[robojester]

Thanks for all the input?

Any specific sugestions from those who love theirs?

[Everdeen]

You may get letters for stupid stuff like - you left your hose across your driveway. At first, these things really pissed me off as we were getting something every month. You just have to remember that they are courtesy reminders and not a big deal. I had a neighbor who was really a PITA and would constantly cause trouble via the HOA and the police. (Retiree who had way too much time on his hands.)

Some HOA's are very restrictive, especially in gated communities. A friend of mine lives in a community where all residents' cars must be parked in the garage at all times. That's what she likes, though.

[nfapps]

Originally Posted by robojester

Thanks for all the input?

Any specific sugestions from those who love theirs?

You'll just need to do your due diligence and make sure the HOA is well managed. With HOA's that are professionally managed, it's fairly easy to make email contact or phone contact with the community manager. Ask them for input about the community and see what they say. For our community I did so before we purchased and they were quick to bring up the parking restrictions to make sure we were aware of them. You might also want to find out the history of the dues, and how often they have historically been raised.

Once you've narrowed it down, you can always post on here asking about a specific community. Be sure to interpret answers, some residents get all bent out of shape if they get a courtesy notice for weeds in their front yard - others just go pluck the weeds and have no problem with the HOA doing their job reasonably. Other HOAs are very picky, as another poster stated the board members must have way too much time on their hands and end up being heavy handed for no reason.

Best of Luck!

[NLVgal]

Originally Posted by Everdeen

^ This.

My home is located in a community that has very few amenities, so our dues are pretty low. There are some neighborhoods close to mine that are non HOA that I would not want to live in because they have gone downhill so much. Built at the same time, too.



A word of warning: That's a thankless job and you will have a lot of people mad at you all the time.

That is true. My neighbors are already afraid of me though, so no big deal.

My neighborhood is managed by RMI. I can't complain too much about them. Again, it depends who sits on the board.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by robojester

All I have ever hear here in MN is that the fees go up often, and that hiring our the yard work ect your self would be cheaper in the long run.

Not to interested in condos or town houses.
Seems with the fees they cost about the same as a house.

Just gathering intel for a possible relocation.

I pay $155 per month for my HOA outside of Chicago. It covers the following:

Garbage removal
Landscaping
Snow removal
Street lights
Insurance on buildings
Capital projects (replacement of roof, siding, etc.)
Maintenance projects (repair of sidewalks, driveways, etc
Legal fees

Could I do it for less, certainly. I do NOT want to give up my weekends to do the lawn work, landscaping, and snow removal. It is great to see all the snow piled up when I am ready to head to work in the AM.

Most of the people who are "doing it cheaper" are NOT putting the money aside for repairs or long term projects that will eventually need to be done.

==================================


I love HOAs and the rules. Go around Las Vegas and visit some of the neighborhoods that do NOT have them. For example, I saw one house where the guy had SIX fullsized F-250 trucks parked on this lawn and in every available space on the street. I am glad that I am not living on that street. I don't want the guy next door running a car repair business out of his garage.

[lvoc]

Originally Posted by BBMW

I think this needs to be approached from both directions.

First decide if you are the type of person that can deal with HOA restrictions. Want to paint your house lavender, with lime green trim? Whant to restore your '57 Chevy in your driveway? Then likely, a house in an HOA neighborhood is not for you. If you want a neighborhood where your neighbors will NOT be doing those things, than an HOA is for you.

If you do get an HOA, you need to do some due diligence on how well it's run. Having a go lawyer doing your closing can help you with this.

Finally, if you're in an HOA, you might want to get on the board. Other in a PITA factor. But you will know what's going on, and have a higher degree of control.

Lawyers do not do closings in NV. They are expensive specialists here and most would have no idea how to vet an HOA. Note that getting a correct story on an HOA is not simple. Probably your best shot is to read the documentation you received particularly the finances and the recent meeting minutes. Might also check on good old Google. You can't get much on a good HOA but the troubled ones often have a history.

I might also note that working on cars in driveways is pretty much forbidden where ever you live. Cars must have a current registration and appear operable to be in sight. The paint example is true...I know one cul-de-sac where one guy got colorful and the neighbors joined him.

[BBMW]

Agents handle the paperwork for closings, I assume then? Probably cheaper, but opens up all sorts of cans or worms, especially for the buyer.

