IMO...HOA is a ripoff !

[Dancing Fire]

my daughter will be paying $90 per month for a security guy to drive around in a pick up truck..

 

[Haven]

This is the reason I'll never again buy a condo. DH's condo has a nearly $600 monthly association fee. It's ridiculous. It's one of those giant old high rises on LSD in the city, so I understand why, but still. $600? The building doesn't even have a pool.

ETA: His association fee was $230 when he bought the condo nine years ago.

 

[sonnyjane]

I'm not a fan of HOA's, not entirely because of their cost, but because of their bureaucracy. My current place has one here, but I'm just renting so my landlord pays the fees. They are good in that they keep the neighborhood looking nice and they take care of things such as maintenance projects to the buildings and sidewalks, lawn care, etc., but their rules are somewhat ridiculous. For example, in one place I lived, we were only allowed to put our trash in black trash bags. They wouldn't collect it if it was in anything else. In our current neighborhood, my husband is not allowed to park his truck in the driveway because it has four rear tires (a dually truck). He has to park about 300 yards away on a public street.

 

[zoebartlett]

Wow, Haven, $600 per month? That's insane! DF, $90 doesn't sound so bad after reading that!

We own a condo and there are fees we pay to have the exterior maintenance of the building taken care of. It also pays for snow removal in the winter and lawn up-keep during the rest of the year. I actually can't remember what our fee is but I think it's around $180 or so.

I'm pretty sure the rent on the condo we're living in includes the cost of the HOA fees. I'm not sure what the actual fee is but our rent is pretty high.

 

[Tanzigrrl]

My parents pay $460 for their HOA fees. And, they absolutely HATE the landscaping which is what a big portion of that money goes to support. In fact, my dad got so frustrated that he ran for - and is now serving on - the HOA board, now that he is retired from work.

 

[luv2sparkle]

We have one, but I think it is only about $59. currently and it can go up to a max of about $89. This is the first one we have ever had. It covers the common area and walking path landscaping and maintenance. I don't mind that, but I do hate the excessive rules. They have people that drive around the different neighborhoods to see if there are any violations. If your grass is too long, in their twisted brains, or
not green enough, they will tell you to fix it or you will get fined. THAT annoys me. Your trash cans have to be brought in by 7 p.m. on trash day! They would save a whole lot of money if they didn't pay someone to drive around and look for minor things.

On the flip side, we have a neighbor who parks his 5th wheel trailer right in front of the common mailbox for days at a time. The guy is a cleaning freak, and does his trailer before he goes somewhere and after. (There might be some dust in it!) I wish he wouldn't do that, but the association somehow never sees it, or he just ignores their threats. It is just one of those things and not important enough to even say anything to the neighbor.

I suppose there are benefits but I don't think I would ever want to live with one again. There are everywhere though so they must make money for somebody.

 

[movie zombie]

i'm surprised you didn't advise her to buy somewhere that did not have CC&R's and HOA dues..... her $, her house, her choice.

 

[JewelFreak]

When we've looked for houses I tell realtors not to bother showing us anywhere w/an HOA. The bureaucracy is not my cup of tea -- I know more people whom HOAs drove mad than those who liked them. Enforcement of good rules is sometimes uneven -- as above. Friends of ours had a neighbor who parked 3 cars in his backyard right next to them & revved them constantly while working on them -- at night. Plus played the radio loudly. Since it didn't happen in the FRONT yard, the HOA did nothing. They were overjoyed when they had to move. I'm a gardener & don't want some nitwit telling me what I can & can't plant on my own property.

 

[mary poppins]

Just wait until there are special assessments in addition to the homeowners association fees!

 

[Dancing Fire]

I'm not a fan of HOA's, not entirely because of their cost, but because of their bureaucracy. My current place has one here, but I'm just renting so my landlord pays the fees. They are good in that they keep the neighborhood looking nice and they take care of things such as maintenance projects to the buildings and sidewalks, lawn care, etc., but their rules are somewhat ridiculous. For example, in one place I lived, we were only allowed to put our trash in black trash bags. They wouldn't collect it if it was in anything else. In our current neighborhood, my husband is not allowed to park his truck in the driveway because it has four rear tires (a dually truck). He has to park about 300 yards away on a public street.

she don't have her own lawn just a big piece of community lawn out front,and they aren't allow to park on the street,b/c the street is so narrow.

