How much is your HOA for a townhouse?

[Anonymous]

Also, where is it and what do you get for it? Do you feel it's justified and that you're getting something out of paying it?

We're looking at townhouses in West springfield/Burke and most seem to be under $50-100 a month for front lawn maintenance, trash removal, snow removal. Some also have a pool you can buy a membership for, tot lots, etc. Of course the development we've liked best so far is $200 per month. I think it includes roof maintenance and exterior brick maintenance to the front of the home. No pool, but the neighborhood just seems much better taken care of. We're trying to weigh whether $2400 a year for the entire time we live there is worth those things. Any thoughts? We've never lived anywhere with an HOA before. Also, is there a way to find out how fast those monthly fees can/will increase?

[Anonymous]

You won't know how they increase because it's up to the board every year to vote, but asume 3-10% increases.

When townhomes are fee simple, as in, you own the land below it, there won't be any master policy insurance included in the HOA. Some townhomes are condo style, meaning, you don't really own your land. In the case where the community mows your lawn - this might be the situation. But you have to ask.

Usually developments are required to have HOA's when the developer/builder submits plans to build the community. The counties and governments got tired of having to police these guys, so they pass it all on by requiring an HOA. The HOA probably also pays for snow plowing and landscaping to common areas.

Anything $200 or under is most likely very reasonable. It's a small price to pay for having a management company to call whenyour neigbhors blast music or have broken down cars in their front yard. In a normal neigbhorhood without an HOA, you'd never have this ability. You would have to fight it out with the cops or your neighbors. HOA's can fine residents for this kind of crap.

[Anonymous]

We pay $108/month for a fee-simple ownership TH HOA near Ballston. It's newly built. Covers landscaping (e.g. you only own the land under your TH), snow removal and upkeep of driveways etc.

[Anonymous]

Roughly $75 a month - Germantown. Covers lawn-mowing, snow and leaf removal, and really nice pool complex. We do our own weeding/planting and are responsible for all home maintenance. Personally I don't see a point in paying more for roof maintenance or the like because most of the time you're paying to fix someone else's problem, not yours - those types of communities can also slap you with a hefty assessment if they decide everyone needs a new roof or new siding or something.

[Anonymous]

We pay $285 per quarter in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County. We live in one of six subassociations the belong to a master association so the HOA fee goes to both associations with the largest part going to the master association. It includes trash and snow removal (although the snow removal has been pathetic in the big storms), which is contracted by each individual subassociation. It does not include any yard maintenance or landscaping; I assume because we have fairly big (for THs) front and back yards with a tree and individual choices in landscaping. It also includes a very nice pool (three pools really), clubhouse, tennis/basketball courts, playgrounds, small fitness room, etc, that belong to the master association. We are responsible for all home maintenance.

The fee has increased some year to year. We have lived in the house almost 6 years, and I believe it was around $265 per quarter when we bought. If I didn't use or care about the pool (which I didn't until just this year), then I wouldn't think the cost was justified.

[Anonymous]

Clarendon $130

[Anonymous]

We just moved out of our townhouse in Covington, near Vienna Metro. We paid $202/quarter, which has gone up very little in the last 12 years. It covered trash, recycling, sewer (not water), front yard and common area maintenance and snow plowing. There was no pool, but there were two tot lots.

[Anonymous]

We pay $100/mos. in Centreviile, VA, townhouse community. It includes trash, recycling, common area lawn maintenance (we must do our own front/back yards), pool, tot lots, snow removal, and parking areas. It was $59/mos. almost 10 years ago when we moved in. Expect your fees to go up every year.

[Anonymous]

Our townhouse is in 22032 (Burke/fairfax area) and it's about $81/month. (we pay on a quarterly basis.)

The fee covers snow removal, trash collection, pool, two tot lots, and general community upkeep. It's a fee simple ownership structure so everyone maintains their own yards and home exteriors.

[Anonymous]

PP here. Forgot to add that annual increases are tied to changes in the CPI.

[Anonymous]

We are in Burke Centre (townhouse) and pay about $240 per quarter. Worth every penny.

[Anonymous]

$200/mo for a condo-style TH in Bethesda. Covers master insurance, trash removal (2x/week), landscaping, snow removal (very prompt), and maintenance of the common areas (playground, lighting, sidewalks, paving/striping the parking). Oh, and the reserve fund. We don't have our own pool, but the HOA negotiated with a neighboring community to let our residents buy memberships to their pool.
In terms of increase, I think we saw no increase from 2008-10, then I think it was $5 or $10 each year, mostly because of the gigantic snow removal bills we've had lately.

[Anonymous]

I am on the Board Directors for an HOA in the Ffx Cnty section of Alexandria. Our monthly dues are about $81/month. That covers your common area landscaping/mowing, snow removal, trash/recycling and a tot lot. What people don't realize is that we also have to save each year for the reserve fund. The reserve fund is used to pay for repaving our streets (which are private streets), sidewalks and maintain fences and retaining walls on common property. We also have to pay the management company about $16000 per year -- they manage the fees and the financial statements, we have legal fees and collections, and other administrative fees (i.e. it costs $10 to send a letter to a resident and notify them of a hearing b/c they won't fix their missing shutters). We also pay for removing dead trees in common areas that might fall on a house, and other expenses that add up. Our margins are very tight and they get tighter when people don't pay the dues that 95% of the other residents do pay.

$50-100/month is very standard in this area.

[Anonymous]

I'm near Fair Oaks and ours is running $92/mo and it has went up $1-2/yr since we moved in 5 yrs ago. We get all landscaping (edging, mowing bcak yard if you don't have a fence,) snow removal, trash pickup and recycling. There is a tennis court (crappy condition) and a few tot lots as well. We don't have a pool but a neighboring community does and we can buy a membership there. None of the exterior of our home is covered with this.

I used to live in Franklin Farm in Herndon/Oak Hill and it was around $50/mo 5 yrs ago - common area landscaping, snow & trash removal. Don't forget there is general street maintenance as they are privately maintained roads vs county maintained, as well as things like fixing sidewalks, painting parking lot lines, tree trimming/removal, etc.

[Anonymous]

122/mo. it's a racket.