Wave Pool Homes: The 2026 Guide to Buying Real Estate in a Surf Park Community

Ten years ago, buying a surf home meant buying near the ocean. Now you can buy wave pool homes in the Utah desert, in central Texas and in the Coachella Valley, hundreds of miles from the nearest coast. A small but growing group of developers is building houses and lots around private surf lagoons and wave machines, and selling surf access as the main amenity, the way golf communities sell fairway views.

This is new, and it is uneven. Some surf park communities have residents living on the water today. Others are lots on a site plan, a lagoon under construction and an opening date that has already slipped. Surf park projects are delayed, renamed and cancelled often, and the way surf access attaches to a home ranges from a deeded right to a club membership that can change after you close.

This guide explains how wave pool real estate works in 2026: the different access models, how the main wave technologies differ, what the best-known US surf parks offer home buyers (and what they don't), the economics behind dues and resale, water use in the desert West, and a due-diligence checklist built for this kind of purchase. It finishes with the communities where you can buy today, including Southern Shores and Zion Shores near St. George, Utah.

Quick answer: Yes, you can buy a house next to a wave pool. In October 2026 the options in the US fall into three groups: communities where homes already sit on a surf lake or standing-wave pool (Southern Shores in Hurricane, Utah); communities selling lots and homes around a lagoon that is still being built (Zion Shores in Washington, Utah, and The Desperado at Waco Surf in Texas); and public surf parks with no for-sale homes, where you would buy in the surrounding town (Palm Springs Surf Club, Revel Surf in Mesa, Atlantic Park in Virginia Beach). Indicative 2026 asking prices run from about $300,000 for a lot in a northern Utah lake community to $1.5 million to $2 million-plus for lagoon lots near St. George, and from $1.6 million for homes planned at Waco Surf. Read the surf-access terms, dues schedule and water source as closely as the deed.

Not financial or legal advice. This article is general information only. Surf park projects change quickly, and every community's documents are different. Before you sign a reservation or send a deposit, have a real estate attorney in that state review the CC&Rs, club or amenity agreements and purchase contract, and confirm every figure here with the developer, the HOA and the relevant local and state agencies.

Table of contents

1. What is a wave pool community?

2. How surf access attaches to wave pool homes

3. How do wave pools work? The main technologies

4. What a surf session costs at a public wave pool

5. Coachella Valley: Palm Springs Surf Club, DSRT Surf, Thermal Beach Club and Kelly Slater's projects

6. Revel Surf in Mesa, Arizona

7. Waco Surf and The Desperado, Texas

8. Atlantic Park, the Virginia Beach wave pool

9. Utah wave pool real estate: Southern Shores, Zion Shores and Willow Lakes

10. Surf park communities compared

11. The economics: premiums, dues and what happens if the lagoon fails

12. Water: how much a surf lagoon uses and where it comes from

13. The risks, honestly

14. Financing a lot or home in a surf park community

15. Due-diligence checklist for wave pool homes

16. Frequently asked questions

17. The bottom line

18. Sources

What is a wave pool community?

A wave pool community is a residential development built around a man-made surfing facility. The surf element can be a full surf lagoon, several acres of water where machines push out breaking waves that you paddle into and ride, or a smaller standing-wave pool, where water is pumped over a shaped surface to create a stationary wave you ride in place. Some communities combine one of these with wake and ski lakes, beaches, a clubhouse and short-term rental programs.

Three things set this category apart from ordinary lakefront homes.

• The amenity is a machine. A natural lake stays a lake if the developer disappears. A wave system needs electricity, maintenance, staff, insurance and a business that pays for them. If nobody runs it, you own a house next to a pond.

• Access is a contract. Your surf rights come from the community's governing documents, a club agreement or the operator's booking rules. They are not automatic just because you own the lot next door.

• Most of these projects are new. Almost everything in this market has been announced, approved, built or opened in the last few years, so there is very little resale history.

