Q. My husband and I are considering buying a home in a gated community. He doesn’t like the idea of having to deal with a gate and doesn’t think that it provides any real security, as it is unmanned. But I think that a home in a gated community is more desirable and will hold its value better. Who is right?

–Stuart, Fla.

A. Numerous studies over the years have shown that security in gated communities is more a matter of perception than reality. For instance, in 2005, the Orlando Sentinel looked at sheriff’s reports over a four-year period on 1.400 Florida homes in both gated and ungated communities that were similar in price and location. The newspaper found nearly identical rates of burglaries and stolen cars in each. Only minor crimes, such as smash-and-grab thefts and vandalism, were lower in gated communities. Speeding was less of a problem, too, since cars had to slow at the entrances.

The gates weren’t much of a deterrent because they were often easy to get around or were left unlocked; and burglaries and thefts occurred even in communities were gates were manned. In some cases, access codes were widely known because residents regularly gave them to guests and workers who cut lawns, killed pests, walked dogs, cleaned houses and delivered pizza. Similarly, an analysis of national crime statistics done last year by University of Florida criminology student Nicholas Branic found that living in a gated community does not significantly influence a person’s likelihood of victimization.

Nevertheless, gated communities remain popular. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Housing Survey, 11 million households lived in gated communities in 2009, up from more than 7 million in 2001.

Although gated communities are often associated with celebrities and the wealthy, many spectacular homes in iconic upscale places such as Beverly Hills, Calif., Palm Beach, Fla., and Newport, R.I., are in ungated subdivisions. Conversely, developers often gate developments in sketchy neighborhoods to improve sales or rentals; homes there may well be worth less than similar ones in better surroundings. So it’s not necessarily true that residences in gated communities are more valuable than ones that are not.

However, it’s certainly true that owners in gated communities will pay higher homeowner’s association fees to keep up the entrance, maintain outdoor cameras and gates and possibly pay guards’ salaries. Over the years, these fees will add up to hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, so think carefully before you commit.

Paying for a gate may be worth it if you have small children and want to minimize their exposure to traffic. And, of course, gated communities have other advantages. Since these planned communities typically provide shared amenities like pools, exercise rooms and clubhouses, it’s easier to meet your neighbors on a daily basis than you would in a standard subdivision. Strict design regulations enforced by neighborhood associations also provide a more uniform look to streetscapes.

On the other hand, if you don’t want to be isolated from the larger community, hate fiddling with gate swipe cards and don’t want to be told what color to paint your mailbox or whether you can park a recreational vehicle in your driveway, then gated communities are probably not for you.

Write to June Fletcher at fletcher.june@gmail.com.

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