Homeowners associations (HOA) are legal organizations that are formed in a community, by property owners in that jurisdiction, to help with the general maintenance of the properties, to ensure that the value and quality of the properties are maintained. The organization has a governing board that makes sure the rules of the HOA, known as covenants, conditions and restrictions are adhered to.

These rules are made known to each homeowner. In some communities, the purchase of the property automatically makes one a member of the association and in others, it is a bit flexible. In a situation where you buy a property governed by a homeowners’ association, you automatically become a member; you do not have the choice of not joining, because the moment you purchase the property, the contract is between you and the HOA. It is pertinent to note that members are obliged to pay association dues either monthly or yearly.

Joining a homeowners association comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. Let’s take a look at some of these.

Some of the services offered by an HOA are: pest control, maintaining community landscaping, recreational facilities, providing space for community events, community security and street maintenance. Some restrictions include not parking in the street, garage doors being left opened, fence restrictions and many more.

Whenever all homeowners abide by these rules or the HOA does its work well by enforcing the rules when they are broken, there is orderliness in the community and certain problems that affect other communities are avoided. Your responsibilities as a homeowner is reduced when all these are in place, there is automatically less work for you and your peace of mind is generally guaranteed. In the event you consider renting the property out, a higher value of your property is very likely because of the condition of the environment the property is located in.

On the other hand, the rules and regulations that come with HOAs can be strict and restrictive. The rules can cover what color to paint your home, what you can and cannot plant in your yard, how tall your fence should be, the number and type of cars you can own and where to park, the type of pets to keep and whether you can keep one, among others.

If you cannot keep up with such strictness, then you are definitely in the wrong community. Aside the strictness, some of the rules require you to attend to the maintenance of your home constantly. If this is not done, a penalty may be paid. If you cannot spend lot of time on your home’s appearance or cannot hire the services of someone to do this, then you are in the wrong neighborhood. This alone discourages most people into going in for such properties.

It is no doubt that because the rules are somehow strict, especially regarding your home’s exterior appearance, it results in a nicer neighborhood. The homes will look upscale, attractive and orderly. The neighborhood will look very clean and better reserved. There wouldn’t be any badly looking structures on your block, or anyone just littering about.

No one will paint his or her house in pink and green or some wild colors, parking in the lawn or just anywhere, leaving decrepit vehicles in the street, among others. Community amenities such as play grounds, pools, parks, sitting areas and other recreational facilities being provided by HOAs, add to the niceness of the community. Safety is also assured because security services are also made available.

Since all these facilities are funded from the monthly or yearly dues paid by members, overall, they are maintained in excellent condition. Many homeowners appreciate the fact that HOAs often maintain higher standards for a neighborhood’s appearance.

Be that as it may, the monthly or yearly fees are usually extreme, for most homeowners to be able to afford, especially since they can be pursued legally if they fall behind on payment. The fees normally depend on the services provided, community type and location. It is very necessary to be considering HOA fees when buying a home, that is, if you want a home owned by one.

Aside the usual fees, there will be situations when the HOA would want to do something new for the community and wouldn’t have enough funds to do this. In this case, the HOA reserves the right to impose a charge for each homeowner in that community.What this means is that, in cases like this, you cannot escape extra fees or charges, because you are a member.

The community is being managed by the association. Anything that affects a neighbor and the community entirely is brought to the notice of the association and solved. If you have a problem with a neighbor’s dog barking, unnecessary noise making and loud parties, the association handles it.

Although the association can handle such disputes, it can create them occasionally. A neighbor(s) can argue that you are not following the rules and regulations or can be really mad at you for calling the HOA on him or her for something he or she did.

If some of these restrictions may not apply to you or may not seem too bad, an HOA could be a great option. For some buyers, the idea that a management association can tell you when you can put out a decorative flag or that you can’t park your car in front of your property is a big deal. One of the benefits of owning a home is the ability to customize and alter the property to suit your needs, but HOA rules will interfere with this. We recommend that be particularly careful to read all the regulations before you buy a home in a community with a homeowners association; otherwise, consider getting a property in an area with no homeowners association.

We hope this gives you an overview on whether or not to consider a HOA when deciding on purchasing a property.