Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello,
My family is moving to Austin area from Salt Lake and are looking at good areas to buy. We've visited before and really liked the Round Rock/Georgetown areas north of Austin. We are definitely looking for a NON HOA community around their. Price point is up to $350k around 4 bedroom. Any specific sub-divisions we should look in? We hate being restricted on what we can do with our property. Thank you!
Even if you find a lax or non-existent HOA property, you may be burdened with pesky city codes and such. Good news is that moving farther out can get you both the non-HOA property(maybe) and meet the budget requirements...but inside Georgetown or Round Rock proper will be tough hunting.
There are RE pros on here who can help with specific properties and areas.
I do not *think* that Serenada in Georgetown has an HOA? I think there is some kind of neighborhood association, but nothing binding like an HOA. Sanaloma and Brangus Ranch (kind of behind Serenada) are probably similar. All are within the boundaries of the City of G'Town, though, so their rules will apply. Brangus Ranch is generally 5 to 10 acre lots and have horse, chickens, etc. so city code can't be too bad .
Generally speaking, you will be looking at an older property if you are looking to avoid an HOA.
This is definitely possible, though Trainwreck20 is correct, it's likely to be older housing. However, there are some newer subdivisions (not many) that you would think have an HOA from the looks of them but don't. Some also have a voluntary HOA, more like a neighborhood association.
What are you looking to do with your property? That would help in pointing you to the right non-HOA areas.
In Round Rock, there are pockets of small neighborhoods that don't have HOAs. In Round Rock East, I know of such a neighborhood near me, with large lots. Basically a cluster of houses on a street, and that's it. As the others have said, the housing stock is older (70s being the oldest and 80s being the youngest). These neighborhoods though are now above $350k and people hardly move. When they do move, the homes need a lot of work OR have been remodeled and sellers are asking for more money
To the OP:
It's kind of obnoxious when people suggest that you're the problem because you want to do something that an HOA might prohibit. That's the wrong response and it really more properly reflects the reality that there is not a lot of non-HOA housing in the area. Involuntary membership HOAs have been imposed on virtually all new development for several decades. Even where local government does not mandate them (rare), the developer will anyway - they are used to shift legal and financial liability away from the developer onto the prospective homeowners and to shift control away from the homeowners to the developer.
What's very problematic is that the listing tools are somewhat designed to conceal the existence of an HOA. A knowledgeable buyer such as yourself is just as concerned about the invisible legal entanglement of the HOA as you are about the visible physical structure such as the square footage, lot size, number of bedrooms/bathrooms, etc. You may also find some real estate agents immediately try to make you the bad guy because you aren't interested in HOA housing. Don't waste oxygen by spending any of your time with them. Their problem is that the bulk of the available housing has involuntary membership HOAs tied to it and they can only sell what's available.
FYI in subdivisions that do not have an HOA, those subdivision might still have an architectural committee such that "prior approval" is required before building anything. Every HOA-burdened subdivision will have one (it was designed for developer control - not homeowners). When looking at online resources you may want to look for descriptions including phrases such as "approval required" and "common areas", etc. to help ascertain whether there is an HOA.
Do not fall for the "low HOA 'dues' " sales speak. They are assessments. The HOA can foreclose for failure to pay them and the management companies that are employed often spend lots of time trying to invent ways to generate "late fees" (which go to the management company, not the HOA) and threaten to foreclose to get them. You will also find a variety of other fees and charges that either the HOA or the management company attempt to get from you including: "fines", "transfer fees", "expedite fee", etc.
It's not necessarily the amount of the assessments - it's the level of intrusion and the level of control exerted over you and your property with little or nothing in return. Here's an example (even in the neck of the woods you are looking at) and an explanation of why Texas homeowners have had a difficult time getting legislation to address these problems: https://www.texastribune.org/2013/05...n-john-carona/
He is no longer a senator but it takes a long time to undo decades of legislative damage. The opposition (management companies and HOA attorneys primarily) to curbing HOAs and the vendors have paid lobbyists seeking to protect the profit center created at your expense.
There is another item to consider: Folks often confuse HOAs and restrictive covenants. These are not the same concept. Restrictive covenants are used to place restrictions and obligations on property owners include burdening property owners with involuntary membership in an HOA. But the lack of a restrictive covenant imposing involuntary membership in an HOA does not mean that there are not other restrictive covenants burdening the property. In other words, the lack of an HOA does not mean that the property is not burdened with restrictive covenants. So "non-HOA" does not necessarily mean "no restrictions" or "unrestricted".
Good luck in your search. Don't bother to give arguments (or the sales people making them) like "low HOA assessments" or the more obnoxious "you're the problem" approach such as "what would you want to do that your neighbors (or the HOA corporation) wouldn't approve of" any consideration.
