Thanks…A Lot: Plenty of golf homesites available on the cheap

        True story. I played a round of golf recently at one of the southeast’s premier golf communities. My partner for the round was a resident and member of the club.  Alongside one fairway, he pointed to two houses next door to each other, one under construction and one fully occupied. He told me that the owner of the in-construction home had visited a few months earlier to inspect progress.  The people next door were away for the day of his visit and were disappointed they had not been around to greet their soon-to-be new neighbor.  Through the golf club directory, they tracked down the neighbor’s home phone number up north and called to welcome him to the community.  His wife answered the phone and said, emphatically, “We aren’t building a house there.”  It was clear the husband had some “splainin” to do, as Desi often insisted of Lucy, and the splainin turned out to be that the husband was one of those hyper-organized charlatans who was going to make sure he had a new home in place for him and his mistress before he informed his wife.

        I tell that story as an illustration that lots in golf communities are so cheap in the current market that even someone staring at a large divorce settlement can afford one.  In our next Home On The Course newsletter,

which will email to nearly 1,000 subscribers later today, our feature story makes the case that this may be the best time to buy a lot and build a home in a golf community.  The selection of lots for sale with stunning views of marsh, rivers, lakes, mountains and even a few ocean views is wide ranging, and the prices are at their lowest in years. In some cases, lot owners are literally giving away their properties to get out from under the obligations of paying club dues and homeowners association fees on a piece of land they once thought was a great investment but now is a financial sinkhole.  Their losses spell gain for any baby boomers prepared to build and relocate to a golf community.

        The June edition of Home On The Course also shares a list of the U.S. beach towns with the most foreclosure properties currently on the market.  You might be surprised at a few of the entries.  Real estate professionals who list their golf homes for sale at our companion web site, GolfHomesListed, will be happy to share information on bank-owned properties for sale in some of the top golf communities in the southern U.S. We list a few in the June edition.

        You still have time to sign up to receive our free newsletter; just click the box at the top of this column, follow the easy instructions, and you will receive a copy later today.  Not to worry if you miss the cutoff; once you subscribe, Editor Larry Gavrich will personally send you a copy of the June Home On The Course.