In 2026 the US market has two broad types. Residential surf communities are built mainly for owners, such as Southern Shores and Zion Shores in southern Utah. Public surf parks with real estate attached or nearby are built mainly to sell sessions to the public, sometimes with a hotel, villas, apartments or a new neighborhood next door, such as Waco Surf, Atlantic Park and DSRT Surf. A few big surf parks, like Revel Surf in Mesa and the Palm Springs Surf Club, have no for-sale homes at all.

How surf access attaches to wave pool homes

Before you look at prices, find out which of these models applies. They carry very different risk.

The safest structure for a buyer is usually one where the surf facility is owned by an association you vote in, and the right to use it runs with the land. The riskiest is one where the facility is owned by a separate company that can change prices, sell the business or close it.

How do wave pools work? The main technologies

Every wave pool moves water in a timed sequence, but each manufacturer does it differently, and the choice affects how many waves you get, how crowded sessions feel, how much land the lagoon takes and what it costs to run. WavePoolMag's April 2026 comparison of the major systems is a useful reference, and the figures below come from it unless noted.

• Wavegarden Cove. Mechanical wave boards along a central pier push water outward to make lefts and rights at the same time. A full installation generates roughly 300 to 900 waves per hour and needs about five acres. Wavegarden says the 46-module Cove at Atlantic Park in Virginia Beach can produce up to 1,000 waves per hour. It also runs Lost Shore Surf Resort in Edinburgh, Scotland, and DSRT Surf in Palm Desert.

• Surf Loch. Pneumatic chambers fire compressed air through caissons to push out waves. Layouts can be compact, under 1.2 acres for one configuration, with about 100 to 360 rides per hour. The Palm Springs Surf Club uses it.

• American Wave Machines PerfectSwell. Air chambers under the pool are filled and emptied in sequence, with software that shapes each wave. About 120 to 160 waves per hour in sets. Waco Surf's PerfectSwell pool covers about 2.4 acres, and the system is modular, so it fits odd-shaped sites. Zion Shores says it is building the largest PerfectSwell pool in the world.

• Endless Surf. Also pneumatic, with output that can be scaled up or down to match the crowd. About 400 to 700 waves per hour across several zones, on 3 to 6 acres.

• Kelly Slater Wave Co. A 300-ton submerged hydrofoil is pulled down a long straight channel, producing one long, high-performance wave every three to four minutes. The Surf Ranch footprint is about 26 acres. It is the most famous wave and the least efficient in waves per hour.

• Surf Lakes. A central device lifts and drops a giant plunger, sending rings of swell to several breaks around a circular lake, with claimed throughput of 2,000 to 2,400 rides per hour on 6 to 8.5 acres of water.

• Standing waves (UNIT Surf Pool and similar). Water is pumped over a shaped ramp to create a stationary wave. These take far less space and water, and they suit beginners and training, but riding one feels closer to river surfing than to paddling into a breaking wave. Southern Shores uses a UNIT standing wave, and Zion Shores is adding UNIT standing and dynamic waves alongside its PerfectSwell lagoon.

For a home buyer, the practical questions are simple: how many waves per hour, shared among how many people, at what times of day, and who decides. A lagoon that pumps out hundreds of waves an hour can serve a public business and an owner community at once. A single standing wave serves a handful of riders per hour, so in a large community it becomes a scheduling question.

What a surf session costs at a public wave pool

If you are deciding between owning on a lagoon and buying an ordinary home near a public wave pool, session prices are the comparison. WavePoolMag's November 2025 survey listed typical hourly session prices of $100 to $250 at the Palm Springs Surf Club, $119 to $139 at Revel Surf, $129 to $159 at Waco Surf and $90 to $161 at Atlantic Park. WavePoolParty, which tracks DSRT Surf, listed public sessions there at $180 to $320 per person per hour in October 2026. Private buyouts cost far more. MIT Technology Review reported in 2024 that private sessions at the Palm Springs Surf Club ran between $3,500 and $5,000 per hour.

