Why Americans Keep Moving Into Gated Communities
CNBC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuXxGiLBe2k

Transkript (automatisch erstellt)

0:05 Florida is kind of the land of gated communities. People that are buying in Florida--they want the ease of
0:10 living. They want to live in Paradise without all the maintenance.
0:12 Lindsey Tronolone is a realtor in Palm Beach County, Florida, a hub for luxury real estate.
0:17 The area also boasts dozens of gated communities. Some sell waterfront condos, others have multi-million dollar
0:24 mansions. People are moving here for the Golf.
0:28 You're not going to pay $225,000 for a golf membership and not be using it.
0:32 Gated communities have been popular in the US for decades, especially in warmer states like Florida,
0:37 the southwest, or California. They attract retirees, golfers and growing families,
0:43 and recently young professionals too. While gated communities are quite varied,
0:47 they all offer privacy and a sense of exclusivity at a premium. The whole point of creating HOAs and possibly gating is to create
0:57 that location premium. You're essentially, you know, creating this,
1:01 this brand, this marketing, that this is a desirable place to live and that we will maintain it that way.
1:07 But there are some drawbacks, like high homeowner's association and membership fees, as well as restrictive policies.
1:14 They can also lack in diversity. You're paying a premium for living in a homogeneous environment.
1:21 So why are gated communities so popular in the U.S.? And are they worth the higher price tag?
1:25 CNBC toured three gated communities in Florida to learn more. The practice of gating and walling cities is as old as city building
1:46 itself. Yet the modern-day gated communities started spreading in US suburbs in the 60s as violent crimes rose between 1975 and 1980.
1:55 About 400,000 retirees moved to Florida, seeking lower taxes and better weather.
2:00 Gated communities were developed to meet their needs. As years passed, they continued to evolve.
2:06 After the Great Recession, being associated with exclusivity and luxury didn't really work well for their business model.
2:13 Gated communities have increasingly been focusing on sort of marketing themselves as more middle-class, average American communities.
2:21 We've got families that want to live in the gated communities because they're zoned for A-rated schools.
2:26 Now, in this market, it is a mix. Data on the exact number of gated communities in the US is limited,
2:32 and the Census Bureau groups anything in a secured space together. That includes trailer parks and public housing.
2:38 What we do know is that the number has been increasing for decades in other countries, especially the developing world
2:45 with higher rates of violent crimes. Safety is the main draw of a gated community.
2:49 It's a little different in the US. I think it's a little bit less tied to an actual need for security and
2:56 more to control access to the community. Maybe to restrict access to amenities that are there for the
3:02 residents. This community, Bay Reach in Lake Park,
3:05 Florida, has been around since the 80s. There are currently six properties up for sale,
3:11 including one of Lindsey's listings at $419,000 for a two-bedroom unit. This is a two bedroom, two bath just under 1000ft².
3:20 It also comes with a 30-foot boat slip and a one-car garage. Just over seven miles away is PGA National,
3:28 and its six golf courses. One hosts the annual PGA Championship.
3:33 There's also a hotel, spa, pool and dozens of other amenities. The price range varies; anything from a $200,000 condo to a
3:42 $2 million estate. And as of late June 2025, the community had 116 public
3:47 listings. What you're seeing behind me here is the main clubhouse pool.
3:52 We've also got at least three full-service restaurants here. Also, there's a coffee bar, and in the middle,
3:58 there's the Ibar. Frenchman's Reserve, around five miles northeast of PGA,
4:02 is one of the most high end gated communities in the area, open only to residents and their guests.
4:08 The average home here sells for about $3.9 million. These are typically going to be either full-time residents or
4:15 second homes for the person who's using them, or third homes or fourth homes.
4:19 There are more specific luxury amenities, I would say, in my opinion, in Frenchman's Reserve.
4:26 So not just your your pool, your tennis court, you know, your pickleball court. They also have an onsite spa,
4:32 a hair salon, a nail salon. They've got a full 24 over seven weight room with personal trainers.
4:45 Nationally, homes in gated communities are on average about 5 to 10% more expensive than homes in non-gated neighborhoods in the same
4:52 area. This number can be 15 to 20% on the highest ends, but that's not considering the additional fees that come with
4:59 living in these communities. Every gated community has an HOA that collects monthly fees and
5:05 facilitates upgrades, yet it can also dictate things like the color of your house or how many cars can be parked on the street.
5:12 People who would not be a good fit for a gated community are people that don't like to be told what to do with their property.
5:18 HOA fees for the three communities CNBC visited range, according to upkeep and amenities.
5:23 Every HOA is different, but in the well-maintained, popular ones, that's why people keep coming back.
5:29 That's why homes are selling off market quickly, because people want to live there, because they know their investment
5:35 is going to go the distance there. This home at Frenchman's Reserve sold in 2020 for $1.4 million.
5:42 It is now in the market for about $3.6 million. That's about a 5% higher appreciation rate than the national
5:48 average. That's why people are paying. To live here is to have the golf and
5:52 the spa and the kids club and the, you know, on call, concierge style service.
5:58 Aside from HOA fees, there are also membership fees, which can be tiered like at PGA at Frenchman's Reserve.
6:06 Membership is mandatory and cost between $115,000 and $225,000, and there are additional fees beyond that.
6:14 While not always the main reason why an American seeks out a gated community, security is a defining feature.
6:21 Some gates are manned, while others are not. If you're going to pay an HOA, do you perceive that it's for
6:26 something that's a value to you? If the HOA is only for some gated entrance with a guard who checks
6:31 people in and out, and there's no other amenity that might start to opt out, some people for whom that's not
6:36 really a value. Hoa rules around renting make it hard to turn most of these homes
6:40 into investment properties. After Covid, a lot of gated communities in Palm Beach County
6:46 put strict limits in place. If you're someone who wants to rent, maybe wants to do an Airbnb
6:50 option, You cannot do that in a gated community. Can't do it in an HOA. You have to have a standalone property.
7:01 One common critique is that gated communities can be isolating. There's a lot of people that say, yeah, I don't I don't want to live
7:07 in a country club community or behind a gate or behind a wall, or I want my kids to meet people from other,
7:14 you know, backgrounds, or I want to go to the community pool and not have my own so that they meet kids.
7:19 We're really seeing a priority set on gathering and making it an environment that invites people to come hang out and enjoy it.
7:26 Even the older communities are turning over and kind of revamping their social settings, which I think is really kind of
7:33 driving where the market is turning. A recent trend has been coupling gated communities with master
7:38 planned communities. It's a way for developers to try to capture more of the market that has
7:43 led to more economic and social diversity. The pandemic sparked corporate migration from the Northeast to
7:49 South Florida, and as a result, a lot of young professionals continue to relocate there.
7:55 And some have been buying into gated communities. They're not usually in their house for that long, and they want to
7:59 just have the security of not having to worry about the upkeep, the maintenance. You know, they're here to work and then move
8:04 somewhere else. While security is a big draw for some,
8:08 for others, it's the access to a community and to the amenities within the gate.
8:12 A lot of these communities are kind of turning towards this. Stay here. Don't leave to go to dinner or drinks or gym or pool or.
8:22 You know, we have it all right here. No reason for you to leave. Invite your friends. Show them how great it is. And let's make this a
8:28 bubble that people want to be a part of.