Oh, I hate "gated communities." - rant

[byhammerandhand]

Had a call yesterday at the end of the day.   Plugged the address into the GPS and headed over.

My general impression of gated communities is that they're pretty snobby.

Get to the next to the last turn before her street and I realize I'm headed into a gated community.   Fortunately there was a Lexus in front of me and a Mercedes behind me, so I snuck through on their nickel.   Otherwise, I'd have to turn around, head out to the side street, make a couple of left turns and come into the "main entrance."   So I get in and just before I get to their street address, another gate.   Call the customer and yes, she lives on the other side of it, but never uses it and doesn't know the access number or any way to let me in.  She gives me the street to turn into her street, so I U-turn, go back out to the main entrance, because you can't get out of the side gate without a key, so drive a mile south, half a mile west, wait for a train crossing, drive two miles north, half a mile east and the street I see is not the one she told me (the one she lived on). Next light is just a stub of a street.   So I pull into the last turn-off before the interstate and wind around the subdivision for a mile and still can't find it.  Go back out and try another street.   Well, I saw that street on the way past, but it had a different name.   Her street was right inside, but this street, 50 feet long, nothing but another gate and traffic island.    Wouldn't you think if you lived in an area like this, you'd let someone headed your way to know what street to turn on and how to get in???

[sofadoc]

These are the same people that have a circle drive out front with 3-4 cars parked in it. And even though they know you're coming, they don't bother to move any of them.

[gene]

My general impression of gated communities is that they're pretty snobby.

Wouldn't you think if you lived in an area like this, you'd let someone headed your way to know what street to turn on and how to get in???

For some reason that reminded me of the scene from Major League where the owner of the Cleveland Indians is in the locker room and she says, "You ought to be grateful I can still pay your salary". That was a very funny movie.

gene

[Darren Henry]

Holy crud Keith--- I feel your pain. For you newbies--- I've know Keith for many,many years. I have never seen him "vent" like this, he doesn't roll that way. Take a second and put yourself in his shoes. Me personally; I'd have gotten all Irish on this chick! Here's the bill for wasting my time---You want me to look at it---bring it to my shop !!!!!!!!

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Honestly, I've never seen a "gated" community.  None in Grand Island that I know of.

When we lived in Leavenworth, there was a new subdivision that was called "Wellington on the Park" -- I had worked with several of the Army Officers who retired and purchased houses there.  They were ok but their wives gave snobby an entirely new meaning.  One of them called me about some Tupperware that had cracked.  When she told me the subdivision she pronounced it just like the banker's wife on Gilligan's Island or maybe better the banker's wife on The Beverly Hillbillies would have.  You know kind of slowly enunciate it and excessively pronounce each silibyl.  Forgive me, I cannot spell today.  Then, when I called to tell her I had her replacements in, she said to make sure that I had them in white plastic bags as she didn't want "anyone here to know that I have Tupperware in my house."  Okey, dokey.  The next time she called, I told her I wasn't doing Tupperware any more as her kind of snobbish just makes me crazy.

Most of my customers are only too happy to bring their stuff over here, which is great with me.  I just keep putting chairs, etc in the garage.  Bob keeps giving me that look ; ) and then he asks me when I want him to start tearing out whatever and we're good to go. 

Virginia

[bobbin]

If you never make the effort to meet and establish any sort of relationship with your neighbors I suppose gates with locks and security codes are necessary... (they even have security perimeters for the dogs) .  I wonder when being part of the community/neighborhood morphed into "living in" the community/neighborhood?  (must be my "small town" upbringing coming out).

[sofadoc]

There are quite a few gated communities around here. The funny thing is, the customers that live behind those gates will give me the community gate code, their own personal gate code, their garage code, and their CC# over the phone. Some will even give me the code to disarm their security system.

If they're giving ME all that info, who else are they giving it to?

I had one customer who said that she was afraid that she might get in trouble for giving out the gate code, so she told me to just wait until another resident came along and opened the gate, and just follow them in.

Do these people not even realize that they're totally defeating the purpose of all that high-tech security?

BTW Once I called a customer from outside her gate. Her remote wasn't working, and she couldn't remember the code. I remembered seeing her in the hospital when she was having her baby on the same day that MY child was born. So I entered that 4 digit month/year, and PRESTO!

[byhammerandhand]

Three places I never want to live:

1. A gated community

2. A golf course community

3. Any community with deed restrictions, a Home Owner's Association or Historical Preservation Committee

[bobbin]

Disagree with #3 Hammer., although I do understand why you wrote that.  If it had not been for historical committees and a committed citizenry lovely, historic Portsmouth, NH would look nothing as it does today.  Can the committee be brutal... yes! can they go to extremes? sure!  But they are also pragmatic enough to understand that there has to be some give and take, and local communities who've instituted such controls have prospered.  My community is an example.  Surrounding towns have the same tourist crush in the summer, but my town has remained attractive with none of the blighted, uncontrolled visual and retail assault seen in neighboring towns.  Property values reflect it!  One look at what rampant, unchecked development did to one historically significant area after another in and around Boston, MA during my childhood quickly made me a supporter of such things.  Just sayin'...