At those prices, a surfer who books two sessions a week at $150 spends roughly $15,600 a year. That is a useful benchmark when you weigh it against HOA dues, club fees and the price premium on a lagoon-front lot. Searching for a wave pool near me is cheap. Owning next to one is not.

Coachella Valley: Palm Springs Surf Club, DSRT Surf, Thermal Beach Club and Kelly Slater's projects

The desert east of Los Angeles has more surf park activity than anywhere else in the US, and it is also where the most projects have been delayed or turned down.

Palm Springs Surf Club

The Palm Springs Surf Club, the best-known Palm Springs wave pool, was built on the site of a defunct water park and uses Surf Loch technology that WavePoolMag says can produce up to 450 waves per hour across several surf zones. Its start was rocky. WavePoolMag reported that it shut down about 10 days after its public debut and reopened in April 2024, and MIT Technology Review reported it closed again weeks after that reopening. By 2025 WavePoolMag described it as "firing on all cylinders," with sessions from $100 for beginners to $250 for the expert "slab" setting and general entry at $40.

Is Palm Springs Surf Club open to the public? Yes. In 2026 it sells day entry and surf sessions to the public, and the City of Palm Springs and NBC Palm Springs reported discounted local admission on summer Mondays. We found no for-sale homes or residences at the club. If you want to live nearby, you are buying in the wider Palm Springs market.

DSRT Surf, Palm Desert

DSRT Surf is a Wavegarden Cove lagoon of about 5.5 acres at the Desert Willow Golf Resort in Palm Desert. NBC Palm Springs reported in May 2026 that it was hiring ahead of a planned July 2026 opening. WavePoolParty reported a soft opening in September 2026 and public booking from September 24, 2026, and the operator's site now shows booking calendars. Plans include a hotel and 57 villas in a later phase.

Thermal Beach Club

Thermal Beach Club is the clearest example of how long these projects can take. Riverside County supervisors approved it in October 2020. In 2021 WavePoolMag reported plans for up to 326 homes priced from $1 million to $3 million around a PerfectSwell lagoon, with club memberships for non-residents starting at $175,000 a year. In February 2026 a report on the neighboring Coral Mountain development said Thermal Beach Club was expected to begin construction in 2027, and that Coral Mountain plans to offer its residents access to it as a club amenity. Treat it as an approved, unbuilt project.

Kelly Slater Surf Ranch and Coral Mountain

The Kelly Slater Surf Ranch in Lemoore, in California's Central Valley, is not a residential community. It is a private facility used for events and buyouts. In May 2026 Stab reported that WSL Holdings had sold Kelly Slater Wave Co., the Surf Ranch operator, to a Los Angeles-based real estate fund working with Slater.

Kelly Slater Wave Co. did try to build homes around a wave in the Coachella Valley. The Coral Mountain project in La Quinta would have centered on its wave basin, but the La Quinta City Council rejected it unanimously in September 2022 after neighbors objected to noise, lighting, traffic, short-term rentals and water use. The revised Coral Mountain plan dropped the wave basin.

Revel Surf in Mesa, Arizona

Revel Surf opened in December 2024 as the centerpiece of Cannon Beach, a 37-acre mixed-use project in Mesa. Its 1.89-acre lagoon uses a lever-driven system from Swell Manufacturing with 21 individually controlled wave boards, and it also has a 33-foot-wide river wave. At launch, WavePoolMag reported sessions at $119 to $139 and a membership of $75 a month after a $1,000 one-time fee. Revel's own site now lists "seasonal pricing" and memberships that bundle sessions.

Revel Surf has no for-sale homes. Cannon Beach includes a hotel, offices, retail and dining. If you want to live near Revel, you would buy in the surrounding East Mesa market and pay per session like everyone else. For a different Arizona option, International Surf Properties has a listing for the Wave Source Surf Property near Prescott, a 40-acre ranch with a main residence, casita and a working prototype wave pool built by The Wave Source, on a well, at an asking price of $9.9 million.

