Should You Live in a Gated Community? Ask Yourself These Questions

Especially when one begins to have children, the idea of moving to a gated community seems more plausible as safety becomes a greater priority. Sometimes, having a home with security is not enough; people also want to live in a trustworthy neighborhood with a crime rate as low as possible. Nobody wants to be surrounded by criminal activity.

When it comes to packing up and moving somewhere you can be sure you’ll feel safe and sound, the possibility of living in a gated community often comes in mind. With the neighborhood completely closed off from outsiders without access to the community, residents feel more confident that they and their property will be better protected.

Although the idea of moving to a gated community seems like the perfect idea for anyone wanting to live somewhere safe, there’s more than what meets the eye. With any neighborhood, there are cons as there are pros, which are equally as important when finalizing your decision.

Before considering making the move, be sure to ask yourself the following five questions to ensure you’re making the best decision for you and your family.

1. Do you feel comfortable with stricter visiting hours?

One of the biggest benefits and greatest downfalls of gate communities are the stricter visiting hours. While this means random, late-night, sketchy visitors will be banned from entering the premises of your neighborhood, this can also be inconvenient for you, your friends, and your family members, especially during the holidays.

Residents in gated communities often have to call every time a visitor is expected. Likewise, your family and friends may have to be added to a list or have a passcode in order to enter your neighborhood. During busy times, your loved ones may have to wait a while to enter your gated community.

On top of the latter, visiting times are limited, even for construction crews. As a result of the latter, this may limit the speed in which construction is able to be completed in your community. With architectural guidelines also set in place, new construction and general upgrades can be even more limited, inhibiting the growth of your community.

2. Are you prepared to pay HOA fees?

When searching for a new home, the goal of many is to try to find a place to live that won’t include pesky HOA fees. While not all gated communities may have HOA fees, when they do, they are typically more expensive in these communities, which may or may not be something you can afford or generally willing to pay for.

However, you can rest assured that by paying heftier HOA fees, you’re putting your money to good use. The money from HOA fees in gated communities frequently goes to fund road work and maintenance, private security, and gate guards for your community. With the greater security at hand, paying HOA fees truly does make sense.

3. Do you want to live in a community where property values are higher?

Although you may have to pay expensive HOA fees to live in a gated community, the good news is that you can reap the benefit of greater property value. Although you will initially be paying approximately $30,000 more for a home in a gated community, you’ll also be making more when selling your home during a good market.

Apart from getting more money out of your gated community home if and when you decide to sell it, you also often have a greater chance of selling your home as houses in gated communities tend to sell quicker. This certainly means good news for you.

4. Can you follow the rules regarding personalizing your property?

If you’re all about personalization, know that your ability to customize the outside of your home may be limited when you reside in a gated community. For some people, this isn’t a deal breaker. As for others, they love the freedom of being able to customize their property as they see fit, and thus, gated community living may not be for them.

Your gated community may have strict rules regarding exterior paint color, siding, fencing, and the like. For some homeowners, being able to choose and customize the latter is important while others could care less.

Apart from not giving you the full freedom to do as you wish with your home, these rules often enacted in gated communities can hold you back from boosting the value of your property by making various customizations. However, with homes already worth more with greater property value in gated communities, this may not be a major problem.

5. Are you okay with the fact that your options for picking a neighborhood will be more limited?

Unlike your average neighborhood, it is harder to find a gated community, let alone, a gated community in a location you love. This limits the houses you can consider. Additionally, some gated communities only allow residents 55 years and older, according to Senior Living.

Although gated communities can be harder to come across, the search to find a new home, whether it be in a gated community or not, doesn’t have to be long and exhausting. Check out Southshorebay.metroplace.com to find the home you’ve been looking for.

Conclusion

A gated community is a great neighborhood option for many individuals wanting a safer, more secure place to set down their roots. However, before considering living in one yourself, it’s important to understand the pros and cons regarding living in this sort of environment.

Stricter visiting hours, the possibility of HOA fees, rules regarding personalizing your property, and limited gated community neighborhoods to pick from can be considered cons for many. However, greater neighborhood safety and higher property values can certainly make these communities worth it for others.

Nevertheless, it’s vital to continue your research on gated communities. Some studies suggest that these neighborhoods are not as safe as many believe while other research argues that they do in fact have reductions in criminal activity. Regardless of safety, there are other reasons for gated community living. Are you a good candidate?