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Looking for a home in NMB and find most homes come with HOA fees. How restrictive are they? I don't want to be told how many pets I can have, or when I can have guests. Is this a real concern? Can they raise the fees yearly? Should I look for a home without HOA's? Please help.
You'll find that opinions on HOAs vary widely from those who wouldn't live in an HOA community to those who couldn't imagine living anywhere else. Unfortunately, there's no right answer for everyone because the experience will vary by HOA and the expectations of each person.
Some HOAs are very restrictive and have officers who run the HOA nearly like a gestapo, fining residents for minor violations, sneaking around looking for minor offenses, etc. Other HOAs have a loose operating guidelines and violations are dealt with individually with discussions rather than fines.
My personal opinion is that a good HOA is important in SC especially if you're outside the city limits. County zoning will allow you to put up a $500K house on one lot and a mobile home on the next one. There's nothing wrong with mobile homes...they provide shelter for those with limited means, but they do drag down the value of the $500K house. The HOA keeps that from happening and also keeps your neighbor from putting 3 cars in his yard up on blocks for months at a time while he's restoring them. If you're moving here from someplace where you lived in a town or city with its own zoning rules, you'll find that the County has very few similar rules...that's where the HOA acts sort of like the town but just for that particular neighborhood.
The important things to do when considering an HOA community is to get a copy of the HOA covenants (rules) and review them to determine if there's anything in them that you can't live with. If there are, it's time to look at a different development. If they seem OK, talk to some of the residents of the community to see how the HOA is run keeping in mind that you'll always find one or two that aren't happy...but look at the overall comments.
Yes, there are HOAs that restrict the number of pets, guests, age of people living in the house, etc. But there are others than are rather benign...for example, ours restricts the height of fences so that everyone can enjoy the view of the pond among other restrictions. And, yes, HOAs can raise fees every year but in most (but not all) HOAs, it can only be done by majority vote of the residents...read the covenants to see how fee increases are implemented. Most HOAs only raise fees when necessary to cover their expenses. The fewer "extras" covered by the fees, the less likely they are to go up. For example, if trash, cable, internet, etc are covered by the fees, the fees are more likely to go up due to rate increases from the utilities than if these are not covered by the fees and are paid for by individual owners.
Should you look for a home without HOAs? Good question and only you can answer that based on whether you see a value. If you're an independent type who doesn't want anyone telling you what you can do with your property and feel that your neighbor has the right to do whatever he wants with his property even if it decreases the value of your property, then you definitely should not live in an HOA neighborhood. But, if you want some controls on how your neighborhood looks and is managed and are willing to pay for that and possibly some amenities, then the right HOA might be the best decision for you.
I'm sure you'll receive many comments to your questions as some people are quite passionate about HOAs one way or the other. You'll get some wild horror stories which I'm sure are accurate, but not all HOAs are the same. Do your research about specific HOAs because they definitely are not all the same.
Looking for a home in NMB and find most homes come with HOA fees. How restrictive are they? I don't want to be told how many pets I can have, or when I can have guests. Is this a real concern? Can they raise the fees yearly? Should I look for a home without HOA's? Please help.
I think CT covered it all very well. I did want to add one thing regarding raising the fees etc. What you must remember is that HOAs are "the owners" it is a homeowners association. They may be run by a management company, but ultimately the fees are to cover that communities expenses. They aren't a group out for profit that can arbitrarily raise your fees. Like CT pointed out, if the expenses go up the fees will go up. An HOA will budget the expenses and what they need to put in reserve (for future repairs) and they will divide that cost among the owners. Now, if they calculated wrong and didn't collect enough one year and ended up not putting enough in the reserve they may have to raise the fees to compensate. But, again, it is to cover the communities expenses.
thank you very much for your input. I am very grateful. If I fall in love with a house with HOA's I will definitely investigate before I buy. Again, thank you for your help.
Location: Lakewood NJ/Murrells Inlet SC/ N. Naples FL/Swainton NJ
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We belong to 3 HOA's. The rules and the covered amenities are similar for all three. The quarterly fee is close for all three. We have belonged to all three communities for 3 years or more. This year, for the first time, one fee went up about 11% and one fee went down (not sure of the percentage - it decreased $30 a quarter). While all three have some, what I consider, silly rules, most of the rules are good (in MHO) and protect the community and our property values. I am happy with the whole HOA concept, based on our experience.
Looking for a home in NMB and find most homes come with HOA fees. How restrictive are they? I don't want to be told how many pets I can have, or when I can have guests. Is this a real concern? Can they raise the fees yearly? Should I look for a home without HOA's? Please help.
Read your HOA rules before signing, very important.
Mostly the 55+ are the developments that make a timeframe for " guests and children."
I haven't found any other HOA that controls family and friend visits.
HOAs can be just a short list to control junk, boats parked in front yards. cars on roads and work towards keeping your area in great order.
Some can go on and on with rules, and that can be annoying. I belonged to one of them at one time.
People have to understand that it is a necessary thing. Roads have to be fixed, or paved. Lights have to be on out at your signage. There are common areas to be maintained and fountains for ponds.
There needs to be an accounting of the collected dues and even a notice to you has to be covered with those funds.
Remember to check the pet rules. Pets are usually ok but there are little rules that apply.
thank you all very much! you've been very, very helpful, and given me alot to think about. Most important is that I be sure to read the contracts! thank you!
I'm always pro HOA in this area after moving here and not buying in an HOA. Learned a hard lesson that the regulars on here are probably tired of hearing. If no HOA, then anything goes. Your Realtor can request a copy of the by-laws in advance so you can take a look. Or if buying you can add a contingency on your offer stating you would like to first see the by-laws and approve of them. A lot of the sub-divisions have management companies with web sites. You can also call and ask questions of concern in advance.
I'll say just one of the things I've complained about not being in a HOA here and tell you why. I'm a big animal lover and where I moved from there were much stricter laws to protect pets and were inforced. No HOA and anything goes, so lets just say it can be very disturbing. I've had a lot of trouble with this and no wonder I haven't been shot by now for speaking out to help the helpless pets. That being said, I have a friend that did buy in a HOA and my mother in law did and they have had issues also with neighbors and treatment of pets. It's sad but they have at least had less issues and were able to contact the HOA and complain.
thank you for writing. I have 3 dogs, and they are my biggest worry. I didn't want a HOA that would penalize me for having pets, and wanted some space between me and my neighbors so I wouldn't have to deal with complaints over having 3 dogs. I've been looking for a home with large fenced in yard, hopefully not too close to neighbors, but still close to shops and town. Is this possible with a HOA?
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