Waco Surf and The Desperado, Texas

Waco Surf opened in 2018 as BSR Surf Resort, and became Waco Surf in 2022. Its pool uses American Wave Machines' PerfectSwell technology, and USA Surfing has used it as a training site. It is one of the best-established wave pools in the country, which makes its move into housing worth watching.

The Desperado is a planned community next to the Waco Surf park. KWTX reported in July 2026 that it will have 88 homes on 450 acres, split evenly between standalone homes and duplex townhomes, 3D-printed by ICON, with single-family homes starting at about $1.6 million and rising to about $3.2 million to $3.3 million. Developers planned to launch sales in the fall of 2026 and to open the first homes in summer 2027. As of that July report, ground had not been broken. Local station KXXV reported neighbors' complaints about traffic and noise from the existing park. We found no published HOA, membership or surf-access terms, so ask for them before reserving.

Atlantic Park, the Virginia Beach wave pool

Atlantic Park in Virginia Beach, often searched as "Atlantic Surf Park," is the first Wavegarden Cove in North America. Wavegarden announced that the 46-module lagoon would open to the public on August 16, 2025. Virginia Business reported a 2.67-acre lagoon, 55-minute sessions at $90 to $161 depending on wave level and season, and a wider project that includes a 309-unit apartment complex and 20 luxury lodges near the lagoon. The full Atlantic Park development, backed by Pharrell Williams among other investors, cost about $350 million.

For buyers, Atlantic Park is a rental and visitor play rather than a for-sale surf community. Its apartments are for rent, and the ocean is a short walk away anyway. It matters to this guide because it shows how a Virginia Beach surf park can anchor a mixed-use district, a model other cities are copying.

Utah wave pool real estate: Southern Shores, Zion Shores and Willow Lakes

Utah is where wave pool real estate is most developed as a residential product. Three communities are selling, and ISP lists property in all three. Browse the current inventory on our wave pool properties page.

Jim Habig the Director of International Surf Properties adds: I have enjoyed touring Utah and surfing the wave at Southenr Shores. It is an incredible experience hitting the button and watching a 4 foot wave appear before you. Tune in your bluetooth playlist on the sound system and you have a surreal experience with the dramatic mountains of the Zion National Park framing your surf session.

Southern Shores, Hurricane

Southern Shores is a gated private water-sports community in Hurricane, just east of St. George, developed by Immaculate Homes (Jason and Brittany Christensen). The Salt Lake Tribune, in a feature syndicated in November 2025, described an 80-acre community with three lakes: a main boat lake 500 feet wide and 2,400 feet long for waterskiing and wakeboarding, a 100-by-700-foot lake for surfing, swimming and paddleboarding, and a same-sized cable lake with rails and ramps. Construction began in 2020. Residents are already living there.

The surf element is a UNIT Surf Pool standing wave, which the Tribune described in 2023 as 52 feet wide and able to handle about 20 surfers an hour. The developer calls it an "endless deepwater wave." It is a training and progression wave, not a breaking lagoon, so judge it on those terms.

Southern Shores Utah prices are at the top of the regional market. The Tribune reported 34 lakeside lots of just under half an acre to eight-tenths of an acre at over $2 million, offshore lots near the surf and cable lakes at $600,000 to over $1 million, and homes of 6,000 to 12,000 square feet at $8 million or more, with two-story boathouses at about $400,000. Indicative 2026 asking prices on ISP include Southern Shores wave lots at $690,000 for a lot of about half an acre next to the wave park, and a five-bedroom lakefront surf and ski estate built in 2025, with a private dock and two-boat boathouse, at $6,995,000. Immaculate Homes says the covenants require full landscaping within a year of purchase but set no deadline to build a home.

Who it suits: families who want a finished community with wake, ski and standing-wave surf now, and are comfortable with luxury pricing.

