[RationalExpectations]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

As a retiree I want maintenance free living, mostly freedom from yard work but also freedom from exterior home maintenance and roofing.

My ideal community has these features:
* 55+ age-restricted
* gated
* single family homes
* single story homes
* HOA does all maintenance around each home and yard
* HOA does all maintenance around the common areas

Optionally, would like these HOA features as well:
* HOA does all exterior home maintenance, repairs, painting
* HOA does all roof maintenance, repairs, replacements

If you own a house why would some other entity such as an HOA do all that structure maintenance? HOAs typically provide maintenance on HOA-owned assets. In a high rise, you typically own the space from the paint inwards, I've been told, and the HOA owns the structure. A few HOAs provide common front-yard landscaping maintenance on SFH communities. I'm unaware of any HOA doing all the building repairs, painting, roof, etc on a single family home.

Perhaps being a tenant of a reputable landlord might come close, if you can find one who will hire all exterior maintenance and just bill you for it.

Alternatively, I suppose you could hire a property management company to arrange all work, just billing you for it plus their management %.

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

I'm tired of my garage looking like a hardware store: mower, gas cans, trimmer, edger, blower, various rakes and shovels, push brooms, sprayers for liquids, spreaders for granulars, chemicals to grow things, chemicals to kill things, pruners, nippers, clippers, gloves, knee pads, snow shovels, ice scrapers, chain saw, hoses, nozzles, sprinklers, buckets, watering cans, wheelbarrows, shredders, billygoat vacs, etc. I'm done with that scene. I'm tired of neighborhoods where every house has a mini-garage in the backyard to house this avalanche of hardware and tired of having the occasional neighbor whose yard is a jungle. I think a lot of us retiring boomers are sick of this suburban treadmill of repeat trips to the big box hardware stores to get more of this crap.

I have a friend who bought a house, and promptly eliminated the backyard grass. No more mowers & gas cans, trimmer, edger. ALL plants are now desert landscaping that requires *no* irrigation and hence no irrigation system maintenance. No trips to Home Depot or Lowe's to get replacement nozzles, solenoids, etc. No reprogramming an irrigation timer for the various seasons of the year. The plants do not grow large enough to required pruners & nippers & clippers. Of course, here in LV there is no need for snow shovels or ice scrapers or snowblowers. No large trees & hence no chainsaw. Because he doesn't provide *any* incremental water to his landscaping, he has no hoses, nozzles, sprinklers or watering cans. No wheelbarrow, shredder, etc.

Of course, he is still responsible for structure maintenance & repair. It is a good idea for all of us to hire a roofing company to inspect the roof every few years.

He has a bug spay guy. No landscape maintenance guy. He doesn't have a pool so no pool guy.

It is pretty close to "lock & leave." He's planning his first round-the-world ocean cruise next year - about 135-ish days on the ship. He'll probably just have a neighbor come into his house a couple times/month to flush the toilets & run water in the sinks & showers. His biggest concern is his wine refrigerators - he has 3 large units (very tall and over 5' wide each) storing a lot of wine. If for some reason they were to croak in the summer while he is gone, fragile wine would be destroyed.

[movin1]

I volunteer to take care of his wine for him!

[lvmensch]

Originally Posted by RationalExpectations

If you own a house why would some other entity such as an HOA do all that structure maintenance? HOAs typically provide maintenance on HOA-owned assets. In a high rise, you typically own the space from the paint inwards, I've been told, and the HOA owns the structure. A few HOAs provide common front-yard landscaping maintenance on SFH communities. I'm unaware of any HOA doing all the building repairs, painting, roof, etc on a single family home.

Perhaps being a tenant of a reputable landlord might come close, if you can find one who will hire all exterior maintenance and just bill you for it.

Alternatively, I suppose you could hire a property management company to arrange all work, just billing you for it plus their management %.

Such HOAs exist. The town homes in Sun City Summerlin are an example. The homes have two HOAs...one is the regular Sun City Summerlin one. The second is the local HOA that maintains the properties.

I have a friend who bought a house, and promptly eliminated the backyard grass. No more mowers & gas cans, trimmer, edger. ALL plants are now desert landscaping that requires *no* irrigation and hence no irrigation system maintenance. No trips to Home Depot or Lowe's to get replacement nozzles, solenoids, etc. No reprogramming an irrigation timer for the various seasons of the year. The plants do not grow large enough to required pruners & nippers & clippers. Of course, here in LV there is no need for snow shovels or ice scrapers or snowblowers. No large trees & hence no chainsaw. Because he doesn't provide *any* incremental water to his landscaping, he has no hoses, nozzles, sprinklers or watering cans. No wheelbarrow, shredder, etc.

Of course, he is still responsible for structure maintenance & repair. It is a good idea for all of us to hire a roofing company to inspect the roof every few years.

He has a bug spay guy. No landscape maintenance guy. He doesn't have a pool so no pool guy.

