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Homeowner Associations: Unveiling the Hidden Truth

Homeowner Associations are often portrayed as hostile micromanagers of the neighborhood, dictating what homeowners can and can’t do with their property. While these instances do occur, House of Hope would like to shed light on the advantages that neighborhood organizations can provide their communities.  

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Benefits 

Negative reviews of HOAs can be much more entertaining for social media, but most people are unaware of the many positives that communities are provided with when they live in an area with these organizations.  

Enhancing the appearance of your community is a huge plus that homeowner associations can deliver on. By implementing and upholding aesthetic standards across your neighborhood, your property value is preserved and enhanced. This can be an important consideration for homeowners that might sell their property in the future.  

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Examples of enhancing your neighborhood’s appearance can include:  

  • Landscaping standards 
  • Amenity management  
  • Security measures  
  • Architectural control  

Providing amenities for the community is another way that HOAs contribute as a neighborhood organization. Parks, pools, recreation areas, community gyms, and security are all amenities that homeowner associations provide to their members. These resources contribute to property value and can enhance the standard of living for those able to enjoy the benefits.  

Costs 

All these benefits do come at a cost, literally. If you purchase property within an HOA’s jurisdiction, you are automatically a member and required to pay dues, known as HOA fees. These fees are usually between $200 and $400 a month.   

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Homeowner association fees are established to cover the maintenance of common areas, amenities, community improvements, and common utilities. A few common utilities that HOA fees might cover are water/sewer fees and waste management fees.  

The money gathered from HOA members goes into a reserve fund. This fund is reserved to cover unexpected costs within the neighborhood, including large scale maintenance or renovation projects. These fees can also be used after natural disasters or vehicle collisions to help restore the neighborhood.

Restrictions 

Most conflict centered around HOAs involves the regulations they set on their members. These restrictions are typically enforced to help preserve the community’s aesthetic and maintain property value.  

A few of the common policies among homeowner associations include:  

  • Architectural guidelines 
  • Landscaping regulations 
  • Parking restrictions 
  • Noise regulations  
  • Home business policies  

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Architectural standards are usually created to regulate the exterior appearance of properties. This can include paint colors, building materials, and landscape features. If you’re expecting to dramatically change the exterior of your house, approval from the HOA is usually required. 

Aside from maintaining the property value and upholding standards across the neighborhood, HOAs can also restrict homeowners from running businesses from their home. It is implied that having multiple vehicles from customers and employees can disrupt the community, especially when parking restrictions are in place limiting the number of vehicles that you can have in your designated parking area.  

These home business policies typically don’t restrict those that are working remotely from their own home.

Homeowner Associations: Evaluating the Pros, Cons, and Limitations  

While HOAs receive a lot of bad publicity, the true purpose behind these organizations is to preserve the value of properties within their jurisdiction and promote community involvement. The far-reaching effects of these neighborhood organizations might benefit you in the long run if you decide to sell your property.  

If you’re unsure about buying property within an HOAs jurisdiction because of the regular fees associated with them, it might be important to also consider all possible housing expenses. Learn more about how important it is to factor all aspects of your future housing expenses into your budget with House of Hope’s blog post: The Real Deal on Housing Expenses.