THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 9, 1995 TAG: 9512070247
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY ELLEN MILES, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Long : 130 lines
Several communities in Tidewater bask in neighborhood cohesiveness that's often reserved for porch sitting rural dwellers.
Residents know one another and interact on a more frequent basis than most places. These sociable yet peaceful areas are often overlooked and undervalued in the minds of ``regular'' folks.
If a neighborhood social life, along with lush green grass and easy access to recreational facilities is appealing to you, consider living in a golfing community.
Virginia Beach and Portsmouth have a good number of golf courses with surrounding communities. Chesapeake and Suffolk also have several, with most of the courses having multiple neighborhoods attached to them.
Various housing styles and prices are available within the multiple neighborhoods - townhouses, condominiums and apartments, as well as single family dwellings, many of them upscale. The condos and townhouses frequently have a higher resale value than such housing not in golfing communities.
The biggest pro for golfing pros and amateurs is that you can slouch home from a stressful work day, grab the golfing paraphernalia, head out to the green in the backyard, hit a few holes, stroke some stress away and walk right back home - all before dinner. And, your spouse knows exactly where you are.
There is a price to pay for such conveniences though. The lot and house prices are higher than they would be elsewhere. Residents also have to pay the same club fees nonresidents pay.
And, the biggest drawbacks, say some residents, are the lack of privacy along with potential damage to your house (especially siding and windows), cars or body. Occasionally overhearing rude language (even though it's not allowed) might be considered a flaw by some.
Jeanne West, associate broker with Rose & Krueth Realty Corp. is familiar with golfing community assets. She was the original site manager for Broad Bay Point Greens, which opened in early 1986 - a single-family, 18-hole Virginia Beach golfing community, including the Broad Bay Country Club.
Most of the lots are arranged on either the golf course or Broad Bay.
``The appeal of the golf course environment is real popular,'' says West. Besides the obvious advantages for golfers, ``many people enjoy the view of the course from their backyard.'' To them, it's preferable to the view of a neighbor's yard. ``The golf course is very pretty. Also, living on a course gives people the feel of a larger lot without the actual maintenance,'' (or taxes) she says.
Another plus for golfing communities is the functions where neighbors interact. ``Between the civic league, the garden and the country club, you just tend to get together with your neighbors more,'' West says. ``And in today's world, people often don't see their neighbors regularly. This gives them more chances.''
The children in Broad Bay Point Greens also benefit from the involvement among residents.
Residents are not required to join the club or pay dues. Some of the club's amenities, says West, include pool, tennis courts and dining facility. There are different types of club memberships. For non-golfers, a social membership (dining and special functions) is offered. Then there's the social, pool and tennis memberships for the social and athletic. ``It really meets everyone's needs,'' she says.
When Ken Wecht joined Greenbrier Country Club in September, 1994, his wife, Shirley, suggested they just move to Emerald Greens, a single-family housing community surrounded by the 18-hole Chesapeake golf course. After a visit, the Wechts bought a lot ``within a month's time,'' Ken says. They moved from waterfront property in Great Bridge to the neighborhood last July.
Paying a flat fee per month to the country club allows members unlimited use of the green and recreational facilities, such as the weight room, jacuzzi, locker rooms, and racquetball and tennis courts.
Around 5:30 p.m. you can find Wecht playing nine holes; ``It gives my wife peace and quiet for two hours,'' he says. Their house is situated on the 7th tee box, allowing him to play holes 7 through 9, then 1 through 6. It's as easy as calling the pro shop when he walks in the door and letting them know he'll be playing his usual route.
``From my yard, says Wecht, I have an unobstructed view of the fairway.'' People shoot away from his yard, so he doesn't have to worry about stray balls in his yard.
Emerald Greens is the most exclusive of the several neighborhoods within the Greenbrier golf course. Like other golfing communities, their Homeowners' Association has regulations to protect the integrety of the neighborhood and the property values. The houses and landscape plans have to be pre-approved by the association.
Anyone living on the golf course has to put up a fence with specific requirements, says Wecht. Satellite dishes are not allowed, and any cosmetic changes must be approved.
A friend of Wecht's, Joe Mazur, lives nearby in the 18-hole golfing community of Las Gaviotas, with its Seven Springs Golf Club. ``If you don't have a lot of time, you can be just five minutes away from playing if you live in a golfing community. I wanted to live in such a place,'' he says.
The Mazurs live ``right behind the 8th green,'' where Joe might find his wife, Mary, with her clubs. They both enjoy the area's advantages. Quarterly dues to the golf club allow members benefits like a swimming pool, restaurant, and banquet rooms, says Wecht.
The neighborhood that plays together, stays together, the residents say. During Christmas an annual progressive dinner is held.
``It's great,'' says Mazur. ``This is a big community. But, I think because a lot of the residents here are members of the golf club, people get to know one another. We become closer knit than we would in other neighborhoods.
``I like it. I don't care to live anywhere else. We've known friends who move out of the neighborhood and say there's no place else like this out there.''
Living in a golfing community, says non-golfer Jeff Wood, ``is a good way to be part of the community. ``If you have the financial means to join your area's country club,'' he says, ``it's built-in social interaction. You get to know your neighbors; I think that's important.''
Jeff and Mary Wood liked the idea of the golfing community so much, said Jeff, they moved into a single-family house on Cypress Point, also an 18 hole golfing community in Virginia Beach, in 1993.
Cypress Point offers a variety of housing choices. Some of the single-family houses sit on Lake Smith or Lake Lawson. ``It's somewhat of a controlled community,'' says Wood, for instance, the ``size and quality of the homes are regulated.''
Wood said he'd like to pick up golf at some point, but for the time being is quite content with his neighborhood. He's happy with the interaction Cypress Point Country Club encourages. ``It's a little more community oriented than a usual neighborhood,'' he says. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo on cover by Gary C. Knapp, The Virginian-Pilot
Color photos by GARY C. KNAPP
Jeff Wood likes being near the links and plans to take up golf
soon.
Mary Mazur and son Joey, 13, enjoy a round of golf at the 8th green
near their Las Gaviotas backyard in Chesapeake.
by CNB