If you’re looking for incredible investment opportunities, resort homes on or near golf courses are one of the hottest real estate tickets currently offered. But is it enough just to have a resort home with property adjacent to a golf course? Of course there are some other criteria that make some resort homes wildly popular while others attract only a moderate amount of interest. Take a look at some of the “must haves” for a successful resort home.

The key to finding a resort home is to first define why you’re shopping for a resort home. If you’re looking for a resort home for the use of your own family, the criteria will be much different than if you’re looking for investment property. But keep in mind that even if you’re planning the resort home for personal use, there may come a time when you need to sell or use it as collateral. Property without a wide appeal is going to have limited value, especially if you should decide to sell.

Golf resort homes are very popular, mainly due to the number of people who are wild about picking up the clubs and hitting the course at every available opportunity. That means that a resort home on a quality golf course will have enormous appeal on the open market, and that a resort home is a good real estate investment. But if you’re counting on this as an investment, there are two very differing angles you must examine.

First, look at the golf course. Even if you know nothing about golf, you can do some research. Is membership required, and if so, how many members are currently registered? How many membership renewals have there been over the past year? Ask a few golfers for their take on the course. Remember that playing the same golf course every day is not unheard of, but it takes a good course to hold the attention of returning players. Even a person who loves golf may be reluctant to make an investment required of a resort home if the course is less than appealing.

But even if the resort home is located on an excellent course, the home has to be equally appealing. For almost every golfer, there’s a spouse at home who is less than attracted by the awesome golf course and only wants a comfortable home with specific features and amenities. Even if both are golfers, the majority of those who can afford to be looking at golf resort homes are going to be looking for a quality home.

Of course, golf resort homes aren’t the only hot commodity on the real estate market right now. That old favorite – the resort home at the beach – continues to be popular, as do resort homes near some of the best-known tourist attractions. To determine the best investment opportunities – for your personal use or as an investment – simply take a look at the resort homes that are most in demand for rental properties and on the real estate market. Combine that with your goals for the investment. But don’t overlook the very important question – How good is the golf course?