ESTATE IS SAFE, BUT LEISURE TIME IS LOST

SOME SUBURBS are dominated by free-standing homes, and have very few complexes or gated estates, says Myles Wakefield, chief executive of Wakefields Real Estate.

“If your children are being schooled there, and your place of work is there, it’s a tossup between a free-standing home close by, or hours on the road.”

“The perception is that living in a gated community is safer. Now, with many upmarket estates including retirement components, leisure facilities and even schools, living there almost replicates the alternative. But this is at the high end of the market.”

For most families, affordability rules. A family may like the idea of a gated estate but when comparing accommodation size, it doesn’t make sense, Wakefield says.

PICTURE: BART JAILLET GOING STRONG Many suburbs are still dominated by free-standing homes.|