Posts Tagged purchase

Golf Course Real Estate Still Has a Pulse in the Heart of Texas

Aerial View - Ols AMerican Golf Course

Aerial View - Old American Golf Course

For many, it’s the American Dream: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of… Golf Course Living. In 2011, the first Baby Boomers turn 65 and the demand for golf course real estate in Sunbelt states will likely skyrocket as Boomers look for homes in a climate conducive to their hobby.

But those who have long dreamed of living adjacent to fairways and greens could be disappointed. Development of a golf course community is exceedingly rare in this slumping economy. After almost two decades during which new golf course communities spread like wildfire across the Sunbelt, both the real estate and golf industries have suffered major setbacks.

In 2010, builders started on 15,000 homes in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to Ted Wilson of Residential Strategies, Inc. That’s down nearly 70% from the 51,000 housing starts in 2006.

New golf course construction has also taken a major hit. The overbuilding of courses in the 90’s and early 00’s oversaturated the market. When the recession descended upon the industry, many courses were forced to close, some in the middle of construction.

With every rule, however, there is an exception. In 2010, only one course opened in The Metroplex. What vaults this course from exception to veritable anomaly is it is part of a residential community.

The Old American Golf Club, located in The Colony’s The Tribute Resort Community, opened its doors to public play in September 2010. In addition to fairways, greens, bunkers and water hazards, The Old American features brand new residential lots alongside select sections of the course and dozens more just off it. In the desert that is the current landscape of new golf course development, The Tribute is an oasis, affording golfers the opportunity to live alongside the game they love.

The Old American and The Tribute were brought to life by Matthews Southwest, a DFW-based developer that has transformed The Metroplex’s real estate market through urban redevelopment and suburban lifestyle development. In The Tribute, Matthews Southwest saw the opportunity to deliver a suburban community where people could enjoy their hobbies right outside their front door. The community’s location on the shores of Lewisville Lake, combined with The Old American and The Tribute Golf Club (opened in 2005), has provided residents with access to golf, boating and fishing.

Even in the down economy, builders and homeowners have pounced on the opportunity The Tribute presents. Matthews Southwest reported a more than 100 percent year-over-year increase in residential lot sales at The Tribute in 2010. The community’s 1,150 acres showcase many of North Texas’ most prominent and distinguished builders, offering home designs that emphasize the Old World-themed atmosphere of The Tribute and begin in the 240’s.

As Baby Boomers and golf enthusiasts search for a place to live in harmony with the game they love, they may be hard up as developers and builders continue to tighten purse strings. However, The Tribute serves as proof that golf course real estate still has a pulse in the Heart of Texas.

Something for the Rest of Us!! – Home Buyer Tax Credit Update

Did you notice the lack of the words “First Time” in the title.  Here’s a little something for those of us who already own a piece of the American dream.  If last year’s tax credit was enough to get first time buyers into the market, let’s hope that this stimulates things even more.

Congress and President Obama have seen fit to extend the Home Buyer Tax Credit into 2010, and they have significantly increased the scope of the incentive.  It is now available to anyone homeowner who meets certain income guidelines and sells their home between Nov 7, 2009 and May 31, 2010.  And the definition of sell is now translated as enter into a contract to sell by May 31, 2010 and close by Jul 31, 2010.

Homebuyer Tax Credit — Revised November 2009

FEATURE Jan. 1 – Nov. 30, 2009
Rules As Enacted
February 2009		 Nov. 7 – Apr. 30, 2010
Rules As Enacted
November 2009
First-time Buyer – Amount of Credit $8,000 ($4,000 married filing separate) $8,000 ($4,000 married filing separate)
First-time Buyer – Definition for Eligibility May not have had an interest in a principal residence for 3 years prior to purchase Same
Current Homeowner – Amount of Credit No Provision $6,500 ($3,250 married filing separate)
Effective Date – Current Owner No Provision November 7, 2009
Current Homeowner – Definition for Eligibility No Provision Must have used the home sold or being sold as a principal residence consecutively for 5 of the previous 8 years
Termination of Credit Purchases after November 30, 2009.
(Becomes April 30, 2010 on November 7, 2009)		 Purchases after April 30, 2010
Binding Contract Rule None So long as a written binding contract to purchase is in effect on April 30, 2010, the purchaser will have until July 1, 2010 to close
Income Limits (Note: Increased income limits are effective as of November 7, 2009) $75,000 – single
$150,000 – married
Additional $20,000 phase out		 $125,000 – single
$225,000 – married
Additional $20,000 phase out
Limitation on Cost of Purchased Home None $800,000
November 7, 2009
Purchase by a Dependent No Provision Ineligible
November 7, 2009
Anti-fraud Rule None Purchaser must attach documentation of purchase to tax return

Source: National Association of Realtors

 

The tax credit to existing homeowners is up to $6,500, so if you were thinking about upgrading the homestead, now is definitely the time to act. Low interest rates, great buys available in the market, and a tax credit to boot – it’s the “perfect storm” for making the move to the larger house, or the incentive to finally downsize into the cozy home, depending on your vantage point of life.

In upcoming posts, I’ll examine some financial strategies for accessing this tax credit during the course of your transaction. Stay tuned…