Key takeaways
- Despite their star status and larger budgets, NFL players prioritize many of the same housing fundamentals as other buyers, including location, privacy and livability.
- NFL players tend to buy after a year with the same team and search for turnkey residences.
- Team trades often incentivize NFL players to sell, and their name recognition attracts buyers.
After a weekend of tense playoff matchups, Super Bowl LX is set to be a repeat clash between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. But while the spotlight turns to the gridiron on game day Feb. 8, NFL players have lives both on and off the field. To kick off the days before the big matchup, Homes.com asked agents who work with current and former players what their clients look for in a home.
Amanda Rosen of Coldwell Banker Realty in Canton, Massachusetts, has helped many Patriots rent, buy or sell homes.
“Usually, people will start with renting,” Rosen said. “They'll try to do that for a year, see if their contract sticks. Then, typically, they’ll move on to buying.”
Buying offers many advantages, said Danny Hertzberg, founding partner of Miami-based Jills Zeder Group, an affiliate of Coldwell Banker.
In his 16 years of selling real estate, Hertzberg has worked with 10 NFL players — from the Miami Dolphins, Patriots, New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys. These sports stars usually look for the same things, he said: privacy (think gated communities or condominiums with private elevators), contemporary and fully furnished residences, and the ability to customize with higher sinks, kitchen counters and doorway openings to accommodate their physical needs.
Hertzberg said players are working more with wealth managers and financial planners, and real estate gives them the chance to diversify.
Stay InformedGet the latest residential real estate news, trends and expert insights delivered weekly to your inbox."They’re really thinking more long term," he said. "They want to have real assets that have potential for growth. ... They’ll have some money managed in equities, stocks, bonds and some of it will be real estate holdings."
Players seek a sense of community
Location often weighs heavily in the search.
Rosen said that if a player is expected to stay in a community for a while, they look for neighborhoods close to stadiums and training facilities to avoid a long commute.
“If they have kids, they're looking for a good school system,” Rosen said. “A lot of times they like to be in the same neighborhood as other players or friends.”
Rosen said that because many players are new to the area, building a sense of community is important.
“Just having that sense of community, being near the other players, is always really helpful,” she said, adding that in her experience, players typically value home gyms, saunas and theaters.
Location plays a role in how much they spend
NFL players often spend in the millions.
Stacie Chadwick of LIV Sotheby’s International Realty in Castle Rock, Colorado, said the average price a Denver Bronco might pay for a home is around $4 million.
Rosen said Patriots players may spend anywhere from $800,000 to $6 million.
In a place like Miami, budgets often range a little higher, Hertzberg said — anywhere between $8 million and $15 million.
After spending millions on the purchase of a home, upgrades and moving in, why does an NFL player look to list?
"They end up buying and selling quite a bit, because over the course of their career, if you look at most players, they play for multiple teams and not for a very long period of time," Hertzberg said. "You also have the regular reasons why people sell, right? Salary goes up, they upgrade. Salary goes down, they downgrade. Divorce, death, retirement, like the regular triggering events for the professional athletes are similar to the average owners'."
Star power often becomes a big draw, he said, and transactions often move quickly.