Does Your Home have an HOA ? Is it Worth it?

[mahoney]

I am looking at some homes with a $225 per month Hoa but it's on a Golf Course. Also, I can't help but believe an Hoa keeps up the property value and keeps out the Riff Raff. What say you?

[Vendzilla]

Usually your HOA includes your home fire insurance, if that's the case, yes

[blackmonsters]

I don't know.
I try to stick to a rule of "the less people telling me what to do, the better I can survive".

[SuckOnThis]

If you like busy bodies with no life telling you what color to paint your house and to mow your lawn then go for it.

[SBJ]

I hate HOA! I rented a house in AZ and they were always harassing me or my neighbors about something nit picky. I heard a story of someone getting a fine cause he had a flat tire and he changed it in front of his house. When he asked what he should've done, they told him to call a tow truck and have the tire replaced at a service station.

[TCLGirls]

I owned a home in an HOA community. Thankfully I was able to sell it for a nice profit and buy another home in a non-HOA community. The HOA people never really bothered me but it was annoying to have to pay a monthly fee for very little services in return (in my case).

[mahoney]

Originally Posted by Vendzilla

Usually your HOA includes your home fire insurance, if that's the case, yes

I didn't know that....Very Interesting.

[baddog]

There is nothing about the OP that I believe.

[sandman!]

they usually suck

[Robbie]

Yes to the first part of your question and NO to the second part.

[mahoney]

Originally Posted by baddog

There is nothing about the OP that I believe.

and why is that?

[DBS.US]

Dear resident: We need to do some repairs to the club house, please send a cheek for $1,000.00 for your share. Thank you, your HOA

[RTP]

HOA sucks. Mello-Roos even more. Having a group of people dictate how and what you can do is lame. "Your roof needs to be up to HOA code, it will cost you $6,000".

There is a reason people advertise No HOA on their listings. Go sit in on a HOA meeting and see how fun it is.

[woj]

your real estate agent is bullshitting you... I've never heard anyone say anything good about HOAs...

take the $225 a month and buy $50k more expensive house in a better non-hoa neighborhood... unlike the hoa fees, that $225/month will build equity over time...

[EddyTheDog]

I shared an apartment with a hoe in Spain - She was good fun - I'm not sure I would make it a requirement if I was buying a place though...

[suesheboy]

Originally Posted by Vendzilla

Usually your HOA includes your home fire insurance, if that's the case, yes

The HOAs for my homes in FL and TN do not pay insurance.

Make sure the HOA has plenty of reserves before you buy into any place. I was a board member for 12 years and the HOA can go from your best friend by doing great work, saving the community money to a nightmare overnight - and of course the other way around.

I would never buy a place now without going to a board meeting first. If they wont let you see a board meeting, run.

[arock10]

HOA generally reduces the value of a property since it's an additional cost

[JJ Gold]

Originally Posted by mahoney

I am looking at some homes with a $225 per month Hoa but it's on a Golf Course. Also, I can't help but believe an Hoa keeps up the property value and keeps out the Riff Raff. What say you?

That's Racist!

[suesheboy]

Originally Posted by arock10

HOA generally reduces the value of a property since it's an additional cost

Not at all in some places. Try selling a home for decent money in Boca Raton Florida without a HOA.

It does raise the bar somewhat for who can live there which often increases the value along with being better maintained on average.

If you have a HOA you won't find cars siting on blocks in driveways and unmowed lawns with grass 4 feet high and washing machines by the front door on the porch.

You can however find psycho old people who have nothing better to do than be a pain in the ass.

[Robbie]

Here in Nevada...we are the only state where the HOA can actually foreclose on your home if you get behind in payments!

And get this...if they foreclose on your home...YOU still owe the bank the entire mortgage!

I think the Federal Govt. is getting ready to investigate that.

[k0nr4d]

It's bullshit, I had a condo in vancouver that had something like that (called strata or something?). Also BS. Can only move in/out on certain days, can't do certain type of flooring, and also fucking busy-bodies that have nothing better to do then chase you for not following some dumb fuck rule.

I got fined for replacing a dead battery in my car in underground parking lot. What was I supposed to do? A tow truck couldn't lift it in the garage, and i'm supposed to put it up 3 floors of underground parking?

