anyone live in a gated community?
just curious as to your reasons for choosing such a life.
pro's?
cons?
[?][?]
pro's?
cons?
[?][?]
0
-
Not gated but my HOA is very unfriendly, cold and antiseptic nonetheless. Neighbors scurry into their homes and lock the doors, coming out only to walk Fido, get walking exercise around the development or go shopping. If I don't say "Hello!" or "Good morning!" first, they usually just avert my glance and keep walking. I thought at first that it was me or something I did, an aura I gave off perhaps, but others I've spoken to say the exact same thing.
Coming from Brooklyn, I'm used to seeing and talking with my neighbors on the street, not avoiding them.
The gate is not the problem IMO, but the residents often are.0 -
Yea mt brother does... State Pen Estates.... 0 -
Nope.
Don't know if I even could.
HOA rules give me both the heebies and the jeebies.0 -
In California 181,000 live in free gated communities, 3 felonies will get you 25 years of free residence. 0 -
Nope, don't live in a gated community, but I do live in an HOA community and I'm on the Board of Directors (and have been at the two communities I've lived in for the last ten years).
I've always pushed to have my HOA not become lawn nazis or rule nazis. IOW, I suggest that we handle things as they need to be handled, in order to keep the uniformity of the complex (this is a townhouse complex and it would simply look terrible if the complex was a rathole) and to enforce rules governing safety (IOW, no parking in the middle of the driveway, as that makes it difficult for people to come in and out and impossible for emergency vehicles to get to where they need to). But, we don't haul people in for having their grass too long, too many plants on the patio, etc.
You've got to let people make their homes a home and give it a little flair.0 -
I moved from a house to a luxury condo beause I didn't want to deal with all the maintainence. Our condos are basiclaly stand alone homes with huge lawns just like a house block. Because the complex has lake access it became more economical to have a gatehouse to prevent unauthorized boaters from using the launches.
I have discovered, gated or not, HOA are all the same. Most are lawn nazis. My current one, however, seems to be much more oncerned about the maintainence and operations rather than conformity whih is great0 -
I prefer a gated community where my family are the only residents and the gate belongs to me. [;)] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Txs
I prefer a gated community where my family are the only residents and the gate belongs to me. [;)]
Now we're talkin'.0 -
I'd live in the woods in an old school bus before I'd live in a place like that. 0 -
I live in one of three gated communities clustered around the Fashion Island District in Newport Beach. Of the three communites ours has the most relaxed atmosphere because it is the smallest, nearly all of the homes are on cul-de-sacs, and just about everyone knows each other. These factors give us a very friendly, almost like a small town, atmosphere. The adjacent gated community is at least five times larger than ours so it is not nearly as friendly. The other near by gated community has the country club and golf course so traffic in and out of there is heavier than I'd be willing to put up with, although I am happy to add to that traffic by driving in for a round of golf and lunch at the club (which is closed now for reconstruction [V]). The master association in our community does a nice job with the common areas, pool and recreation facilities but I must have my own gardener in order to take care on my own lawns (I hate yard work as much as Mrs. K hates housework). Newport Beach city services are the best in the nation IMHO. It has been a very good life here, a great city, fine schools, nice neighbors and a wonderful place for my wife and I to raise our two daughters.
I'll be sad to leave here when Mrs. K and I retire to lake Como in Italy in a few more years.0 -
Does having an old schoolbus at the end of driveway count? It's kinda like a powered gate. Just kidding. To answer your question. No, not me. 0 -
I'm curious.. are the gates to keep the people in or the people out?[:)] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by MT357
I'd live in the woods in an old school bus before I'd live in a place like that.
Me toooo. I already live in a rather wselcuded setting with
a lot of elbow room, and have for the past 30yrs., so a gated community
type setting would take some serious adapting.[8D]0 -
Yes I do, the gate is made up of 12 ga shotguns, high powered rifles, knives,baseball bats and my wife[:D][;)] 0 -
Everybody hates on gated communities and on HOA until they throw down a lot of money on a house and find out their neighbor is a slob.
About six months ago I paid $700,000 for my place. One heck of a mortgage. As we moved in, I noticed that the next door neighbor has three bags of Miracle Grow potting soil dropped in the front yard. Guess what? They're still there, as are the Christmas decorations. This lady has decided, for some reason, to be a slob. The guy next door to her has the paint peeling off his front porch. It's not a big job to fix this, he won't even need a ladder and it could be done in about three hours, but he hasn't done anything about it. I've watched his trim slowly mildew and rot.
