Saturday, July 7, 2007

America's Top 5 Private Gated Communities


When looking for a private gated community it can be a bit difficult to find the best one for you. You may want luxury or great golf, or perhaps a mixture of the two. More than likely you want to look at gated communities that offer you beautiful homes, safety, fabulous architecture and landscaping, as well as out of this world golf. If this sounds like what you are looking for then the following five private communities are just what you are looking for.

Colleton River PlantationColleton River Plantation is a wonderful gated community and it is just a couple miles away from the bridge into Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. There are over 1500 acres in this gated community that are surrounded by the Chechessee and Colleton rivers to really give residents a laidback lifestyle.

The Cliffs at GlassyIn Greenville, South Carolina you will find The Cliffs at Glassy. This private community has an outstanding Tom Jackson golf course that is situated in the mountains. This community has won numerous rewards over the years for its amazing style of living and you will love it to. There is a 24,000 square foot clubhouse, outdoor pool, nature trails, and more.

Desert Mountain Located in Scottsdale, Arizona, Desert Mountain is a fabulous gated community to call home. There are more than 8,000 private acres and there are even five different golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus. There is even a sixth Jack Nicklaus course in the planning stages.

Reynolds Plantation Located about an hour east of Atlanta, Georgia, sits Reynolds Plantation. This is perhaps the most beautiful and prestigious gated community in all of Georgia. There are 81 holes of golf, Lake Oconee with its 80 miles of shoreline, and a wide array of real estate from cottages to sites and homes as well.

The Cliffs at Walnut Grove Another award winning Cliffs community is the one in Asheville, NC. The community is surrounded by the Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The community is inspired by European villages. This city is frequently ranked as one of the nation’s best places to live and this is the only gated private golf community, which makes it even more prestigious. There are of course other private golf communities in the United States that are beautiful and wonderful places to live. These just happen to be the best five right now.

Caitlina Fuller writes about famil, finance and real estate. There are many private golf communities in the United States that are beautiful and wonderful places to live. Located about an hour east of Atlanta, Georgia, sits Reynolds Plantation. This is perhaps the most beautiful and prestigious gated community in all of Georgia.

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Shocking Fact Most African American Homeowners Are Ignoring


While many black homeowners have overcome the odds and purchased the American Dream, a glaring fact remains that many black homeowner ignore. It's a word that on the minds and lips of a growing number of social, political and black activist.

The word is "Gentrification." The Wikepedia encyclopedia defines gentrification this way. "When low-cost, physically deteriorated neighborhoods undergo physical renovation and an increase in property values." This is quickly followed by an influx of wealthier residents who often displace the prior lower income residents.

Gentrification comes from the word "gentry", meaning people of gentle birth, good breeding, or high social position. This is a term symbolizing the arrival of wealthier people in a historically lower or middle income community.

Gentrification normally refers to changes in lower or middle income neighborhoods. It begins when a declining and usually partially abandoned neighborhood starts to look attractive to housing speculators and quick profit opportunist.

Many opponents of gentrification point out the human cost to a neighborhood's lower and middle income residents and homeowners. Because of gentrification, lower income homeowners face higher property taxes and other related cost.

Gentrification is slowly and quietly causing painful realities in more urban centers across the country. In addition, rural counties also report this phenomenon coming to lower income white communities.

Gentrification often starts slowly and builds momentum quickly like a snowball. The harm usually comes unintentionally to the existing population by the incoming population.
Gentrification is where higher income households displace lower income residents of a neighborhood. When this happens, affordable housing slowly disappears for low and middle-income residents.

Because gentrification gains momentum by land speculation to begin with, many opponents suggest removing specific land from the open market. Doing this could help to keep property prices from rising beyond the reach of low and middle class residents and prevent displacement of current residents.

More politicians must act to create and preserve affordable housing to balance upscale development caused by increased gentrification. If not, more low and middle class African-American and Latino households will continue to risk the danger of displacement.

How Gentrification Affects Low and Middle Income Black Homeowners. The quickest way black homeowners feel the effects of gentrification comes through the jolt of a property tax increase.
Property taxes base their calculation on a percentage of a property's assessed value. So, as property values increase in a neighborhood, municipalities will reassess the values of properties within gentrifying communities.

This often results in higher property taxes for the neighborhood's homeowners. If the homeowners cannot afford the tax increases, they must sell or risk losing their home. If you're a renter, the landlord will simply pass the increase to you in the form of a rent increase. This happens everyday in increasing numbers.

The increase in property taxes can sometimes force low and middle-income homeowners and those on fixed incomes to sell their homes and seek refuge in cheaper neighborhoods, towns or even states.

The positive side to this coin (if there is one) is if you're a homeowner facing rising property taxes, unlike renters you stand to gain from rising house values and equity.

Creating more affluent neighborhoods through gentrification does raise a city's tax base, which in turn could lead to better services for all of its citizens. That's why it's important to elect public officials who are sensitive to the topic of gentrification. Find out where public officials who seek your vote stand on the subject of gentrification.

Roy Primm Founder and Publisher of BlackHomeOwnerNews.com the largest source of information for black homeowners. Subscribe to free newsletter and receive the latest home value increasing tips, free government grants benefiting homeowners. Get free ebook 99 Ways To Live Better On Less Money at ...ShoppersCoach.com

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