anyone live in a gated community?
just curious as to your reasons for choosing such a life.
pro's?
cons?
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pro's?
cons?
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I lived in one for ten years. Upside is that the rules keep it very nice. Downside is the lawn Nazis. In the beginning it was all very friendly with several block parties but after the first two or three years most of that ended. The swimming pool & hot tub were the same way with useage dropping off a great deal.
The gates were a great nuisance as they were always breaking down.
We also had a problem since a lot of people from outside wanted to take a shortcut from our south to nort gates & one guy would even force the gate open with his car.
You do have to realize that the gates will not keep anyone out as anyone who wants in will just wait & follow someone in. They also make it harder when you want to sell since people can't drive by to look at your home.
When we moved in the assn. fee was $86/mo. By the time we moved out it was $225/mo.0 -
quote:Originally posted by nomadictao
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.
I understand why many will see it that way but if any of you have lived next to a ne're-do-well, lowlife, drunken and loud fool, dirtbag or drug addict you might see it differently. Same goes for the wise arse next door who decides to paint his house key lime green with purple window trim just to piss off his neighbors.
When the time comes to sell and it's YOUR property that taking the $$$ hit as a result, you might tend to see it differently - or not.
Truthfully, I don't want to live directly next door to someone who makes a used car lot and repair garage out of his driveway and the street in front of my house as well. Or next to the wannabee handy guy who puts up an abomination of a part wooden scraps, part orange day-glo deer netting fence that's half falling down onto my property. Not every person we come across has class or a sense of decorum.{sarcasm} And, our homes in this HOA are barely 6 feet apart, exterior wall to exterior wall so we could not escape very far from it.
I believe that we ultimately will do whatever is right by ourselves and for our lifestyle. Over the years, I've had my share of great neighbors who took care of their property and lousy neighbors who ran it down and allowed it to get roach and vermin infested. I enjoyed the former immensely and I worked my arse off to undo the damage from the latter.
That's why HoJo's had 54 flavors at one time.[;)]0 -
Nope, But I would like to own one of those rural single family dwelling gated compounds communities.[:D] 0 -
I wouldn't live in a gated community.
I have 49 acres of mountaintop wilderness in North Carolina. The neighbors don't bother me, of course, they are a half mile away so I am not sure what they are up to.0 -
quote:Originally posted by allen griggs
I wouldn't live in a gated community.
I have 49 acres of mountaintop wilderness in North Carolina. The neighbors don't bother me, of course, they are a half mile away so I am not sure what they are up to.
That wilderness must be beautiful.[^] Too remote and quiet for a dyed-in-the-wool city-dweller like me to live on but beautiful and serene nonetheless.0 -
quote:Originally posted by nomadictao
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.
I don't 'think' I would want to live in one but I can certainly see why people choose to. As has been said many times here, just wait until you get a bad neighbor and see how you like it. It can go WAAAAY beyond peeling paint and cars that don't run. Many people would be thrilled if that were the only problems next door.
I just got a house a couple years ago in an average, decent neiborhood. The house next door is rented out (apparently on a first come, first served basis) by someone from out of town. It's a small house about the size of mine. Now, my house is on the small side for my wife and I alone living here. The house next door has had as many as 3 adults, 10 children, and hoardes of unneutered cats living in it, all while missing an upstairs window....for years!!
Now they're gone and the next group has moved in. Rarely see people come out but from my estimate, there are now at least 5 adults and 6 kids in there. And in the last month, we've had a guy come over and ask to use our phone, twice.
Keep in mind people who rent property have far less pride in their home, than just a lazy homeowner. So that's what you can get stuck with. Once these people leave, who know's what's in store for us. You just don't know until you've lived in a place for a while.
Oh yeah, another place in town covered every square foot (and I mean LITERALLY) with Christmas lights and decorations, before Thanksgiving. You have never seen a yard like this. Everything from lighted displays, to plastic santas, to little trinkets lines up EVERYWHERE. House is covered in lights. Well, guess what? As of today, 2/25/07, it's still all up! And the house next door is for sale. LOL And all this is just the tip of the iceberg.
This is why there are gated communities. It's either all or nothing. You don't get to hand pick your neighbors, but at least in a GC, chances are if somebody's spending 700 grand for the house next to you, they're at least going to give a d@mn.0 -
Why would anyone in their right mind, even if they had lots of money, pay CASH for a dwelling???
Laundering some money??
D.
* edited to correct improper useage.0 -
Why would anyone in their right mind rent money from a bank when they had enough to pay cash? You can save quite a bit & make a much better deal when you have the cash to pay today. Money talks & bovine manure walks. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by gruntled
Why would anyone in their right mind rent money from a bank when they had enough to pay cash? You can save quite a bit & make a much better deal when you have the cash to pay today. Money talks & bovine manure walks.
I disagree completely.
You borrow money when it is less expensive to do so. IOW, if I can take out a loan at 5% and I can turn around and invest that money at 10%, then I am stupid if I do not borrow the money to make 5%.0 -
IF, you can invest it....
IF, you can make a profit...
IF, is a big word!
CASH is final.
AND, then you can insure your house at whatever rate you want, instead of MANDANTORY full coverage to cover the cost of the loan...
and besides, in most cases, the 5% youd be making would only be the rate that keeps up with inflation.
nope...cash is good.
and it forces one NOT to spend more than he has...keeping you within some restraint.[;)]0 -
Maybe it's where I live but every home here is part of a HOA. There are no independents except for farms. Each HOA has a representative that attends the township/city meetings to report back to the HOA board. Now I wonder if that's a legal structure here. 0 -
I have worked on quite a few homes in gated community's. In my parts, most of them have armed security guards that escort you too and from the home you are going to. But then these homes are in the 40+ Mil range not my cup of tea. 0 -
"Cash is king, debt is dumb, and the paid-off mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice." Dave Ramsey. 0 -
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Spot on nunn cash is king,just wish I could afford to pay my mortgage off.All my cars were paid for in cash.Only debt I have is my mortgage.Lived in a fenced communitty in Novato for a few years and enjoyed it the people were very friendly.Talking of cash my wife stopped at the Golden Nugget last weekend went to use the computer found she had to pay $15 for a 24 hour window of use,(which she was pretty disgusted about)didnt have a credit card with her only a debit card which apparently they dont take so offered cash but would you believe they refused it.How about that a casino refusing cash. 0 -
OK, let's say you can get 5% on $100. You can then make $5 per year. Let's say you can borrow $100 at 8%. If you pay the $100 for a house it costs you $105 plus whatever intrest you do not make until you save another $100. So, leave your $100 in the bank, borrow $100 from the bank and pay in effect 3%. At the end you have the house and the $100. Paying cash is not the smart way to go. 0 -
No. But we have a friend who moved into one a few years ago. They are OK with it, but I find a ll the rules that go along with it to be a major hassle. I'm for freedom, so I don't think you'll ever find me buying in a gated community. No gates for me!
We do live in a large apartment complex right now, and I'm kind of glad that I can slip in and out with "advertizing" that I have guns. Having guns in Massacusetts is not too PC, so they might throw us out![:(]0 -
gated communities are good in urban areas. they increase home prices alot and reduce crime. in rural areas i dont really see the point 0
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