What can you expect when you move into a high-end gated community? Will people be friendly or standoffish? After you are moved in and the furniture and other belongings are put in their places, what do you do? There are lots of wonderful amenities, but how do homeowners and their families them? How do you meet neighbors in beautiful homes similar to yours?
Choose A Gated Community
When you are choosing a gated community, look at several near where you want to live and, for each one, ask if this gated community meets your family’s needs and are the HOA rules and restrictions acceptable? Are the HOA and other fees acceptable? Does this gated community have the amenities we are seeking? Is the available house fairly priced and of good design and quality construction?
When you find the home and the gated community that meets your needs, has reasonable HOA rules and restrictions and is affordable, you can choose to purchase it. Then it is time to go through the purchase process and move into the new gated community and home. But, what 8 things can you expect when you first move into your new community?
8 Things to Expect as a New Homeowner in a Gated Community
1. The HOA rules must be followed. Every homeowner is expected to read and obey the rules that were drafted for the good of the whole community. You can attend board meetings of the homeowner’s association before you move into your new home to get a better picture of them. You can attend board meetings and even run for a position on the board when openings become available.
2. Most of the people inside the gates will be residents, visitors, or workmen. This leads to safer streets and lower crime rates. There won’t be any commuter traffic, noisy trucks, or speeding cars. There will also not be any solicitors from outside the community. There may be resident’s children selling girl scout cookies or things for school fundraisers.
3. You will notice how well kept the neighborhood is. The HOA dues are used for maintaining the neighborhood’s public areas. The rules also require residents to keep up their houses and lots to a certain standard. The whole neighborhood should look cleaner and neater. This keeps property values high.
4. There will be a sense of safety and privacy living in this new gated community. Crime is not entirely absent, but gated communities have lower crime rates. Gated communities have more security, such as the guard at the gate.
5. And the gate. Gated communities with a guard at the gate limit access. That is good in some ways but inconvenient in others. You must leave a list of approved guests at the guardhouse. You also must give advance notice when you are expecting delivery people or workmen. Having a party can become frustrating when attendees from outside the neighborhood forget their passes or are inadvertently left off the guest list. There are times during the day when a line of residents waiting to get home can form. Waiting in line is inconvenient.
6. The new gated community might have a lot more amenities than other communities. There may be swimming pools, walking trails, community clubhouses, golf courses, bike paths, exercise facilities, dog parks, kid’s playgrounds, tennis courts, water access, and more depending on the community and the HOA dues. They often offer community events that help new homeowners meet their neighbors.
7. The lots in gated communities are often larger, meaning there are fewer neighbors and more privacy. Gated communities build houses to a high standard which might include smart homes and fast WIFI.
8. You might have a longer drive time to use town or city amenities such as shopping centers, medical facilities, schools, government offices, and even work. Planned, gated communities need a large parcel of land to build a whole community, and this land may be outside the town or city limits. Most gated community residents think the advantages of gated community living are worth the extra drive time.
Why Do So Many People Move to Gated Communities?
Gated communities are carefully planned so they are attractive, convenient to get around, and make the best use of land with plenty of green space and community space near residential streets. Residents are protected by HOA rules and regulations, so they don’t have to worry about neighbors with junk-filled yards, garishly painted homes, too many noisy pets, or loud, out-of-control parties.
