The question of gated vs non-gated is always one of the first things to come up when I'm working with home buyers, particularly with people who are moving here from somewhere else are just beginning to figure out what's really important to them.
Gated communities offer more security, privacy, and an air of exclusivity.
And if you're buying a second home in the Tucson Foothills, which will be vacant for much of the year, a gated community may offer some additional peace of mind as well.
But of course that security and privacy comes at a price.
You'll pay higher HOA fees in a gated community, to maintain the gate and to pay the gate attendants if it's a guard-gated community.
And homes in gated communities tend to have more common areas and landscaping that needs to be maintained, and the streets in gated communities are common areas and owned by the association and must be maintained (patched, resurfaced, etc) by the association. And in general, homes in gated communities are more expensive than those in non-gated. The average list price of homes in gated communities today is $1,274,334. In non-gated it's $741,203.
But in my experience, whether it's a full time resident or a second home owner, for those who can afford it, being in a gated community is often preferred.
However, there is one big limiting factor in gated communities.
Gated communities are newer communities, with newer homes than non-gated.
And if you're looking for a home from the 30's or 40's, a great Joesler perhaps, you won't find that in a gated community in the Tucson Foothills. None of the original Catalina Foothills Estates are gated.
Here's a breakdown of homes for sale and sold in gated and
non-gated communities in the Tucson Foothills.
Currently there are 595 homes for sale in the Tucson Foothills.
232 of them, or 39%, are in gated communities.
363, or 61%, are in non-gated.
In the last 6 months 241 homes have sold in the Foothills.
82, or 34%, of the homes that sold are in gated communities, while 159, or 66%, are in non-gated communities.
That's the broad breakdown.
Here's how it shakes out by price, under and over $1,000,000.
0 - $999,999
421 homes for sale today
126, or 30%, are in gated communities
295, or 70%, are in non-gated communities
215 sold in the last 6 months
61, or 28%, are in gated communities
154, or 72% are in non-gated communities
Of those homes priced 0-$999,999 that sold,
-the average sold price in a gated community was $599,014
-the average sold price in a non-gated community was $483,094
1,000,000 & UP
174 homes for sale today
106, or 61%, are in gated communities
68, or 39%, are in non-gated communities
26 sold in the last 6 months
21, or 81%, are in gated communities
5, or 19%, are in non-gated communities
Of those $1,000,000 + homes that sold,
-the average sold price in a gated a community was $1,785,071
-the average sold price in a non-gated community was $1,135,000
For a quick search of homes in gated communities in the Foothills
see TheFoothillsToday.com
