Moving to Phoenix next summer. Homes not in a HOA? (Tempe: 2014, to rent)
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I've made the decision to leave the Army and Phoenix is the place we want to go. We like El Paso but we also believe that the growth opportunities for us are limited in terms of careers. Low wage city but not exactly low cost of living here.
Visited Phoenix in August 2014, it was hot, hottest place my wife has been but I've been to hotter places. Besides the heat, we noticed that it was a very clean place with little to no trash on the road sides. Having lived in various places that are hot and humid, they made me a fan of the dry heat. Since then we have visited 3 times and have enjoyed each visit. Went to a Suns game last weekend and the wife said, "You know, there's a lot to do here."
Why Phoenix? It's a huge city with tons of opportunity. That isn't happening here in El Paso with the reliance on Spanish (neither of us are native Spanish speakers). My folks live in Los Angeles, which is only a 5 hour drive west on I-10 and her family lives in Chicago, which is a main route to/from Phoenix.
We're native Chicago people and see the influence. A lot of Chicago area plates (judging by the names of the dealers on the plate frames), Portillo's in Tempe, spring training for the Sox and Cubs and I also believe a deep dish pizza place (I know Aurelio's is set to open next year).
Even though we're most likely 9 months away from moving, I've already started browsing on Zillow to look at what prices are like. I'm interviewing now for work and I'm sure the wife will work as well. We have a 5 month old and 60 pound dog. It will only be 1 child for us but we may get another dog, a small <15 pound dog.
My initial thought is to rent for a year while we learn the area better. But I'm also not opposed to buying if the stars align.
Obviously, we want a safe neighborhood. We also want good schools.
Having done a little browsing online, I've only looked at 12-15 houses, I noticed they're all HOA run. Is that the rule rather than the exception? I've never lived in a HOA run area and from what I've read about them, I'm not sure I'd like living in an area run by a HOA.
Are there areas not run by HOA? If so, what are those areas? East/west and north/south boundaries would help greatly.
Possibly the biggest question: budget. I have not used my VA loan but I'm not going to go crazy with it, either. If it were up to my wife, we'd spend all $400,000 of it but I'd like to keep it at a reasonable amount. We're not fancy or rich people but we would like to live in a nicer area.
I'd like to keep it under $225,000 and that's really about $30,000-40,000 more than I'd like to ideally spend but if it means more for my family then that's what I will do.
Someone mentioned in a post the last time I posted this that there are some areas that are technically shown as being in an HOA, but the HOA isn't active or something. So due diligence may be necessary before deciding on a place.
HOAs are the rule rather than the exception in most places. Unless you can fork over a lot of money - i.e. the most expensive places seem to be all custom and therefore generally lacking in a HOA.
Only way to avoid an HOA anymore is to go older or custom. Anything in the last 10 years will very likely have an HOA, 15-20 years old might not have an HOA and over 20 chances are good there isn't an HOA in place, though my home's HOA was established in 1987 which is 17 years before the first home was even built. The map is missing a lot of areas that have HOAs. If you are looking at listings they will say on them HOA dues so you can rule them out if you don't want a home in an HOA. Not all HOAs are bad though so read the rules and you may be surprised, where I live the rules have never been changed and are pretty laid back with no big restrictions on structures, just need to match the house if it is over the fence line. The only real rules are street parking, gated community with private roads, because the roads aren't really wide enough to have street parking and still let emergency vehicles through.
I lived in an HOA free community near Val Vista and Guadalupe at one time and moved to an HOA community now. The non-HOA was a special property tax district and carried a $500 levy from the city to pay for park maintenance and streets, which was the equivalent to paying HOA dues. The city was more strict than my current HOA. So as crazy as this sounds, I prefer my HOA community.
Although, HOA's are hit or miss. Always ask the neighbors and google the hoa name to get an idea of what its like.
What are your hesitations with the HOA? Like someone else mentioned, older neighborhoods are more likely to have no HOA's. Depending on what your reasoning is for not wanting an HOA, they can do a lot of good.
If it's a money factor - there is obviously a big difference between a $100 Annually due HOA, and a $200/month HOA. More than likely the higher HOA is going to have community features such as Pool, Gym, rec Room, etc. They can also vary drastically on what you can and can't do in the neighborhood. Most HOAs regulate factors that people buying into them want: Don't park a broken down car on the lawn, don't paint your house pink, etc. Additionally, if you are buying in a condo/townhome that HOA fee may cover exterior paint, roof repair, water and even Electric sometimes. It just depends and you should research each HOA you are interested in.
Although not as common do know that if a home does not have an HOA, that does NOT mean the house does not have CC&R's that are attached to the land that prohibit and regulate the property. They are mainly intended to maintain the appearance of the neighborhood.
When you are in the purchase process for a home you will receive a copy of the HOA bylaws which allow you to review and make sure you are comfortable living within the rules.
