Is a golf course home for you?

Purchasing a home adjacent to a golf course has its advantages. In addition to a certain amount of prestige that comes with owning a home along the course, you’re likely to have fewer neighbors, a little more privacy and hopefully a picturesque view.

There are drawbacks to owning a golf course home, too. Here are a few tips when considering whether to purchase homes that abut a golf course:

• Not every view is green: Remember, we live in a desert and just because a house faces a golf course, it doesn’t mean that you will see fields of green grass. Depending on where your home is situated and which hole it’s near, you may have a view of mostly brown dirt, or you may have a house that backs up to a hill that keeps you from seeing much of anything at all.
• Privacy is not a given: You need to consider where the cart paths and fairways are. If your house is right next to a green, you may have a steady flow of traffic running by your backyard all day long. If that’s the case, you’re not going to feel like you have that much privacy. And, depending on the hole and its difficulty, you might be subject to the rants of angry golfers who are having a bad day.
• Errant shots could hit your house: This is more of a concern than you might believe. Along with broken windows and damaged stucco, golf balls could break your roof tiles, leading to leaks. These issues may not be covered by your homeowner’s insurance. When you tour a home, be aware of your surroundings. Look for golf balls in the yard, or holes in the side of the house. But be aware that many homes are patched and painted before they are listed to disguise any evidence that a golf ball was ever there. Also, look at the neighboring houses. Do they have large nets protecting their backyards from the golf course? If you are serious about purchasing the home, before you move forward it would be a good idea to ask the next-door neighbors whether they feel like they’re in the line of fire.
• The timing is right: Spring is the peak season for golf in Arizona. It’s the perfect time to look for a home on a golf course. There will be more golfers out there now compared to other times of the year, so it’s a great time to get a reading on how busy your prospective backyard will be.

Dayv Morgan is a Maricopa Realtor and owner of HomeSmart Premier.