Most Canadians who call us about purchasing a home in the Phoenix area immediately say they want a gated community. Gated Communities have both pros and cons. It is our experience that most people want to buy in a gated community because of the perceived level of security. Unfortunately, that is all it provides – a PERCEPTION of security. Cars simply follow each other through the gates without proper access. There really is very little extra security provided by gates. Security does increase substantially with MANNED gated (ie: a security guard standing at the gate 24 hrs per day) but most of those communities are exorbitantly expensive. A gate provides very little increased security. A gate also costs more for your home owners association monthly fee. Gated communities will cost you a higher HOA fee than a community without gates. Phoenix and Scottsdale are very safe cities but if you are concerned about security we recommend investing in a personal electronic security system for your home. It will cost you approximately $300 for the system and $40 per month. It can easily be monitored from Canada and will provide you with peace of mind. We are happy to refer you to Phoenix security companies which we recommend.
Marc Brodeur
Realtor
www.ThePhoenixExperts.com
1-800-300-0263
