest generation in history, are between the ages of 46 and 62.  Sure, some will stay put in retirement especially if their homes are paid off and their kids and friends are nearby.  But many more, like a couple from Ohio I am working with, would rather play golf than shovel snow in February and, anyway, their children and some of their friends have moved away.
    Second, and perhaps more important to the argument, is that this generation is self possessed, selfish really.  I can say that because I am a member of the tribe.  We have always wanted what we wanted and when we wanted it.  And whenever we have latched onto something, as Alan, a leading edge boomer, argued, "prices have always gone higher."  

    Remember when water from the tap was good enough and safe enough for us all?  Then we had the great

notion that spring or purified water in a plastic bottle from God knows where was better, and we were willing to pay $2 per swig for the privilege.  Walking, jogging and bicycling have always been great and free ways to exercise, but we got it into our heads that stationary bikes and treadmills were more convenient, bugger the cost.  (Side note:  Anyone want to buy a like-new Nordic-Trak cheap?  I paid $500 for it and used it twice in 10 years.)
    There is certainly some evidence in southern real estate prices to support the contention that baby boomers are having a salutary effect on the markets.  A number of areas I have visited in the last couple of years are seeing almost housing-boom type price increases despite housing-bust conditions in the rest of the country.  In December, a Money magazine article indicated that Wilmington, NC, had seen a 9.2% increase in real estate prices over the prior 12 months.   Asheville, NC, was even higher, at 10.9%, and Austin, TX, close with 10.8%.  Richmond, Charlotte and Raleigh also showed strong price increases.
    For sure, job growth in these metropolises was probably more important to prices than were retirees.  Demand for homes there, especially new ones, has been high, and retirees have filled a more supplementary role in terms of real estate purchases than a primary one.  But with the brakes now being applied to hiring at large companies, and some even beginning to lay off employees, we may see the boomers assert an even more important, stabilizing role in southern markets...if they can get past a psychological price barrier regarding their current home.  Some of us are having trouble reconciling that our homes are worth 10% less than they were just a year ago, even though some of us are still way ahead of our original purchase price.
    I think of a couple living in the Boston metro area whose heart has been set on a retirement in Asheville, NC.  Last year, homes in some areas of the Boston market depreciated 5% while in Asheville they increased 10.9%.  More of the same in the next few years, and our Boston couple might be priced out of a home in Asheville or have to settle for a much different one than their sights are set on. 

    If your hearts and minds are set on moving south, don't hold out for the last dollar on your primary home.  Deal with the fact your home is likely not worth what it was last month, let alone last year or two years ago.  Accept any fair offer before the spread between your eventual selling price and what you will have to pay in the south a few years hence widens beyond your ability to pay the difference.  
    The harsh but appropriate old line from the stock market is worth repeating here:  "Pigs may get fat, but hogs get slaughtered."

    Note:  I am currently working with a few couples to identify the  areas and communities that best match their lifestyle criteria.  If I can help you, please send me a note.  There is no cost or obligation whatsoever. 

After a pleasantly exhausting day of golf on Daufuskie Island, kick back at one of the few restaurants outside the communities.  Marshside Mamas seafood, music and funky atmosphere is legendary on the island.

    On this St. Valentine's Day, I've combed my memories and files for a few ideas on how to spend a romantic day at some of the south's best golfing communities:

Osprey Cove, St. Mary's, GA

    Play a morning round at the challenging Mark McCumber course.  Then take the five-minute drive into the charming seaside town of St. Mary's and catch the boat to Cumberland Island, a 20-minute ride.  Wander the paths and beaches of Cumberland, keeping an eye out for the wild horses that populate the island (the only human residents are the guests at the famous Greyfield Inn, where John Kennedy Jr. was married).  On the return to St. Mary's, dine at the tiny Sterling's Cafe, on the site of an old dry goods store, where owner and cookbook author Marianne Thomas pampers her guests without robbing their wallets.

