If you’re looking to move into a new home, you might have spotted a few gated communities in your area. While some people love gated communities and wouldn’t live anywhere else, others are less enthusiastic about the idea. Let’s have a look at a few of the issues surrounding gated communities to help you decide if they’re right for you.
Extra security
If crime is high in your particular area, gated communities might be one of the better options to try and live somewhere safe yet still near to where you want to be. Moving a long distance away to a safer area might not be possible if you need to be near where you work, so gated communities could be a viable option. However, you’ll be putting yourself at odds with the local population and won’t be fully integrating with the community.
Gated communities are more secure and safer, that’s for sure, but they also make it harder to fit in with society and can make you feel like an outsider even when you’re not.
How convenient is it?
This is just a matter of simple convenience, but gated communities are much harder for visitors to enter. Whether there’s a fully staffed front gate or an intercoms system, there might still be times where visitors have to wait for a while or deliveries get delayed. For the benefits you can gain in security, you lose a little in terms of convenience. This could also add additional time to your commute to and from work, especially if there’s often a queue at the gate.
Property value
Gated communities are often worth slightly more, but that means they’ll be more expensive to buy. You might be able to find a more affordable equivalent home that isn’t in a gated community. Another thing to remember — you’ll probably need to pay additional maintenance fees towards looking after the gate or paying for its upkeep, as well as any staff or security on the gate. This can make your monthly outgoing amount a fair bit higher.
How easy is it to re-sell your home?
Gated communities aren’t for everyone, and that might make them slightly harder to sell. While they may be more costly, there’s a certain niche of buyer who simply won’t be interested them — meaning they could stay on the market for a bit longer than you might want. While this could be an issue when selling, it might mean you can find a good bargain by putting in a slightly lower offer on a home that’s been on the market for a while.
What will your friends think?
Some people are against the idea of a gated community in general as they can prevent improvements being made to the whole area and keep wealthier people in their own little bubble. Is this something you’re ok with? Is it also something your friends and visitors will be ok with?
While gated communities do have a lot of negatives, you might want to visit a quality home like Taylor Private Estate.
