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Sorry. Hey, I could be wrong. Actually have been a time or two If you're right, then I want that job, too! Maybe we could job share. Think we'll get a uniform and a badge to wear?
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
11,334 posts, read 26,083,811 times
Reputation: 3995
Quote:
Originally Posted by katie45
What are your opinions about HOAs? Are you currently paying dues at your community? Are they outrageious? Or do you think the monthly fee is justifiable (are you getting your money's worth)? I've been hearing more and more about homeowners being way overcharged and not receiving the services they are paying for.
It depends completely on the HOA.
I've lived in two neighborhoods that have been covered by a HOA, and in both cases I think we got good value for our money.
The first case was a townhouse HOA in the Twin Cities, and that was a fairly large fee every month ($181/month), but they paid for a lawn service and snow shovelling service, and more importantly they provided all repair services for common areas, they paid for repairs and improvements to everyone's driveways and sidewalks, and they paid for damage to the roofs, siding, and other external areas including deck railings on all of the HOA's individual housing units. Even though that HOA had very little in the way of common facilities to maintain (no common building, not much landscaping), the stuff they did provide represented a lot of potential service for the dollar. They effectively owned the outer structures of our residences, they had to pay for the insurance for it, and they had to repair it.
The second HOA is my current HOA here in an Atlanta suburb. We have common facilities (a pool, tennis courts, and a large common building we can use for parties, etc.), and the HOA maintains the grounds at both entryways, and our dues are $500 a year (roughly $41.67 per month) in either one or two payments. That mainly pays for the utilities/taxes and operating expenses for the common facilities, as well as some other smaller things that the HOA provides. Luckily, this HOA isn't militant about covenant enforcement, and the set of covenants we do have is mainly common sense stuff. Mostly. :-)
Rule changes cannot be made without due process, and in the case of both HOAs I've been a part of the making of any changes is VERY difficult. But I know folks who have lived in places where the HOA was far less reasonable, or where a small group of folks managed to get power and proceed to abuse their positions. I've not had to deal with that personally, thank goodness...
Quote:
I have been advised to never purchase property where there are association dues because someone is pocketing a huge profit and the home owner is getting ripped off.
Such a generalization is not reasonable. Some HOAs are very good. Our fees are determined by a majority vote by the membership, for example, and only during the yearly meeting and vote which is held specifically for that purpose.
Last edited by rcsteiner; 11-03-2007 at 09:49 PM..
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
11,334 posts, read 26,083,811 times
Reputation: 3995
Quote:
Originally Posted by nativeDallasite
I think most HOA dues are a ripoff and I have no idea where that money goes or what it's used for.
I guess I've been lucky, since the finances here and at my previous HOA are (and were) fairly transparent. The money being spent is fully documented, and the level of documentation required is spelled out in the HOA convenants.
Sorry. Hey, I could be wrong. Actually have been a time or two If you're right, then I want that job, too! Maybe we could job share. Think we'll get a uniform and a badge to wear?
LOL... your HOA may be good now, but it is very unlikely in the not-so-far-future. I remember organizations that deal with licensing and stuff and for good reason. You want people to know what they are doing before they are doing it. Now, however they are adding more tests and stuff, its become a money-making machine for them on the premise that they are trying to improve the people who work in these industries. It seems good now, until HOA realizes, "Hey, we can abuse this and get away with it, why not?"...Just like Bush when he introduced the Patriot Act to take away some of your rights, I can see HOA saying to protect the community we decided to take away the homeowners ability to partake in HOA decisions and transparency (for instance it will cost you to see one part of the accounting for $100 dollars, $200 dollars next year, $500 after that, to some price where it is financially risky for you to even look at their accounting records)... nothing says they can't and they can also provide some reasoning behind it... its only a matter of time...
LOL... your HOA may be good now, but it is very unlikely in the not-so-far-future. I remember organizations that deal with licensing and stuff and for good reason. You want people to know what they are doing before they are doing it. Now, however they are adding more tests and stuff, its become a money-making machine for them on the premise that they are trying to improve the people who work in these industries. It seems good now, until HOA realizes, "Hey, we can abuse this and get away with it, why not?"...Just like Bush when he introduced the Patriot Act to take away some of your rights, I can see HOA saying to protect the community we decided to take away the homeowners ability to partake in HOA decisions and transparency (for instance it will cost you to see one part of the accounting for $100 dollars, $200 dollars next year, $500 after that, to some price where it is financially risky for you to even look at their accounting records)... nothing says they can't and they can also provide some reasoning behind it... its only a matter of time...
Sounds like one of those "You're on a need-to-know" scenarios.
Some boards can be terrible. I worked in Hallandale and received a lot of complaints. Florida law regulating associations has tightened up now and things are better. However, the best way to ensure an open and responsive HOA or condo association is to attend the meetings and get involved.
As far as who maintains the common areas, pools, rec centers, gates, fences... you are right in that HOA pays it. But for most people, they NEVER go to the HOA pool or rec centers (you are paying for something you never use, congratulations I hope you are proud)
What does pride have to do with anything???? Those amenities are good for resale and for the use of the residents. I don't use welfare but I still pay for it.
... gates and fences in the neighborhood that don't belong to anyone but the HOA, well how much could it possibly cost to maintain something like that a month, especially if you have 50+ homes supporting it.. its not that expensive, in fact it is SUPER cheap but don't worry the HOA will make a full accounting so that it seems that the $200 a month everybody chips in for a total of $10000 a month is absolutely necessary to pay for the $10 work - the actual cost (not the actual payment) - that goes into doing it. Accounting sheets is a logical statistically way to lie. I can tell you my life costs $10k a month to live, do I make $10k a month? Nope, but for some odd reason I am still alive...
It seems as if you have been burned by a bad HOA..... In the long run, a good HOA is good for the whole neighborhood. There are annual budgets that are sent to every resident and if there is an issue, residents are encouraged to comment and are encourgaed to run for the board where changes can be made.
As far as accounting sheets....if your life costs $10,000 a month to run and you are not making $10,00 a month then you need to adjust your spending.....same thing with any budget, persoanl, business or HOA board.
Do "Fee Simple" townhomes differ from Condo's in pricing and regulations? I call a management for a townhome community and they said they are not condos.
It seems as if you have been burned by a bad HOA..... In the long run, a good HOA is good for the whole neighborhood. There are annual budgets that are sent to every resident and if there is an issue, residents are encouraged to comment and are encourgaed to run for the board where changes can be made.
Never had an HOA, too smart to get into one. Everyone I know has doubled their payments a month for their HOA and they still get the "same" services they had last year. I guess inflation is 100% in an HOA whereas everywhere else is 2-3%, strange that HOA rates always go up and never down. Go ahead and run and try to make changes, its easier to say then do.
[/quote]As far as accounting sheets....if your life costs $10,000 a month to run and you are not making $10,00 a month then you need to adjust your spending.....same thing with any budget, persoanl, business or HOA board.[/quote]
In this case HOA will put a lien on your property if you don't pay them and there is no recourse. There's probably a clause somewhere that you cannot sue an HOA either, regardless of what wrong they have done (i.e. stealing from you). HOA is a basically a corporation with VERY limited liability, you think something like that is going to behave in a benign manner through all the years it has been enacted? Time will tell...
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Sorry. Hey, I could be wrong. Actually have been a time or two 
If you're right, then I want that job, too! Maybe we could job share. Think we'll get a uniform and a badge to wear?