Under $225k, you'll likely either be in a townhouse or patio home with an HOA or a single-family home in an older neighborhood without one. I don't think you'll have much choice to be honest.
I personally would avoid non-HOA properties like The Plague.
This is my 3rd owned property with a HOA and I have no issues with it. They were/are all non-intrusive, almost to a fault.
The small trade-off of not being able to leave your xmas decorations up through February or leaving a rusty unregistered vehicle on the lawn are far outweighed by not having to look at neighbors who do those things. Oh, and having your property value decline because of it.
I personally would avoid non-HOA properties like The Plague.
This is my 3rd owned property with a HOA and I have no issues with it. They were/are all non-intrusive, almost to a fault.
The small trade-off of not being able to leave your xmas decorations up through February or leaving a rusty unregistered vehicle on the lawn are far outweighed by not having to look at neighbors who do those things. Oh, and having your property value decline because of it.
This. HOAs aren't that bad if you don't mind your house looking like everyone else's house. And really, if you don't want your house to look like everyone else's house, then don't move to Phoenix.
We live in an HOA community and every house on our block looks good. The yards are all kept up. Houses are painted the same colors. No ugly campers or boats parked in front of the house. Sure it means that I can't paint my house purple (not that I would want to) but my neighbors can't either so it's all good as far as I'm concerned.
With that said, I've heard a few horror stories about power mad HOA boards on my local FB group. Apparently there are some HOAs that have a reputation for being more controlling than others.
I've lived in HOA's and never again they are run by people with too much time on their hands. They are on a power trip and will regulate every part of your life. The common theme is well if you don't live in one your neighbors will paint their house pink and have rusty cars on their lawn. I've never encountered this it's just a scare tactic. Live in peace without busybodies tell you what to do and forget an HOA.
What are your hesitations with the HOA? Like someone else mentioned, older neighborhoods are more likely to have no HOA's. Depending on what your reasoning is for not wanting an HOA, they can do a lot of good.
If it's a money factor - there is obviously a big difference between a $100 Annually due HOA, and a $200/month HOA. More than likely the higher HOA is going to have community features such as Pool, Gym, rec Room, etc. They can also vary drastically on what you can and can't do in the neighborhood. Most HOAs regulate factors that people buying into them want: Don't park a broken down car on the lawn, don't paint your house pink, etc. Additionally, if you are buying in a condo/townhome that HOA fee may cover exterior paint, roof repair, water and even Electric sometimes. It just depends and you should research each HOA you are interested in.
Although not as common do know that if a home does not have an HOA, that does NOT mean the house does not have CC&R's that are attached to the land that prohibit and regulate the property. They are mainly intended to maintain the appearance of the neighborhood.
When you are in the purchase process for a home you will receive a copy of the HOA bylaws which allow you to review and make sure you are comfortable living within the rules.
My hesitations are restrictions but I believe those might be a good thing. I have no plans to paint a house ridiculous colors, have boats/RV's parked out front or install a basketball hoop in the driveway. I'm just weary of potential busy bodies with nothing to do looking for infractions: "those plants are not allowed, your car blocked 2" of the sidewalk, etc."
I'm also concerned about dogs. I've read of some with breed restrictions, we have a pit bull and might get another.
Money isn't necessarily an issue. Saw fees generally average about $45/month. But other than having to abide by HOA rules, what other benefit is there? If there was a community pool, workout center, etc., then that is definitely worth it. If it's just for somebody to tell me what I can do to my house, then that's a waste of money to me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitN8V
Under $225k, you'll likely either be in a townhouse or patio home with an HOA or a single-family home in an older neighborhood without one. I don't think you'll have much choice to be honest.
Are you saying that I won't get a nice home in a nice neighborhood for less than $225k? If so, then that sounds quite ridiculous.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JTW2013
This. HOAs aren't that bad if you don't mind your house looking like everyone else's house. And really, if you don't want your house to look like everyone else's house, then don't move to Phoenix.
We live in an HOA community and every house on our block looks good. The yards are all kept up. Houses are painted the same colors. No ugly campers or boats parked in front of the house. Sure it means that I can't paint my house purple (not that I would want to) but my neighbors can't either so it's all good as far as I'm concerned.
With that said, I've heard a few horror stories about power mad HOA boards on my local FB group. Apparently there are some HOAs that have a reputation for being more controlling than others.
Your first two lines are what sound like things my family would like. However, your last line is what makes me weary of HOAs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TempeAZnative
I've lived in HOA's and never again they are run by people with too much time on their hands. They are on a power trip and will regulate every part of your life. The common theme is well if you don't live in one your neighbors will paint their house pink and have rusty cars on their lawn. I've never encountered this it's just a scare tactic. Live in peace without busybodies tell you what to do and forget an HOA.
That's all I've pretty much heard about HOAs.
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