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.
There are good HOAs and bad HOAs. Unfortunately, Boise requires them on all new subdivisions. So if you are buying a house less than 20 years old here, you are going to have to deal with them. Most of them are there just to make sure that properties don't get run down, and to maintain the common areas that are also required by the city.
Mine only consists of about a dozen houses, and we've only once sent a notice to an owner, when their yard was completely taken over with weeds (it was really bad and was starting to leech into other yards).
We manage about 160 rentals in the area, and our most common complaints are on weeds in yards, cars parked where they shouldn't be (blocking neighbors driveways, mailboxes, or on the front lawn), or unsightly cars, and strangely, the most recent "hot button" is garbage cans visible from the street on non-trash pickup days. They want them out of sight, either behind a fence or in the garage. I tell my tenants if you behave on those three topics, you'll likely never have a problem.
But we do have a few properties where the HOA has a crazy person in charge. We've had a complaint letter that one of the nails fell out of a house number and it was leaning against the number next to it. And we've had a complaint that a tenant who went boating had his boat cover hanging over his fence (it was there for 24 hours to dry it out). The best thing you can do is talk to a few neighbors.
Definitely do read the CCRs. I know some of CBH's recent subdivisions have a clause that says you can't park in your driveway, all owners' vehicles are to be parked inside the garage. Driveways are for short term guests only. And their garages are usually the bare minimum size, which means some larger vehicles won't fit in the garage at all. We've had some issues with that. They also often limit the number of allowed pets, which can be a problem for some.
Personally, I'd like to dissolve my HOA, and my neighbors mostly agree with me, but the city won't allow it for the first 20 years. 8 more to go.
CBH and Hubble mostly build very basic homes. They are good if you need a lot of square footage, but they don't come with upgrades. If you want a cheap starter home with lots of square footage, they fill that niche very well. I understand CBH has started building some nicer homes with some upgrades as well, and his newer stuff in general is a better product than his older stuff.
Basic is okay, as long as the construction isn't shoddy. Want decent insulation value and solid construction though. I can "spruce up" the place to make it what I want, as long as I don't have to deal with poor construction issues.
I've seen some nicer CBH homes that I liked, but am wary of the rep I've heard they have.
Have seem some homes I like in Nampa also, but again, have heard negative things about the city...and the property taxes are higher.
Thoughts? BTW, you are a wonderful resource, thanks again!!
There are good HOAs and bad HOAs. Unfortunately, Boise requires them on all new subdivisions. So if you are buying a house less than 20 years old here, you are going to have to deal with them. Most of them are there just to make sure that properties don't get run down, and to maintain the common areas that are also required by the city.
Mine only consists of about a dozen houses, and we've only once sent a notice to an owner, when their yard was completely taken over with weeds (it was really bad and was starting to leech into other yards).
We manage about 160 rentals in the area, and our most common complaints are on weeds in yards, cars parked where they shouldn't be (blocking neighbors driveways, mailboxes, or on the front lawn), or unsightly cars, and strangely, the most recent "hot button" is garbage cans visible from the street on non-trash pickup days. They want them out of sight, either behind a fence or in the garage. I tell my tenants if you behave on those three topics, you'll likely never have a problem.
But we do have a few properties where the HOA has a crazy person in charge. We've had a complaint letter that one of the nails fell out of a house number and it was leaning against the number next to it. And we've had a complaint that a tenant who went boating had his boat cover hanging over his fence (it was there for 24 hours to dry it out). The best thing you can do is talk to a few neighbors.
Definitely do read the CCRs. I know some of CBH's recent subdivisions have a clause that says you can't park in your driveway, all owners' vehicles are to be parked inside the garage. Driveways are for short term guests only. And their garages are usually the bare minimum size, which means some larger vehicles won't fit in the garage at all. We've had some issues with that. They also often limit the number of allowed pets, which can be a problem for some.
Personally, I'd like to dissolve my HOA, and my neighbors mostly agree with me, but the city won't allow it for the first 20 years. 8 more to go.
CBH and Hubble mostly build very basic homes. They are good if you need a lot of square footage, but they don't come with upgrades. If you want a cheap starter home with lots of square footage, they fill that niche very well. I understand CBH has started building some nicer homes with some upgrades as well, and his newer stuff in general is a better product than his older stuff.
I didn't think I wanted an HOA, but after reading this, I really don't. Some of the rules are just absolutely crazy! I've read the CCR's from 6 communities in Nampa, that CBH build in and they really don't seem too bad.
Are property taxes higher in Canyon County then Ada? I've noticed that some homes in Nampa that I've looked at online have high taxes and others or lower. Thanks for the help.
If you want nicely constructed homes without HOAs, you better look for homes built in the 60's or earlier.
However, those homes are usually in nicer, established neighborhoods and will cost a lot more, and will likely be smaller and have issues of their own. You can still find some deals on the Bench, but otherwise... well, you rarely get everything you want in life.
If you want nicely constructed homes without HOAs, you better look for homes built in the 60's or earlier.
However, those homes are usually in nicer, established neighborhoods and will cost a lot more, and will likely be smaller and have issues of their own. You can still find some deals on the Bench, but otherwise... well, you rarely get everything you want in life.
Or, you can do what I did. I found a decent lot that was not part of a subdivision and I'm having a house built on it. I'll have no HOA and a brand new home that is built the way I like, with the colors I like and with a number of options that would not be allowed in a subdivision. This wasn't an easy task, as there aren't that many larger lots in the city that are free of the HOA burden, especially if you are trying to keep the costs down...
