Home owners associations in Keller and Grapevine (Fort Worth, Colleyville: HOA, crime)

[vinmar4]

Hello,
Does anybody know if you have to join a home owners's association in the whole Keller and Grapevine areas? or is it only in the new communities where they have them.
Thanks

[Guingirl]

They are mostly neighborhood HOAs and vary in price depending on amenities and such. I don't know the percentages, but when I was researching areas, they seemed to be the norm rather than not in most places I looked in Keller and North Fort Worth.

Ones that generally aren't in an HOA are homes built prior to the mid-80s and are one off type homes. Again that is just from what I have found in researching and is a generality.

[5stones]

as Guin said most post 1980's homes have HOA's (not all but most) most have a playground and alot have a community pool as well. some are pretty pricey some are not that bad...just look to see what they cover. Most cover maintence of common areas...mowing and trimming etc...
Ours is a bit pricey i feel...about $700 for the year. we have "canals and fountains" and play area as well as a small community pool.

[ChristieP]

Most neighborhoods in Grapevine do NOT have a mandatory HOA. They have voluntary ones that mostly just plan neighborhood parties, etc. We have very few neighborhoods with the expensive community pools, etc.

[vinmar4]

Thank you all for the information. My husband is not too crazy about joining one as we don't have one in our area. I'm not sure if I want to look for a house with a pool or go to a comunity where they have a pool and they take care of it. I think that I'm paranoid about one of my kids drowing. One is 11 and the other 5.

[loves2read]

even neighborhoods with subdivision pools have homes with pools--

and as the other posted said there are few in Grapevine that have a subdivision pool--there are one or two in Keller
but there are neighborhoods with HOAs that don't have pools--
some are voluntary and some are mandatory
info like that is often on MLS info listings so you can see which subdivisions have what kinds
areas where people were allowed to buy lots and buid homes just fall under the city code--not an HOA
HOAs get negative press many times but HOAs DO help keep people from doing things to turn nicer neighborhoods into not so nice ones
we had people buy home across the street from ours--they owned a roofing company--ran their company out of their house -- kept trucks with long roofing ladders parked on the drive so that people could not walk down the sidewalk w/o stepping around the ladders--parked their business trucks on the street and in the driveway over the weekend and workers came to pick up their checks all day on Friday---
the HOA told them they were violating the deed restrictions and the city's ordinances regarding parking and a home base business--they said they would straighten up but they didn't
so they were getting complaints from the HOA who took issues up with the city --
what they did do (after that BIG hail storm a year or so ago) was move--supposedly they bought a home in expensive Colleyville neighborhood--and I know they are not running their business out of THAT house--
they still tried to run it out of the one they left--had desks and phones and lights still working --only furniture in the house was the office furniture
the city was just getting ready to issued a ticket for violation when they stopped doing it--months after they moved out
now they have left a roofing truck parked in the driveway for a month of more--that is violation of city ordinance as well...
they just want to make people mad because they could not get their way
and house has been on market for almost a year and not sold...I hope they lose money on it big time...but that might come back to hurt us too

some people for a variety of reasons don't/can't always take are of their property but their property can effect how YOUR property is viewed by others--especially if you are trying to sell your house or have a homeowner that is just a pain to the neighborhood--

[Guingirl]

I prefer having an HOA (specifically because of what Loves stated) and have lived in areas where there are both. We have one where we live and we don't have a pool or playground, just a little pond, but we have very comprehensive online system for communications which is really nice.

Our HOA covers architectural integrity of the community as well as any additions, outbuildings etc.

[ChristieP]

No HOA here in the Grapevine Bellaire neighborhood (this was one that sold lots and all of the homes are unique). We have a good crime watch, and all of our neighbors are friends. The former mayor-pro-tem lives 4 houses down.Occasionally someone's yard will need mowed, but no one has painted theer house purple or run a roofing business out of it, etc.

Last night, we were all out in our yards watching some tree surgeons cut down a big dead tree out of one neighbor's yard. That's the highlight of activity around here!

[vinmar4]

I totally undestand about issues like the one Loves stated. Were we live is like where christie lives. Most of the owners were the originals for more than 20 years now and they take care of their homes. I live in a Culd De sac which I love because of the kids. I would rather live in an area with no HOA if possible. There was an area that I saw in Grapevine where the homes had a lot of tress and were not next to each other , I think that it was not far from where the train was and the visitor's information. I remember that I asked for some information to an old man that was there to help. He asked me if I knew the difference between a Yanke and a damned yanke. Needless to say I did not know, but he gave me the answer. I was thinking that it was funny!

[debntx]

Originally Posted by 5stones

some are pretty pricey some are not that bad...just look to see what they cover. Most cover maintence of common areas...mowing and trimming etc...
Ours is a bit pricey i feel...about $700 for the year. we have "canals and fountains" and play area as well as a small community pool.

Unfortunately some HOA dues can be pricey and can often be not much in the way of amenities. We are fortunate in our neighborhood because we do have lots of amenities. Our water park complex has a waterfall pool, water slides, bucket pool, lap pool etc., an amazing club house, tennis courts, basketball courts, several playgrounds, a spray park, green belts and walking trails connecting all the sections of our neighborhood and lots more and the cost is less than $700 annually. That's one of the reasons we choose this particular neighborhood