Buying A Home
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Gated Community
We are coming from a average community, and looking at buying a home in a gated high end community that has strict guidelines. If you want to do anything (install a ball hoop, put up a dog run) it has to be approved by the board. To even ask to do anything it costs $200. The yearly cost is $427. Cars have to be in the garage, can't be in your driveway for more than 48 hours, there are pages and pages of these rules. The neighborhood is the nicest I've ever seen in my life! So, could be the price to pay. So, I'm wondering if anyone has experience living in a gated community? We are very much not snooty people, family with two children and a dog. We want this house but are very intimidated by all the rules. advice is appriciated!
Re: Gated Community
We don't live in a gated community, but we do live in a neighborhood governed by an HOA. You will hear people all the time say they will never do it, but we love it.
Just like the one you mention, anything has to be approved by the board, though there is no fee to ask. They do have guidelines, but IMO they are very reasonable and unless you asked to paint your house pink with polka dots they are probably going to approve the request. Part of me thinks that since it is my property I should be able to do what I want, but at the same time I love coming home to a gorgeous well maintained neighborhood.
Our yearly fees are $900, but that includes all trash pickup and recycling, as well as pool and clubhouse maintenance and 6 tennis courts.
Our neighborhood is well established and in a desirable area of town, so we knew it was worth it for us, but I think it's all a matter of preference.
I think it's really more of a personality question.
If you're the type that likes rules & regulations, having an authority that can handle your complaints & concerns, then a HOA or gated community might suit you.
If your the type that doesn't like being told what to do, likes the freedom to choose what flowers you plant and how often you mow your lawn and how short, having your neighbors complain every time you do something "wrong" then you'de probably be really unhappy there.
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The community we want to move to has a lot of HOA rules. Nearly everything has to be approved by them, but it's not so strict as you can't have a car parked in your drive way for more than 48 hours. What if you have out-of-town company for a couple of weeks? Does their car have to be in the garage as well? What kind of fines are associated with something like that? HOA keep things looking pretty and help neighbors be considerate, but there's a point where I think they can be too strict and too intrusive.
Your neighborhood sounds a bit too uptight for me, and I would be looking for something a smidge more relaxed.
We live in a gated community with a pretty strict HOA and I like it more than I initially thought I would. I like the rules because I feel that they lend our houses to being worth more down the road. And the gated aspect helps with security which also helps with maintaining our property value.
I like the rules, too, because the styles of our houses lend themselves to looking best when they look uniform and it helps. Yes, I got annoyed last year when I got a note that our Autumn wreath was up too long (and yes, it was February, so they were right, technically. And I'm sure there'll be other similar annoyances down the road), but then I realized that when you live in an HOA neighborhood, you're basically thinking of the whole (neighborhood) before the part (your house) - it's (to a certain degree) a type of "communal living" and you have to realize that and honor it.Ask for a printout of the rules, so you know what they'd expect of you in advance. Ask if you can meet with the HOA to discuss what your expectations are of them, and theirs of you. And maybe see if you can talk to the house's current owners (or other current owners) about their experiences with the HOA, if they'd be willing to share.
I agree with this....we lived in a gated community with an HOA, but not that strict. I'd find out what the fines are and what the options are for things like guest parking, etc.
I liked the security aspect of it, we had our own police force as well and it was nice for that side. We did have rules but not nearly like what you are saying.
I like HOAs, especially for nicer neighborhoods. Most of the neighborhoods where we are looking to purchase are guard gated with steep HOA fees ($250-$350 a month). For me it's worth the cost to know that the neighborhood will continue to be kept up--something especially important in my city which has the highest foreclosure rate in the nation (and therefore probably has the highest percentage of junky houses in expensive neighborhoods!). We could buy in a nicer neighborhood that doesn't have an HOA, but there wouldn't be guidelines in place to ensure our neighbors take care of their house, and even if there are, there wouldn't be anyone with any authority to enforce them. The condition of the houses around you will have an impact on your home value and the enjoyment you get out of living in your neighborhood. Not to mention any sanitary issues that come about as a result of someone not caring for their house. I realize that there are nice neighborhoods with people who take pride in their home in communities without HOAs just like there are houses in communities with HOAs that may not meet certain standards. But with an HOA as strict as yours, I think it's safe to say the area will stay nice and you won't have to worry about neighborhood upkeep--something that is well worth the $$ and hassle to us.
