HOA'S, fees and responsibilities (Burnsville, Blaine: real estate, leases, insurance)

[Pennies4Penny]

In all honesty, I hate HOA's. I know they can be nice for community pools and parks, but I hate paying someone to tell me how my house and yard should look and whether or not I can make changes to my personal property. However, after browsing through houses, I noticed that many HOA'S will take care of snow and lawn maintenance. (We lived in an HOA neighborhood here for 2 years that was $175 quarterly and they literally did nothing but collect money!) As two southernors who have zero experience with winter weather, we may consider an HOA neighborhood if the help with winter maintenance is worth the money.

Our house will need to be under $200k, preferably in the $180s. Do y'all have any idea on the approximate cost of HOA'S for homes in that price range and what their duties might include, or where I can find this info? Will they be removing snow off the neighborhood streets? Driveways? If you have an HOA, does the help offered seem worth the money? Thanks!

[tjasse]

My parents live in a neighborhood like that. I don't know the HOA fee, but they take care of snow in the driveway and in the cul de sac. They also do all the yard maintenance. It's more expensive though, their house was around $500K.

[old fed]

Originally Posted by Pennies4Penny

In all honesty, I hate HOA's. I know they can be nice for community pools and parks, but I hate paying someone to tell me how my house and yard should look and whether or not I can make changes to my personal property. However, after browsing through houses, I noticed that many HOA'S will take care of snow and lawn maintenance. (We lived in an HOA neighborhood here for 2 years that was $175 quarterly and they literally did nothing but collect money!) As two southernors who have zero experience with winter weather, we may consider an HOA neighborhood if the help with winter maintenance is worth the money.

Our house will need to be under $200k, preferably in the $180s. Do y'all have any idea on the approximate cost of HOA'S for homes in that price range and what their duties might include, or where I can find this info? Will they be removing snow off the neighborhood streets? Driveways? If you have an HOA, does the help offered seem worth the money? Thanks!

you're most likely going to find that in a town home development. in general, the streets in these are private so they plow the streets and do your sidewalks and driveway. the fees also sometimes include insurance coverage on the building's exterior, repair of same, sometimes trash fees and sometimes other items. fees vary.

here's a pretty common example of the type of place you'd be looking at in that price range. i think it's seldom you'll find that type of arrangement in SFH neighborhoods but there might be some out there.

13445 Settlers Ridge Drive, Burnsville, MN 55337 | MLS 4561619 | Listing Information

fees/coverage are listed towards the bottom.

[BryaninMSP]

The HOAs (at least in my neighborhood) aren't all that strict. Some communities have architectural review committees, specific brands of fences you have to use, etc., but it's not as bad as some communities in places like Florida, where they even dictate what type of grass you have to plant.

In Blaine, as an example, The Lakes master HOA fee is $297/year and only covers shared amenities, whereas some of the full-service associations charge $140/month for snow/lawn care and outside maintenance. I have clients who will only look at full-service associations after spending just a few years of not having to shovel or mow. Others think it's a waste of money, especially during a winter like this one when we've only had a few measurable snowfalls.

[BillWallace]

Hi Pennies,

It wasn't totally clear if you were looking at a townhouse or single family house.

In a townhouse the HOA fee often includes lawn care, snow removal, water, sewer, garbage, insurance on the structure, outside maintenance and management. Typical price range is in he $160-240/mo range.

In a single family HOA the fee may cover lawn/snow or it may not (more likely not). It will cover shared amenities maintenance. Things like mowing & landscaping of common areas and snow removal of common areas. It may cover things like a community pool or park. The fee is usually in line with the services and maybe $50-140/mo (may be charged quarterly).

The easiest way to find out what the fee is and what it includes are to look online. These are fields on MLS so many real estate websites should have that data or your agent can get it for you.

[Pennies4Penny]

We are looking for a single family home.

It seems the HOA situation is much different up there (thankfully! ). Here, every new community/housing edition by law has to have an HOA. Unless you build privately, any house built after the late 90s has an HOA and they tell you how many bushes and trees you have to have in your yard, exterior changes have to be approved, and they fine you for weeds and overgrown shrubbery. It's awful. We bought a 50 year old house, because it was the only way to not have an HOA. The fees also seem more reasonable up there.

Even so I think unless we can afford an HOA that will assist with lawn and snow care, we'll probably avoid it . Thanks for the input.

[cielpur]

HOA's are not common with single family homes in the metro. Without an HOA, some people find it's worth it to contract out lawn care/snow removal services.

[Pennies4Penny]

Originally Posted by cielpur

HOA's are not common with single family homes in the metro. Without an HOA, some people find it's worth it to contract out lawn care/snow removal services.

Liking Minnesota more and more!

[Minntoaz]

Originally Posted by Pennies4Penny

In all honesty, I hate HOA's. I know they can be nice for community pools and parks, but I hate paying someone to tell me how my house and yard should look and whether or not I can make changes to my personal property. However, after browsing through houses, I noticed that many HOA'S will take care of snow and lawn maintenance. (We lived in an HOA neighborhood here for 2 years that was $175 quarterly and they literally did nothing but collect money!) As two southernors who have zero experience with winter weather, we may consider an HOA neighborhood if the help with winter maintenance is worth the money.

Our house will need to be under $200k, preferably in the $180s. Do y'all have any idea on the approximate cost of HOA'S for homes in that price range and what their duties might include, or where I can find this info? Will they be removing snow off the neighborhood streets? Driveways? If you have an HOA, does the help offered seem worth the money? Thanks!

We pay $225 a month. We don't have to lift a finger outside for all seasons and they kill the rodents and pests too! It's for maintenance only, you're not paying for land leases and such like in some southern places.

[StPaulGal]

Originally Posted by cielpur

HOA's are not common with single family homes in the metro. Without an HOA, some people find it's worth it to contract out lawn care/snow removal services.

I second this. I don't know a whole lot about suburban housing stock, but of all the people I know across the entire metro only one has to deal with a HOA and he lives in a new-ish townhouse. It's just not a common paradigm here.

I would also encourage anyone coming in from a climate without a true winter to look into contracting snow removal services. I have seen comments here and there from people who want to live in condos or townhomes strictly to avoid having to deal with snow, but there is no reason to choose between slaving away with a shovel or passing up perfectly valid housing options. Landscaping companies typically do snow removal in the winter, and it's generally not something most homeowners would find cost prohibitive.