 

[sonnyjane]

I'm not a fan of HOA's, not entirely because of their cost, but because of their bureaucracy. My current place has one here, but I'm just renting so my landlord pays the fees. They are good in that they keep the neighborhood looking nice and they take care of things such as maintenance projects to the buildings and sidewalks, lawn care, etc., but their rules are somewhat ridiculous. For example, in one place I lived, we were only allowed to put our trash in black trash bags. They wouldn't collect it if it was in anything else. In our current neighborhood, my husband is not allowed to park his truck in the driveway because it has four rear tires (a dually truck). He has to park about 300 yards away on a public street.

she don't have her own lawn just a big piece of community lawn out front,and they aren't allow to park on the street,b/c the street is so narrow.

Oh, yeah, sorry, I should clarify. I don't have my own lawn either, they just take care of the trees and grass along our street.

 

[MissStepcut]

$90 for private security? I'd be thrilled, frankly. One of the reasons we're looking at staying in a doorman building even after we could afford a single-family home is that I value that security highly.

 

[amc80]

I love my HOA. It's extremely well managed and something like 110% funded. It's $145 a month (it was $159 when I bought my unit two years ago). It includes all landscaping (every Friday the laws get mowed, shrubs/trees trimmed, etc., plus they put up Christmas lights), trash (which actually gets picked up 3x a week!), exterior building maintenance, insurance, and snow removal. There's also a pool. The association is really responsive to any issues that come up- I can just email the rep and he takes care of it.

 

[Dancing Fire]

i'm surprised you didn't advise her to buy somewhere that did not have CC&R's and HOA dues..... her $, her house, her choice.

she ask me what i (don't/do) like about the house.
i said...what i don't like is no yard,can't park on the street and the HOA fee.the part i do like is that your 4 yrs old house looks brand new and it is $70-$75k cheaper than the new ones of the same model they are selling down the street.

 

[Dancing Fire]

$90 for private security? I'd be thrilled, frankly. One of the reasons we're looking at staying in a doorman building even after we could afford a single-family home is that I value that security highly.

not really a private security,but just a security guy driving around within the community 24/7

 

[Haven]

Just wait until there are special assessments in addition to the homeowners association fees!

Don't remind me. DH had an $18,000 special assessment a few years back.

He just sold that condo last week and I could not be happier to have it GONE.

 

[monarch64]

Ours is $250 a year. We live in a small town in the Midwest, though...

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Well, you shouldn't really complain as the fee was known ahead of time! There was no hidden fee you suddenly discovered.

 

[Lulie]

I am personally satisfied with ours. Security, lighting and Noise are very important to me. No trash cans left out for days, front landscape, restrictive color palettes, designated boat/RV parking, etc are secondary. Common areas are great during the summer months if you don't have a pool in your lot to host larger parties and much much cheaper than maintaining your own, believe me
In many areas, homeowners are simply abandoning their homes, a HOA still have the neighborhood looking good. 
People can make destructive decissions while trying to be 'unique'. A lady two houses down got a denial for 50 running bamboo plants. Those things run at an astonishing rate and happily take over acres --fast.
For the last four years, they have maintained flammable vegetation a minimum of 60' around structures near the valley. 
True, one bad board member can run a very nice association into the ground if budget is not run well. Good or bad, HOAs are here to stay
 

 

[movie zombie]

i'm surprised you didn't advise her to buy somewhere that did not have CC&R's and HOA dues..... her $, her house, her choice.

she ask me what i (don't/do) like about the house.
i said...what i don't like is no yard,can't park on the street and the HOA fee.the part i do like is that your 4 yrs old house looks brand new and it is $70-$75k cheaper than the new ones of the same model they are selling down the street.

well, there you have it, DF. again, her $ and her decision. she may actually like knowing there is "security".

 

[MissStepcut]

$90 for private security? I'd be thrilled, frankly. One of the reasons we're looking at staying in a doorman building even after we could afford a single-family home is that I value that security highly.

not really a private security,but just a security guy driving around within the community 24/7

Uhhh that is private security DF

 

[Dancing Fire]

Just wait until there are special assessments in addition to the homeowners association fees!

