This weekend on Saturday afternoon we will all be busy helping out in our gated community opening up to all the local residents outside. This was discussed before and after had the the one child open up a lemonade stand for charity it was decided to do something this year. My grandson was going to do a popcorn stand so we decided no promises and will make that decision on the day. I am sure we will have hundreds of people attending and whatever charities are being supported will do very well.
Halloween is not something we do as a family, but over the years it is something that some families do and we will go as far as trick or treating this year. Those residents that do not want to partake in this will just have a sign outside saying no thank you or I guess just do not respond. I will be buying and stocking up on sweets tomorrow so whoever calls walks away with a smile.
Growing up these days as a child is not the same when we were growing up and why we have so many street smarts because we lived outside. There were always weirdos around yet we did not care and could take care of ourselves. Being able to ride your bike 60 km to the beach for the day was just normal and not a special outing.
We had the start of ATARI tv games when I was around 13 and the Commodore computer, but outside was where we wanted to be and why things are just different these days. This may sound a little weird that we are offering bike rides for kids, but the truth is you do not see kids riding bikes in their neighborhoods.
Security and being aware of crime is something that you are just raised with and having our gated community available for the kids is actually a big deal. All that is missing here is a park where they can run around and kick a ball.
Our community has two gates a top gate and bottom gate with the bottom gate opening for one day each year which makes this gated community legal. The top gate has an armed guard who monitors and screens visitors who have to sign in and out. We have cameras at the entrance points plus coverage of the two main streets.
This weekend we will still have guards in place at both gates monitoring who comes in and out so there is no worries of unwanted guests. The upside is those outside can see how we live and the difference having a secure area to live in and how much freedom you have. This is where the value lies and why we can ask a premium for the properties which is worth an extra 25%-30%. Properties sell very quickly and you never see a for sale sign and just a sold sign.
We have been contacted regularly by various estate agents due to demand in the area testing the water to see if we are thinking of selling. These open days to the public will fuel that demand because there is such a big difference living on the inside compared to outside in the wild west. Every Friday and Saturday night without fail we hear gunshots echoing around the valley and know something bad is going down.