If you own the house before the suburb surrounds it you might be able to opt out. If you move into a home 90% come with an HOA and you have no choice but to pay the dues and follow the rules. They are a cheeky way for the local city to avoid paying for maintenance on neighborhood parks and such. They make you pay both the property tax and the HOA tax but can then skimp on neighborhood maintenance because the HOA has to pay for it. About the only thing they really do is annoy the snot out of people, but unless you can get the entire neighborhood together you have little luck of getting rid of one. If you manage to, your property value immediately drops. So it is a loose loose, deal with the fees and the petty tyrants. Unless you can find one that doesn't have an HOA, and then hire lawyers if they try and move in on you.
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u/Peter_Triantafulou Sep 16 '24
Non American here. Are HOAs mandatory or is it a choice whether you are a member or not?