CHICAGO – Pickleball appears to be setting off a love-hate relationship in real estate. Some prospective home buyers favor properties near pickleball courts, and the game’s popularity has spawned a “pickleball gold rush” in commercial real estate. Even so, backlash is brewing among some homeowners who live next to courts, complaining that the constant popping noise of a wooden paddle hitting a whiffle ball makes it impossible to enjoy their backyard or sell their home. The issue has even sparked lawsuits.
In one case, a Massachusetts couple is blaming the constant racket from pickleball courts bordering their backyard for hampering the sale of their $1 million home over the last eight months—despite price drops. Homeowner Judith Comeau described the noise to Boston.com as a vacuum cleaner constantly running. She’s hired an attorney to get the pickleball courts removed.
Noise complaints are growing as developers, builders and cities increasingly add pickleball courts to neighborhoods and parks. More homeowners may find themselves dealing with the good and bad that comes from living next to a pickleball court.
Drawing a line
Elyse Sarnecky, director of marketing at Marketplace Homes, a real estate brokerage and property management company with operations nationwide, has seen sales advantages and disadvantages due to nearby pickleball courts. Seven homes the brokerage has listed over the last three months have had pickleball courts nearby.
In one recent transaction in Michigan, homeowners listed their home just two weeks after their homeowner’s association converted unused tennis courts into pickleball courts. Suddenly, the home’s backyard became a flurry of constant activity with the pickleball courts frequently in use.
“We were getting negative feedback at showings about it, and people did mention the noise,” Sarnecky says. “It was very loud. The homeowners were sending us video of the echoes that would reverberate even inside their house.” The house lingered on the market for two-and-a-half months and ended up selling for $439,000, lower than its original $465,000 asking price.
However, in a separate home sale in Tampa, Fla., Sarnecky credits the nearby pickleball courts for helping to get the house sold. A couple lived three doors down from the neighborhood’s new pickleball courts. Marketplace Homes launched “pickleball ad campaigns” targeting nearby apartment communities geared toward people ages 55 and up and mailed pickleball-themed postcards to draw interest among those who’d view living near pickleball courts as a perk.
“This is a great example of taking what could potentially be a negative and turning it into a positive,” Sarnecky says. “By knowing ahead of time [about the possible negative], we were able to form a marketing strategy and game plan.” The home sold for above asking price—$520,000 (originally listed for $515,000). Sarnecky credits the courts as being a big draw.
A selling point?
The impact of nearby courts on home values is debatable. Sam Dogan, author and founder of Financial Samurai, conducted his own analysis as a real estate investor in San Francisco. He suggests property values could decline 10% to 20% if pickleball courts are constructed across the street from a residence due to the noise; a property one or two blocks away could potentially see property values decline by 5% to 10%. On the other hand, courts at least three blocks away could be a game-changer—even possibly pushing up real estate prices by 1% to 5%.
Jill Drafts, a real estate adviser with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty in Lake Mary, Fla., believes nearby pickleball courts are something to spotlight in a listing. “Pickleball is a great sport to bring people together, including neighbors,” Drafts says. “It can bring value to your home if you have a pickleball court in your neighborhood or even close by in a park. Pickleball players will be attracted to the home.”
Still, Drafts says home buyers may want to consider if nearby courts have restricted hours “so that you’re not up all night with the lights and sounds of the little white ball pinging against the racket—as some future non-pickle players may not be so attracted.”
Rebecca Hidalgo Rains, a managing broker at Integrity Allstars at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services in Chandler, Ariz., says she would market nearby pickleball courts with a home.
“When it comes to noise objections, it’s very personal,” she says. “I’ve sold new-home construction near power lines and busy roads. There’s a house for everybody,” and some people aren’t as “noise sensitive” as others, she adds. “Objections can always come up,” Rains continues. “But in real estate, you should be able to sell any house—as long as it has the right price for the market. … Pickleball is so popular right now. The majority of people will smile when they pass a pickleball court. It’s the newest craze in outdoor recreation, and to live near it, I believe, is a good thing.”
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