Golf or No Golf in Your Retirement Community: The Search Process is the Same

By Larry Gavrich
January 9, 2024 —

Whether you and your significant other are looking for golf, or no golf, in your retirement community, the principles behind searching for a golf community home and a home in some other “planned development” is essentially the same. This became apparent to me as I conducted research for the book I published in 2020, “Glorious Back Nine: How to Find Your Dream Golf Home“. Except for a few paragraphs dedicated to choosing golf courses  that fit a golfer’s style and game, much of the guidance in the book applies to non- golfers just as well.  (And the advice about choosing a golf course is pretty much the same as for choosing a marina for your boat,  tennis and pickleball courts for your net games, and local stables for your horse.

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In the book, I start at the very beginning of a couple’s search for a home, at the kitchen table where an effective search should begin with an honest discussion of possible destinations. I have worked with couples who never had “the talk” before they engaged me for help, and it often put me in the position of marriage counselor more than real estate guide. As I write in the first chapter of Glorious Back Nine, “do not waste any time on a search [for a home for your retirement years] until you decide together whether your destination will be near the ocean, beside a lake, in the mountains or somewhere else…” Because climate is so much a factor in retirees’ decisions on relocation, topography is where the discussion should start.

Choice of seasons

Once you agree on ocean, beach or lake – and you must agree up front or else
your search will be long and quite likely fruitless – then it is time to talk about your
choice of seasons — one, two or all four. If it is mostly a year-round warm-weather
climate you are after, have an honest talk about storms, specifically hurricanes in Florida
and along the Carolinas coasts. (Be mindful, too, of the exploding costs of flood and
other weather-related insurances.) If one of you is going to be watching the Weather
Channel in fear from Memorial Day through Thanksgiving, you may want to modify your
climate choices.

Do you like other people?

Once you have handled the topography and weather issues, it is time to decide
just how much you like other people. Okay, I admit that is a bit snarky, but your next
decision is all about population density. Do you want to be near an urban area with lots
to do – and lots of traffic and some pollution – or have you had enough of that and
prefer to be far from the maddening crowds, where real estate prices will be generally
lower but you will have to work harder to manage your trips to the nearest
supermarket, or worry about healthcare in case you or your mate become ill?

Some examples

A Quick example to illustrate the choices: Savannah Lakes Village in McCormick,
SC, is located on a beautiful lake but is more than 40 minutes from the modest sized
town of Greenwood, and over an hour to Augusta, GA. True, the one and only
supermarket, a smallish Food Lion, is less than 10 miles away, but that is still almost a
half hour round trip. Contrast that with The Landings on Skidaway Island, which has a Savannah, GA, address and is just 20 minutes from center city and excellent shopping, medical care, restaurants and museums.

Most people without considering their budgets would opt for The Landings,
although both communities offer multiple golf courses inside the gates, plenty of other
on-site activities (including on Lake Thurmond) and an engaged group of residents
happy to be living where they are. But when you look at similarly priced homes for sale
in the two communities, you understand what the trope “location, location, location”
means. In The Landings, a 3 bedroom, 3 bath home on a tiny lot (.21 acres) built in 2016
and encompassing 2,570 square feet is listed for $889,000 (some larger homes are over $2 million). At Savannah Lakes Village, the most expensive home listed is a 5 bedroom, 5 bath home on .5 acres, built in 1996 and containing an impressive 5,250 square feet, is listed for $999,000. (Note that the lowest priced home currently at Savannah Lakes is $350,000; the lowest priced at The Landings is $595,000.)
Don’t leave that kitchen table without agreeing on the specifics of what kind of lifestyle you will want in your new hometown.

Editor’s note: Our new Community Explorer is a good way to find and narrow down the possibilities. For example, you can search by lifestyle (biking, college town, coastal, cultural, etc.), amenities (18 hole golf courses with practice facilities, pickleball, etc.) or type of unit (55+, single family, apartments, etc.). The link to the Explorer is in the top navigation.

About Larry

Larry Gavrich is a Connecticut based real estate agent who works exclusively with people
looking to relocate to the Southeast U.S. Although he specializes in working with people
who expect to play golf in retirement, he has placed non-golfers in golf communities
where they decided the clubhouse and other activities best suited them. (Note that
approximately half of those who live in golf communities do not play golf.) Larry looks
forward to answering any questions you might ask in the discussion area below, or text
him at 860-205-0464 and he will get back to you. His book, Glorious Back Nine: How to
Find Your Dream Golf Home, is available in print and electronic versions at Amazon.com.

Comments? What kind of process do you use in trying to find your ideal community? Larry’s seems like a very good approach. Please share your comments in the section below.