Feedback on For Sale is- Won't buy b.c of HOA!

There is no quick fix to this. Did they give specifics about the HOA?

If the HOA has underfunded Reserves or a large special assessment is on the horizon not only buyers but lenders will shy away.

If the HOA has a bad reputation, until changes happen (replacing of the Board) there will be little to no change.

Both of these issues are driving by the membership.

My suggestion is to get specifics and then let them be known at the next membership meeting. If your in a hurry to sell, and your HOA has a bad reputation, you might need to sell the house at a lower cost.

Hi Heather,

If the problems are real, you and the other homeowners may need to work with the board to solve them. If the problems are merely the result of poor publicity or pr, you may have to fight back in kind.

Rob

The idea of a common interest development has some merit, though. I own a 1,250 sq ft home, 15 minutes from San Francisco, with a covered garage (2 deeded parking spaces). I own a tennis court, an indoor swimming pool, a spa and a sauna, and I'm surrounded by beautiful landscaping and trees, that no one can build on. The cost of a condo here is less than half of what it would cost to purchase a single family dwelling in one of the surrounding neighborhoods, and it would sit on a tiny lot, and come with zero amenities.

What doesn't work too well is the fact that very few people are willing to step up to become involved in the decision-making that shapes life here, so there's no competition of qualified candidates to fill vacant seats, while at the same time, the laws are continually being rewritten to reduce the authority of the Associations to enforce the covenants, rules and regulations that form the basis of what passes for "self-government."

What it boils down to is that the few homeowners who are willing to invest their time into running the community are increasingly hampered by the state legislators, and more and more homeowners default on their monthly fees and get away with it. That means the rest of the homeowners are on the hook for all of these deadbeats, but at the same time, the homeowners who do live by the covenants and do pay on time complain that the boards aren't doing enough to collect, even though their hands are tied. Then these people start circulating petitions to have the directors recalled, even though the petitioners aren't willing to take the recalled directors' seats.

Who would want to serve a community under those conditions? It seems like a spiral that has only one logical end. I have to confess that I don't see any long-term solutions.

Rob

The original concept of HOAs was a fabulous idea on how to ensure that your home and surrounding neighbors would be held to higher standards in the physical appearance of the properties within the developement. Then what happened? People is what happened. Power mongers, illiterates of HOA documents and greedy behaviors.

Can this be fixed? Slowly but surely, dedicated people can fix this downward trend but it takes the people within the HOAs, not laws that just make managing more difficult. As my Husband says, "quit your bitching and grab a shovel". We all need to grab a shovel and make things better. Stop the finger pointing and walk the walk.

Wiah the buyers had been more specific: is this about the dynamics of the board (arguing, etc) or the condition of the HOA finances and grounds?

Your real estate agent should nip this in the bud. Get some better information/retorts for him/her to use.

I'd be sitting down with a board member and find out WHY perspective buyers are hesitant to to purchase in your HOA. The board needs to know something is affecting sales in the neighborhood. WHAT is it?

I don't know who said it, but Alexis de Tocqueville is reputed to have said:

"In a Democracy, the people get the government they deserve."

It costs something to self-govern, over and above our association fees. It takes understanding the laws and association documents, first and foremost, and then it takes vigilance to make sure those we elect are following those laws and guidelines in a fair and honest manner.

If we sit back, ignorant and unconcerned until we get bitten by a decision made by the board, then we deserve exactly the situation we find ourselves in.

Rob

Heather,

We're assuming the HOA complaint comes from the fact that your particular HOA has a reputation in the community. Is that true from your interpretation of the buyer feedback?

OR, are the potential buyers against the concept of buying a home under the control of an HOA - making this a clash of principles?

I don't think you can convince people who are philosophical opposed to an HOA.