Or, you can do what I did. I found a decent lot that was not part of a subdivision and I'm having a house built on it. I'll have no HOA and a brand new home that is built the way I like, with the colors I like and with a number of options that would not be allowed in a subdivision. This wasn't an easy task, as there aren't that many larger lots in the city that are free of the HOA burden, especially if you are trying to keep the costs down...
That sounds great! New homes are nice and no HOA! What city, may I ask are you building? I see you were born in San Bernardino! So was I! I've been gone from there a long time!
Good Luck!
We will be building in Boise. Closing on the land tomorrow. We have found a builder but will be finishing a property line adjustment prior to starting the build. We plan to finish the house sometime this summer/fall.
I was born in San Berdoo but never lived there, we moved around a lot and I have moved even more in the military. I lived in the Boise area quite a bit over the years and look forward to coming home!
If you want nicely constructed homes without HOAs, you better look for homes built in the 60's or earlier.
However, those homes are usually in nicer, established neighborhoods and will cost a lot more, and will likely be smaller and have issues of their own. You can still find some deals on the Bench, but otherwise... well, you rarely get everything you want in life.
Older homes definitely are less likely to be subject to an HOA. I don't agree that older homes are uniformly built better, however. A spec house from the 60s isn't necessarily well constructed, nor is a new custom build necessarily poorly constructed. My house was a custom job in 1990 and it's very well built and has a lot of character (we are the second owners).
I do think it's worth paying attention to when a home was built so you can avoid one that was done during the boom years when everybody and their dog was a builder and homes were selling faster than they could be built. So you might be careful about a home that was built from maybe 2002 to 2008.
Basic is okay, as long as the construction isn't shoddy. Want decent insulation value and solid construction though. I can "spruce up" the place to make it what I want, as long as I don't have to deal with poor construction issues.
I've seen some nicer CBH homes that I liked, but am wary of the rep I've heard they have.
Have seem some homes I like in Nampa also, but again, have heard negative things about the city...and the property taxes are higher.
Thoughts? BTW, you are a wonderful resource, thanks again!!
We don't do a lot of business out in Canyon county (where Nampa is), and I don't go out that way very often, so I'm not the best resource for that. But here's what I can tell you.
Canyon county has always had a reputation for having more "gang" activity. I put gang in quotes because the worst Idaho gang is not as bad as a gang that gets laughed out of town in most big cities. But my understanding is that some years back, the police force really cracked down on gang related crime and it is much much better now.
Nampa has also really been putting a lot of effort into bringing business into the area. They have several large shopping "hubs" now and a large auto-mall, which, in my opinion, has helped the area become a better town in various ways.
Housing prices (both to buy and to rent) are much lower, but if you are going to work in Boise, you'll spend the difference in gas.
And since we don't do much business out there, I'm not up to date on their property taxes. I know their mil used to be substantially higher than Boise's. (The mil is the number they multiply your value by to get your tax amount, aka the levy). Don't know if that is still the case. Remember if you are comparing one house's taxes to another, that one might have a homeowner's exemption (if the homeowner lives in the house, rather than renting it out) while another doesn't. That makes a huge difference. For any house under the limit (which is around $170k), it cuts the taxes in half. More expensive houses benefit less than half, but it still makes a big difference.
We don't do a lot of business out in Canyon county (where Nampa is), and I don't go out that way very often, so I'm not the best resource for that. But here's what I can tell you.
Canyon county has always had a reputation for having more "gang" activity. I put gang in quotes because the worst Idaho gang is not as bad as a gang that gets laughed out of town in most big cities. But my understanding is that some years back, the police force really cracked down on gang related crime and it is much much better now.
Nampa has also really been putting a lot of effort into bringing business into the area. They have several large shopping "hubs" now and a large auto-mall, which, in my opinion, has helped the area become a better town in various ways.
Housing prices (both to buy and to rent) are much lower, but if you are going to work in Boise, you'll spend the difference in gas.
And since we don't do much business out there, I'm not up to date on their property taxes. I know their mil used to be substantially higher than Boise's. (The mil is the number they multiply your value by to get your tax amount, aka the levy). Don't know if that is still the case. Remember if you are comparing one house's taxes to another, that one might have a homeowner's exemption (if the homeowner lives in the house, rather than renting it out) while another doesn't. That makes a huge difference. For any house under the limit (which is around $170k), it cuts the taxes in half. More expensive houses benefit less than half, but it still makes a big difference.
While I was looking at homes in Nampa online I noticed one house property taxes would be almost double for the same size, type house as another. And that was what my realtor explained to me about the exemption. Good to know. So after hearing that info I really don't think the taxes are so bad out there.
Also isn't there a "Circuit Breaker" program the applies after age 65 and under a certain income that lowers property taxes??
I talked to a few people that live in Nampa and they love it. Very different from what it was years ago!
While I was looking at homes in Nampa online I noticed one house property taxes would be almost double for the same size, type house as another. And that was what my realtor explained to me about the exemption. Good to know. So after hearing that info I really don't think the taxes are so bad out there.
Also isn't there a "Circuit Breaker" program the applies after age 65 and under a certain income that lowers property taxes??
I talked to a few people that live in Nampa and they love it. Very different from what it was years ago!
Information about the circuit breaker program in Ada county. I think it's pretty rare though, as I've looked at thousands of listings over the 14 years I've worked in real estate, and I've never seen one that disclosed that the tax amount was with a circuit breaker in place.
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.