[Honez]

Been there. Done that. Won't do it again. The only thing my HOA fee went to, was to pay the person that drove by every day checking to see what they could fine me for. Oh, you have two cars in the driveway? Fine. Oh, it's April and you still have a 1x1 section of lawn that the grass has not filled in yet? Fine. Oh, you have a bird feeder in your backyard? Fine. Oh, the wind blew a stupid amount of tumbleweeds into your yard? Fine.

[Vendzilla]

Originally Posted by suesheboy

The HOAs for my homes in FL and TN do not pay insurance.

Make sure the HOA has plenty of reserves before you buy into any place. I was a board member for 12 years and the HOA can go from your best friend by doing great work, saving the community money to a nightmare overnight - and of course the other way around.

I would never buy a place now without going to a board meeting first. If they wont let you see a board meeting, run.

I have a HOA, $335 a month, not bad since the condo is almost paid off. Meetings are open. I talk to the president all the time. As long as I keep the noise down in my garage to doing the day and the door closed, no one has a problem. If they find something that upsets them, they just ask to have it fixed.They keep the place clean, repairs are done quickly and the pool and sauna and Jacuzzi are kept up very nice. Parking in front sucks, but I have a 4 car garage.
When I retire, I'll use this as an income property

[_Richard_]

you have porn sites.. i believe you might qualify as 'riff raff' in the HOA's eyes

[Rochard]

We have an HOA here. I pay $118 a month. They keep the common areas tidy, we have a huge pool area with two huge pools, plus we get free internet - which is very dependable.

We have certain rules to follow, but they all seem to be common sense stuff which I completely agree with - don't leave trash out, no crappy cars up on blocks, take your Christmas lights down, and no parking on the street. A lot of people have issues with that but I think it keeps the neighbor looking nice plus our streets really aren't wide enough to cars parked on both sides.

I like living in an HOA area. I can tell the difference between the HOA areas and the non HOA areas. The HOA areas are much nicer.

[Rochard]

I should add my HOA is talking about greatly expanding it's pool complex. We have a huge club house which is great for community meetings, etc. Our HOA bought some land next to the club house, and they are talking about adding in a lazy river, a third pool, a basketball court, and a huge gym.

[SuckOnThis]

Originally Posted by Vendzilla

I have a HOA, $335 a month, not bad since the condo is almost paid off. Meetings are open. I talk to the president all the time. As long as I keep the noise down in my garage to doing the day and the door closed, no one has a problem. If they find something that upsets them, they just ask to have it fixed.They keep the place clean, repairs are done quickly and the pool and sauna and Jacuzzi are kept up very nice. Parking in front sucks, but I have a 4 car garage.
When I retire, I'll use this as an income property

A 4 car garage in an apt complex? Um yea, ok.

[Vendzilla]

Originally Posted by Rochard

I should add my HOA is talking about greatly expanding it's pool complex. We have a huge club house which is great for community meetings, etc. Our HOA bought some land next to the club house, and they are talking about adding in a lazy river, a third pool, a basketball court, and a huge gym.

Ours just added solar panels to heat the pool. Nice touch really

And my fire insurance is paid by it

[arock10]

Originally Posted by Vendzilla

I have a HOA, $335 a month, not bad since the condo is almost paid off. Meetings are open. I talk to the president all the time. As long as I keep the noise down in my garage to doing the day and the door closed, no one has a problem. If they find something that upsets them, they just ask to have it fixed.They keep the place clean, repairs are done quickly and the pool and sauna and Jacuzzi are kept up very nice. Parking in front sucks, but I have a 4 car garage.
When I retire, I'll use this as an income property

Most likely and also partially due to your HOA your property would not make a good income property. Which is more my issue with HOAs... Unneeded extra costs that will never go away even if you pay off your loan. Though obviously stuck with taxes forever

Also Rochard how are they planning on paying for those pool upgrades? I've heard some horror stories before where they pass some new upgrades and all the owners have to chip in thousands of dollars

[arock10]

Also $335 a month at 4% with a 30 yr loan would be the same as a 75k loan... You could basically buy a duplex in a cheaper state for the cost of your HOA fees

And then buy your own jacuzzi with the profits

[mahoney]

Originally Posted by JJ Gold

That's Racist!