By the way, I do a lot of litigation for HOAs and I've never heard of an HOA that requires you to pay to submit home designs or home changes for approval. I know they require you to submit paperwork, but I've never seen a charge associated with that request. Maybe it's a regional thing, but I'd check.
ETA: I re-read your post and think you could be misreading a lot of the rules. Even some of the country clubs around here that are known for strict HOAs don't have rules like the ones you are citing. Perhaps meet with someone with the HOA before purchasing to ensure you understand the policies and procedures. If you're right and the rules really are that strict and it's something you are uncomfortable with, look elsewhere.
And m+j: exactly how does charging someone $300 a month help keep your neighborhood safe from the blight of foreclosure? Sounds more like it would contribute to it if someone lost their job and was on the edge of being able to make ends meet.
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This is what I'm trying to figure out.
It doesn't keep a neighborhood safe from the blight of foreclosure. The banks are required to comply with the HOA CC&Rs and if you live in a neighborhood with strict requirements, the bank will be held to the same standards as a homeowner. If the bank doesn't keep the property in the condition required by the HOA, the bank will incur the same fines and the property could be liened (is that a word, lol) just like it would be if owned by an individual. So in a neighborhood with a [strict] HOA, you don't have to worry about the foreclosed house going to hell because the banks take care of them. The same can't be said for a foreclosure in a neighborhood without an HOA. If the house goes to hell and the bank owns it, the bank doesn't have the same requirement to upkeep it in a neighborhood that isn't governed by an HOA.
Like I said, the architectural plan payment may be regional. I've never seen that in my area.
Re: HOAs, to each their own. Some people hate HOAs, some appreciate them because they put responsibility on the owner to upkeep the home and ensure the property meets certain specified standards. I'm with the latter.
kristin: if that's what you were trying to figure out, why not ask.
I certainly see the perks of it, and if you love the house and are ok with the HOA fees, I'm sure the rules won't be as much as a hassle IRL as they seem in theory, KWIM?
Personally, I love victorians/antique colonials and neighborhoods where every house looks the same/uniform are nms, so I highly doubt I'll ever live in an HOA, but I don't necessarily think they're a bad thing.
The neighborhoods where we are looking are all custom homes, they just happen to be governed by an HOA. I don't think a neighborhood with an HOA automatically = cookie cutter/uniform homes. Of course we don't really have victoria/antique colonials in Vegas, so you won't find those no matter where you look.
Foreclosures don't affect the value of your home because the houses themselves are in poor condition. They affect the value of your home because they are comps. If you live in a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home that's 1800 sq ft and a house on your block which is 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and 1850 sq ft is foreclosued on, and the bank sells it for $150k, when you were hoping to get $300k for your house, well, your house suddenly isn't worth $300k anymore.
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Duh--of course foreclosures affect the value because they are comps. But you're saying that your home value won't be affected by a foreclosed house in the immediate vicinity that looks like hell? That the single reason foreclosures affect home value is because they are comps? That's ludicrous. Certainly the foreclosures affect the value because the comps are lower, but the value is also affected when those homes aren't kept up. How can you disagree with that? Who wants to buy a house that's next to a shiithole, even if it's cheaper than the neighborhood foreclosures? And it sounds like you missed the main point of my post, which is that the home foreclosures that are not kept up have a direct impact on the enjoyment you get out of your home. If I live next to a home that has gone to hell I definitely wouldn't be as satisfied with my home or neighborhood as I would be if the neighborhood was kept to certain standards. That's my point--live in a neighborhood with strict requirements and you won't have to worry about it.
Many people aren't upside down in their homes. For those people, the appearance of these foreclosures is just as important as the price for which they sell.