questions about gated communities in Florida

[luvflorida]

What exactly IS a gated community? I mean, what makes a gated community different from a non-gated community, specifically in Florida? Do you pay yearly home association fees? Does it mean the neighborhood has a community pool, playground, common areas? Is there some type of security system in place?

We've been planning a move to Florida and it's now down to two years, can't wait! We're spending more time looking at real estate sites online and we'll be going down in February to look at a few areas we're really interested in.

I've been looking at property in Windermere, which I'm realizing is a larger area than I thought. Within Windermere there are numerous neighborhoods, (Belmere, Lakes of Windermere, Glenmuir, Balmoral, to name a few), and they all seem to be gated communities.

Anyone familiar with gated communities, and more specifically, the ones I mentioned? How are they different from one another?

We're also looking at Gainesville and Ocala, which I've posted about before.

Thanks so much for any info!!

 

[Miss Jasmine]

A gated comunity means just that, that there is a gate at the entrance of the community. Gate maintenance is included in your Homeowner's Association fees.

Non-gated and gated communities can have things like playgrounds, pools, clubhouses, etc. It depends on the community.

 

[luvflorida]

A gated comunity means just that, that there is a gate at the entrance of the community. Gate maintenance is included in your Homeowner's Association fees.

Non-gated and gated communities can have things like playgrounds, pools, clubhouses, etc. It depends on the community.

So, everyone who lives in a gated community pays yearly Homeowner's Association fees in addition to their regular mortgage payments? What do the fees cover?

I guess what I'm trying to find out is what are the advantages/disadvantages of living in a gated community?

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Most deed-restricted communities have a homeowner association and homeowner association fees. The fees depend on what the community offers. My community is pretty low key without any real facilities, our fees pay for the common area maintenance, the HOA attorneys and accountants, our property management company, and some other smaller items. We pay the fee once a year. Some communities have monthly payments on top of the yearly fee for services such as lawn maintenance. The more the community has the more the fee will be. I do not live in a gated community.

The only real difference between a gated community and most other communities is the gate, seriously.

 

[JESW]

I always thought of them like apartments with doormen - keeping an eye on who goes in and out of the development... One of the ladies down the street is like that in our neighborhood!

Jill

 

[ducklite]

Some gated communities literally have a fence or wall all the way around them, while other sonly gate the roads in and out.

I live in a gated community. We don't have a fence around the entire community, only a gate restricting access in and out of the community by car or truck. It's only manned from 6:00pm until 6:00am, although there is talk that once the entire community is sold out, it will be manned 24/7. The guard won't allow anyone who isn't a resident in without calling the residents home to get authorization for that guest to enter. It definitely adds a level of security. The guard also keeps a general eye and ear and will direct emergency vehicles so they can reach the emergency faster.

We have a lot of amenities, including free basic cable, a golf course with pro shop, a restaurant, an owners clubhouse with pool, health club, verandah, various activities including excercise classes, floral design, mommy and me programs, Bunco, Poker, various lectures, holiday decorating shows, concerts, pot luck dinners, meet your neighbors coffee's, and more. We've also got a tot lot, tennis courts, and basketball cout. Our fees are about $170 a month, some of the classes/activities have a small additional fee (usually for supplies), but the pool & health club and recreational facilities except golf are free.

Anne

 

[Southern4sure]

Alot of non gated communities have HOA fees also but dont forget the CDD fees. Some communities have both like mine. Our HOA fee is small $60 a year but our CDD fee is roughly $2000 a year which is added into our taxes. We have our fees, taxes and such built into our mortgage. Our CDD fees are high compared to others but we have some amazing amenities.

 

[ChristmasElf]

We pay HOA dues every quarter and do live in a gated community. There are people who think that gated communities are safer, I for one could care less if there is a gate or not as several times during the year for whatever reason, the gate remains open overnite and someone has to come out and look at why that happened.
Another thing that I hate to see is when the landscapers rip out perfectly good landscaping, just to replace it with something else in the efforet to say they did something with the HOA money

 

[luvwinnie]

Leave beautiful MAINE for hot, sticky Florida?

 

[ducklite]

We pay HOA dues every quarter and do live in a gated community. There are people who think that gated communities are safer, I for one could care less if there is a gate or not as several times during the year for whatever reason, the gate remains open overnite and someone has to come out and look at why that happened.

I take it you don't have a guard?

Another thing that I hate to see is when the landscapers rip out perfectly good landscaping, just to replace it with something else in the efforet to say they did something with the HOA money

I would definitely take this up with your HOA. Our board recently decided to spend extra moeny this year to replace almost all the seasonal annuals with year round hardy perreniels so we can save $$ in the long run. (They are leaving the one small bed at the very front of the community with seasonal annuals due to popular demand--and that one bed is costing less than $1 per home per year.) Our dues actually went down this year, so I think our HOA is doing a great job at cutting costs while still maintaining a great community.

Anne

 

[luvflorida]

The only real difference between a gated community and most other communities is the gate, seriously.

Is the meaning really that literal? If there is no physical gate outside the property, it isn't considered a gated community?

