Keeping up with the Joneses is not easy, especially in golf communities where the median price of a home is $1 million or higher. But with a sharp eye and good timing, seekers of a golf community home in deluxe communities can score a bargain, relatively speaking. Here are a few we have found recently.

Mediterra, Naples, FL...$499,900...3 BR, 3 BA, 2,589 sq. ft.

This “coach” home features a great room and den with cherry wood flooring. Loaded with crown molding throughout and granite galore in the upgraded kitchen. Attached 2-car garage with storage space above. 10-foot sliding doors lead to expansive lanai with views of the preserve behind. A few steps to community pool and outdoor grills. Park-like setting. Two Tom Fazio layouts are icing on a beautiful cake. Only 10 homes in Mediterra listed below $1million, 57 properties over $1 million. Access to all Mediterra listings at Golf Homes for Sale.

The Concession, Bradenton, FL...$995,000...3 BR, 3 BA, 3,394 sq. ft.

OK, so the asking price is just a smidge under our $1 million median, but it is the cheapest home currently for sale in the community named for Jack Nicklaus’ famous “That’s good” to Tony Jacklin at the 1969 Ryder Cup at England’s Royal Birkdale. The two golfers designed The Concession golf course, which is considered one of the best in the Southeast by many golf course rankers. Features on this cul-de-sac-located newly built home include just about everything you would expect, with a surround sound system throughout the entire house, a kitchen a pro chef would appreciate, separate large walk-in closets off the master suite, Roman shower with a spa-style rain showerhead and an outdoor living area with heated pool/spa, water view and fully accessorized outdoor kitchen. Access to all current Concession homes for sale at Golf Homes for Sale.

The Ford Plantation, Richmond Hill, GA...$495,000...5 BR, 5 BA, 2,500 sq. ft.

About half of the 24 homes for sale on the property where Henry and Clara Ford spent their winters are priced below $1 million, only five of them under $600,000. This home packs a lot of rooms into a tidy lot of a quarter acre, but what is outside this cute-as-a-bugs-ear home is almost as important. That includes a 1 BR, 1 BA guesthouse and, nearby, Pete Dye’s Ogeechee Golf Club, named for the adjacent river. Ford Plantation members recently commissioned the octogenarian Dye to redo what was already a great, if occasionally waterlogged, layout to the tune of $7 million. We are looking forward to a go at the “new” course in a few weeks. For listings at Ford Plantation, see Golf Homes for Sale; contact the real estate broker listed there for a full property listings.

Cliffs at Walnut Cove, Arden, NC...$949,000...3 BR, 4 BA, 2,803 sq. ft.

Of all eight Cliffs Communities, Walnut Cove may be the most “cosmopolitan” of all, given its location just 10 minutes from Asheville and a less-than-rustic look to the homes surrounding the Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course, some of them deluxe townhouses. Prices seem to have stabilized post-recession as quickly as at any of the Cliffs communities and, at present, we count just five homes listed for sale at prices under $1 million, and 35 over that level. The current low price goes to a townhome that is a short walk to walking trails. Photos sure make it seem like a spacious home inside. For a full listing of current homes for sale at the Cliffs at Walnut Cove, see Golf Homes for Sale.

Daniel Island, SC...$440,000...3 BR, 2 ½ BA, 2,372 sq. ft.

Although Daniel Island, an exquisitely planned community just 15 minutes from Charleston, SC, but set off by itself, offers the widest range of home types, it currently is showing a total of 52 single-family houses for sale, 29 of them above the $1 million mark. With two highly rated golf courses by Fazio and Rees Jones and its proximity not only to Charleston but to the airport, abundant shopping and beaches all within about 20 minutes, it could not be better situated. This lowest priced home is on a small lot facing a 7-acre park and is within an easy walk of shops, dining and the river that surrounds the island. A front porch is there to enjoy the view of the park and to keep an eye on the kids or grandkids. For all listings on Daniel Island, from townhomes to estate homes, see Golf Homes for Sale.

Greenville Country Club, Greenville, SC...$587,605...5 BR, 5 BA, 3,600 sq. ft.

Some serious golfers in South Carolina believe Chanticleer is the best non-coastal golf course in South Carolina, and they will not get any argument from this quarter. The Robert Trent Jones, Sr. layout ranks consistently in the top 5 for all state golf courses. The in-town location of the surrounding community of mostly estate style homes makes Greenville Country Club especially popular with local professionals and business owners. The addition of another excellent golf course, the Riverside club three miles away, only adds to the attraction. This home for sale is on a half-acre tract and features a new kitchen and baths, as well as his and her offices and an outdoor area with a stone terrace and covered pergola. For access to all the listings in Greenville Country Club, check out Golf Homes for Sale.
His design for the Chanticleer Course at Greenville CC in Greenville, SC, is one of Robert Trent Jones Sr's finest.

