[slusher]

Would you a buy a home with a Home owner's association? Does it help or hurt the resell ability of a home? Do people in CT prefer homes with HOA or without?

Thanks.

[JViello]

They are a pretty rare thing here. As for desirability, I can't say, all I can tell you is I prefer NOT to have one.

[skel1977]

They are good if you dont want to mow your lawn or shovel snow(condominium). They are bad because you have to follow their rules. So they can be both good and bad.

It really depends on the management company that the HOA hires and also those that they elect to be on the board.

Since they are all different, i would check into the management company of the place you are buying to see if they are good or bad.

If its a house and not a condo id say you probably wont want one.

[EHCT]

I had never heard of an HOA until I moved to Maryland years ago. They’re very popular down here for some reason, especially in the newer/more expensive housing developments. All things considered, I would prefer not to have one. However, I’ve run into a number of people who wouldn’t dare move into a neighborhood without an HOA. Their reasoning is that HOA’s prevent people from doing things that could potentially ruin the property values in the neighborhood (read: investment). For instance, if someone has a boat, some HOA’s would prevent the owner from parking the boat in the front yard or on the side of the house. HOA’s also ensure that lawns and bushes are maintained. They may also have guidelines dictating what color your house can be painted or guidelines about inoperable or unregistered cars left in driveways for significant stretches of time.

Since HOA’s are self-governing, they can evolve into very powerful entities depending on the area. Also, because HOA’s are self-governed, many of their rules have the appearance of being developed arbitrarily and seem inconsistent with their stated mission. The fees associated with HOA’s are very high in some areas as well. People have been known to lose their homes for not being able to pay their HOA dues.

Once again, my personal opinion of HOA’s is that they are more trouble than they are worth. However, I doubt that selling a house within a neighborhood having an HOA would detract from the home’s value. There are many people who swear by HOA’s because they value the idea of their neighborhood being guaranteed to maintain a certain appearance. Having been born and raised in CT, I doubt that most people there would be on board with the idea of restrictive neighborhood HOA’s.

[andthentherewere3]

I would never move into a home with a HOA.

[slusher]

thanks everyone. ya i'm mainly concerned about resale, as the neighborhood seems nice and most of the rules don't seem to strict. It is a single family home though with a HOA. Its basically described as a PUD. the dues range from $100-200 a year and thats for mantaining the common areas (aka some trees, sidewalks and a small park that basically has a few swings). So far they haven't gone higher then $155 a year but they can fluctuate.
My relative still seems unsure about what to do. I haven't been too helpful in pointing them one way or another.

If i'm basing things on the attitudes to HOA from the posts here though I guess I'd lean against them as it seems most people in CT have options w/o a HOA and don't really like them. I'm not a big fan of them myself but the property is nice, fairly new - build in 1994, and is in a good neighbordhood with berlin turnpike a close drive away for easy access to stores/shopping/gyms/etc...

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by slusher

thanks everyone. ya i'm mainly concerned about resale, as the neighborhood seems nice and most of the rules don't seem to strict. It is a single family home though with a HOA. Its basically described as a PUD. the dues range from $100-200 a year and thats for mantaining the common areas (aka some trees, sidewalks and a small park that basically has a few swings). So far they haven't gone higher then $155 a year but they can fluctuate.
My relative still seems unsure about what to do. I haven't been too helpful in pointing them one way or another.

If i'm basing things on the attitudes to HOA from the posts here though I guess I'd lean against them as it seems most people in CT have options w/o a HOA and don't really like them. I'm not a big fan of them myself but the property is nice, fairly new - build in 1994, and is in a good neighbordhood with berlin turnpike a close drive away for easy access to stores/shopping/gyms/etc...

It isn't too common to see HOA's for Single Family houses. Usually you only see it when there is a shared driveway(interior lots) situation.

[slusher]

would that deter people from buying?

[mels]

Most people I know in this area would NOT buy a home that was part of an HOA, myself included. Condos, fine. But my own free standing house? No way.

[JayCT]

Some times there is an HOA to just maintain a common area like a wetland (some towns don't want that responsibility or expense). Sometimes it is more involved where they can control what you do to your home. I think if they are there to just maintain a common area, that is fine. If they do more than that, then I would be cautious. That is when people in this area will think twice about buying the place. Jay