To Build or not to Build, that is the question we tackle in Home On The Course

        We all long to live in a house perfectly suited to our tastes and designed to accommodate the flow of our lives. Getting to that point, however, is expensive and daunting. Building materials and labor are expensive, especially during times of high demand. And couples that barely survive hanging wallpaper together should think twice about the complex planning and decision-making required to build a home.

        Still, we spend decades figuring out all the elements we would build into a home to make it perfect. And if the price is right, that may be all the push we need to go ahead and tackle such a project. Through the recession, the prices of home sites in the best golf communities plummeted

faster than the price of resale homes, making new construction possible for those with the resources. Recall that many speculators purchased golf home lots that included an obligation to pay as much as $15,000 in club dues and homeowner fees; as their golf homes lost value, some began to give them away for a few dollars to get out from under the obligation. Few investors will make that mistake again, but for those ready to relocate and enter the life of a golf community, including its golf club, some bargain lots are still available.

        Realtors in our network report that prices are on the rise again for resale homes in top golf communities and for home sites as well. In our latest edition of Home On The Course, our free monthly newsletter published and emailed to our subscribers earlier this week, we consider the pros and cons of building your dream golf home. And we compare the costs to buy a lot and build a house with the current prices of golf homes in some of our favorite golf communities.

         If you missed signing up before the deadline for this latest issue, no worries. Just contact editor Larry Gavrich, and he will be pleased to send you a copy and, if you request, to add you to the growing list of subscribers. It’s free, so the decision is much easier than whether to build your dream golf home or to buy someone else’s.