        Some of us who are technically “retired” don’t want to stop working at the end of our careers. And, therefore, we continue to work, at least part-time, after we accept the retirement package from the company or firm for which we have worked most of our careers. Sometimes that post-retirement job is related to our experience and expertise, and sometimes we switch gears.
        For those who wish to retire to the Southeast and occupy their time with something more than golf or sitting on a lawn chair at poolside, we found an interesting group of charts that show the average pay and adjusted pay, or “earning power,” in cities across the country, including those near golf communities in the Southeast. Although the average and adjusted earnings are for full-time jobs, we expect that part-time employment will yield comparable compensations.
        Many of those who retire to the Southeast after successful careers decide to sell real estate in the golf communities in which they take up residence. After all, real estate is all about customer service and follow-through and an organized approach, attributes many of us develop during our careers in sales, marketing, retail and similar jobs. But, according to

graphs and charts generated by Tableau.com using U.S. Census bureau and other data, the earning power for real estate agents varies widely by where they choose to relocate. For example, the most powerful city in the Southeast for generating income from real estate work is Durham, NC, where the average pay for a real estate agent in 2014 was $73,200; when that amount was adjusted for the cost of living in Durham, the “buying power” was actually $77,050. (Durham ranks #3 nationally, behind Denver (#2) at $80,910 actual and $77,570 adjusted, and the overall clear winner, Indianapolis, IN, at $99,540/$106,010. (Who knew?)
        In the Southeast, Huntsville, AL, ranked second to Durham and 6th overall ($64,700/$70,870). Virginia Beach/Norfolk ($68,180/$68,660) was also ranked in the Top 10, followed by Raleigh ranked #14, Greenville, SC, #21 and Birmingham, AL, #22. Those contemplating a move to Charleston, SC, and a job in real estate might think twice; Chucktown ranked #96 and last on the Tableau list for real estate agent income, with $31,910 in average pay and $33,340 in adjusted pay. (This low pay for agents seems to be consistent for many popular and high-cost real estate cities. In San Francisco, for example, where small and modest homes routinely sell for more than $1 million, average pay in real estate is $63,250 and adjusted pay is a paltry $52,140. That may seem counterintuitive, but these popular, high-priced cities have attracted a surplus of real estate agents trying to cash in on big-ticket sales. A large pie, yes, but split many ways.)
        Marketing managers, according to the Tableau.com charts, earn about twice what real estate agents earn across the major markets of the country, and the top three markets for such jobs are all in the Southeast. Surprisingly, Fayetteville, NC, leads all markets nationwide with real pay at $158,280 and adjusted at an even more impressive $175,280 for marketing managers. (Note: The numbers may be skewed by a small population of marketing managers in Fayetteville, just 30 according to CityTownInfo.com.) Durham, NC –- again! -– comes in at #2 ($158,330/$166,660), and Birmingham weighs in at #3. Other Southeast towns in the top 25 include Charlotte (#9), Huntsville (#11), Greensboro, NC (#14), Richmond, VA (#15), Atlanta, GA (#17), Raleigh (#19) and Winston-Salem, NC (#23).
        I spent my 35-year career in corporate communications, and if I wanted to give up my day job -– which includes writing articles like this one –- I suppose I could look for a part-time public relations position. But I might be the poorer for it, after scanning the Tableau.com list of earnings for Public Relations. PR practitioners earn a bit more than real estate agents do, but to earn at the top of the profession, you need to live up North. Richmond, at #11, is the highest ranked town for PR professionals in the Southeast, with regular earnings of $64,100 adjusted to $66,490 for a slightly lower than average cost of living. Durham and Huntsville show up again, at #s 13 and 14, respectively.
        The highest paying market for PR Specialists is where words get slung around with irresistible force -- Washington, D.C.
        If the Tableau.com data establishes one thing, it is that Durham, NC, might be a good choice for those who intend to continue their careers into retirement, at least on a part-time basis. On the assumption that you are reading this because you play golf and have at least a passing interest in considering a move to the Southeast, here are a two golf communities in the Durham area that are worth considering.
        Governors Club in Chapel Hill, NC, is almost as close to Durham. The community’s 27 holes of Jack Nicklaus Signature golf and proximity to both Duke University (Durham) and University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) make it an educated choice in that area. The community has been celebrating its 25th year and, a few weeks ago, hosted Barbara and Jack Nicklaus at a special anniversary party. For an expanded description of Governors Club and access to current homes for sale in the community, check out our Golf Homes for Sale page.
        Hasentree, one of the most recently built luxury golf communities in the Carolinas, is located just to the east of Durham and features a Tom Fazio layout that has garnered local and national praise. The community is set amidst tens of thousands of acres of protected forestland but is convenient to the Interstate roadways that enter and leave both Raleigh and Durham. After the community got off to a rocky start just before the recession of 2008, national builders Toll Brothers stepped in to reorganize everything. Contact us if you would like more information about Hasentree or any of the other fine golf communities in the Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill areas.
        To scan the Tableau.com tables for the salaries of different professions by city, click here.