Methodology
The WPP Ownership Score is a 0 to 10 measure of how well a surf community serves a buyer. Nine weighted factors cover what ownership actually delivers: surf access and wave quality lead at 45% combined, followed by real estate value, amenities, location, rental flexibility, ownership flexibility, community lifestyle, and pricing transparency. Every score carries a confidence level based on how much of its data is verified at source, and no score is published below 40% verified coverage. Scores are independently assigned, reviewed quarterly, and never adjusted for commercial relationships.
The nine factors
How much wave time ownership actually buys: included sessions, priority windows, guest rights.
The wave itself: technology, size, variety, and how often it runs.
Price relative to the local market, build quality, and appreciation fundamentals.
What life looks like out of the water: dining, wellness, family infrastructure.
Airport access, nearest major city, climate, and everyday livability.
Whether you can rent the home out, and on what terms.
Resale rights, hold periods, transfer fees, and right of first refusal.
The people and the pace: who lives here and what the culture feels like.
How openly the developer publishes pricing, fees, and rules.
Surf access and wave quality carry the most weight because they are the entire reason these communities exist. Weights are set by the WPP Real Estate Desk and reviewed annually.
Data confidence
A score is only as good as the data behind it. Each community's confidence level reflects the share of weighted factors backed by verified sources such as developer releases, planning filings, and official sales materials.
80% or more of the weighted scoring inputs are verified at source.
60 to 79% of the weighted scoring inputs are verified. Some underlying fields remain unverified.
40 to 59% of the weighted scoring inputs are verified. Treat the number as directional.
WPP does not yet have enough verified ownership data to calculate a responsible score.
Governance
Scores and rankings are never adjusted for commercial relationships, sponsorships, advertising, or referral agreements. Commercial relationships are disclosed on the relevant community page.
We publish verified data and show Not published for anything we cannot confirm. We never publish unverified figures as fact, and we never estimate prices we have not confirmed.
Developers, buyers, and owners can submit corrections with sources at any time. Material changes are re-scored, logged with a change reason, and reflected in the next quarterly review.
The WPP Ownership Score is an editorial quality measure, not financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. Always verify purchase terms, CC&Rs, and surf rights with the developer and local counsel.
Questions
A 0 to 10 score that measures how well a surf community serves a buyer across nine weighted factors, led by surf access at 25% and wave quality at 20%. It is an ownership quality score, not an investment rating.
Because it is the reason these communities exist. A beautiful home with weak or uncertain surf rights is a worse ownership proposition than a modest home with guaranteed water time. Surf access (25%) and wave quality (20%) together carry 45% of every score.
Confidence measures how much of the score is backed by source-verified data: High (80% or more verified), Moderate (60 to 79%), Preliminary (40 to 59%), and Not yet scored (below 40%). We never display a number built on less than 40% verified data.
No. Scores are independently assigned by the WPP Real Estate Desk and are never adjusted for commercial relationships, sponsorships, or referral agreements. Any commercial relationship with a community is disclosed on that community's page.
Scores are reviewed quarterly and re-scored whenever material new information is verified, such as confirmed HOA dues, a rental policy change, or a delivery milestone. Every published revision is logged with a change reason.