With the new home industry becoming more and more competitive, builders and developers are looking for ways to differentiate their associations from competitors.  One way that land developers are accomplishing this is to offer innovative and desirable amenities to home buyers.   

With gas prices trending toward the high end, people are looking for ways to entertain themselves without driving too far.  

Some of the new trends for amenities include the following:

• Elaborate Entrances:  Large masonry walls that include architectural features such as arches, pergolas, waterfalls, ornate metal art, lush landscaping and decorative lighting all help to differentiate new neighborhood developments and make them stand out to home buyers.  Bigger is Better – it gets your development noticed.
• Water Parks:  Pools alone may not be enough to entice buyers in today’s market.  Water parks complete with chutes, slides, fountains, spray areas and lazy rivers are the trend for master planned communities.
• Beaches:  Yes, that’s right.  Some associations are offering actual lagoons with white sand beaches.  The kids can build a sandcastle right in their own neighborhood.  What could be better than going to the beach and not leaving your neighborhood!
• Lakes:  Home owners can fish (catch and release) and rent sailboats/paddle boats without loading up the car and driving to the lake, not to mention the appeal of water front property.
• Exercise Rooms and Trails:  Today’s health conscience home buyers are looking for easy ways to incorporate exercise into their daily routines.  Fitness rooms, jogging trails, and multi-station exercise areas are appealing for many home buyers who are looking for convenient ways to make exercise part of their daily lives.
• Frolf Courses:  Frolf is a cross between Frisbee and golf and is becoming popular all over the country.  A frolf course can easily be incorporated into an existing sports field offering more options for multi-purpose use.

Traditional amenities such as pools, clubhouses, basketball courts, and picnic areas are still popular among home buyers.   Consumers are always looking for that “extra” return on their home purchase investment.  More and more, homeowners are looking toward association amenities to provide that additional return.

Spectrum Association Management, LP offers this information for educational purposes only and not as legal advice.  The information provided in this article does not create a client relationship between you and Spectrum Association Management, LP, nor is this article a substitute for legal advice.  The contents of this article are subject to change without notice.   You should not rely or act upon the contents of this article without seeking advice from your own attorney.  Spectrum Association Management, LP is not a law firm.