What is all this HOA stuff...is it an AZ thing?? (sales, foreclosed)

[mattymatty26]

thank you all for your input, HOAs dont sound like something we want to deal with but i guess it all depends on the specific rules....not looking for someone to tell me what shrubs to plant! does anyone know if any CCRs are posted online? I mean, if we find a house we like somewhere, can we look up that subdivisions HOA and find out ahead of time if its anal retentive or not? (my husband is a medically retired vet and im a housewife, but neither of us are down with anal retentive jerks )

[Bideshi]

Never buy in HOA jurisdiction. Never.

[mcol]

What we've always done is ask the realtor or find out if there are any restrictions in the area, or any HOA's involved. If there are, we aren't interested.

[dacubz]

I bought an investment property in Peoria that initially had an HOA fee of $35 per month. At closing it had increased to $55 per month. I guess that the existing homes are paying for the empty ones as well now. I can't figure out what the HOA does besides complain about garbage cans being out too soon (done) and paint color (repainted, the new HOA has no idea what is acceptable, but we stayed safely close in color). I can see the need for HOA's in areas where there is grass to cut, and snow to plow like there is in the midwest, but what the hell are they actually using my money for? There is a common park in the subdivision.. whoopie! Damn expensive park.

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by dacubz

I bought an investment property in Peoria that initially had an HOA fee of $35 per month. At closing it had increased to $55 per month. I guess that the existing homes are paying for the empty ones as well now. I can't figure out what the HOA does besides complain about garbage cans being out too soon (done) and paint color (repainted, the new HOA has no idea what is acceptable, but we stayed safely close in color). I can see the need for HOA's in areas where there is grass to cut, and snow to plow like there is in the midwest, but what the hell are they actually using my money for? There is a common park in the subdivision.. whoopie! Damn expensive park.

Simple answer, Dacubz . . . attend an HOA Board Meeting and find out. Unfortunately, you are probably correct about the empty homes not paying their fair share but that's happening just about everywhere with this wonderful economy.

By the way . . . GREAT Screen Name.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Can you imagine what our neighborhoods would look like in these times with all the renters and empty houses? The HOAs crack the whip on the landlords and banks.

Haaa,haaa,haa,haaa, sure they do. I can imagine rather vividly what the neighborhoods you describe look like as there are many right now. It seems to be more the rule than the exception in many subdivisions due to the amount of foreclosures that have and are happening.
HOA's can only force a bank to do so much and only when the bank actually gets control of the property which takes a bunch of time. I'm looking at a house right down the street that's been overgrown with weeds and all the landscaping is well beyond dead and has been that way for months now and there's many more like that in other parts of the subdivision.
I wish the HOA's would/could do more. I always wondered if they could have the gardeners for the subdivision fix the issue (after proper notification) and then lien the house so they get paid when it finally sells.

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by jimj

Haaa,haaa,haa,haaa, sure they do. I can imagine rather vividly what the neighborhoods you describe look like as there are many right now. It seems to be more the rule than the exception in many subdivisions due to the amount of foreclosures that have and are happening.
HOA's can only force a bank to do so much and only when the bank actually gets control of the property which takes a bunch of time. I'm looking at a house right down the street that's been overgrown with weeds and all the landscaping is well beyond dead and has been that way for months now and there's many more like that in other parts of the subdivision.
I wish the HOA's would/could do more. I always wondered if they could have the gardeners for the subdivision fix the issue (after proper notification) and then lien the house so they get paid when it finally sells.

The problem is, if the HOA sends gardeners to the property for "self help", it's trespassing, so it's very difficult to do that.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

The problem is, if the HOA sends gardeners to the property for "self help", it's trespassing, so it's very difficult to do that.

I've seen several CC&R's that allow for just that. I've just never known an HOA to actually do it though.

[Jalhop]

Originally Posted by Stokes172

No pink and lemon lime color schemes...

I won't live in a neighborhood that doesn't allow for tacky colors. The alternative is often that only shades of beige are allowed, because that's all the group of neighbors can agree on.

[vjsoto]

Originally Posted by Jalhop

I won't live in a neighborhood that doesn't allow for tacky colors. The alternative is often that only shades of beige are allowed, because that's all the group of neighbors can agree on.

Even though I'm definately not a fan of pink and lime color schemes, I couldn't agree more. The HOA for the neighborhood we are currently living in requires that the house paint color *and* roof color must correlate to one of the originally built schemes. That basically means that if you want to paint your house a different shade of brown, you must also swap out your tile roof so that it matches the paint job.

At least the HOA is allowing solar panels on the roofs now. I guess they didn't have a choice when the builder started putting solar into the new houses as a green move-in incentive. I'll be having one installed later this fall, even if I have to deal with the crappy HOA approval process.