I'm realizing that in another month or so I'm going to need to send a letter to the HOA asking them to get after these people. Be neighborly and fix things for them, you say: I already have. I've gone over and picked up trash out of their yard, and have talked to the lady next door about how a woodpecker is destroying the trim on her house. Her response was, "Oh. Yeah, that bird wakes me up some mornings."
If men were angles, there'd be no need for government.0 -
Never have and never will. wouldn't be able to stand for an association telling me what I can and can't do on my own piece of earth ! [:D] 0 -
G.C's appear to be like living in the barracks or base housing on a military base thus far. maybe thats where they got the idea? 0 -
Not me. Must be the PWT genes from way back. I would never pass inspection.
Wrecked car in side yard. Christmas lights still up. Weeds in yard. Boxes of ceramic tile and tools stacked on front porch.
I will only live where I can largely have things my way, and if my way upsets the neighbors, well, they will just have to get used to it.0 -
what i find funny about that is, that youre an officer of the law nunn! ya know...accademy? all those p.d. precinct morning inspections, briefs, and rules?! youd think it wouldve rubbed off on ya!
[:p][:D]0 -
It's a job, not a lifestyle. If the bosses want me to live a certain way, they can bloody well pay my mortgage and utilities. 0 -
Yes I do live in a GC. The WORST kind. LOL
I live in base housing where we are stationed. It is a pain to get on and off the base; gate is about three miles from the main gate and since 9-11 all but the two main gates are permanently closed. The rules for what the yards must look like and what you can put out for landscaping is extremely strict. Couldnt even keep my ATV on the carport of the old house (in the new houses now with garages)...no boats or trailers allowed on the driveways unless you are prepping them to go out (nothing over 24 hours). Yard inspections every week...make sure the grass is cut and edged and any weeds are gone.
All in all it is nice since the houses are new here and a decent size. But my next place will be when we retire and it will be gated as well...just will be my gate at the end of a long driveway.0 -
My wife's former step mother lived in Lake St. Louis. A real snooty place. She fit in well. Sterile and superficial. I remember standing standing on her deck once and asking my self "where the heck am I?" 0 -
quote:Originally posted by tobefree
Yea mt brother does... State Pen Estates....
Is that one step ritzier than the Crow Bar Hotel?0 -
Lived in a gated community for a couple of years in South Florida. It shouldn't have taken me that long to realize that people who love Freedom can't live like that.
In my community now, there is one resident, and the gate is barely visible at the end of my driveway. I can't see my closest neighbor, and it's safe to shoot Weatherby Magnums in the back yard - just don't hit the horses or dogs.
Just my thoughts on it.
D.0 -
[:D] 0 -
interesting reads, but just remember...gated property isnt a gated community. big difference.
hey medic!
which gated community are we talking? gate 5 maybe? or the famous gate 2 to the big one?[;)]0 -
The trade off for me and the Mrs. is that as we get older - hopefully much more than we are now - the thought of seeding, mowing, weeding, edging, pruning, sweeping, raking, etc. will certainly have less and less appeal. And in the particular part of Scottsdale where we wanted to live, one cannot leave the property to overgrow or become cluttered, run down, deteriorated, etc. The locals and the City Council will not stand for an eyesore or any blight on the surrounding area. And, yes, you will be formally advised if in fact your property needs attention. No junk cars, no vehicles without license plates, no rubble, no garbarge pails left out, etc. Property values come before all else here, like it or not. So, we decided to take less freedom and individuality and let the HOA fumblefart with maintaining the frontal property. FWIW, we are NOT affluent and our home is modest in size and market value. But Scottsdale has its priorities and they make them clear to all prospective buyers. 0 -
The fact that some people are so uptight that they would set up a bureaucratic power to enforce thier obsessions with peeling paint and cars that don't run is a scarry thing. Its a sad day when suburban appearances become so important to determine proporty values. 0 -
I don't live there, but I do visit as much as possible. My father-in-law owns a mountain house in a gated community. On the weekends he's not there my wife and I go up sometimes and enjoy the mountains. A lot of rules, but it is safer with it being just a retreat. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by SLING BLADE
Yes I do, the gate is made up of 12 ga shotguns, high powered rifles, knives,baseball bats and my wife[:D][;)]
[;)]UH is a cattle gate the same thing? cause i got a electric fence too!0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
48 comments