Does anyone know much about gated communities in the US? Specifically, is there much variation in property values between houses in the same compound? I've read that they're pretty uniform places, but I wonder if the Thompsons might be considered "poor", as they could only afford the house at the end, the one with formica, rather than granite, countertops and no transom windows above the front door. Something like that anyway, a way to create a certain economic tension between neighbors. Thoughts?
Yeah, there can be differences. Depends on the community. I grew up on the Space Coast and gated subdivisions are the norm, though I did not live in one. My family's house was in an older 60's neighborhood along the water. Regardless, it depends on the interior setup of the community. Some are extremely uniform and values will be very stable. Others can be as variable as being made up of mostly single family homes, but also containing a small section of condos in the same community. The differences you note in your OP are de rigueur things to note in the community pecking order, absolutely. In such communities, it doesn't take much difference for certain mindsets to start drawing lines between us and them. ETA: And it can really depend on perspective. Like, where I lived, the homes were all mid century modern, sprawling affairs that harkened back to the heyday of Cape Canaveral. People living in newer communities thought of us as backward "townies" and we thought of the people in the newer communities as crass snowbirds constantly kvetching about how everything was better back in whatever New England state they had moved from. (sorry, didn't expect all that to unspool from your question)
Sorry, more memoroids keep popping up... At least in Florida (and I'm betting in other "retirement states" too), a gated community is synonymous with a planned community. Planned communities have someone at the apex of the planning scheme who is looking to make money off this little shangri la s/he has put together. It doesn't always go according to plan, the desired clientele is not always found, and sometimes things change course. I've been in such communities that have like a "phase one" and "phase two" deal going on where you can see where things took a dramatic turn to attract a different kind of home buyer. This can set up quite a bit of tension when residents of "phase one" were looking to ensconce themselves in a comfy little bubble that doesn't include the likes of those now moving into "phase two". Palm Bay Florida is a great example of this, where a volatile housing boom in the early 80's gave birth to all sorts of situations like this. It also gave birth to strange tracts of land where there were neighborhood streets all paved and ready for houses, but no houses.... ever. (I learned how to drive a car in one of these "ghost neighborhoods". Okay... I'm done now. Non-Floridians may feel free to respond. ETA: And just in case you needed proof....
I was born and raised in California, the land of gated communities/homeowner associations and whatnot. So, no, in most of these type of situations there isn't a huge disparity between the wealth of one neighbor to the next. There are exclusive gated communities down to very middle class and even lower class homeowner associations, though only upper middle class and exclusive communities will be gated. Homeowner associations have all kinds of bylaws that govern what you can and cannot do with your property, and make sure residents don't let their homes fall into disrepair. It's all about property values and making sure a neighborhood keeps its value and everyone is happy-happy. For an idea what such a community looks like, here's where I lived in San Clemente many moons ago... in fact it was in this community that I bought my first house when I was 26, when homes there sold for 130,000 - 160,000. Boy do I ever wish I'd held on to that house, as they sell now sell for $650,000 and up! Oh well, of my many vices greed isn't among them. So not such a big deal. http://www.bcre.com/villagio-san-clemente-ca.php
I’ve worked on a few of those communities; Yankee Trace, Grand Terrace, Victoria Commons in SW Ohio. A big chunk of the value is linked to the exclusiveness of the compound, prices are often boosted to reinforce that exclusive feel. It’s all image and little substance. HOA fees are usually high, but the services the fees cover in some private communities are still provided by the local municipality- sewer, water, snow and waste removal- the translation being ‘if you can’t afford to live here, you aren’t good enough to live here’. Many of the houses built early in the development are going to be spec houses (speculation). Some builders love doing spec houses. Not having a peaky client griping about deadlines and fixtures can be liberating, but if the house doesn’t sell by the time the building loan comes due profits get real thin real fast. Custom homes represent less risk, but bigger headadaches if the client is a pain in the ass. Either way, custom or spec, the similarities are mostly on the outside to keep with the HOA conformity rules. Inside the homeowners are free to do what they want. Formica counter tops are not uncommon, to make money available to spend on something else. Cheaper counter tops mean more expensive cabinets, cheaper light fixtures mean better flooring. Cut corners here- spend more there and still sell the building for as much as the place next door. It’s all about image. Health issues forced me out of the building trades a while ago, now I just work on my own house and make my wife nervous.
Where I live, gated communities have a reputation for being more expensive and meant for the upper middle class. The houses there are all built around the same time by the same company, so they tend to be pretty similar. Like, there might be fifty houses in a community but the construction company only used five different blueprints, making multiples of the same houses but mixing them up to to give the illusion of variety. So it’s unlikey that your character’s house would be the only one without a certain kind of window. And being at the end of the road wouldn’t decrease the property’s value unless that location somehow forces the property to have a smaller backyard or something.
