Homeowners associations have been around at least since the 19th century, but homeowners still have mixed feelings about them.
For some, HOAs are a godsend. While others scowl and say they infringe on their rights.
Whatever a buyer’s feelings, it’s difficult to buy a house in a desirable subdivision without having to join one.
HOAs, which are funded by fees paid by the homeowners, have a set of rules intended to protect homeowners’ property values. The HOAs are also responsible for maintaining common areas of the neighborhood and any recreational amenities.
A group of volunteers elected by the HOA members – the homeowners – are in charge of enforcing any covenants, conditions and restrictions, or CC&R’s, in force for a development.
The HOA board handle finances, budgets and is in charge of having the commonly owned areas maintained, said Don Ricedorff, broker-associate with the Wells Group of Durango.
“It is often a thankless job, and it is always difficult to fill these positions, because few people want to spend their time with this kind of sacrifice,” he said. “They help maintain the value of the neighborhood and resolve conflicts as well.”
Depending on the area, dues can be pretty steep.
Ricedorff said whether or not his customers want to live in an HOA community often depends on the buyers’ lifestyle.
For instance, ranchers often want minimal restrictions on how they can use their property so they can graze their horses, cattle and other livestock, Ricedorff said. People that live in those type of communities often want to pay just for road maintenance, so they can get to their property, he said.
Other buyers looking for a second home or a home in a resort community can benefit from an HOA.
Those buyers often enjoy being able to lock up their homes and not have to worry about having to take care of their yards and landscaping, he said.
There is some common ground between the two options though. Neighborhoods such as Edgemont Ranch, Blue Sky Ranch and Edgemont Highlands fall into the middle spectrum, he said, and only require dues for the maintenance of common areas and trails, he said. They also have road maintenance agreements with the residents.
Real estate brokers such as Wells Group ask potential buyers to carefully read what restrictions and fees will be required from homeowners before they buy a home in an HOA development, so they are certain the buyer can live with the rules. Ricedorff said.
Even though most HOA regulations are put in place as a new neighborhood is being developed, HOA regulations may not always be black and white to individual homeowners.
Last year, Martha Spence, an Edgemont Ranch resident, built a cat bridge from her second-story bathroom window to a tree in her yard so her pet cats, Gus and Teddy, could go outside.
The little bridge, however, sharply divided her neighbors, some of whom complained about the aesthetics and the safety of the bridge while a few thought it was a clever way for her cats to get out.
A spokesman for the Edgemont Property Owners Association, which charters a half-dozen sub-associations, cited a larger issue.
Master association bylaws, which supersede neighborhood regulations, prohibit animals from running loose, the spokesman said.
The Spences had planned to appeal the HOA’s order to remove the bridge ended up conceding defeat and removed the bridge.
Other disputes have popped up in HOA-administered neighborhoods around the country. A Seattle resident was reprimanded by his homeowners association for having a pet goat; a family in the Denver-area faced issues for keeping chickens; and an HOA in Texas threatened to take legal action against a Marine for erecting a flagpole displaying an American flag.
So how are regulations determined?
Ricedorff said HOAs with smaller lot sizes, where neighbors live closer to each other, often have more restrictions on how homeowners can landscape and modify their homes.
“There is more potential for one neighbor to have a greater impact on another neighbor,” he said.
The more restrictive neighborhoods often are neighborhoods made up of condominiums, town-homes or single-family homes on small parcels, he said.
And other regulations may seem strange but are likely in place for safety and aesthetic reasons.
According to South Dalton Ranch’s HOA rules, you can’t dry laundry in visible sight, and you can’t mine for minerals and hydrocarbons on your property.
Neighborhoods such as Durango West I and Durango West II don’t have a formal HOA. Instead, they have something called Metro District, which charges dues to pay for snow plowing, road maintenance and water and sewage service.
Durango West II residents Bobbi Maiers and friend Sarah Roehlk love their neighborhood.
Both women agreed that the area was quiet and have nicely paved roads, which are paid for by the metropolitan dues.
vguthrie@durangoherald.com
HOA/Metro District monthly dues
Angel Haus Condominiums: $375
Celadon: $560
Cottonwoods Condominiums: $375
Durango West I: $105
Durango West II: $105
Edgemont Ranch: $30.25 ($363 paid annually)
The Lodge at Tamarron: $342
Peregrine Point Condominiums: $445
Sage Hill Condominiums: $33.33 ($400 paid annually)
South Dalton Ranch: $200
