My views on HOA’s before and after this saga is definitely interesting to look at right now. To give an update on where we are at in the story. I have been told that the Executive Order in place prevents me from renting my home as a traditional short term rental investment property. There are still other avenues that I have yet to explore which I will detail out in tomorrow’s post. In the meantime, I wanted to provide some insight into how I view HOA’s. Real Estate investing is fun and there is so much that goes into it. Just when you think you have the hang of things, COVID-19 hits and the economy gets flipped on its head.
Before jumping into my unedited thoughts on the HOA, get caught up on all the craziness in the saga! Links below to all the articles so far!
- Part I: Calling HOA To File Lawsuit!?!?! Short Term Rental Update – Ol’ Faithful
- Part II: S**t Is Getting Real – I Posted In My HOA Homeowner FB Group And Got People Fired Up
- Part III: Security Turned The Guests Away This Morning – I Watched The Whole Thing From Inside The Gates
- Part IV: Lawyer Time – I Spoke With A Lawyer Over The Weekend, And Here Is What They Said
- Part V: Lawyered The S**t Out Of The Final Email To The HOA & Board
- Part VI: The HOA President Responded With The Board Decision – Prime The Popcorn
- Part VII: Time For Legal Advice From A Local Florida Attorney – Will See What Guidance They Provide
- Part VIII: Ready To Pull My Hair Out On This HOA Issue! – But Time For A Political Response
- Part IX: My Decision On Moving Forward With A Lawyer – To Pay Or Not To Pay, That Is The Question
Here Are My Unfiltered Thoughts On HOA’s Prior To The Saga
Okay. You waited for it. Now you are going to get it. Here are my unfiltered thoughts on my HOA’s prior to the saga.
I paid my dues on time in full every month. I never had any complaints from the HOA and life felt normal. No issues. No concerns. All things were good and I was happy to continue paying my dues.
What Are My Thoughts Now? I Thought You Would Never Ask 😉
Here are my thoughts now on HOA’s. Do I think HOA’s can be good? Absolutely, I think they can be good.
Do I think HOA’s can have the ability for the board members to have power trips and think they are above the law and can do anything they so please to do? Absolutely, I feel like many members of HOA boards are just yearning for a sense of power. They maybe have never had a position of authority prior and love the power being on a board gives to them.
Do I think HOA boards are typically made up of the right people? Generally, I would say no. I don’t believe HOA’s are made up of the right mix of people. I feel like there are cliques that are created in communities and usually one clique will try to gain all the control on the board. They typically are the group who is the most vocal and has nothing better to do with their time than complain about things to people until they get their way. Oops, yeah, I guess I said it. That is how I view HOA’s.
How I View This Saga
Here is how I view the current saga I am in. This HOA is on a power trip. Here is where I believe the true problem lies though.
This community was originally designed only for short term rental properties. So 100% of the owners in this community were investors. In 2014, a new Bylaw was updated allowing people to live in the community long term as a owner occupied property. Since 2014, 20% of the homes in the community are now owner occupied. That means that 80% of the homes in the community are investors.
I am a firm believer the 20% of owner occupiers have been and are banding together. They have all lived there for many years and they have all made a pact to always do what is best for them and not the investors. I caught word the other day that they once tried to get the HOA to put in a $150,000 dog amusement park in the resort, until logical investors flipped and told them no.
I have an opinion that these 20% of individuals got together and immediately went to the front desk to speak with the GM of the resort as the COVID-19 break started to worsen. I have an opinion that they begged and pleaded to the GM to no longer let any new guests into the community no matter what. They wanted to keep their own “fortified” neighborhood where they were the only ones allowed in and out of the property. They continued to go to the GM everyday until they finally sent an email out telling all homeowners that no new guests would be allowed to check in effective immediately.
Detailing Out The Three HOA’s I Currently Have
I want to clearly articulate my thoughts on HOA’s before and after everything that has been going on. So time to clearly articulate the before.
I currently own 4 different homes. Three of the homes have HOA’s and one of them (the new triplex I just purchase) does not. The first home I ever purchased had an HOA.
The community is a nice community. It has a community pool, playground, dog park, softball field and small soccer field. The HOA charges $150 per month, but here is the amazing thing. The $150 a month pays for all lawn and pest control on my home so that is something I have never had to worry about! The HOA also provides access to all the amenities and maintains each. For $150 a month, I think this is well worth it. I have never had any issues with the HOA and I pay my dues on time every time each month.
Now comes my other two communities I own in, the first two sole Airbnb properties I purchased. The first property has an HOA running at $351 per month. This HOA is a little bit different though. It includes:
- High speed internet in my home
- DirectTV in my home with HBO and over 1000 channels
- Clubhouse with a sauna, movie theater, workout facility and staffed front desk
- A resort pool with a tiki bar!
- 24/7 gated security
- Exterior maintenance, exterior paint, and replacement of roof once needed
For $351 per month, I feel like it is a steal. A bunch of things that are add ons for the property, and internet and TV provided. Not too bad.
The last of my properties costs $251 a month which includes 24/7 security, clubhouse workout facility, resort pool, resort hot tub and resort kids water play area. A little pricey all things considered for what it offers, but I wanted to try a different community in the area.
Read the Facebook posts again. It is clear to see who the owner occupiers who live there are versus who the investors are.
I leave you with this cliffhanger.
Less than 5 hours after I sent my political response email back to the HOA (can be read again at this link), guess what happened?!?
Magically, they sent out an email to all the homeowners. MAGICALLY! Hmm…looks like my coaching up that I am doing for them is in the smallest way working.
In tomorrow’s post, the fun continues…you will not believe what they had the nerve to end the email with!!!!!!!
And you thought things had just settled down! Oh no, no no no. You are thinking wrong now!
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Thanks again for all the support and continuing to come back each day for new updates in this saga!
To checkout the next part to this saga, click the link below!
Part X: HOA Sent An Email To All Homeowners To Pay Up!