Lol...I HATE/LOVE Riff Raff the Rapper. I can't believe he exists and is successful on any level but he cracks me up

[DBS.US]

[mahoney]

Originally Posted by DBS.US

Wow...thanks for posting...that's crazy

[L-Pink]

Originally Posted by mahoney

Wow...thanks for posting...that's crazy

Don't forget what HOA stands for, Home Owners Association. Why should a fellow homeowner who pays on time face increased costs when others don't pay? I have zero sympathy when someone picks a neighborhood with nice amenities paid for by the home owners then doesn't pay increasing the costs to others.

I lived in Pasco Co for years in a gated community that charged $265 a month. If someone was 6 months late the HOA foreclosed and the unit was sold at auction thru the county's website.

What was interesting was the "paperwork" Pasco Co gave the buyers who thought they were getting a house deed. The lending bank holding the mortgage was the true owner of the auctioned properties.

Was having a HOA worth it? Included was the gate house and 24/7 monitoring, fire and hurricane insurance, roof repairs, garbage, water and all landscaping. For me, Hell ya!


.

[JFK]

Originally Posted by woj

your real estate agent is bullshitting you... I've never heard anyone say anything good about HOAs...

take the $225 a month and buy $50k more expensive house in a better non-hoa neighborhood... unlike the hoa fees, that $225/month will build equity over time...

Much better way to spend your money

[TrashyGirl]

* Read all the HOA documents first

* Determine exactly what HOA fees cover like trash, common area maintenance, internet,
etc

* Review the HOA financial statements for 2 - 3 years

* Review Meeting minutes for the past 2 - 3 years

* Ask other residents what their opinion is of the HOA

* Find out if their have been any special assessments or contributions required
of residents beyond the monthly HOA fees, like thousands of $$ for expenses re:
repair, replacement, new construction of something within the community

[HowlingWulf]

I've lived in HOAs and my vote is also against it. Stay away unless you are a conformist.

[the Shemp]

no HOA where i live ...

[VikingMan]

I would rather live in an area where there are a few neighbors who have some junk in their yard instead of living in a community where busy body cunts (terrorists) are spying on you and making annonymous reports to the HOA. Then you get a fucking letter telling you what you did wrong and do not know who did it. And what is worse the reports are considered 100% truthfull. Fucking East Germany or the USSR. Not fun and I am shocked more people do not go postal on these fucks.

[Rochard]

Originally Posted by VikingMan

I would rather live in an area where there are a few neighbors who have some junk in their yard instead of living in a community where busy body cunts (terrorists) are spying on you and making annonymous reports to the HOA. Then you get a fucking letter telling you what you did wrong and do not know who did it. And what is worse the reports are considered 100% truthfull. Fucking East Germany or the USSR. Not fun and I am shocked more people do not go postal on these fucks.

It's funny how some people see the HOA this way. In fact, we have some people in our HOA who feel this way and very vocal about it.

No one "spies" on you, and no one reports you to the HOA. This isn't Nazi Germany. The HOA drives around the area once or twice a week and notes anything out of order. In the past eight years I've been contacted twice, once about Christmas lights still being up and once about having my garbage can being out in the driveway on a Saturday (our garbage day is Wednesday). No fines, no issues, just a little note.

In return I live in a nice neighborhood that isn't a ghetto.

[TCLGirls]

Originally Posted by Rochard

It's funny how some people see the HOA this way. In fact, we have some people in our HOA who feel this way and very vocal about it.

No one "spies" on you, and no one reports you to the HOA. This isn't Nazi Germany. The HOA drives around the area once or twice a week and notes anything out of order. In the past eight years I've been contacted twice, once about Christmas lights still being up and once about having my garbage can being out in the driveway on a Saturday (our garbage day is Wednesday). No fines, no issues, just a little note.

In return I live in a nice neighborhood that isn't a ghetto.

I suspect their are more onerous HOAs out there compared to yours.

