4 Top Golf Course Towns Where the Buying is Good for 2015-2016

Property Investments with golf course homes are just as popular ever. They’re often priced less than homes closer to other great attractions, like the beach or the sea, and so long as the golf club stays healthy, they’re still generally a smart place to buy. There is a class of investors, notably those who play golf, who won’t look anywhere else. But that said, many homeowners next to the golf course have never wielded a club in their lives. They’ll still tell you they bought the right home.

As real estate investments go, any home will present pluses and minuses. To really evaluate them, of course, you should speak with a qualified agent, with your friends, family and everyone else you rely on. And if you like what you see with the general picture of golf course real estate, then you should get to know Palm Springs, California and some of the surrounding communities. There are few places in the country with the wealth of golf clubs and country clubs, and few that so reliably present returns both in terms of re-sales and for solid rental income.  

Palm Desert California Golf Properties

With 36 golf courses in Palm Desert, nearly every home in the city brushes up next to a golf course. But as one of the strongest growing cities in California in the past ten years, it’s also been a steady and reliable performer, for investors and for the many new residents now calling Palm Desert home, including lots of folks from Canada. Like the rest of the Coachella Valley area, there are condominiums, plenty that are free standing (detached) and just about every variety of home will come on to the market. As it’s also a super-popular second and vacation home market, homes are traded with more frequency than lots of “staying put” communities. The city is also home to 14 city parks, and these too keep homeowners happy and the entire city vibrant with commerce, community activities and the excitement of being filled with relatively recent new settlers.  

Rancho Mirage California Golf Homes

Clocking in with just 15 golf clubs and courses, Rancho Mirage is a very different kettle of fish. It’s the same valley (the Coachella Valley) but Rancho Mirage is a bit more upscale, a little more established and a lot more resort-oriented. Although ongoing rumors that President Barack Obama might spend his retirement with a home in the area have proven stubbornly unfounded, the idea clings on. That’s in part because Rancho Mirage residents are proud of the classy old-style California desert living for which the city is well-known. While real estate development has remained strong, it’s not as intrusive and never-ending as in some younger communities. That’s not to say that Rancho Mirage is stodgy and old. It’s more that the style is classic, proven and a bit more timeless.

Cathedral City Golf Course Homes

With another ten golf courses, in the greater Palm Springs area, Cathedral City might seem like the runt of the litter. But look at it this way: Cathedral City is the most centrally located and put you within easy driving distance of almost a hundred different courses or country clubs. Also one of the oldest outposts in the valley Cathedral City has some of the most varied real estate. So if you’re not looking for a ranch house backing onto a golf course, but still would like to play, Cathedral City is a good bet. There’s also, at times a greater price range with some really affordable homes coming onto California’s only recently recovered housing market. Cathedral City is very much its own place. It’s not Palm Springs or one of the much younger communities in the valley, but rather it’s a sometimes very traditional Southern California community. Whether you’re relocating, or thinking of investing, it is still a very solid foundation in a valley where sweeping change is almost equally traditional.

Palm Springs California Golf Course Homes

While it’s clearly the jewel in the crown of the entire Coachella Valley, Palm Springs golf courses count but ten on the PGA website. But with all that fame, prices are considerably higher although what you’re getting may be considerably more too. Palm Springs golf course real estate can still vary widely. Not every course is the same, after all. But like much of California, Palm Springs deals with its fame and its notoriety with an air of calm assuredness and stoic determination. Entering into the real estate market, as a second homeowner, or as investor just requires having an expert on your side.

As the regulations and prospects for any of the above communities are going to vary – nearly as much as potential investors – it’s important to speak at length and with complete liberty about your own investment or home-ownership goals. We’ll be happy to start that conversation with you and let it carry us wherever you want to go. There’s no better valley for golf and golf-home ownership than this one.