It is ironic that most of the gated communities I see are in communities with extremely low crime rates. There should be no premium for the gated community; you pay for the perceived added security in the form of high monthly HOA fees. Seems I am preaching to the choir here, but the marginal benefit gained (less traffic, enhanced security) are more than offset by the silly restrictions, ie, “you can paint your home any one of these shades of beige”. I am renting in a gated community in Carmel Valley and the neighborhood teenagers are just as rowdy (if not more so) that I was growing up in an older community in the East County. I personally don’t see the benefit…fact is in places like Santa Luz, between Mello-Roos and HOA fees, you are $800-1000 out of pocket every month before you’ve even started to pay towards the mortgage and property taxes…just makes no sense to me.
