Vacation state of mind
Sales at the Bluejack National community in Montgomery are staying on track.
Residential sales at Bluejack National, a resort-style community and private club that’s home to the nation’s only Tiger Woods-designed golf course, are above par in 2017 as a new lakeside amenity is about to debut.
This fall, the 755-acre community will open The Fort, bringing zip lines, bowling lanes, a pottery room, dining, a football field and swimming pools to vacation home owners and full-time residents alike.
While high-end sales on Houston’s far north side have seen some softness recently, Bluejack National is on target to surpass last year’s 45 property sales. The location, off FM 1486 Road in Montgomery about 50 miles northwest of downtown, has drawn interest lately from residents of The Woodlands, inside Loop 610 and around Texas.
The mix of properties includes vacation homes such as member suites, which are similar to oversized hotel suites, freestanding cottages and estate lots for custom homes. The developer likens the setting to the rolling and wooded terrain of North Carolina or Georgia. And it doesn’t require a plane ticket or a long drive to get there.
“It looks really nothing like Houston, which has been a nice draw for people,” said Gary Short, director of sales for Bluejack National Realty.
“They can be here in under an hour, and they feel like they’ve gone much farther than that.”
Most second-home buyers are willing to drive three hours to get to their getaways, but they prefer 1.5 to two hours, said Candy Evans, publisher of the SecondShelters. com website.
A recent survey of buyers showed the typical vacation property is 200 miles from a primary residence, according the National Association of Realtors.
Dallas-based Beacon Land Development is developing Bluejack National, which opened in late 2015. Planned for about 400 residences, the community has registered 35 transactions so far this year, including houses and lots under contract. katherine.feser@chron.com twitter.com/kfeser