What neighborhood do you guys live in and what do you pay in annual HOA fees?

I live in The Cove of Nantucket and pay a whopping $600 a year. I can't figure out why the HOA fees are so high being that we only have 3 ponds and very little green space that has to be mowed/maintained.

When I asked for a breakout from one of the board members, I noticed that nearly half the budget is for "Reserves" that are available as needed that don't fall into a designated line item.

When I asked what this money has been spent on and what happens with the money that isn't spent (because I am almost certain that this money is not being spent based on the fact that we don't have anything new in the neighborhood except for maybe a few benches), I got the typical response of "I am not the official budget person but you can come to the meeting on such and such date".

I just feel like we are getting screwed in paying fees that are higher than the likes of Creek Meadows and Castlegate, which offer swimming pools, basketball courts, playgrounds, etc. Like I said, we have 3 ponds with fountains. Half the time, the two smaller fountains don't even work.

$350 emerald forest
pool, tennis court, basketball court, walking trails, park.

$300 for Castlegate. No pool, but a couple ponds with fountains constantly requiring maintenance. Castlegate Park (playground, tennis courts, basketball courts) is owned/maintained by City of College Station.

Castlegate II has a pool included in their HOA fees. There is a limited number of memberships available to Castlegate residents for $300/pool season.

$600 for Castlegate II--we have a pool, outdoor fitness center, ponds, trails, etc. There is also the playground, tennis court, and basketball court in Castlegate.

Have your fees gone up each year? What were they originally at?

Built in revenue generator.

I would love to have a generator like that.

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There is also the playground, tennis court, and basketball court in Castlegate.

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Not maintained with HOA funds since City of CS owns the park.

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$350 emerald forest

pool, tennis court, basketball court, walking trails, park.

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...and a large supply of green decals that the mysterious night-parking-monitor places on cars that aren't parked in driveways.

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$600 for Castlegate II--we have a pool, outdoor fitness center, ponds, trails, etc. There is also the playground, tennis court, and basketball court in Castlegate.

Have your fees gone up each year? What were they originally at?

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Our house was finished in February of this year and that's when we moved in. I knew the fees were $600 moving in and that wasn't going to cause me not to buy the house. I thought they were steep then and I think they're steep now. I just find it hard to believe why they're so high. I wonder I became one of the board member of our HOA if I could help lower annual fees for all the residents, assuming that there isn't anything going towards "reserves", or at least not half of the budget.

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...and a large supply of green decals that the mysterious night-parking-monitor places on cars that aren't parked in driveways.

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I hate those green stickers. We never have a problem with it since we never park on the street, but there has to be a better way.

DON'T PARK ON THE STREET

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Half the time, the two smaller fountains don't even work.

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There you go. The money goes towards monthly repair fees for the fountains.

$500 creek meadows

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Half the time, the two smaller fountains don't even work.

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There you go. The money goes towards monthly repair fees for the fountains.

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They have a $3,500 Lake Maintenance line item in the budget. Not to mention other line items such as lawn maintenance and irrigation repairs.

If they are always having issues with the pump, surely you would think they could buy a couple at a few grand a piece and have a manufacturer's warranty that lasted for a few years.

Shenandoah (Southern Plantation HOA) is $200/year or $180 if you pay by Feb. and we have a park, pool, and clubhouse as well as the green areas around the signs that the HOA services. I paid $600/year in Houston 10 years ago but we had a junior olympic sized pool with life guards, a pond, and two parks.

So do you think I have a legitimate reason to be concerned why my HOA fees are so high and maybe there is something my cooperating neighbors and I could do about it?

$344 - Meadows Creek

I would be extremely unhappy if i couldn't get financials within a day or two. You should consider getting elected to keep an eye on things. I'm on the Shenandoah board. We maintain 10% as a reserve.Financials are provided for members upon request, usually within 24 hours. You should read your HOA by-laws and CC&Rs to see what is required of the board concerning document production. I would request one each of a budget, financial, balance, and expenditure report to see where funds are, and where they have gone. If you have any questions, email me a phone #. I got involved with our HOA due to concerns about financials, among other things.

rexter1200 at yahoo

CastleRock $550 per year. We have a large pool and pull up and replace our flowers quite often around the entrance fountain. Never understood the flower part.