Cliffs at Glassy, Landrum, SC

    Roll out of bed to play the high and mighty Tom Jackson layout, with scintillating views in all directions.  Drive to the very top of the community and its chapel, where you can fall to your knees and thank the Lord you found each other.  Out back of the chapel is a bench with the most commanding view of mountains and valley that you are likely to see.  On Valentine's Day, the two of you will feel on top of the world.

Mountain Air, Burnsville, NC

    Most people own a second home here, and some fly their own planes and land on the strip that bisects the Scott Pool golf course on the very top of the 4,500-foot high mountain.   If you are among the lucky few, park the plane, then play the course with your heads literally in the clouds.  Have a casual lunch overlooking the runway, cheering your fellow pilots as they land, and then make your reservation for dinner in the expansive log cabin clubhouse.  The clubhouse is closed for the winter season, but you are a 10-minute drive down the mountain and more than a half hour into Asheville.  You are such special members that Mountain Air's general manager is happy to call in the chef and get the huge stone fireplace going.  After a bottle of wine and a rich dinner, you can stoke your own embers back at your house on the mountain.  

Debordieu Colony, Georgetown, SC

    If the weather is nice, roll out of bed with thermos in hand and walk the community's two-mile beach, searching for whatever the ocean has given back during the night.  Then play the typically wind blown but atypically designed Pete Dye course.  Few railroad ties in evidence, just a surprisingly straightforward layout that doesn't quite reach the ocean, which you can hear and smell but not see.  Return to the beach to work out the kinks before dining on quail and grits at The Rice Paddy, a renowned in-town restaurant in a former bank.  Order a bottle of wine stored in the bank vault.  Drive carefully and watch out for marsh deer on the five-mile ride back home.

Ford Plantation, Richmond Hill, GA

    Awake and, over coffee, thank each other that life has been good enough that you can afford to live in a community of mostly six figure homes and majestic live oaks.  Then play an uncharacteristic but terrific Pete Dye course along the banks of the Ogeechee River.  Beg the management of the Plantation to let you spend the night in either Clara (Mrs. Henry) Ford's former bedroom or the old man's room.  Don't waste too much time looking for the secret passageway Henry allegedly used to make his way to a love nest 100 yards across the lawn (his, ahem, "laboratory" he called it).  Dinner is in the stately Main House, down a flight of stairs from the Fords' bedrooms.

The Landings at Skidaway Island, GA

    Share a cart with your loved one for two rounds on any of the six excellent courses.  My recommendation is to play the Arthur Hills Palmetto course in the morning; it is the most challenging of the group and by a designer who doesn't get enough credit for his fine work.  After lunch in one of the community's multiple clubhouses, head for Tom Fazio's playful Deer Creek for a relaxing afternoon round.  Get a two-hour nap in before driving the 15 minutes into Savannah for dinner at your choice of restaurants, as long as it isn't Lady & Sons, Paula Dean's tourist trap testament to cholesterol.  Hire a carriage for a ride through some of the city's more than 20 squares, spending midnight in the "garden of good and evil."

Haig Point, Daufuskie Island, SC

    No man is an island, nor is a woman, but an island like Daufuskie can insinuate itself into your soul.  Reached only by ferry, the island's marsh, ocean, live oaks and general atmosphere give cabin fever a good name.  If you are feeling perky, go the full 27 holes at the recently refurbished Rees Jones layout, with dramatic views of the marsh and Hilton Head Island beyond.  After golf, take your personal golf cart - they typically come with the purchase of a home -- to the Daufuskie Island Resort just five minutes away.  Try for a seat at the windows overlooking the ocean in the resort's stately dining room.  If you haven't had your fill of golf, time your afternoon round at Nicklaus' Melrose course, a fine early example of his work, so that you are coming down the oceanfront 18th at sunset.  Alternately, get a his-and-her massage at the resort's renowned Breathe Spa.  If you haven't collapsed with exhaustion by dinnertime, head for the funky Marshside Mama's, one of only a few eateries on the island.

