Coming Home Magazine

8 Things I Wish My New Neighbors Understood About HOAs EVERY HOA IS DIFFERENT. Maybe you're moving here from a managed community in California and you're used to heavy restrictions on watering your lawn. Here, while we do have to adhere to a watering schedule, since we don't typically experience significant drought, you won't find as many watering regulations. Whether you're moving in from somewhere around the globe or just around the block, every community is different, and it's important to review our community's governing documents so that you know the expectations of living here. YOUR REALTOR PROBABLY DIDN'T TELL YOU, BUT… Realtors may not know the HOAs in the communities of the homes they're selling, and when it comes to details about the HOA, they may simply tell the buyer, "Your HOA dues are $100 per month." In my community, HOA dues cover all of the things that are easy to see, like the monthly chef-tasting, but it also covers those less-exciting tasks like trash valet and common area maintenance. Those well-lit roads and meticulously-manicured gardens you fell in love with are paid for with the community's HOA dues as well. NO ONE LIKES WHEN DUES INCREASE. 18 years ago, the year was 2001: the cost of a gallon of milk was $2.90, Pierce Brosnan was People's Sexiest Man Alive, and I was running errands wearing a velour tracksuit. Today, a gallon of milk is $3.42, Idris Elba is the Sexiest Man Alive, and I think someone just borrowed my tracksuit for a retro party. Case in point: things change. And as things change, costs increase on the things our community relies on to improve our property values, and in turn, so do our dues. The good news: when you attend community meetings and stay involved, you'll know exactly where your dues are going. THE ARCHITECTURAL CONTROL COMMITTEE WILL ANNOY YOU WITH PERMIT REQUIREMENTS. But it's not personal, I promise. Properties that have been changed without proper review and permits from the city may run into resale problems later that impact the value of the individual property and thus the whole neighborhood since the sales prices of similar properties are used to value all the properties around it. Keeping our property exteriors in good condition and maintained according to our standards is what makes our neighborhood attractive—to us and others. YOUR HOA BOARD CONSISTS OF VOLUNTEERS. Association board members are volunteers—so we're residents just like you—with busy schedules and the added responsibility of making big decisions that will preserve the property values for everyone in the community. To do this, we employ the support of experts—association attorneys, a management company, and a host of other community professionals—because they're experts, but also because we want to come home at the end of the day and relax knowing that we're working with the best partners for our community. WE'RE ON THE BOARD, BUT WE'RE ALSO HUMAN. We don't want to pull into the driveway at the end of a long day only to be greeted by our neighbors eager to discuss an issue that should be addressed at the monthly board meeting. We have regularly scheduled meetings, an official association community management app as our communication channel of choice, and a clear protocol for working with us so that your issues get the attention they deserve. WE REALLY DO WANT YOU TO BE INVOLVED IN THE DECISIONS. Not only want—need! A board's responsibility is to make decisions that are best for the community. The only way we can do that is by knowing what community members want, so please attend meetings and share feedback because it's crucial to our community's success. RULES CAN BE CHANGED. I once encountered someone who lived in a community that had a rule prohibiting service vehicles from being visible. I'm not sure why the rule was initially adopted, but the community recently welcomed a new owner who happened to be a well-respected trooper. His publicly-visible vehicle made the residents feel safer and even served as a crime deterrent. Once the board realized the rule was in direct opposition to the community's culture today, they amended the rule. Amending a rule does have steps and may take time, but know that if the community evolves past some rules, you're empowered to raise concerns and if the community is on board, you can impact change. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 21

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