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DON'T PARK ON THE STREET

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Over 24 hrs sir!

SOUTHWOOD FOREST!!!

$300, this is the first year it is this high. Has been $200-$250 for the past decade. No pool. no tennis, no park.....most of our funds go to landscape of the Wall and Entrances on Rio Grande. We have to water and mow that entire area. We plant flowers twice a year around the entrances.

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So do you think I have a legitimate reason to be concerned why my HOA fees are so high and maybe there is something my cooperating neighbors and I could do about it?

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It seems high with not very many amenities. Perhaps they are paying off loans or something? Is there a line in the budget that says anything about that?

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$300 for Castlegate.

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There's also castle and moat maintenance.

$125 in Edelweiss Gartens. I'm on the board and most of our budget goes to landscaping along Victoria and Eagle. Hasn't been raised in 10 years.

I'm not in an HOA, but if your HOA is responsible for any non-routine maintenance items (like road replacement costs), then they need to regularly tuck away money for big expenditures ($2M+) that only occur once every 15-25 years. Buildings would be the same way. They only last 30-50 years, and they're expensive to replace way down the line.

I don't believe that we would have any road work going on since there are only two streets in Cove of Nantucket and they are both fairly new streets and don't have any noticeable deficiencies.

Maybe the board members refer to their kids as "reserves"

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Maybe the board members refer to their kids as "reserves"

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My thoughts (and concerns) exactly!

....where's that "and have them bring us a shrubbery" pic that you posted years ago with regard to the city council? It seems to fit perfectly with this observation....

Montego-

I live in EG for 7 years and always paid my dues of $125, but was always tempted not to pay after discovering only 30-40% home owners in EG paid their dues. And yes I saw the financial report as it was mailed to us every year.

Are the threats about lien holding empty?

Cove homeowner, also. They do seem high, but I think the replacement of the front fence this year was quite expensive. I agree that new pumps for those pesky ponds would help, along with something to kill the mosquitoes!

Perhaps they are more expensive because there are fewer homes? I am new to HOA's.

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Cove homeowner, also. They do seem high, but I think the replacement of the front fence this year was quite expensive. I agree that new pumps for those pesky ponds would help, along with something to kill the mosquitoes!

Perhaps they are more expensive because there are fewer homes? I am new to HOA's.

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You make some very good points. I would like them to provide a better breakout of all the items though, especially for the reserves. I forgot about the fence they replaced out there. I didn't even think in regards to HOA monies for that project.

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I live in EG for 7 years and always paid my dues of $125, but was always tempted not to pay after discovering only 30-40% home owners in EG paid their dues. And yes I saw the financial report as it was mailed to us every year.

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I was on the board until very recently and I don't remember a 30-40% compliance rate. To the contrary, we had very few delinquencies when I left. Again, as I remember it.

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I would be extremely unhappy if i couldn't get financials within a day or two. You should consider getting elected to keep an eye on things. I'm on the Shenandoah board. We maintain 10% as a reserve.Financials are provided for members upon request, usually within 24 hours. You should read your HOA by-laws and CC&Rs to see what is required of the board concerning document production. I would request one each of a budget, financial, balance, and expenditure report to see where funds are, and where they have gone. If you have any questions, email me a phone #. I got involved with our HOA due to concerns about financials, among other things.

rexter1200 at yahoo

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And yet we can't get a working clock at the pool.

If you can find one that will last more than a few months, send me a link and I will buy it. We are on the fourth or fifth clock. $30=crap. $100=crap. I'd rather not waste the money since 98% of people have a cell phone and can see what time it is on the phone.

RX- I would say lien holding threats work. This year in EG, we are down to about 8 people who haven't paid. Many of them are regular non- payers. When they try to sell, they will lose a good chunk of money.