[byhammerandhand]

My limited experience with Historical Preservation Committees are the big fish in a small pond that This Old House used to have to deal with in their 15 minutes of fame.   Most of them seemed to not have much architectural or landscaping knowledge other that what they perceived to be correct in their own minds.   Really, you can only paint your house one of five different colors and when you pick that color you have to have a specific color for the shutters???

My neighbor could not use his normal oil-based sign paint for a sign in our historical district, he had to use acrylic that didn't do well for lettering.   Really?   What does the HPC know about paint chemistry?

[gene]

Keith:

Three places I never want to live:

1. A gated community

Heaven? I'll miss you.  :)

gene

PS: We have many historical districts in our area. Many are in Northern Kentucky along the river across from Cincinnati. I've talked to many people over the years who have bought houses on a historical registry. Those who did their homework and knew what they were getting into before buying seem to be the ones who don't mind the added costs and having a board of people tell you what you can do and not do. Those who didn't do their homework are often not happy campers.

[kodydog]

I guess the people behind the gate feel more secure. But are they really?

I've lived in several neighborhoods with minimal deed restrictions. It does help keep the property values up. The neighborhood I live in now is site built homes only. Someone tried to set up a triple wide. We all got together, hired a lawyer and had it removed. I felt sorry for the guy but if you let one in ...

[sofadoc]

I guess everyone prefers to live in a neighborhood that has deed restrictions............until the guy enforcing those restrictions knocks on THEIR door!

I love my neighborhood. All the homes are well kept. But if all restrictions and codes were lifted, it would probably take about 10 minutes for some jerk to start changing oil on his front lawn, and throw up a fence made out of forklift pallets.

HOA's have a tendency to disappear from new neighborhoods around here after a couple of years. People get tired of wondering where their money is going.

Historical preservation committees have stifled growth around here. I'm for saving old historic structures as much as anyone. But when nobody can come up with the money to do so, they just sit and continue to rot. Eventually, somebody has to find the money to haul off the rubble when it collapses.

[gene]

The city I live in has a guy who drives around and sends folks notices when their houses are out of spec. No cars on blocks, fences have to be painted (no rust), no garbage cans outside, grass must be kept cut, no siding falling off or in need of paint, etc. There are fines and eventual court orders if it's not taken care of.

I love it. It really keeps the neighborhood looking nice.

You want to rent your house in my neighborhood? Guess what? Your tenant needs to be just as good a neighbor as everyone else.

We got a notice last winter when our extra car had a slow leak and instead of filling it up every week or so (too cold to pull it off and take the tire to get it fixed) I put a jack under the car to keep the tire no more than 1/2" off the ground. The guy driving around had to look really close to see that jack. LOL

gene

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

I have mixed feelings about HOA's.  I grew up 4 blocks from where we bought our house.  Mostly home owners.  We have 2 rentals in the neighborhood.  One across the street and 2 houses down and the other directly across the side street.  The first rental house is not a problem.  Two young ladies in their mid-20's.   One of them has this adorable little dog and we get to laugh at her from time to time when the little varmet gets away from her and she gets to play the run game with him.  They don't have loud parties, mow the lawn, pull their weeds and pick up the crap that gets blown into their yard like the rest of us.

The other house is a horse of a different color.  Absentee landlord.  At one count this summer, there appeared to be at least 8 middle-aged men living in a 2 bedroom house with an attached one-car garage and an unfinished basement.  Ruined my whole day when I poured my first cup of coffee and looked across the street to see a minimum of two people sleeping on the front porch or in the side yard.  Easter Sunday, they were rip-roaring drunk my 8 AM and at 9 we called the police because of the noise level.  It's been a continuous problem all summer with loud parties, the yard strewn with empty beer bottles/cans and other assorted trash, a pit bull that escapes its pen and a whole host of other issues, way too numerous to list.  I look at that house and I would love an association that would ride their sorry butts until they got sick of it and moved.  On the other hand, I don't want them telling me that I'm not weeding often enough to please them and they would be sure to tell me I couldn't have my yard sign. 

Even though it would be nice to have them harass the riff-raff, I can live without the other stuff (how often to mow, what colors I can paint or side my house, etc).  What's funny is that a lot of people who want less government, swear by their HOA which is far more intrusive IMO.   LOL

Virginia