does wood acres have an HOA or not?

[Anonymous]

When I browsed property listings and recent sales, I did not see HOA or HOA fees mentioned in this neighborhood.
However, there is a website called wood acres citizens association, which has bylaws that seems working like an HOA.
How does the HOA work? What is the restrictions around rennovation/construction/teardown?
Anyone can shed some lights on this?
Appreciate inputs from wood acres residents.

[Anonymous]

No. It's an old, established neighborhood. No HOA, ever.

[Anonymous]

Is this an HOA?

http://www.woodacres.info/default.php

It has bylaws, architectural guidelines.

[Anonymous]

Hmm, don't live there but it sounds like the deeds have covenants about making changes to the homes and building fences, and there is an organization that oversees that but it's not really an HOA

[Anonymous]

This is why there are so many original homes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hmm, don't live there but it sounds like the deeds have covenants about making changes to the homes and building fences, and there is an organization that oversees that but it's not really an HOA

It's an association of home owners. Literally a HOA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why there are so many original homes

do you mean no new construction or tear down allowed?

[Anonymous]

any current or past residents?

[Anonymous]

I live about 4 blocks from Wood Acres ES, more the Springfield neighborhood. We are not a part of the HOA, nor are the vast majority of the folks we know who send their kids to Wood Acres ES.

This association is for a very specific neighborhood (ie, a few streets) in the 20816 zip code - it does not cover the Springfield neighborhood or other neighborhoods near Wood Acres ES. You would need to ask if a specific house you are looking at is part of the neighborhood/association.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why there are so many original homes

do you mean no new construction or tear down allowed?

Lots of tear downs/new construction in the area which feeds to Wood Acres ES.

[Anonymous]

wood acres citizens association covers only part of springfield.
south of goldsboro, between river road and massachusetts ave, north of wood acres elementary school.
within this area, NO tear down allowed.
that is why all houses within that areas were original from 50's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmm, don't live there but it sounds like the deeds have covenants about making changes to the homes and building fences, and there is an organization that oversees that but it's not really an HOA

It's an association of home owners. Literally a HOA.

Fair enough but it’s not really what most people mean when they say HOA. HOAs generally have assessments and the power to adopt bylaws which you have to comply with. With these houses it seems there’s no extra money you have to pay and no add’l rules they can adopt (about on street parking or solar panels or whatever).

[Anonymous]

There is a legal distinction in Montgomery County between HOAs and neighborhood/community civic associations. HOAs own common property and have mandatory dues where community associations have voluntary dues and don't own common property. We live in a Kensington neighborhood that has covenants on the houses and a civic association (not an HOA). The civic association board can not change our covenants or assess dues to homeowners. (This was all spelled out to the community during a battle over covenants, etc.).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a legal distinction in Montgomery County between HOAs and neighborhood/community civic associations. HOAs own common property and have mandatory dues where community associations have voluntary dues and don't own common property. We live in a Kensington neighborhood that has covenants on the houses and a civic association (not an HOA). The civic association board can not change our covenants or assess dues to homeowners. (This was all spelled out to the community during a battle over covenants, etc.).

Thanks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why there are so many original homes

do you mean no new construction or tear down allowed?

There must be something that prohibits teardowns because there are none in the neighborhood. But it’s not legally and HOA since I think this neighborhood predates that concept.