Home Owners’ Association Benefits
October 28, 2009 by Customer Care
Home Owners’ Association Benefits, by Des Moines Real Estate Experts RE/MAX Real Estate Concepts
Builders and developers often establish Home Owners’ Associations (HOA’s) for new subdivisions. Once a development is established and the homes have been sold, the builder/developer transfers control of the HOA to the homeowners.
There are several advantages to buying a home protected by a Home Owners’ Association in the Des Moines area.
The purpose of an HOA is to manage the common areas within the development and to enforce the rules and regulations established by the community. Most HOA’s are run by a board of directors who are homeowners in the subdivision. HOA membership is often mandatory for all homeowners within the development. The fee for membership is determined by several factors such as maintenance and utility costs.
Rules and regulations are established for the purpose of maintaining high property values within the community. This fact is what draws many buyers to a home within an HOA community. This insures a neighbor will not do anything to their property that will have a negative effect on the market value of the neighborhood. These rules and regulations are known as “CCR” which stands for “covenants, conditions and restrictions.” Some common CCRs include allowable exterior house paint color, type of allowable fence material, and landscaping guidelines.
Amenities such as a golf course, tennis courts, and swimming pools, are maintained with funds from the HOA fee. Other uses of the fee include payment for water, sewer, trash collection, and ground maintenance. This insures proper upkeep of the facilities which in turn, keeps up property value.
Ground maintenance is perhaps the most overlooked benefit of an HOA. The grass needs to be cut and watered; plants and trees need to be tended to. Even light bulbs must be changed every now an then. The monthly HOA fee is used in part to cover these costs.
One of the best aspects of buying into an HOA subdivision is the sense of community. Developments with HOA’s tend to be more social communities. Neighbors have a stake in common property which they maintain and share together.
Free information about buying, selling or investing in Des Moines real estate is available. For everything Des Moines real estate visit us at Real Estate with RE/MAX. Please feel free to contact us with any of your real estate or mortgage related questions and we will be more than glad to answer your questions. Call us at 1-800-708-5890 or email us at dsm@realestateconcepts.net.
Filed under Des Moines Real Estate Blog
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