Zion Shores, Washington City

Zion Shores is a 65-lot surf club community in Washington City, near St. George, developed by Zion Surf Development LLC with Immaculate Homes as builder. It is the more ambitious project: a 9-acre owners' lagoon plus a public surf park with a PerfectSwell lagoon (Generation 6, according to WavePoolMag), a UNIT Dynamic Wave and a UNIT Standing Wave. Zion Shores says its dynamic wave gives a 20-second ride and its standing wave has a face of 1 to 6 feet.

Status, from the developer's own updates: groundbreaking in July 2025; excavation complete in November 2025; the PerfectSwell wave structure under construction in January 2026; the plat recorded and the first homes and townhome under construction by May 2026; and all three surf pools "in advanced construction" in July 2026. WavePoolMag reported in 2025 an early 2027 target for the public park. BYU's student newspaper reported a target of about February 2027 for the wave pools and summer 2027 for the wider development. As of October 2026, Zion Shores is under construction, not open.

How Zion Shores ownership works, per its website: owners get unlimited use of the 9-acre club lagoon and priority booking at the public park, with public access opening only after the owners' priority window. Grand Deluxe custom lots (10) start at $1.89 million and Premium Select single-family lots (33) at $1.69 million; townhomes can be bought whole or in co-ownership shares of 1/8 to 1/2. Construction is quoted from about $350 per square foot. Estimated HOA dues are $500 to $600 a month, not yet final, and the site says they cover half the lagoon fee, with the UNIT wave operations covering the other half. A $10,000 deposit holds a lot but does not guarantee it, and owners cannot resell a lot or home within three years of closing. ISP's Zion Shores listing shows an indicative asking price of $1.5 million.

Willow Lakes, Logan

Willow Lakes is often grouped with the southern Utah projects, but it is in Logan, in Cache Valley in northern Utah, along the Logan River. It is primarily a wake and ski lake community with more than 140 lake or riverfront lots, per the developer. A surf simulator is planned, not built: a sponsored KSL article in April 2026 described a planned "standing wave, deep water surf simulator" as part of a 30,000-square-foot clubhouse and fitness center that had zoning approval and was in design. The same piece said more than 60 lots had sold and 10 remained at final pricing. Our August 2025 post, Hello Water: Willow Lakes fills the lake, covers the lake fill with groundwater.

ISP's Willow Lakes listing shows an indicative asking price of $297,890 for a lot.

Other wave pools in Utah

• Draper (proposed). In June 2026, WavePoolMag reported that Draper City Council approved an 8.8-acre surf park in the Veranda West development by The Wasatch Group, alongside 418 homes (more than 100 townhomes built, nearly 300 apartments planned). Construction could start in fall 2026, with a possible opening in 2028. The renderings match an Endless Surf layout, though no supplier had been named in that report.

• Desert Wave Pool, Price. A city-run public pool in Price with a wave feature that runs during open swim. It is a family pool, not a surf facility, and has no real estate attached. People searching "desert wave pool price utah" are usually looking for this.

• Surf 'N Swim, Layton. A city-run wave swimming pool in Layton that the Deseret News once called "Utah's year-round ocean." Like the Price pool, it is for swimming, not surfing.

Surf park communities compared

Prices are indicative 2026 asking prices or published price ranges from the sources listed below, and they change quickly. "As announced" means the figure comes from the developer's earlier plans and has not been confirmed for 2026.

The economics: premiums, dues and what happens if the lagoon fails

Why lagoon-front homes can command a premium

There is no reliable published data yet on resale premiums for wave pool homes, because almost none have been through a full sales cycle. The logic is similar to golf or ski-in, ski-out property. The amenity is scarce, it is the reason buyers come, and it supports short-term rental demand. Zion Shores, for example, caps its community at 65 properties and markets priority surf access and rental eligibility as the core of the value.

The premium depends on three things you can check: how good and how reliable the wave is, how much of it owners actually get, and whether the community is finished. A finished community with a working wave carries far less risk than a reservation on a site plan, and should be priced that way.