I lived in an HOA neighborhood for almost 10 years (newly built home in a "planned community"). The HOA was laidback like you described. But all in all I would rather live in a normal neighborhood versus a planned neighborhood controlled by an HOA.

[MiamiBoyz]

[kane]

A friend of mine lives in a place with an HOA. A couple summers ago he decided to paint his house. Not a crazy color, a very nice light green that fit the neighborhood well. The head of the HOA stopped by and looked one day as we were painting and said nothing. Instead, the prick lets us finish painting the house then sent my buddy a notice that that the house was not an approved color and they had to repaint it and go through a process to have the color approved. He could have just stopped us when he saw what the color was and we had only painted about 20% of the house.

[kane]

Originally Posted by Rochard

It's funny how some people see the HOA this way. In fact, we have some people in our HOA who feel this way and very vocal about it.

No one "spies" on you, and no one reports you to the HOA. This isn't Nazi Germany. The HOA drives around the area once or twice a week and notes anything out of order. In the past eight years I've been contacted twice, once about Christmas lights still being up and once about having my garbage can being out in the driveway on a Saturday (our garbage day is Wednesday). No fines, no issues, just a little note.

In return I live in a nice neighborhood that isn't a ghetto.

The place my brother lives in is different. When he first moved in he had only been in the house two days and the neighbors called the HOA and reported him for not having his yard mowed. He has several neighbors that walk around the neighborhood every night and report anything they think is a violation to the HOA.

I supposed it is like anything else. There are good and there are bad.

[SBJ]

Originally Posted by kane

A friend of mine lives in a place with an HOA. A couple summers ago he decided to paint his house. Not a crazy color, a very nice light green that fit the neighborhood well. The head of the HOA stopped by and looked one day as we were painting and said nothing. Instead, the prick lets us finish painting the house then sent my buddy a notice that that the house was not an approved color and they had to repaint it and go through a process to have the color approved. He could have just stopped us when he saw what the color was and we had only painted about 20% of the house.

I hate HOA but in this case your friend should've made sure the color was approved before he painted anything. Common sense tells you that one of the biggest thing that hoa looks at it the color of the house.

Also about the 20% thing.. I think that is just the way hoa people are. They will never say anything face to face but love to send out notices. The people that run hoa were they hallway monitors back in elementary school

[kane]

Originally Posted by SBJ

I hate HOA but in this case your friend should've made sure the color was approved before he painted anything. Common sense tells you that one of the biggest thing that hoa looks at it the color of the house.

Also about the 20% thing.. I think that is just the way hoa people are. They will never say anything face to face but love to send out notices. The people that run hoa were they hallway monitors back in elementary school

He should have checked with them to make sure it was okay to paint, but he assumed since it wasn't a crazy color and there were several other homes in the area that had a similar color it would be fine. Of course, assuming bit him in the ass.

He did get a bit of petty revenge. To have the color approved he had submit an application along with color swatches. He purposely submitted about 30 different applications that he knew they would deny just to annoy them.

[Robbie]

The worst part is...the HOA is SUPPOSED to be the "Home Owners Association".

BUT...there is no provision for ENDING it. Even if the majority of homeowners want it abolished...they can't.

And like most HOA's...the one I have is outsourced to a company that soley exists to "manage" HOA's.
Yeah, we have a board that meets and there are HOA meetings for us to attend if we want.
But here in Vegas...it's almost impossible to live in any nice neighborhood that DOESN'T have an HOA.

It's almost like the mafia left town and was replaced by a new "protection racket" lol

[Rochard]

Originally Posted by arock10

Also Rochard how are they planning on paying for those pool upgrades? I've heard some horror stories before where they pass some new upgrades and all the owners have to chip in thousands of dollars

Most of this is already paid for. More than half of the cost will be funded by cash on hand, the rest will be financed using a low interest short term loan. Our HOA takes in a lot more money than it spends so it shouldn't be a problem.

They are telling us they can do all of this with raising our fees which is ideal.

[DBS.US]

Check out this HOA forum:
HOA out of money > HOA Forum > HOA Talk.com

[HappyTugger]

I don't need my neighbors calling a tow truck because I parked in front of property that I own. I also don't need them fining me because I painted my house an unapproved color.