4 Benefits of Joining a HOA (Homeowners’ Association)

Joining a homeowners’ association can be an added perk of living in certain communities. In essence, a homeowners’ association allows a community to agree to share the costs of the extra benefits of living in said community.

HOAs are common in gated neighborhoods with special accommodations like a pool, tennis courts, regular lawn service, and more. They can also afford greater security and fund neighborhood maintenance problems that may arise.

With shared community amenities, a local body to keep the neighborhood uniform and safe, and a community fund to help with issues around the neighborhood, HOAs provide a kind of safety umbrella for neighborhood members.

HOAs can make a neighborhood more pleasant and livable by allowing for shared amenities that wouldn’t be possible otherwise such as community pools, gardens, sports facilities, and parks.

For an extra community fee every month, quarter, or year, you can have more benefits than you might experience in other areas.

Below, we’ll discuss some of the benefits that make HOA fees worth the investment.

The Benefits of Northern Michigan HOA communities

1. Community Upkeep

At its most basic level, HOA agreements concern local upkeep. Each community is unique, but this is a general hallmark of most HOAs. By paying a little extra every month, homeowners within the community might not have to mow, trim their hedges, or pressure washes their driveways, for example.

These benefits can take regular yard work off the to-do list of homeowners.

Regular HOA upkeep may include:

•        Clean, up-to-date facilities (pools, golf courses, private parks, etc.)
•        Manicured lawns
•        Clean sidewalks
•        Managed hedges
•        Uniform houses and community buildings
•        Trash pickup and management
•        Fast common-area repairs

As a general rule, HOA communities are well-kempt. Community upkeep by management is standard in most HOA neighborhoods.

2. Added Security

A homeowners’ association can also pay for additional security for the neighborhood. This can include a gate with a guard always on-premises.

The community may provide another form of security: local home laws. These can include certain restrictions about the types of vehicles a resident may have in their driveway. For example, some communities do not allow residents to park large RVs in front of their homes.

Other rules can also protect your property value by keeping homeowners in line with agreed-upon community aesthetic standards. Rules can keep your neighbors from leaving debris in front of their house, neglecting yard work, or even painting the outside of their home without permission.

These aesthetic laws — about vehicles and painting — ensure the neighborhood maintains its uniform beauty. This ensures your neighbor can’t suddenly transform the look of their home for the worse, possibly hurting the appearance of the neighborhood writ large.

3. Private Amenities

The greatest luxury of many HOA communities is private amenities. These can include walking trails, pools, social areas, neighborhood parks, and even sport centers like tennis courts and basketball hoops.

Instead of traveling across town to busy public places, HOA residents often enjoy exclusive access to maintained facilities.

4. Community-building and Added Financial Security

Some HOA agreements protect the homeowner’s assets by taking responsibility to dispose of property issues such as mold. In these cases, the HOA body may deal with cleaning or clearing any mold because of pipe leakage, another property owner, or natural disaster.

Also, HOA communities are ideal for making local friendships with fellow homeowners. With local amenities — pools, tennis courts, parks — drawing people out of their homes, everyone has ample opportunities to meet their neighbors.

I hope this helps you decide if a homeowners association is right for you. Every community has unique rules and benefits. To learn about the specific details of a community, you will need to contact that community.

It’s important to consider the monthly HOA dues and what they provide when considering purchasing in one of these neighborhoods. You’ll want to ensure the amenities provided match your lifestyle and the monthly HOA fees are affordable.

Also, the degree of adherence to the rules and benefits may also change from community to community. If you’re considering moving to an HOA community, talk with some of the local families. They can tell you if the HOA managers are strict about local rules.