Somersett HOA/Community (Reno, Sparks: fit in, leasing, custom home)

[Mt.Mahn]

I might have a 6-8 month job contract in the Reno area. With this in mind, I'm considering the Somersett community for my home base. Can anyone provide any information on the HOA and environment in that community?

Thanks!

[utsci]

Are you buying for a 6-8 month contract? Housing is at a high right now and is not sustainable on the average wages here, so more likely to come down rather than go any higher.

The HOA in Somersett is not much different than others in the nicer communities around Reno. They are strict on lawns, home improvement approvals, parking, noise.

[Mt.Mahn]

Leasing only. My home base is AZ and we have the absolute worst HOA's on the planet IMHO. With this in mind, I have toys - RV, Boat, motorcycles. Some HOA's can make your life miserable with Adult toys (and that's following the rules). On a different but related subject, I owned a home in Genoa and sold it a few a years ago. Great area to live, but extremely hard to find an executive rental for a year or less.

[Smudgey]

Hello - If you have an RV, boat, and motorcycles that cannot all fit in your garage or behind your backyard fence, out of sight of the Somersett HOA enforcers , I wouldn't do it. The only way to have an RV or boat in Somersett is to have a garage that can fit them. A few of the custom homes have them. Other than that, you will have to store them offsite. The HOA is exceptionally strict (that's the nice way to say it). It's not just the toys you will have issues with.

Examples:
If you put your garbage can out late morning instead of the early evening before garbage day you get a citation. If you have brown patches on your lawn from bunnies and don't remedy it (usually within a week or two) before the Somersett enforcers come around, you will get a citation. If you don't load/unload a trailer/moving truck within 48 hours, you will get a citation. If you park on the street for more than 48 hours in a non-gated area, you will get a citation. If you park on the street overnight in a gated area, you will get a citation. Christmas lights up too soon or taken down too late, you will get a citation.

Sometimes, you get notices/letters/citations for things you've gone through all the proper channels on. Some examples (not mine, but these happened to neighbours): Unloading a trailer within the allotted 48-hour timeframe, parking on the street in a gated area after obtaining the proper permit and displaying it appropriately, or even having the wrong color playset after they approved it. They like to keep us on our toes!

The exception to all of this is if you are already on the HOA, are one of the committee members (or are friends/family with one of them), or you are an employee of Somersett. I would suggest getting on a committee or running for a position on the HOA to avoid the headaches and rules the rest of us ordinary Somersett folk must comply with.

I understand the reason and desire for HOAs. I chose Somersett 10 years ago because the community is clean and well-kept. Property values are maintained. There are standards and people can't go off half-cocked. I love the elevations and the fact that although it's living in the suburbs, you are 10-20 minutes away from most things, including downtown/midtown/Sparks. I have seen over the years, however, preferential HOA treatment of some over others and it's always a matter of who you are (read: money) and who knows you.

Good luck to you. There are many great things about living in Somersett. The HOA is a double-edged sword. I think their greatest fault is being too strict and rigid at the expense of common-sense and reason.

[Mt.Mahn]

Hello Smudgey-
Thank you for your input & thoughts:-)
I found a rental not too far from Somersett.