Ridiculous online financial advice column questions

[ShokWaveRider]

Since those days, more gated communities have popped up in my area. However, most of them tend to be apartment complexes in crime invested communities.

So, something that used to be the symbol of an upscale, exclusive community, has suddenly been repurposed into a warning sign of a No Go Zone!

Not true at all in our area. Based on your description here, I do not think I would like to live that area.

 

[Andre1969]

Not true at all in our area. Based on your description here, I do not think I would like to live that area.

Oh, I guess by "area" I should clarify that I meant that in a broad sense, as in areas I know...not necessarily my exact zip code. It's not like I'm right smack dab in the middle of "Escape from New York" or something like that.

I just think it's amusing though, that I can freely drive through neighborhoods of multi-million dollar houses like it's no big deal, yet if I wanted to visit a local trap house I'd probably have to be buzzed in!

And, not all the gated communities are bad. It's just that, off the top of my head, I know more that are in bad neighborhoods, than are in upscale ones.

The apartment complex that my Mom and Dad moved into when they were first married, is now a gated community. My paternal grandparents lived fairly close, too, in a modest single family home. As a kid, Granddad used to take us for walks in the woods and down by the creek near that apartment complex. I went back there a few times in my 40's, to sort of reminisce. In some ways it was cleaner...it used to be a dumping ground for abandoned cars and other junk. But there was now the occasional "MS-13" painted on a tree here and there. I thought it was just kids, but then I heard they actually killed someone and dumped a body back there, and realized "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto!"

 

[Andre1969]

One thing I've always wondered, with gated communities, how do delivery drivers get in? I can understand buzzing them in, but what if nobody is home to do that? Back in the day when you just had the mail man and maybe a UPS or Federal Express driver, they might have had some kind of universal code to get in. But these days, you've got everybody and his brother driving for Amazon and such, and often in their personal vehicles.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

We have never thought that Gated communities are any safer than others. Anyone with half smarts can get in.

What we DO like, is the way the properties within the gates are kept. For example, in our case we (HOA) are responsible for the roads, walking areas, park (we have one common park) and other common properties, also the way folks keep the external areas of their homes.

In our case we also have a private golf club on the property that is NOT owned by the HOA. It is private and has it's own group of members and Rules, some of which are residents, some are not. They own the Clubhouse and grounds, which they also keep the good shape as golfing is year-round where we are. And No we are not members of the Golf Club and do not have any of their grounds in our back yard (Thanks for small mercies).

We selected our development after 3 years of renting looking around the area. We found out that the community was not transient at all. People move in typically in their 50's and 60's, for the most part are retired and empty nesters or second home owners and stay till they moved into their final homes or retirement facilities. There are a good selection of those locally. Home values vary between ~$700k and ~$3m so fall right into the OP category.

I am sure other folks here are also fall into that category.

 

[CSdot]

The Marketwatch poster reminds me of those who say they want their kids educated at a diverse school, so they send them to a $30,000 a year private school so they can be educated with other kids from families who wish there was more diversity in the world.

 

[MichaelB]

Thanks for an interesting discussion