Didn't know about the car thing. I know trying to operated an auto repair type business would probably trip over the what little zoning Clark County has. But I thought a hobby car would be okay outside of an HOA.

Originally Posted by lvoc

Lawyers do not do closings in NV. They are expensive specialists here and most would have no idea how to vet an HOA. Note that getting a correct story on an HOA is not simple. Probably your best shot is to read the documentation you received particularly the finances and the recent meeting minutes. Might also check on good old Google. You can't get much on a good HOA but the troubled ones often have a history.

I might also note that working on cars in driveways is pretty much forbidden where ever you live. Cars must have a current registration and appear operable to be in sight. The paint example is true...I know one cul-de-sac where one guy got colorful and the neighbors joined him.

[MSchu]

what needs to be discussed is workable solutions for HOA issues that folks might encounter... ways for individual home owners that feel they are either being legitimately discriminated against by the HOA power monger or perhaps how to counter HOA boards that are being unreasonable or criminal in the way they administer or manage.

[lvoc]

Originally Posted by BBMW

Agents handle the paperwork for closings, I assume then? Probably cheaper, but opens up all sorts of cans or worms, especially for the buyer.

Didn't know about the car thing. I know trying to operated an auto repair type business would probably trip over the what little zoning Clark County has. But I thought a hobby car would be okay outside of an HOA.

The legal paperwork is handled by the escrow company which is generally also the title co. They are the same kind of paperwork mills that are closing lawyers in the east. I think in a few hundred transactions I have seen one screw up...wrong buyer on the deed...The Title Company fixed it. Interestingly the buyer wrongly on the deed was a lawyer. It should have been his mother.

There are numerous limits on what one can do at your home. While Clark County is relatively permissive it is not open season.

[Coco6163]

Originally Posted by lvoc

Lawyers do not do closings in NV. They are expensive specialists here and most would have no idea how to vet an HOA. Note that getting a correct story on an HOA is not simple. Probably your best shot is to read the documentation you received particularly the finances and the recent meeting minutes. Might also check on good old Google. You can't get much on a good HOA but the troubled ones often have a history.

I might also note that working on cars in driveways is pretty much forbidden where ever you live. Cars must have a current registration and appear operable to be in sight. The paint example is true...I know one cul-de-sac where one guy got colorful and the neighbors joined him.

While lawyers may not routinely "do closings" and many lawyers who do not focus on residential real estate sales may not have any "idea how to vet an HOA", suggesting that the closing process should be left to real estate agents and escrow officers is a great disservice to those contemplating what is likely the largest expense/investment they will make in their lives.

A lawyer who is experienced and competent in handling residential real estate sales in Nevada will most certainly know how to vet an HOA. Unfortunately, too many general practitioner type lawyers are willing to handle these matters and lack sufficient experience and training to adequately protect a buyer's interest. But a lawyer who knows what she is doing can be of great help to a buyer who is otherwise without expert knowledge about the unique evaluation of whether an HOA will be the kind of organization that the buyer wants to become part of.

Similarly, to suggest that the closing is handled by an escrow officer without a lawyer to help the buyer is undoubtedly an accurate statement of what typically happens. But again, for buyers not knowledgeable about what is happening at the closing and reflected in the documents being signed and exchanged, having a lawyer represent the buyer is an important safeguard. Escrow officers and companies act as fiduciaries. They are specifically not supposed to be looking out for the sole interest of any party to the transaction. They owe a duty to everyone involved in the transaction. While the escrow officer's job is to make sure the transaction is handled as the parties have instructed in their contract, that is the end of the escrow officer's discretion. Having a lawyer who is hired to look out only for the buyer's best interest is the best way to make sure that the buyer is not making any error through the closing process. Again, given the amount of money being spent on the transaction and the relatively small amount of money that it will cost to have a lawyer's assistance, people without substantial experience doing residential sales are making a mistake to do them without a lawyer.

Of course, a lawyer sometimes makes an agent's job harder. Real estate agents get paid to see a deal through its closing. While they have their ethical obligations to their clients, those obligations typically are neither as stringent nor as enforceable as the obligations that a lawyer has to represent that same client in protecting the client against harms that may arise from making a mistake when purchasing residential real estate. In addition, the fees being paid by the buyer for the agent's service are typically much higher than what would be paid to a lawyer. So agents often times do not want lawyers involved in the process. But that is the first sign that the agent is not looking out for the buyer's best interest first.