How much are HOA fees in your area? (McLean: condo, utilities)

[Skapov]

Originally Posted by Yankeesfan

Kingstowne is $82 per month for single-family and townhouses, $48 for condos.

This sounds odd, I thought it was always higher for Condos? We're about to purchase a SFH in Burke/West Springfield area, and they list the HOA dues as $6/mo., but I'm not sure what that actually includes (probably not much).

[VEIK]

Always ask for HOA annual budget documents, that will show you where the money is going.

I look over mine every year with my HOA, and ***** about things that I know for a fact, based on my line of work, should NOT be that expensive.

[FL Beaches]

Originally Posted by onevthoki

Not sure about the other posters, but in the community I mentioned above, there were over 1400 units: a mix of single-family, townhomes, detached villas and attached villas. The single-family homes had the cheapest rate. Everyone else had a slightly higher rate. Why?

Townhomes: extra for snow removal (private street) and reserve fund for road maintenance

Detached villas: mowing, private clubhouse (maintenance and reserve)

Attached villas: mowing, private street expenses, private clubhouse (maintenance and reserve)

Also, when you have more homes (read my lips... smaller lots), you have more to share the BIG costs: pool contract, management contract, grounds contract, etc.

I will say though, I seem to pay my smaller community here in the Richmond area just as much and that does not include trash removal. Again, I attribute that to being a smaller community (about 700 homes).

Interesting. Well, we're in a major golf community that has all types of homes, condos, townhouses, and even apartment type rentals in some areas of it. I forgot to even mention the twice a year fees to the master association at $288.03...this time around. Sheesh. And I know we pay for our garbage pick up in our city taxes, not in the HOA fees.

[FL Beaches]

Originally Posted by VEIK

Always ask for HOA annual budget documents, that will show you where the money is going.

I look over mine every year with my HOA, and ***** about things that I know for a fact, based on my line of work, should NOT be that expensive.

That's true. I'll have to dig out the last bunch they sent out and see where the breakdown of it comes from. Thanks!

[car54]

Originally Posted by Skapov

This sounds odd, I thought it was always higher for Condos? We're about to purchase a SFH in Burke/West Springfield area, and they list the HOA dues as $6/mo., but I'm not sure what that actually includes (probably not much).

That's probably a civic association. Membership is usually voluntary in those.

Example: Ravensworth Farm Civic Association dues are 5 bucks a year. For that they maintain the entrance gateways and publish a newsletter and community directory (I don't live there but I have a rental there)

[scimitar12]

$65/month, End unit townhome

Location; Mirror Ridge

Trash, recycle pickup, common ground care, no pool

[onevthoki]

You know, I always find it ironic that the majority of people do not attend their monthly HOA meetings. I do my best to go every month. Yes, you do hear people gripe and complain, and many times they are beating a dead horse into the ground, but you also pick up a wealth of information to keep you better informed about (what for many of us is) our biggest asset.

[imisscarlsbadcalifornia]

Ours are $169 per month for a single family home in Dominion Valley. It includes expanded basic cable on every outlet in your home, high speed cable modem service (cable and internet are on a bulk contract through Comcast), trash removal, and snow removal on the streets in the community. They are going up by about $8 per month beginning in February and I'm told that they do go up every year. I know that the attached home HOA fees are about $60-$70 more per month, but they include lawn care during the months that grass is not dormant.

[Yankeesfan]

Skapov, sorry, I missed your question about Kingstowne. Kingstowne is a mix of single-family houses, townhouses, condos, and apartments. So I think there may be condo fees that are administered separately in addition to the HOA fees. But I don't know that for sure.

Back in the early 80s my husband and I were looking for our first townhouse. We found some that seemed to be priced surprisingly low. Fortunately I studied the listing sheet and found that they were actually condos and the monthly fee was so high that they weren't a bargain after all. But as first-time buyers we didn't know all the differences.

[camrynh]

Originally Posted by onevthoki

Is that 10% how much it is guaranteed to go up, or the cap the board can raise the dues without a homeowner vote?

Anyway, we moved from Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania a year ago, and when we left the dues were between $60-65 per month for the single family homes. That included trash pick-up twice a week, pool priviledges, social activities, sidewalk maintenance, electricity, recycle (once a week). Now don't forget a monthly portion of your HOA is going into a reserve account, and a large portion will probably go to the grounds contract, especially if there is a large amount of common property.

Hope this helps somewhat.

Wow, electricity? In your home, or for the community (pool, etc.)?