What a wave pool costs to run

Wave pools are expensive to build and to operate. DSRT Surf was reported in 2024 as a $236 million project, and its electricity use was projected to raise Palm Desert's demand by nearly 3%, partly offset by a solar array. Atlantic Park's wider development cost about $350 million. Even a smaller standing wave cost about $1.5 million at Southern Shores, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Running costs include power, water treatment, chemicals, staff, lifeguards, insurance and machine maintenance, and they rise with hours of operation.

Someone has to pay those costs. In a public surf park, the public pays through session fees, which can subsidize owners. In a private community, owners pay through dues. Zion Shores' structure, where dues cover half the lagoon fee and the public wave operations cover the other half, is one way of splitting it. Ask any developer for the operating budget and who pays what if session revenue falls short.

Documents to read before you buy

• CC&Rs (covenants, conditions and restrictions). Who owns the lagoon, what you can build, landscaping and building deadlines, short-term rental rules and how the documents can be amended.

• Amenity or club agreement. Whether surf access runs with the land, whether membership is mandatory, how many sessions or hours you get, guest rules, and whether the operator can change prices or terms.

• Membership transferability. Whether your surf access passes automatically to the next buyer. If it does not, your home is worth less to the next buyer.

• Dues schedule and budget. Current dues, what they cover and how often they can rise. Zion Shores' dues are still estimates.

• Reserve study. A reserve study plans for replacing big items like pumps, liners and wave machinery. In Utah, HOA boards must commission a reserve analysis at least every six years, review it every three years and give owners a yearly summary, but those rules do not apply while the developer still controls the association. In a new community, ask the developer what reserve plan exists before turnover.

• Resale restrictions. Lock-ups, right-of-first-refusal clauses and rental management requirements. Zion Shores bars resale within three years of closing and routes short-term rentals through one manager.

This is the question most buyers skip. If the developer runs out of money before the lagoon is built, you may own a lot in an unfinished subdivision. If the lagoon is built but the operating company fails, the machine can sit idle while lenders, owners and the HOA sort out who owns it. The Wave in Bristol, England, which cost about £26 million and had operated since 2019, closed with immediate effect in June 2025 over a funding dispute, cancelling all bookings. In Arizona and California, other announced parks have stalled or been rejected before construction. Read the documents to see what rights owners have to the lagoon parcel and equipment if the operator stops.

Water: how much a surf lagoon uses and where it comes from

Water is the first objection to any desert surf park, and buyers should take it seriously, because water decisions affect permits, neighbors, future dues and resale.

For context, Zion Shores compares its 30 million gallons to 120 to 150 million gallons a year for a typical southern Utah golf course, and Bloomberg reported DSRT Surf's use at about 8% of a typical Coachella Valley 18-hole course. Those comparisons are fair as far as they go, but critics point out that a surf lagoon adds to water demand rather than replacing a golf course. Bloomberg reported that four Coachella Valley wave pools combined could consume up to 138 million gallons of drinking water a year.

Utah. Water rights in Utah are granted through the State Engineer. Southern Shores says its water rights and well were approved by the Utah State Engineer, and its homes are served by the Washington County district while the lakes are not. Zion Shores says it will not use any public water supply to fill its lagoons and uses a closed-loop recirculation system. We explain this in detail in Zion Shores: where is the water coming from?. Even with private, non-potable water, approvals have been controversial: Washington City's mayor told BYU's student newspaper that decades-old land and water entitlements did not allow the city to deny the project. Expect continued public scrutiny.

Arizona. In June 2023 Arizona stopped issuing new 100-year assured water supply certificates based on groundwater for subdivisions in the Phoenix Active Management Area, after a state model projected a shortfall of nearly 5 million acre-feet over a century. Cities with their own assured supply designations, including Mesa, were not directly affected. Any new surf community in the Phoenix area has to show a water supply that satisfies these rules.

California. The Coachella Valley parks rely on the same aquifer and Colorado River imports as the rest of the valley, and water use was one of the objections raised against the Coral Mountain wave basin in La Quinta. Treat water as a political issue that can affect approvals, expansions and future operating rules.