To the OP:
It's kind of obnoxious when people suggest that you're the problem because you want to do something that an HOA might prohibit. That's the wrong response and it really more properly reflects the reality that there is not a lot of non-HOA housing in the area. Involuntary membership HOAs have been imposed on virtually all new development for several decades. Even where local government does not mandate them (rare), the developer will anyway - they are used to shift legal and financial liability away from the developer onto the prospective homeowners and to shift control away from the homeowners to the developer.
What's very problematic is that the listing tools are somewhat designed to conceal the existence of an HOA. A knowledgeable buyer such as yourself is just as concerned about the invisible legal entanglement of the HOA as you are about the visible physical structure such as the square footage, lot size, number of bedrooms/bathrooms, etc. You may also find some real estate agents immediately try to make you the bad guy because you aren't interested in HOA housing. Don't waste oxygen by spending any of your time with them. Their problem is that the bulk of the available housing has involuntary membership HOAs tied to it and they can only sell what's available.
FYI in subdivisions that do not have an HOA, those subdivision might still have an architectural committee such that "prior approval" is required before building anything. Every HOA-burdened subdivision will have one (it was designed for developer control - not homeowners). When looking at online resources you may want to look for descriptions including phrases such as "approval required" and "common areas", etc. to help ascertain whether there is an HOA.
Do not fall for the "low HOA 'dues' " sales speak. They are assessments. The HOA can foreclose for failure to pay them and the management companies that are employed often spend lots of time trying to invent ways to generate "late fees" (which go to the management company, not the HOA) and threaten to foreclose to get them. You will also find a variety of other fees and charges that either the HOA or the management company attempt to get from you including: "fines", "transfer fees", "expedite fee", etc.
It's not necessarily the amount of the assessments - it's the level of intrusion and the level of control exerted over you and your property with little or nothing in return. Here's an example (even in the neck of the woods you are looking at) and an explanation of why Texas homeowners have had a difficult time getting legislation to address these problems: https://www.texastribune.org/2013/05...n-john-carona/
He is no longer a senator but it takes a long time to undo decades of legislative damage. The opposition (management companies and HOA attorneys primarily) to curbing HOAs and the vendors have paid lobbyists seeking to protect the profit center created at your expense.
There is another item to consider: Folks often confuse HOAs and restrictive covenants. These are not the same concept. Restrictive covenants are used to place restrictions and obligations on property owners include burdening property owners with involuntary membership in an HOA. But the lack of a restrictive covenant imposing involuntary membership in an HOA does not mean that there are not other restrictive covenants burdening the property. In other words, the lack of an HOA does not mean that the property is not burdened with restrictive covenants. So "non-HOA" does not necessarily mean "no restrictions" or "unrestricted".
Good luck in your search. Don't bother to give arguments (or the sales people making them) like "low HOA assessments" or the more obnoxious "you're the problem" approach such as "what would you want to do that your neighbors (or the HOA corporation) wouldn't approve of" any consideration.
Why are you unloading your spiel here? No one here has said the OP is the problem. He or she is well within their rights to search for a property that fits their needs. But as several people prior to you have alluded to, no HOA is not the same thing as "no zoning" or "no deed restrictions". Which is why we're asking about what they want to do with the property, since HOAs prohibit so much that it's hard to discern what their needs might be.
Why are you unloading your spiel here? No one here has said the OP is the problem. He or she is well within their rights to search for a property that fits their needs. But as several people prior to you have alluded to, no HOA is not the same thing as "no zoning" or "no deed restrictions". Which is why we're asking about what they want to do with the property, since HOAs prohibit so much that it's hard to discern what their needs might be.
Your prior comment necessitated a response and you are making the prospective purchaser the problem. How would the prospective purchaser know "what the HOA would prohibit"? Did you even consider that they aren't interested in the legal entanglement of an HOA or the intrusion and control that HOAs and their vendors impose on residents? How would an answer to your question even be relevant? You didn't ask what they wanted to do, you asked what would they want to do that an HOA would prohibit.
To the OP:
It's kind of obnoxious when people suggest that you're the problem ...
Good luck in your search. Don't bother to give arguments (or the sales people making them) like "low HOA assessments" or the more obnoxious "you're the problem" approach such as "what would you want to do that your neighbors (or the HOA corporation) wouldn't approve of" any consideration.
The only obnoxious response here so far was your rant about HOA impositions. No other response has indicated that the OP was the problem at all, but all did appear to be assisting in finding appropriate solutions based on the original statement "We hate being restricted on what we can do with our property." The fact is, regardless of HOA status, there are likely restrictions in most of the developing areas that will vary significantly depending on what the activities planned for the property will include.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
.
