Oak Creek RR Are HOA documents top secret? (Austin, Round Rock: sale, real estate)

[Megan1967]

I am interested in looking at a house in Oak Creek and I wrote to ask to see a copy of the rules and regulations for the HOA and got this response:

We can not send out a copy of these rules and regulations. These can only be given to homeowners or someone who is closing on a home since
they are given to the title company before closing.

I don't have time to waste looking at houses I could never buy (I have 6 cats and a dog) so I really need to know this prior to planning my house hunting trip.

Anyone in Oak Creek willing to risk telling me what the pet restrictions are? Sheez....

[TexasHorseLady]

Oh, now, that's silly. Many HOA's have their restrictions posted on their websites - it's not like these are a deep, dark secret.

Ask them which title company they tend to use and ask that title company for a copy, or ask a real estate agent to get you a copy. You could even ask the listing agent to send you a copy.

The Oak Creek Homeowner's Association website is here, for what it's worth.

[austin-steve]

What the HOA told you is correct, though it's true that many simply have them posted on the website.

Why not simply ask if the HOA rules limit the number of pets? (most I've seen limit to 4 pets, no more of 3 of one kind).

Your purchase contract will have a provision that says the HOA docs have to be delivered to you withing a certain number of days. After you receive and review the docs, you can terminate the contract for any reason. But I agree that with 6 pets it's better to find out ahead of time.

Good luck.

Steve

[Trainwreck20]

I suspect that the HOA just doesn't have a budget/manpower/system to make copies of the contract. When it is related to a sale of a house, I suspect the work (and cost) is passed on to someone else.

[TexasHorseLady]

FWIW, you'd also want to check the Round Rock regulations regarding number of pets. I know that Austin has a 4 cat limit. (One reason we live in the country - not only did we have too many cats to live in town, HOA or not, but the horses just wouldn't fit on our lot in Barton Hills!)

I understand you wanting to read the HOA restrictions BEFORE you make an offer - it should be part of the process of deciding how much you want to offer and whether you even want to be looking in that neighborhood, for that matter. Yes, you do get a copy per the contract AFTER you have a contract, but that can lead to a waste of time for everyone concerned. A good listing agent will have a copy available (or a link to the HOA's website where they are) to give to your agent upon request. Once scanned, it's easy enough to send them to anyone requesting them via email (if they're not posted to the website, and that should be one of the most basic things posted to a HOA's website, far more important than other things), so finances shouldn't be an issue for a well-run HOA.

[Raskolnikov]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

What the HOA told you is correct, though it's true that many simply have them posted on the website.

Why not simply ask if the HOA rules limit the number of pets? (most I've seen limit to 4 pets, no more of 3 of one kind).

Your purchase contract will have a provision that says the HOA docs have to be delivered to you withing a certain number of days. After you receive and review the docs, you can terminate the contract for any reason. But I agree that with 6 pets it's better to find out ahead of time.

Good luck.

Steve

Steve, why would someone want to invest their time and money and energy placing a contract on a house, just to cancel it and lose money once they see the HOA documents. Sorry I find this answer annoying, as they should just give him a copy. Even if they didn't they shouldn't be so rude. I wouldn't buy there based on that.

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by Raskolnikov

Steve, why would someone want to invest their time and money and energy placing a contract on a house, just to cancel it and lose money once they see the HOA documents. Sorry I find this answer annoying, as they should just give him a copy. Even if they didn't they shouldn't be so rude. I wouldn't buy there based on that.

In this case, the buyer would NOT want to make an offer, as you say. I think I mentioned that in the answer. The pet issue would need to be cleared up first. For people without special situations, they may still want to read the HOA rules first, but they are mostly the same boilerplate among different communities.

The HOA has a business to run and they can't simply respond to and provide free HOA docs to every random person who asks. I do think the the basic rules and regs should be online though, for this very reason.

Steve

[TexasHorseLady]

You'd be surprised the things that it turns out, besides pets, that are a dealbreaker that pop up in HOA restrictions. Things that I (or you) wouldn't think would be a concern at all, frequently. Things that it wouldn't occur to the potential buyer would even be an issue that would be addressed in HOA restrictions.

Thus, my advice, if you're looking in a HOA area, is to read the restrictions right off the bat, as it appears the OP is attempting to do. Not only saves time, but potentially saves money, aggravation,and disappointment from falling in love with a home, making an offer, and THEN finding out they don't want you to use HEB brand toilet tissue, which you love, and it's written into the restrictions (to come up with the most off-the-wall comparison I can just to make a point).

[jwb123]

The city of Round Rock does not have any pet limitations.

[TexasHorseLady]

Thanks, Jenbar. These things change so fast that I wouldn't want to say without going and checking and am tapdancing and juggling as fast as I can this morning as it is!