An interesting new trend is happening in new home communities around the country, but it’s especially prevalent here in the North Texas area. It wasn’t long ago that large scale residential communities were centered on country clubs, golf courses, and oversized community centers that offered any number of over-the-top amenities to its members and local residents. But today, things are seemingly much different.
According to the National Golf Foundation, golf course closings around the U.S. are taking place at an alarming rate and have outnumbered new golf course openings for an eighth straight year. Building and maintaining even a modest golf course by today’s standards is an extremely expensive endeavor, and when you factor in fewer and fewer people are using such facilities, it’s just not making sense for home builders and developers to devote so much space for something that isn’t being used.
So what’s taking place of golf courses at upscale housing developments around Dallas and the North Texas region?
According to most local real estate developers, today’s home buyers want more walking trails, community park spaces, and neighborhood gardens—and the demand for these new age amenities is through the roof.
Open space is still crucial for any new home community to incorporate, but space that can be used to a much broader range of people—not just golfers—is certainly more functional and incredibly less expensive to manage.
Providing a place where residents can take their children, go for a walk, or ride their bike is one of the most common things new home buyers want today, and as the Millennial generation begins to make that transition from renting to buying, more of these types of neighborhood features are expected to be coveted.
It’s a new age in real estate development in North Texas, and as we move forward into what appears to be a very exciting time for the DFW real estate market, it seems as if functionality, both inside a home as well as within a community, is what will ultimately drive home sales.
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