It is pretty close to "lock & leave." He's planning his first round-the-world ocean cruise next year - about 135-ish days on the ship. He'll probably just have a neighbor come into his house a couple times/month to flush the toilets & run water in the sinks & showers. His biggest concern is his wine refrigerators - he has 3 large units (very tall and over 5' wide each) storing a lot of wine. If for some reason they were to croak in the summer while he is gone, fragile wine would be destroyed.

I have lots of desert landscaping. Those plants however are on the irrigation system. Even cactus and ocotillo require watering. Go a couple of months with rain or watering and everything dies.

[RationalExpectations]

Originally Posted by lvmensch

Such HOAs exist. The town homes in Sun City Summerlin are an example. The homes have two HOAs...one is the regular Sun City Summerlin one. The second is the local HOA that maintains the properties.

Does the 2nd HOA repair a roof? Paint the structure? Replace a window that has lost its seal? Repair a broken HVAC?

Or does it merely provide landscape/hardscape maintenance?

Originally Posted by lvmensch

I have lots of desert landscaping. Those plants however are on the irrigation system. Even cactus and ocotillo require watering. Go a couple of months with rain or watering and everything dies.

Personally, I don't think his landscaping is attractive, but that's a matter of taste. To me, his ocotillo look half-dead. But to each their own.

[lvmensch]

Originally Posted by RationalExpectations

Does the 2nd HOA repair a roof? Paint the structure? Replace a window that has lost its seal? Repair a broken HVAC?

Or does it merely provide landscape/hardscape maintenance?




Personally, I don't think his landscaping is attractive, but that's a matter of taste. To me, his ocotillo look half-dead. But to each their own.

The second HOA maintains the outside of the building including the roofs and exterior painting. HVAC is considered an appliance and is the problem of the owner. There are some fine points like windows and doors. Depends on the failure. I will check around and see if I can find some examples that are shareable.

My ocotillo is pretty well perfect. And well watered.

[WVREDLEG]

Originally Posted by RationalExpectations

Does the 2nd HOA repair a roof? Paint the structure? Replace a window that has lost its seal? Repair a broken HVAC?

Or does it merely provide landscape/hardscape maintenance?

I'm not in a 55+ or a SFH, but our TH community HOA includes:

-Roof and rooftop deck maintenance and replacement.
-Exterior stucco and trim paint and maintenance.
-Exterior pest control
-All landscaping including owner "lot"....all plants in the ground are HOA maintained
-Water and sewer for all units

Each unit has their own trash removal, electricity and natural gas service accounts. The HOA does not paint or replace garage or exterior doors. Not quite a condo form of ownership, but maybe a hybrid?

[timothyaw]

Originally Posted by RationalExpectations

If you own a house why would some other entity such as an HOA do all that structure maintenance? HOAs typically provide maintenance on HOA-owned assets. In a high rise, you typically own the space from the paint inwards, I've been told, and the HOA owns the structure. A few HOAs provide common front-yard landscaping maintenance on SFH communities. I'm unaware of any HOA doing all the building repairs, painting, roof, etc on a single family home.
.

Doesn't Spanish Trail offer all exterior maintenance?

[nowhereman427]

Go live rural at least you won't have to worry about annoying neighbors, noises and have more privacy.
Don't know what to do about the maintenance because it's the land that gives you that safety cushion.

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

As a retiree I want maintenance free living, mostly freedom from yard work but also freedom from exterior home maintenance and roofing.

My ideal community has these features:
* 55+ age-restricted
* gated
* single family homes
* single story homes
* HOA does all maintenance around each home and yard
* HOA does all maintenance around the common areas

Optionally, would like these HOA features as well:
* HOA does all exterior home maintenance, repairs, painting
* HOA does all roof maintenance, repairs, replacements


I'm tired of my garage looking like a hardware store: mower, gas cans, trimmer, edger, blower, various rakes and shovels, push brooms, sprayers for liquids, spreaders for granulars, chemicals to grow things, chemicals to kill things, pruners, nippers, clippers, gloves, knee pads, snow shovels, ice scrapers, chain saw, hoses, nozzles, sprinklers, buckets, watering cans, wheelbarrows, shredders, billygoat vacs, etc. I'm done with that scene. I'm tired of neighborhoods where every house has a mini-garage in the backyard to house this avalanche of hardware and tired of having the occasional neighbor whose yard is a jungle. I think a lot of us retiring boomers are sick of this suburban treadmill of repeat trips to the big box hardware stores to get more of this crap.

I want a SFH with no common / shared walls, I don't want to be that close to anyone, I don't want to smell their smoking or cooking and I don't want to hear their noises.

Essentially I'm after a high rise condo where the condo association takes care of everything but the dwelling units have been deconstructed down to individual SFHs (and THs for those so inclined).

Thank you.

This ALL sounds great except I don't want an HOA telling me what I can and cannot do. No outdoor antennas on roof. Can't paint certain colors. No condo (apartment living). Single family home ideal with lots of distance between neighbors with little to no foot traffic and vehicle traffic.-QUIET.