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So this whole think in McKinney has reminded me about the boom of gated in communities in certain states - in my state we have plenty of over 55 communities and condoplexes, but not many gated communities unless you are on the Gold Coast. Gated communities have always been in wealthy areas, but they have become popular in not wealthy communities too. I was never a fan as statistics show they don't deter crime and are no safer than non-gated communities, they allow for semi-fascist HOAs to dictate what flowers you can grow, whether you can hang an American flag on your home and in extreme cases give credence to hyperactive neighborhood watch men, and simply seem to be either an attempt to segregate from the town/city or be a snob.
So I'm curious what people find attractive about them. Are the HOA fees worth it? What do you like and dislike about them?
It isn't the gates that would bother me, it's the rules. I don't want to live under the rules of an HOA. No matter where we go to live we have to live under somebody's rule (town or city), but HOAs are the worst.
I live in a community with no gates but with a HOA. There are rules about asking permission before changing the tree in your front yard, not hanging university flags (American flags are permitted).
The Pro of an community with an HOA is that they often have amenities like pools, playground and tennis courts. If somebody don't want to deal with a HOA, they can pay to use amenities somewhere else.
My community actually is entertaining the idea of adding gates to restrict the traffic from outsiders trying to use our amenities. Before that it is planned to try to enforce a more strict control of the amenities access. We also have no solicitors signs at the entrances, but they are not respected.
I guess one of the Cons of gates, other than the cost is that every single delivery, repair and maintenance service that you schedule for your house has to be cleared through the gates.
I think people make a bigger deal over HOAs than is reality. I live in an HOA community, and I don't feel stifled or controlled.
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