What Do the HOA Fees in Carlsbad Cover?
Any home buyer in Carlsbad, or in any of the nearby communities, considering a detached single home with a Home Owner’s Association (HOA), or an attached property (condos, town homes, twin homes), all of which will have an HOA, should ask about the HOA fees.
You want to know, of course, how much those fees are, when they are billed (typically monthly), as well as what the HOA fees cover.
While the MLS will generally state what the fees are, and provide a list of what they cover, buyers should verify all this information to their satisfaction before making final decisions about a purchase.
- Sometimes the fees are stated incorrectly
- Fees may be in the process of changing
- Not everything covered by the fees may be listed in the MLS.
The typical HOA fees may cover the following items, but specific coverage varies from community to community. The actual fees will depend somewhat on what items are included in the HOA annual budget, the age and size of the community, and other factors:
Common area maintenance (common grounds, pool, tennis courts, elevators, parking areas, electronic gates) and landscaping – in some communities the HOA maintains the front yards
Exterior Building Maintenance (condos and PUDs) including roof maintenance
Limited insurance (usually for common areas, and for the buildings themselves for condos and townhomes)
Water (for condos, not single family detached homes)
Trash removal (may or may not be covered)
Sewer (commonly covered for condo and town home communities)
Reserve – an additional part of the fee the HOAs collect goes to the reserve, i.e., monies held for needed improvements down the road (e.g., parking area improvements, roofing)
In some communities the fees may cover hot water (e.g., condos), and for some complexes basic cable (some 55+ communities).
There may also be an annual termite/pest prevention and treatment program in place that is part of the HOA fee.
Once you have an accepted offer, you will have an opportunity to review all of the HOA documents, which will include the budget, during the due diligence phase.
Be sure to contact the HOA directly to verify information and ask any questions; this may be particularly important to do before you even make an offer.
Please reach out to me at (760) 840-1360 so we can discuss your personal housing needs, lifestyle and budget, including questions about homes with HOA fees in Carlsbad (or perhaps homes where there are no HOA fees). We can then create a plan to get you into a new home in Carlsbad, or nearby, in 2019.
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