[JavaBrewer]

Hit or miss...mostly miss. I live in a gated community going on 10 years now and my prior 3 homes only 1 was not in a gated HOA. I appreciate HOA rules regarding maintenance and controlling community aesthetics which protect us from homeowners who refuse to water their lawn, keep 10K potted dead plants in the yard and paint their home a shade of Pepto-Bismol pink. The negatives, which can be substantial, are directly related to how active the HOA is. Fortunately our HOA is lacking in "Nazi" like members so it's pretty peaceful here unlike the HOAs of my past.

The gate simply limits the street traffic. It is not a security device. YMMV.