Mansion Global

Properties with sports courts and recreational areas score premium prices as staying close to home base becomes the norm.

With remote learning and remote work the norm for the foreseeable future, homes with dedicated sport courts and recreation areas are in high demand—and it is boosting sales prices.

According to an August analysis by Realtor.com, prospective buyers in the country’s 100 largest counties who are scouting for homes of 5,000 square feet or larger were drawn to—and willing to pay over the average square foot prices for—properties with recreational areas. (News Corp, owner of The Wall Street Journal, also operates Realtor.com under license from the National Association of Realtors.)

The highest premium can be found in Michigan’s Oakland County, in which Detroit is located. There, homes of 5,000 square feet or larger with recreational areas, like basketball and tennis courts, a yoga studio or home gym, command a whopping 31% price premium per square foot over that of similar homes that lack recreational spaces.

Home is no longer just a place where we eat and sleep. It has become our classroom, office, gym, a full-on entertainment space.

Given the pandemic’s continued impact on public spaces, the desire for at-home recreation is expected to grow, especially as bricks-and-mortar gyms and fitness studios increase their online, app and streaming class offerings.

These homes have plenty of space to set up connected home fitness equipment like treadmills and bicycles, or to just whack around the ball of your choice on a full-size court.

On The Market: Five Homes With Sporty Spaces

 

This four-bedroom, single-family estate in Lafayette, Calif., has five and a half bathrooms and 8,064 square feet of living space. The property includes a bocce court, putting green and batting cage.

 

It sits on 2.3 acres and is listed at $13.5 million.

 

An automatic indoor bowling alley is one unusual facet of a custom-built, four-bedroom home in Westford, Mass. On the property’s nearly 1.25 acres is a heated in-ground salt water pool, hot tub, basketball court and outdoor kitchen. This residence was built with family and entertainment in mind. There’s also a game room with foosball and pinball machines. It’s a great choice for family to vacation at home and not feel like you’re missing out on a lot.

 

The estate is listed for $2.1499 million. It features nearly 8,000 square feet of living space as well as four full and three half bathrooms.

 

Southampton’s “Ocean Dream” Estate, an 80-year old property, is on the market for $49 million for the first time in decades.

The nine-bedroom home features 7,500 square feet of interior living space and features nine full and three half bathrooms. Outdoors, a manicured grass tennis court, with plenty of courtside sitting room, is one highlight of the home’s landscaping. The home sits oceanside on 3.7 acres.

 

Down the road from Iowa State University, a four-bedroom home on the market in Ames, Iowa, features a basketball court with sport court flooring, custom-designed for indoor hoops practice or a pickup game of volleyball. The sellers wanted to provide a space where their son could play basketball with his friends.

 

Overlooking the court is an upstairs studio, ideal for a home office or work space. The home has three full and two half bathrooms, 4,317 square feet of living space and is on the market for $739,900.

 

In Royal City, Wash., a regulation-size racquetball court is one sporty component of an 8,000-square-foot, four-bedroom home. It also includes a billiards area and outside basketball court.

 

The $2.5 million property has three and a half bathrooms. It is situated on 42 acres in the heart of the Columbia Valley Wine region and also features a private 3,000-foot-long, lighted runway and hangar.