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So, once again, we play the "I Love/Hate HOA's" game to a draw.
It's a personal thing.
If you wish to live in a more sterile, homogenous community, chances are you would appreciate an HOA.
If you wish to live in an "it's my property and I can do with it what I wish" community then an HOA is probably not desirable to you.
It all comes down to personal choices. You don't have to appreciate mine, and I don't have to appreciate yours. That's why we have both types of communities. It's real easy, if you don't wish to live in one type of community or the other, don't to choose to buy there.
I'm buying a new home in an HOA community because I'm tired of looking at my neighbors plastic flowers and animal lawn ornaments. I mean, who does she think she's fooling? And don't get me started on the use of cinder blocks to surround her (plastic) flower beds or the broken down car in her front yard. We may not be upper class but every neighbor has some class and respect. Except for mine, of course. The one directly across the street. The picture window I loved so much is hidden behind closed curtains.
If I don't move soon I'm going to go postal. I daydream about pummeling her plastic deer with a cinder block.
Sorry for the thread jack. LOL I used to be so anti-HOA until my neighbor moved in. Now I get it! Oh god how I get it.
I live in an HOA community, albeit a very small and less homogeneous-looking one, since all of the member homes are constructed differently. The problem isn't so much with the covenants and restrictions as it is with the shady financial practices of the board. These include such things as undisclosed and undocumented assessments for new owners (3x the monthly rate at move-in), semi-annual lump sum assessments, which only serve the purpose of disguising the real amount of the monthly HOA fee for re-sale purposes, and various 'capital improvement' projects, which are proposed via sky-high bids with contractors, but which homeowners are prohibited from making themselves. It's that sort of less-than-disguised corruption which makes me frustrated and annoyed with the HOA situation, as it adds an unnecessary and burdensome monthly expense with very little ROI.
I agree with all those who say it is a matter of preference. While I like the peace of mind HOA brings in terms of property value and such, the power tripping, mountains of paper work and hoops you have to jump to do a simple thing discourage me in particular.
When we were house hunting we narrowed it down to 2 properties, they were on the same price range and have similar amenities and all, the main difference was that one was in a more desirable location than the other. The one in the most desirable location had HOA while the other one didn't, in the end we ended up going for the one without HOA as I read the HOA restrictions and found them to be too strict and too vague in some points which could certainly cause problems.
My casual observation after living in a newly built development is that second owners almost never take as good care of the property (at least outdoors) as the original owners.
My observation has been just the opposite. In house hunting, I've run across some newer homes that have the original owners in them. No nice landscaping, many with large yards (I'm looking for a large yard) without one single tree planted, when they've been living there for 10 years! Small things broken that they didn't bother to fix. It's like they knew this wasn't their forever home, so why bother, or they just got used to it being that way. On the surface, though, if you don't pay attention to details, they look fine.
With every new owner, a property gets improved, usually. When I see a description that says "original owner lovingly maintained" I run for the hills. People get used to how a property looks, and they see no need to upgrade or do other things. But when a new owner moves in, they set about making the home their own and updating it (new carpet, replace carpet with tile, new counters, changing landscaping). It also went through inspections, and certain repairs had to be done. So it's improved, often by a lot.
I live in an HOA community, albeit a very small and less homogeneous-looking one, since all of the member homes are constructed differently. The problem isn't so much with the covenants and restrictions as it is with the shady financial practices of the board. These include such things as undisclosed and undocumented assessments for new owners (3x the monthly rate at move-in), semi-annual lump sum assessments, which only serve the purpose of disguising the real amount of the monthly HOA fee for re-sale purposes, and various 'capital improvement' projects, which are proposed via sky-high bids with contractors, but which homeowners are prohibited from making themselves. It's that sort of less-than-disguised corruption which makes me frustrated and annoyed with the HOA situation, as it adds an unnecessary and burdensome monthly expense with very little ROI.
You bring up some additional concerns. I was aware of special assessments, but I've never heard of them being used that way (to hide the real cost of the HOA).
So I have to see if there's a less restrictive HOA in the area (the whole, broad area is under control of various HOAs). If not, I can't live there, which makes me sad. It's close to relatives and so pretty (the natural landscape). If I can't live there, the next place appropriate is several hours away.
My observation has been just the opposite. In house hunting, I've run across some newer homes that have the original owners in them. No nice landscaping, many with large yards (I'm looking for a large yard) without one single tree planted, when they've been living there for 10 years! Small things broken that they didn't bother to fix. It's like they knew this wasn't their forever home, so why bother, or they just got used to it being that way. On the surface, though, if you don't pay attention to details, they look fine.
With every new owner, a property gets improved, usually. When I see a description that says "original owner lovingly maintained" I run for the hills. People get used to how a property looks, and they see no need to upgrade or do other things. But when a new owner moves in, they set about making the home their own and updating it (new carpet, replace carpet with tile, new counters, changing landscaping). It also went through inspections, and certain repairs had to be done. So it's improved, often by a lot.
Very interesting observation! I am the third owner of this home and the second owners were just as you describe. I was very perplexed as to some of the little things that they just did not address or fix. From day one i went about updating things from small to large.
You bring up some additional concerns. I was aware of special assessments, but I've never heard of them being used that way (to hide the real cost of the HOA).
So I have to see if there's a less restrictive HOA in the area (the whole, broad area is under control of various HOAs). If not, I can't live there, which makes me sad. It's close to relatives and so pretty (the natural landscape). If I can't live there, the next place appropriate is several hours away.
Yes, I think in our particular case, it will become very hard to sell the house in the future with a high monthly HOA in a community which has no amenities (pool, tennis court, gym, community room, etc). In our case, the HOA fee started out around half of what similar communities in the area charge, but if you factor in the 'special' assessments, it just about breaks even. Now, if the proposed capital improvement projects are implemented, we will soon be paying about 50% more than nearby communities, which offer a variety of amenities. Our community's monthly fee is designed to cover basic landscaping costs, since that is the only true 'community expense'. The purpose of the special assessment fund has not been defined as it is not intended to cover landscaping costs, but at the same time the board has indicated that the funds will *not* be used for capital improvements. So this is where I fall to the conclusion that the special assessment only exists to mask the true monthly HOA fee for re-sale purposes, due to the lack of amenities offered compared to similarly priced homes in other communities in the area.
Protip: Read through all your covenants/restrictions before buying into an HOA, make sure you get CLEAR, LEGIBLE copies of all documents (realtors often send over some thrice-scanned, grainy, red-lined copies) and ask plenty of questions about any and all assessments, projects, fees above and beyond the monthly fee. This won't eliminate all risk, but it should help avoid any nasty surprises after moving in.
Oh come on, you don't understand why people fail to make some repairs? Because they're busy with work and family. If it's just an aesthetic thing it goes to the bottom of the list in favor of problems that can cause serious damage. My forty-year-old house isn't in any danger of falling down, but it's certainly not in perfect condition, because I've got three kids to get through college and a retirement to fund. So I'll put off repairing the leaning fence and spalled concrete on the front steps for another year, because other issues must take priority. I'd love to fix the patio and add a pergola, but..you know...those pesky kids need a college education, and nobody's going to die if the grout is chipped between the tiles on the kitchen floor.
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