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I wondered if people would not mind sharing how much they pay in HOA DUES.
I am looking at homes with very small backyards where the lawns are maintained and water paid under the HOA dues.
I am currently living in a neighborhood with maintained yards (very small) and the water is included.
Our HOA dues just went up 10% and we are now to pay $134.20 per month.
The law maintenance is ridiculous and i could quite frankly cut my grass with a pair of scissors!!!!
The other 2 parts of our neighborhood have to mow their own yards and pay for water.
These people will now be paying $108.90 per quarter.
I just feel that we are being over-charged and before I start causing trouble, i want to see what others are paying.
$950/year for two pools, splash park, two playgrounds, sand volleyball court, sandbox, 7000 sq.ft. clubhouse with weekly activities including aerobics classes, yoga, etc, children's programs, parties, and so on, workout room with treadmills, elliptical, bikes and weights, tons of greenspace and some walking trails. Despite how awesome that sounds I feel like we overpay. The HOA is still run by the developer, but will be turned over to residents within the next couple of years. I think the money will be handled much better with residents in charge. We are better stewards when it's our own money we are playing with.
I don't know what else is included for your $134.20 per month, but if it's typical neighborhood amenities plus water and lawn maintenance, that doesn't sound super outrageous to me.
You'd be surprised what lawn maintenance companies charge for cutting grass and maintaining lawns. Our t/h's pay in the $150.00 per month range. I'd check and see what else is included in your fee. The lawn companies also probably maintain the common areas and maintain the flowers, pine needles etc...but it's not cheap. Also, your HOA may be adding to their reserves more depending on what may need to be replaced or repaired soon (i.e. roads / roofs). A lot of people say "Darn, I could cut the grass in my community for what we pay (X) Landscaping company and I'd quit my full time job" but it's really a lot more work than you think.
Good luck "making trouble" not sure how you would convince them to reduce their fees. At the end of the day you signed up for the HOA when you bought in that community and what is 10% more another $13.00 month? That's less than a meal at the Outback
We pay $450 a year for our HOA dues. That pays for the landscaping company, pool maintainence, electricity, water & office fees for our community of 174 homes.
ahh HOA dues, paying someone else to dictate how you keep your home.
Ahhh...an inaccurate and useless comment.
As for us - ours is also around the $150/month range, which covers landscaping (common areas as well as houses), water bill, trash collection, swimming pool, insurance premiums, etc. I have nothing else to compare it to here in Charlotte, but it is less than what I paid in a similar community in Baltimore.
$25 a month for common areas, playground, etc. My water bill is around $65 a month. Last time I prices yard service, it was well over $100 a month. So, $134 a month with everything you listed sounds like a bargin to me. Is there any other exterior maintenance included on your house, like cleaning out your gutters?
I pay $75 a year for basically nothing - they just keep the main entrance maintained and looking good.
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