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Home Owner Associations

By
Real Estate Agent with BHHS The Preferred Realty 3802 St RT 31 Donegal, PA 15628

No matter where you go, eventually, if you are buying or selling real estate you will come face to face with a Home Owner Association, (HOA). According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, they are "legal entities created by a real estate developer for the purpose of developing, managing, and selling a development of homes..."

Before buying you may want to stop by and visit with the people who coordinate and run the day to day activities of the association you may soon belong too. We suggest this meeting because this important relationship will begin once you sign the deed and ends ONLY when you sell!!  

Some fees that are included are heating costs, grass cutting, snow removal, insurance for the building, maintenance of the building, common area upkeep, security, shuttle service, the list varies and goes on! Make sure you compare and feel comfortable with the monthly fees BEFORE signing an agreement!! These fees are not included in your mortgage payment!

Hidden Valley has one Master Association and Four Condominium Associations. You may belong to one or two of them depending upon the type of property you purchase. They just revamped their Association web site and have a home owner only side that's pass word protected. Eventually we believe you will be able to see the bylaws and declarations posted here!

Seven Springs properties offer multiple associations. The Mountain Villas and Southwind only have Master Associations. Swiss Mountain has a Master Association and one Condo Association. The Villages have a Master Association and Five Condo Associations.

The Uniform Condominium Act of Pennsylvania was designed to protect you. So please make sure you review the Certificate of Resale and at least scan through the declaration, bylaws, rules and regulations of the association when you decide to buy!  

Claudette Millette
The Buyers' Counsel - Ashland, MA
Buyer, Broker - Metrowest Mass

Robert:  Buyers are not always thorough about reading the rules, regulations and fee structures of these associations before committing to a purchase.  Good of you to point these out.

Aug 18, 2009 08:23 AM
Anonymous
Robert Wagner

wE ARE ALWAYS SUPRISED AS TO THE VIEWERS OF THIS PAGE.

Aug 19, 2009 10:49 AM
#2
Anonymous
Peg Hudac

Within the past 6-9 months, an officer in in the The Villages Association solicited suggestions from The Villages (Seven Springs) homeowners  to better our association and our community. Funnily enough, one of the suggestions I offered was having an Association web site!  The idea was appreciated, but in a lukewarm manner, as it was pointed out the Association was going to begin "communicating" via email, which is fine, it just pales in comparison to this great website Hidden Valley offers their homeowners!  Maybe someday....

Aug 29, 2009 10:04 AM
#3