Homeowner Associations/Condo Associations

[Andre1969]

Heck, swap out that VW Beetle for an old Mopar or Buick or Pontiac or something, skirt the trailer, fill in the puddle, and pick up a little, and I could deal with a place like that house trailer. I'm the type of person that values seclusion and privacy, so I'd rather have the trailer and a few acres of privacy around me than one of those cookie cutter mansions jammed up against each other!

Now in reality yeah, I'd prefer something more in the middle. Nicer house, not mansion-esque, and preferably something that can't be towed away, but still with some land around it.

 

[Zoocat]

I read an article once about HOA's. It seems that there is a known phenomena in the building industry about HOA's. The builder subsidises the fees all during the selling phase and into a year or so after that. By that time the home owners are so p*ssed off at him they vote to take over the association. After a year or more of running the association, and after raising the fees to compensate for the amounts the builder was kicking in, the turmoil concerning the association becomes unbearable. At that point, the owners contact the builder about returning to run the association - which he would like about as much as a sitck in the eye. The builder then referes the HOA to a professional operation (with a referal kickback fee) that runs HOA's. This phenomena was enough to convince me to stay away from condos and the like.

Oh Yes, this is what happened in my townhome community. It's small, only 26 units. The developer subsidized the fees, leading buyers to mistakenly believe they were buying into a low fee community. Dumb de dumb dumb. Then the HOA proceeded to raise fees to take care of business and the folks start raising cain. They take six months to argue about fees, while in the meantime the covenants are not being legally enforced. Finally, last night at the meeting the air cleared and the fees were understood and now can be raised in Jan. And we have a professional manager too.

I couldn't believe the attitude of some of the pampered little rich kids in my community. They've probably never followed a budget that built in for future expenses. Meantime, the reserve is too low for a development three years old.

I don't know if I should sell this spring or not. Sure is disappointing. But I miss having my own place and not having to worry about depending on the HOA board to do the right thing.

 

[free4now]

It really does seem to make a difference who is on the HOA board. When I moved into my condo, the fees were low, and I naively thought I had found a place with a thrifty HOA board. Turns out that board was just deferring maintenance and had been doing so for years. A few months after I moved in there was a movement of owners who kicked that board out in a special recall election. Since that happenned almost a decade ago, the board has been quite good, and most importantly very fair in how they apply the rules.

Whenever I go to a HOA meeting I am amazed at how much crap the board has to deal with. Whining residents who complain about rules being enforced, and other whining residents complaining about rules not being enforced. It is a thankless job.

One concern I have with HOAs is that there is a tendency to add new rules but not remove old rules. Over time this can lead to CC&Rs looking like the IRS tax code. What I like about my current board is that they are actually working on undoing some rules. For instance there is a widely ignored rule that all flooring surfaces must be carpeted. With the popularity of hardwood floors, this rule just wasn't being obeyed and they couldn't enforce it, so they realized it was better to water the rule down so that the rule reflects actual practice. The new rule is that hardwood flooring is allowed in some parts of the condos, but if it causes noise problems then it has to be resolved by removing the hardwood flooring.

I like having the HOA here to do maintenance. I was travelling the past month and during that time the HOA did all the landscaping, repainted the deck outside, and did some repairs to the carport. Sure a heck of a lot easier than trying to schedule all that myself.

 

[tednvon]

Hi...just put up a survey on condo fees on this thread...I am really curious what the fees are in various areas for both homes and condos...might help us go to our residents and convince them that $200/month is a pretty good deal as it includes water/sewer, indoor pool, all lawn and snow care, exterior and roof work, plus a reserve for rainy day...

Thanks...Ted