Gated Communities – Are they for you?

There is something uniquely American about gated communities. Usually tucked away in the suburbs, they are given majestic titles, such as Yosemite Rivers or Acadia Meadows. They feature narrow, winding streets that also have cutsey names like Bubbling Brook Circle. If you can stand the naming, you have the actual houses. While many of them tend to be large 3-bedrooms or bigger, they do tend to all look the same. Most of them feature manicured lawns that look better than the local municipal golf course. But for some people, this is a snapshot of the American Dream. Should you buy a home in a gated community? Let’s take a look at some of the plusses and minuses.

A big plus for most potential homeowners is that houses in gated communities keep their value. Since maintenance rules for most gated communities are so strict and there is very little through-traffic, the values of homes in most gated communities tends to stay high. Reselling your home if you have to move away is also easier.

A minus for many is the evil homeowners association. The scope of what a homeowners association asks of its homeowners has become the stuff of legend. The ridiculous standards to which a home and lawn must be kept can drive a person crazy. Everything from the color you’re allowed to paint your home, to how you decorate it, to what you’re allowed to keep on your lawn are all up to the local homeowners association, not you. This is more than most people can stomach after paying a few hundred grand for a house. But some find the conformity comforting.

A plus if you have kids is the safety of a gated community. Of course, the community is much safer if your gate is guarded and the gate mechanism deters people from following the car in front into the community. But there is little doubt that little Johnny and Sarah will be safer riding their bikes on streets with very little traffic and excruciatingly slow speed limits found in most gated communities.

Just like the guard at the gate can work in your favour to keep riff raff out as well as drunk drivers targeting your kids, the gate guard can work against you, too. Every time you order a pizza, or if you need an emergency visit from the plumber, you have to let the gate guard know and have them buzzed in. This can be a hassle, and more times than not, you’ll probably forget and this will leave your visitor stranded.

Buying a house is a stressful enough decision in life but when you factor in the pros and cons of living in a gated community, the process can seem overwhelming. The best piece of advice of all is to talk to those that already live in a gated community and see what it’s really like before you take the plunge.

Are you House Poor?

The great American Dream has always revolved around owning a home. Sure, having the 2.3 kids, the cushy corporate job and the stylish car to drive to work everyday are part of the myth, too, but nothing quite summed up Americana quite like the white picket fence. But if recent economic numbers are any clue, this dream is becoming a nightmare for many in the US.

According to date released by the United States Census Bureau, an increasing number of homeowners are spending a larger and larger amount of their incomes on housing than in previous years. People in 49 out of 50 states reported an increase. The only state that didn’t, Alaska, spent the same amount. The report showed that people are spending around 21 percent on their housing needs, up from 19 percent in 1999.

This is a huge problem for first-time buyers who may now be priced out of housing markets all across the country. Economists point to rises in home prices in the last 7 years, as well as higher interest rates, coupled with stagnant wages over the same period.

While everyone seems to be in agreement that the housing “bubble” is either bursting, or getting ready to burst depending on where you live, housing prices are still up a remarkable 32 percent since the beginning of the decade.

Household incomes, on the other hand, haven’t done a very good job of keeping up. The same Census report showed that income has actually dropped, not risen, over the past 7 years, down 2.8 percent.

Maybe the worst news in the report was the percent of people who allot more than 30% of their income for housing. The numbers are up almost 8%. National guidelines suggest that more than 30% of household income for housing is excessive and not financially healthy.

What does this mean in the long run?

Most experts agree that until income can catch up to housing, the real estate market will remain lifeless. And since real estate is one of the biggest drivers to the overall economy, a weak real estate market means a weak economy.

Things appear to be the worst in California. Not only do they have the most expensive real estate in the nation, 48 percent of California homeowners spend more than 30% of their income on housing related costs.

Until income can begin to grow as quickly as the real estate market, this trend shows no signs of slowing down. Which could mean that the upcoming real estate slump could last much longer than anyone predicted.