Don't remind me. DH had an $18,000 special assessment a few years back.

He just sold that condo last week and I could not be happier to have it GONE.

$18K??.. what for? did every homeowner received a 1.5ct diamond?

 

[that_someone_special]

Ours is $425 a month.
We do special assessments every now and then (at least DH did before we lived together) in the $500-$3000 range per unit per project.

Joys of owning an old home (or condo). All units make up the HOA so we don't 'make' money and every dime goes towards bills and projects or lawyers.. and the rest into savings!

 

[Tanzigrrl]

My parents were assessed a $17,000 fee for a new roof. A fancy new roof - one that they never would have chosen for themselves, but since that's what the HOA voted on, everyone in the condo association was assessed the $17K fee.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

$90 for private security? I'd be thrilled, frankly. One of the reasons we're looking at staying in a doorman building even after we could afford a single-family home is that I value that security highly.

not really a private security,but just a security guy driving around within the community 24/7

Uhhh that is private security DF

Yes, and she's pretty lucky to have that!!!

 

[Hera]

I disagree, I don't think it's a ripoff at all IF you have a good one. For $95/mo, we have neighborhood pool, great general landscaping, and security patrol. They also makes sure that people:
1. Do not paint their house a crazy color not suitable to the architecture of the house
2. Water and mow their lawns (you can now have drought tolerant landscaping as well)
3. Do not put unsightly things in front like broken cars etc

I think especially now with foreclosures, some neighborhoods are looking pretty hard on the eyes and having unkept houses in the neighborhood lowers your property value. Houses with HOA"s are much more resistant to this by monitoring the neighborhood. My HOA even pays for the upkeep on houses that fall into foreclosure.

Still, there is the negativity of restriction when it comes to these HOA and there is a feeling that you want to do whatever you want but I think in some cases the benefits outweigh the negatives.

 

[Sky56]

Sometimes HOAs are the stuff of nightmares and I experienced that in the mid-Nineties. The head of the Board was the type to drive around the neighborhood and inspect whether the garbage can is one foot away or if there is a dandelion in your yard. She had no life except to spy on the neighbors or spend 5 hours a day grooming her 'golf course' yard.
It ended up being a case of harassment, and nothing could be done really except to move away because the folks in charge were the problem. We joked about that woman being "Little Hitler."

 

[Hera]

Sometimes HOAs are the stuff of nightmares and I experienced that in the mid-Nineties. The head of the Board was the type to drive around the neighborhood and inspect whether the garbage can is one foot away or if there is a dandelion in your yard. She had no life except to spy on the neighbors or spend 5 hours a day grooming her 'golf course' yard.
It ended up being a case of harassment, and nothing could be done really except to move away because the folks in charge were the problem. We joked about that woman being "Little Hitler."

Oh yes, I've heard of super strict HOA's too. I always suggest asking neighbors about the HOA's before you buy a house to make sure that they aren't crazy strict. I also know of HOA's that monitor backyards as well. That would drive me nuts. I believe that is a private space for you to enjoy, not a public domain subject to scrutiny.

 

[Sky56]

lol. It was my backyard that mainly got me in trouble. Her kitchen window looked right into my backyard. She later put up a fence and when I made a joke about the fence to a neighbor "friend" who then told her about my joke all hell broke loose. This included screaming rants at me everytime I went in my driveway and threats of harm. I even went to the police, and they said they could do nothing unless she specifically threatened to kill me or do bodily harm. It was a nightmare. My husband was a full-time student and then worked full-time and my nagging him to keep the lawn looking better fell on deaf ears...but still...what happened was extremely disconcerting and far exceeded the seriousness of our backyard "landscaping offenses." Looking back, I should have hired someone to take care of the lawn...but the HOA heads were totally crazy and something else would have set them off. Others had troubles, too.

 

[Dancing Fire]

$90 for private security? I'd be thrilled, frankly. One of the reasons we're looking at staying in a doorman building even after we could afford a single-family home is that I value that security highly.

not really a private security,but just a security guy driving around within the community 24/7

Uhhh that is private security DF

Yes, and she's pretty lucky to have that!!!

and she also have access to a private lake but who needs a lake?..