The risks, honestly

• Delays and developer failure. Thermal Beach Club was approved in 2020 and targeted a 2024 opening. It now expects to start construction in 2027. Build a delay into your plans, and don't pay more in deposits than you can afford to have tied up for years.

• Dues and club fee increases. Dues in a new community are estimates until the HOA has real operating history. Wave machines are expensive to run, and owners pay when revenue disappoints.

• Membership not guaranteed with the home. If surf access sits in a separate club or operator agreement, it can be repriced, capped or not transferable. Get the terms in writing.

• Water and drought. New restrictions, well problems or public pressure can raise costs or limit operations, especially in a drought year.

• Noise, lights and traffic. Public parks bring visitors, events and long hours. Waco neighbors have complained about traffic and noise, and the La Quinta council cited the effect on residents when it rejected Coral Mountain. A lagoon-front lot facing a public surf park is not a quiet lakefront lot.

• Resale liquidity. There are few comparable sales, a small buyer pool and, in some communities, lock-up periods. Plan to hold for years.

• Special assessments. If reserves are underfunded, a pump, liner or wave machine failure can mean a one-off bill for every owner.

• Technology risk. Several systems are new. Palm Springs Surf Club closed and reopened more than once in its first months, and prototypes can take time to work reliably.

Financing a lot or home in a surf park community

Financing in this market is closer to resort or rural lending than to an ordinary suburban mortgage.

• Lot or land loans. Many surf communities sell lots first. Lot loans usually need larger down payments, shorter terms and higher rates than home mortgages, and many buyers pay cash for the lot.

• Construction loans. If you build, a construction loan funds the build in draws and then converts to, or is refinanced into, a permanent mortgage. The lender will want approved plans, a builder contract and often proof that roads and utilities are in. At Zion Shores, quoted construction costs begin around $350 per square foot.

• Second-home mortgages. Many buyers use these homes part-time. Under Fannie Mae's Selling Guide, a second home must be occupied by the borrower for some portion of the year, be a one-unit home suitable for year-round use and be under the borrower's exclusive control, and it cannot be subject to an agreement that gives a management firm control over occupancy. Rental income can't be used to qualify. Mandatory rental programs, like a single required rental manager, can push a loan into investment-property territory, with different pricing, so show your lender the rental rules early.

• Fractional shares. Co-ownership shares, like the 1/8 to 1/2 townhome shares offered at Zion Shores, are usually financed differently or bought in cash. Ask the provider what lending is available.

Due-diligence checklist for wave pool homes

• Recorded plat and title report showing your lot, the lagoon parcel and any easements

• Who owns the lagoon and the wave equipment: the HOA, a master association, a club or an operating company

• Surf access terms in writing: hours, sessions, priority windows, guest rules and fees

• Whether surf access runs with the land and transfers automatically on resale

• CC&Rs, bylaws, rules and any club or amenity agreements, read in full by your attorney

• Current and projected HOA dues, club dues and initiation fees, and how increases are approved

• Operating budget for the wave facility and who covers shortfalls

• Reserve study or reserve plan, including replacement costs for wave machinery, pumps and liners

• Status of the lagoon: permits, construction progress, target opening and what happens to your deposit if it slips

• Water source, water rights or permits, and any state or local approvals for the lakes

• Developer track record, financing and any liens or lawsuits affecting the project

• Resale restrictions, lock-up periods, right of first refusal and short-term rental rules

• Noise, lighting, event and operating-hour rules if the lot faces a public park

• Building deadlines, design review and landscaping requirements

• Insurance for waterfront structures such as docks and boathouses

• Lender sign-off on the property type and any rental program before you commit

Frequently asked questions

Can you buy a house next to a wave pool?

