Pros and Cons of Living Next to a Nature Preserve

By Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities

A recent Wall Street Journal article, Luxury-Home Developers’ Latest Pitch: Unspoiled Nature, has inspired me to share some thoughts about owning a home in close proximity to nature.

WSJ’s Katy McLaughlin highlights several new real estate developments surrounded by nature preserves and protected conservation lands. The subtitle says it all:

Forget golf: A growing number of high-end home communities are being built around large nature preserves

For some buyers who love nature, this not-so-new concept holds appeal. And with the waning popularity of golf, and the substantial expense of maintaining the course, nature conservancy seems to be a relatively inexpensive amenity that some developers believe will sell high-end homes.

Of course, some critics have added their thoughts in the comment section of the article: this is just a way for the well-to-do to buy themselves relative privacy, at least along the rear boundary…