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Now that we starting to get more excited we have decided to look for a nice home in the Boise area or even into the mountains. Almost every listing has an HOA listed. I understand some of these are communities, but many are not. Actually have a hard time finding some in our range that doesn't have a fee.
This is not unique to Boise. HOAs & CCRs have been a growing trend since the late 70s, particularly west of the Mississippi (with the possible exception of Alaska with its predominately rural characteristics). Older neighborhoods here generally don't have them - North End, the Bench and others - and neighborhoods elsewhere that are older than, say, 40 years. The more rural, the fewer the HOAs. Love 'em or hate 'em, it has become the norm for newer developments, but not just here in Boise. Best way around them is to buy bare land and build your own home.
Why so many HOAs you ask? -- the biggest reason is to preserve the value of a home. Without CC&Rs anything goes - neighbors are free to paint the house next door or across the street purple with polka-dots and turn it into a pigsty, enough so that it could make your home impossible to sell. HOA dues are all over the board depending on a myriad of things - number of members sharing expenses/services, the amount of common area to maintain, amenities, and association management or mismanagement. You have to decide what's best for you.
This is not unique to Boise. HOAs & CCRs have been a growing trend since the late 70s, particularly west of the Mississippi (with the possible exception of Alaska with its predominately rural characteristics). Older neighborhoods here generally don't have them - North End, the Bench and others - and neighborhoods elsewhere that are older than, say, 40 years. The more rural, the fewer the HOAs. Love 'em or hate 'em, it has become the norm for newer developments, but not just here in Boise. Best way around them is to buy bare land and build your own home.
Why so many HOAs you ask? -- the biggest reason is to preserve the value of a home. Without CC&Rs anything goes - neighbors are free to paint the house next door or across the street purple with polka-dots and turn it into a pigsty, enough so that it could make your home impossible to sell. HOA dues are all over the board depending on a myriad of things - number of members sharing expenses/services, the amount of common area to maintain, amenities, and association management or mismanagement. You have to decide what's best for you.
There are things that should be given when owning a home. Things like keep your yard mowed. Don't leave junk car in the front or back yard. Respect your neighbors. But these don't happen. So that is where HOAs come in. They can become a nightmare if you don't follow the bylaws for the neighborhood.
There are things that should be given when owning a home. Things like keep your yard mowed. Don't leave junk car in the front or back yard. Respect your neighbors. But these don't happen. So that is where HOAs come in. They can become a nightmare if you don't follow the bylaws for the neighborhood.
My neighborhood doesn't have an active HOA, HOA fees or CC&Rs that anybody enforces, but it manages to be kept up very well even without them. In previous homes I have experienced very active HOAs and I really prefer not having a neighborhood-level big brother looking over my shoulder.
My neighborhood doesn't have an active HOA, HOA fees or CC&Rs that anybody enforces, but it manages to be kept up very well even without them. In previous homes I have experienced very active HOAs and I really prefer not having a neighborhood-level big brother looking over my shoulder.
No two HOAs are alike, and the pros/cons of them are another topic worthy of another forum thread for discussion. OP wants to know why there are so many here.
I've had both good and bad experiences living in HOAs and not living in them, but more recently a friend of mine is wishing she had a big brother - not to look over her shoulder, but her neighbor's shoulder. She has a gorgeous home on Boise Avenue, and the neighbor's home has slowing but surely turned into a hovel...it's truly awful. Nothing in/around the neighbor's home violates any city ordinances (she's checked), and there isn't a HOA. Her hands are tied, and she'll be lucky to ever sell her house. It goes both ways.
Now that we starting to get more excited we have decided to look for a nice home in the Boise area or even into the mountains. Almost every listing has an HOA listed. I understand some of these are communities, but many are not. Actually have a hard time finding some in our range that doesn't have a fee.
Why is this? Has this become the norm?
Try to avoid HOA-burdened housing at all costs.
The pro-HOAers will try to convince you that HOAs "preserve property values". There is no empirical evidence that HOAs preserve property values for the homeowners. There is lots of evidence of HOAs used to enrich HOA attorneys, HOA management companies, developers, and local government.
If you look at the restrictive covenants for a particular subdivision you will probably find that the HOA corporation has no obligation to do anything. But you are saddled with a perpetual obligation to pay money to the HOA corporation - for what? Moreover, the restrictive covenants or perhaps the bylaws may provide that the HOA can borrow money and incur various liabilities without your consent and even without a vote of the homeowners. Your house is the security for the debts of the HOA corporation. Would you consider giving a credit card that you are the responsible party for to a stranger and authorizing them to spend whatever the stranger wanted? Why would you assume personal liability and allow your house to be security for debts racked up by an HOA corporation?
You can have restrictions without an HOA if you are concerned about having restrictions. But an HOA is more likely to do you harm than any good and it can cost you your entire house. If HOAs were such a good thing membership would not be involuntary.
The involuntary membership is used to impose greater restrictions on your use and enjoyment of your own property and for HOA attorneys and HOA management companies to extort all sorts of fees and charges from you - you will be threatened with foreclosure of your house lest you pay whatever these vendors demand from you.
Just worried because my mother owns a condo on the ocean here in Alaska and the HOA has been a nightmare. It's bad enough to move out (which she did) put it up for sale and rent an apartment in town. Now she is paying $1000 a month for her luxury two bedroom apartment and $500 a month HOA for that Condo plus $50 a month for electrical hook up.
She actually had to hire a lawyer to help out otherwise she would've been out $30k. Thankfully she won. Sorry for a vague story, but would take a while to explain everything that happened.
The involuntary membership is used to impose greater restrictions on your use and enjoyment of your own property and for HOA attorneys and HOA management companies to extort all sorts of fees and charges from you - you will be threatened with foreclosure of your house lest you pay whatever these vendors demand from you.
If you don't want to live with an HOA, you don't buy a home with a HOA, its really simple.
This will limit the number of homes for you, but if its that important, you need to be adamant about that when searching.
If you want the nice, newer, homes in a subdivision with parks, common areas, a pool, clubhouse, etc, that most likely means an HOA.
My subdivisions doesn't have a pool, clubhouse, fitness center or anything like that, so my dues are very reasonable, under $400 per year. We do have a lot of very nice common areas and several parks and that takes some money. I have seen the HOA dues of $500 per quarter in the ones with all the fluff and stuff.
As for HOA boards being difficult, it depends on the HOA and who you elect to serve on the board. Don't like them? Then offer to serve and change things.
Yeah the HOA can generally put a lien on your home whether you own it outright or not. There's actually been some legislation passed in the last year or two in Idaho because HOA's have become such a big problem. One of the big issues is that many of them aren't run by residents anymore, but rather buy property management companies or builders. Neighbors policing neighbors is one thing, but when you spin that out to an outside entity that doesn't have to live with you it's a lot easier for abuses.
All new neighborhoods have to include a certain amount of common space in order to be approved. If there's common space to be maintained that pretty much mandates an HOA.
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