 

[luvflorida]

Alot of non gated communities have HOA fees also but dont forget the CDD fees. Some communities have both like mine. Our HOA fee is small $60 a year but our CDD fee is roughly $2000 a year which is added into our taxes. We have our fees, taxes and such built into our mortgage. Our CDD fees are high compared to others but we have some amazing amenities.

I have to ask, what are CDD fees?

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Is the meaning really that literal? If there is no physical gate outside the property, it isn't considered a gated community?

Yes it is that literal. Gate = gated community. No Gate = non-gated community.

 

[Feralpeg]

I live in Lakes Of Windermere. It is not a gated community. We pay about $750 year HOA fees. The fees cover maintenance of the pool, playgrounds, tennis courts and landscaping and maintenance of all common areas.

I actually prefer having a non-gated area, but have friends living in gated areas such as Lake Butler Sound, Keene's Point and Isleworth. Any time we want to go to their homes, we have to have them all ahead so the guards will let us through. It's kind of a pain. If you live in a gated community, your HOA dues will also cover the cost of employing guards 24/7. Also, the city does not always agree to maintain the roads in gated communities. If that is the case, the homeowners must pay to keep the roads up as well.

There has been some talk about making my neighborhood a gated community once all phases of bulding are complete. I will say that it would cut down on a couple of problems. We have people we come into our neighborhood, who do not live in our neighborhood, to fish from the dock. They also use the soccor field and playground equipment. They can't get into the pool without a key, so that is off limits. Many of the people I see doing this are the construction workers and their families that are working for the builder. I would really hope this stops once the building is complete. After all, I pay for the upkeep of these things. They don't!

 

[dcgrumpy]

Is the meaning really that literal? If there is no physical gate outside the property, it isn't considered a gated community?

If you're thinking of moving to FL most communities will have a HOA whether or not they are gated.

 

[DancingBear]

A lot of folks think "gated community" means a gate attended by a guard. We rented two houses in a gated community near WDW over the least year, and it was just a gate with a keypad to punch a number into. The first time we went, construction was still going on in the community and the gate was open the entire time. The second time the keypad was working, but often we did not have to use it because someone had gone in recently and the gate had not yet closed. Also the exit gate opens automatically whenever you drive up to it, so you could always wait and drive in there after someone left. Plus, every delivery truck, garbage truck, etc., has to get the code, so it doesn't seem to offer anything except a little tag item to put into the advertisement.

 

[Southern4sure]

Not all communities have CDD fees, mainly newer communities. But CDD is basically - CDDs were created to shift the burden of building roads and utility lines away from cash-starved municipal and county governments. The massive costs of building the infrastructure are financed by the developer with a key CDD incentive: tax-free municipal bonds.

The bonds pay for not only roads and utilities, but also amenities such as clubhouses, pools, tennis courts and golf courses that entice middle-class buyers yearning for a more lofty lifestyle.

Rather than paying everything up front, homeowners pay the ultimate costs for the amenities over a span of 15 to 30 years.

A five-member CDD board, chosen by the developer, issues the bonds and levies taxes and assessments on the homeowners, who pay the added fees along with their county and city taxes. It is only when most of the homes in a development are sold, and all the crucial initial decisions have already been made, that homeowners can begin to sit on the board.

We are not considered "gated" but we do have a ranger station (guard) that stops every car. Non residents tag # and last name are recorded. We have 3 gated sections within our guarded community....

 

[luvflorida]

I live in Lakes Of Windermere. It is not a gated community. We pay about $750 year HOA fees. The fees cover maintenance of the pool, playgrounds, tennis courts and landscaping and maintenance of all common areas.

Okay, so non-gated communities also have HOA fees. I was thinking maybe HOA fees were only associated with gated communities or condo/townhouse subdivisions. I guess I'm not really seeing the advantages to a gated community.

I've spent quite a bit of time online looking at homes in Lakes of Windermere and I'm liking what I see. I was surprised to find that there are quite a few homes for sale. I also want to check out the surrounding neighborhoods. Are there any that you would NOT recommend? Thanks!

 

[ChristmasElf]

I take it you don't have a guard?


response by ChristmasElf: Most of the gated communities on 535, Apopka Vineland, Windermere and DP don't have guards, just the gates

I would definitely take this up with your HOA. Our board recently decided to spend extra moeny this year to replace almost all the seasonal annuals with year round hardy perreniels so we can save $$ in the long run. (They are leaving the one small bed at the very front of the community with seasonal annuals due to popular demand--and that one bed is costing less than $1 per home per year.) Our dues actually went down this year, so I think our HOA is doing a great job at cutting costs while still maintaining a great community.

Anne

AN HOA that had their dues go down??? Must be nice. Although ours haven't been increased, so I should knock on some wood.

 

[ChristmasElf]

Okay, so non-gated communities also have HOA fees. I was thinking maybe HOA fees were only associated with gated communities or condo/townhouse subdivisions. I guess I'm not really seeing the advantages to a gated community.

I've spent quite a bit of time online looking at homes in Lakes of Windermere and I'm liking what I see. I was surprised to find that there are quite a few homes for sale. I also want to check out the surrounding neighborhoods. Are there any that you would NOT recommend? Thanks!

This whole area is very nice. All the way down 535 has nice neighborhoods, I can't think of any that are ones to avoid.