Governor's Club, Chapel Hill, NC

    If you just want to indulge yourself without wandering off the reservation, there is no better community to do it.  Sleep in, then play 27 holes of challenging Jack Nicklaus Signature golf, with a leisurely stop for lunch after 18, and most of your day is spoken for.  You could drive 15 minutes into town for a meal at one of a handful of excellent restaurants in the college town, but you could hardly do better than the expertly prepared food in the club's modern and sleek clubhouse.  Of course, if one of you has scored two tickets to the University of North Carolina basketball game, then start your engines and grab a hot dog before tipoff.  

Pawleys Plantation, Pawleys Island, or The Reserve at Litchfield Beach, SC

    After breakfast at the popular Eggs Up Grill in Litchfield, play your round at either the dramatic Nicklaus Signature course at Pawleys, with a back nine that slinks along the dramatic marsh and features the connected 13th and 16th greens (pictured); or Greg Norman's less dramatic but finer conditioned layout for the Reserve.  No matter which, finish your round in time to take lunch at the Caledonia Golf and Fish Club, for the endless views across the marsh, the efficient if bustling service, and the wide range of menu choices (the fried stuff is sinfully good).  Take your after-lunch drink out on the rocking-chair-lined veranda that almost literally hangs over the putting surface of the 18th, and join others in cheering or, in jest, jeering those who three putt the enormous green.  Bring a camera if you decide to play the course; the azaleas should just be starting to pop.  For dinner, choose any of the eponymous and excellent restaurants in Pawleys Island - Frank's, Austin's, or Louis'.

Amelia Island Resort, Amelia Island, FL

    Amelia is all for one, or better all in one, with four golf courses, a long clean beach and all the amenities a topflight resort has to offer.  We have friends who have spent every Thanksgiving here for over a decade.  For your morning round of golf, choose Long Point, a splendid Tom Fazio layout, the best of the four courses on the property.  Take your lunch at the beach club that overlooks the Atlantic, and go for a bracing late afternoon swim (okay, okay, very bracing in February).   Or if you are up for another round of golf, opt for the Pete Dye/Bobby Weed Ocean Links course, with a few back nine holes along the Atlantic.  Conspire to cook a luscious dinner at home, with extra bottle of wine optional.  Or if you are too worn out to cook, take a short drive to Fernandina Beach, an historic ocean town, and choose among its few but choice seafood restaurants.

Bald Head Island, NC

    Your fearless editor was fearful for his life when he became hopelessly lost in a golf cart on this fair-sized island one cold November night two years ago.  With few streetlights and fewer residents in the cold months, Bald Head can be a lonely place or a romantic one, depending on your point of view.  If you are of the latter persuasion, go for a ride in your super charged golf cart and get lost like I did.  You'll be clinging to each other for hours.  Alternately, take the 25-minute ferry ride to the charming city of Southport for a candlelight dinner.  Make sure to buy a bottle of champagne for the ride back, glasses optional.  As for the golf, the nice George Cobb layout offers many shot-making opportunities but too few views of the water.  If you are lucky to have a western view from your home, point your chair in that direction and enjoy one of the finest sunsets your correspondent has ever seen.  Then curl up by the fireplace to end the day.

River Place, Austin, Tex

    The Tom Kite course was so difficult when first built in 1982 that the owners had it rebuilt two years later.  Designed originally as a walking course only for the most physically fit, today hardly anyone plays without a cart.  The course has its ups and downs in more ways than one, but the roller coaster fairways and cart paths will provide you and your sweetie with a few thrill rides.  Forgo dinner at the weirdly designed clubhouse (nice views of the Texas Hill Country, though) and choose among any number of barbecue palaces within a few miles drive.  Use your hands to recreate the primitively sexy eating scene from the movie Tom Jones.

 

The views of the Texas Hill Country from River Place Golf Club are romance for the eyes.