Yes. In 2026 you can buy lots and homes on a surf lake at Southern Shores in Hurricane, Utah, and reserve lots and homes at Zion Shores near St. George, where the lagoon is under construction. Homes are also planned at The Desperado next to Waco Surf in Texas. Many public wave pools, including the Palm Springs Surf Club and Revel Surf, have no homes for sale on site.

How much do wave pool homes cost?

It varies widely. Indicative 2026 asking prices run from about $300,000 for a lot at Willow Lakes in northern Utah, to $690,000 to more than $2 million for lots at Southern Shores, $1.5 million to $1.89 million for lots at Zion Shores, and $1.6 million to $3.3 million for planned homes at Waco Surf. Finished luxury homes at Southern Shores are listed at $7 million and above.

How much does a wave pool membership cost?

At public parks, memberships are a way to pre-pay for sessions. Revel Surf launched with a $75 monthly membership after a $1,000 one-time fee. Private clubs are far more expensive. Thermal Beach Club announced memberships for non-residents starting at $175,000 a year. In residential communities, surf access is usually paid for through HOA dues, estimated at $500 to $600 a month at Zion Shores.

Is Palm Springs Surf Club open to the public?

Yes. The Palm Springs Surf Club sells day passes and surf sessions to the public, with sessions reported at $100 to $250 and general entry at $40. The city has also run discounted local days. It has no for-sale homes.

When does DSRT Surf open?

DSRT Surf in Palm Desert soft-opened in September 2026, and public booking opened on September 24, 2026, according to WavePoolParty. Its planned hotel and villas are a later phase, and villa prices had not been published as of October 2026.

Is Zion Shores open?

Not yet. As of the developer's July 2026 update, all three surf pools were in advanced construction and the first homes were being built. Published targets point to the wave pools opening in early 2027 and the wider community in summer 2027.

Is there a surf park in Utah?

Southern Shores in Hurricane has a private standing-wave surf pool for residents. Zion Shores in Washington City is building a public surf park with a PerfectSwell lagoon, and Draper has approved an 8.8-acre surf park with a possible 2028 opening. Utah's older public wave pools, such as the Desert Wave Pool in Price and Surf 'N Swim in Layton, are swimming pools rather than surf facilities.

How much water does a surf lagoon use?

Published figures range from about 8 million gallons a year at Revel Surf in Mesa to about 24 million gallons a year at DSRT Surf, 30 million gallons a year for the whole Zion Shores development and 51 million gallons a year planned at Thermal Beach Club. Evaporation in the desert is the biggest ongoing loss.

What happens to my home if the wave pool closes?

You still own the home, but you may lose the amenity that drove its price, and you may face higher dues or special assessments if owners take over the facility. Check who owns the lagoon and equipment, and what rights owners have if the operator fails, before you buy.

Can I rent out a wave pool home?

Often, but on the community's terms. Zion Shores, for example, allows short-term rentals only through a single designated manager, and its owners' surf membership passes to renters for the length of the stay. Check the CC&Rs and local short-term rental rules, and tell your lender about any rental program.

The bottom line

Wave pool homes are real, and in Utah you can already buy one on the water. But this is a young market built on machines, contracts and water rights, not on a natural coastline. The best purchases are in communities where the wave is built and working, the surf access runs with the land, the dues are backed by a real operating budget and the water source is secure. The riskiest are reservations on renderings, memberships you don't control and dues that are still estimates.

If a surf park community is on your list, start with our wave pool properties, including Southern Shores and Zion Shores, and browse other United States surf properties. Tell us what you're looking for through our buyer search, and we'll send you matching wave pool and surf properties as they come on the market.

Sources

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About the author

Jim Habig is a lifelong surfer, seasoned real estate professional, and founder of International Surf Properties—a global marketplace where a passion for waves meets the possibility of owning a place beside them. Raised in San Clemente, California, Jim brings more than 20 years of real estate experience and a waterman’s perspective to helping surfers and ocean lovers explore beachfront homes, surf retreats, and land near extraordinary breaks. His mission: turn “imagine living here” into an informed next step, with local connections and clear, practical guidance.