Comments on: The Impact of Homeowners Associations on Purchasing Decisions http://www.1siliconvalley.com/the-impact-and-reality-of-homeowners-associations/ your consumer guide to the sf bay area real estate market Mon, 08 Sep 2008 01:50:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Barb http://www.1siliconvalley.com/the-impact-and-reality-of-homeowners-associations/#comment-494 Wed, 26 Dec 2007 05:58:21 +0000 http://www.1siliconvalley.com/the-impact-and-reality-of-homeowners-associations/#comment-494 I can see some benefits of homeowners associations for the elderly or people who would like certain services such as landscaping, building maintenance etc., but for me - living in a HOA would be like renting your house - you never actually own it since someone else is making all of the rules governing your use of the home. I can see some benefits of homeowners associations for the elderly or people who would like certain services such as landscaping, building maintenance etc., but for me - living in a HOA would be like renting your house - you never actually own it since someone else is making all of the rules governing your use of the home.

]]> by: Pam Johnson http://www.1siliconvalley.com/the-impact-and-reality-of-homeowners-associations/#comment-434 Wed, 29 Aug 2007 20:15:14 +0000 http://www.1siliconvalley.com/the-impact-and-reality-of-homeowners-associations/#comment-434 You're so right that a good HOA can really increase the value of a property. It's great when you find a complex or subdivision that's well-maintained. I have a beef with spending my money on an HOA that doesn't hold up their end of the bargain. It's especially frustrating with the HOA is run by volunteers...it's like pulling teeth to get anything done. Not that I want to be on the board, mind you. :) You’re so right that a good HOA can really increase the value of a property. It’s great when you find a complex or subdivision that’s well-maintained. I have a beef with spending my money on an HOA that doesn’t hold up their end of the bargain. It’s especially frustrating with the HOA is run by volunteers…it’s like pulling teeth to get anything done. Not that I want to be on the board, mind you. :)

]]> by: Steve Leung http://www.1siliconvalley.com/the-impact-and-reality-of-homeowners-associations/#comment-423 Thu, 16 Aug 2007 20:15:33 +0000 http://www.1siliconvalley.com/the-impact-and-reality-of-homeowners-associations/#comment-423 Thanks Kristal, here there's sometimes a mental barrier. I worked with a couple who was perfectly willing to pay a higher HOA fee (for the same benefits — important point), but not overcome the mental barrier of $850,000 on the price of a different place. I ran the numbers for them and it turned out that the second property would actually be less expensive for them (again, with the same benefits), not only because of lower monthly payments, but because a percentage of that money went into their own equity! That said, a good HOA will be saving some of your fees into a reserve fund but it’s hard to cash out on that money if you decide to sell :-) Thanks Kristal, here there’s sometimes a mental barrier. I worked with a couple who was perfectly willing to pay a higher HOA fee (for the same benefits — important point), but not overcome the mental barrier of $850,000 on the price of a different place. I ran the numbers for them and it turned out that the second property would actually be less expensive for them (again, with the same benefits), not only because of lower monthly payments, but because a percentage of that money went into their own equity!

That said, a good HOA will be saving some of your fees into a reserve fund but it’s hard to cash out on that money if you decide to sell :-)

]]> by: Kristal Kraft http://www.1siliconvalley.com/the-impact-and-reality-of-homeowners-associations/#comment-422 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 23:53:20 +0000 http://www.1siliconvalley.com/the-impact-and-reality-of-homeowners-associations/#comment-422 You raise some very excellent points about HOA and the value they provide. So many buyers in my market buy condo/townhomes and forget there is an HOA fee. There really isn't a point in paying extra for something you never use, unless it has value on resale. You raise some very excellent points about HOA and the value they provide.
So many buyers in my market buy condo/townhomes and forget there is an HOA fee. There really isn’t a point in paying extra for something you never use, unless it has value on resale.

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