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Living in a homeowners association is often an advantage when selling a home. Homeowners associations typically set standards and help with appearance and outside maintenance. HOA’s do this in order to up your curb appeal and raise your chances of successfully selling your home. Because there are many benefits to living in an HOA, housing prices in these types of communities normally stay consistent or increase in value over time.

Before you begin the process of selling your home, it is a good idea to first consult a real estate agent and the homeowners association. Normally HOA’s have a protocol for getting your house on the market. There are usually strict guidelines for selling your home within an HOA. Understanding these rules and the requirements you might have to fulfill are better to learn ahead of time.

HOA Make It Easier To Sell

All HOAs set maintenance rules in order to maintain a consistent appearance and general appeal of the neighborhood. Without an association, the value of your own home could devalue if the neighbors have three rusted pickups in their front yard. HOA’s set standards that everyone must adhere to, and ultimately it will benefit you when it comes time to the point of sale.

Another benefit of selling a home within an HOA is that most of the maintenance and upkeep is already taken care of by the board. Homeowners don’t have to worry about contractors and other maintenance problems since the HOA covers these for the common areas. Additionally, the HOA takes care of landscaping within the neighborhood. You can trust that as you’re trying to sell your house, potential buyers will be more interested when the surrounding neighborhood is clean and maintained.

Neighborhood amenities also make your house more attractive to potential buyers. Many HOA communities have facilities for activities like swimming and tennis. Residents have an opportunity to make use of these benefits without having to pay for all the upkeep themselves.

The HOA also handles issues between neighbors. If the family down the street has a dog that barks all night, the HOA can intercede. It’s the association’s duty to ensure the well-being of their community. No one really wants to run the risk of an unneighborly fight or have a noisy pet keep them up all night.

Preparation For Sale

When an owner is ready to sell, they need to address any issues the HOA has noted on their property. Many associations require a home inspection before the house can be put on the market. Often the HOA has its own inspector to examine the house. If not, an outside contractor should be hired and any repairs must be completed before the home can be sold.

Homeowners can ask for help from both their neighbors and the HOA as they prepare to sell the house. Knowing someone on the board before the sale– or even being an active volunteer– can often smooth the transition to a new owner. The HOA can also assist the seller with the rules and regulations regarding a sale. Otherwise, the owner may not be aware of the procedures that the HOA requires. Real estate agents can help homeowners with the selling process, too. Because they are often well-connected, they can find someone to help with the selling process.

Associated Sales Fees

The HOA normally needs to gather paperwork to provide disclosure to the buyer. This type of paperwork is often referred to as a  “resale package.” It includes the CC&Rs (Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions) and other pertinent information that the new owner will need to follow while living in the HOA. The seller usually pays the association for the costs of gathering this information.

The resale package also outlines all of the financial statements of the HOA itself. This is important for the buyers to see as it’s important they know if the association is financially sound. A potential buyer won’t want to buy into an HOA only to learn they have a massive assessment charged because the HOA can’t financially handle their issues It also covers the paperwork that the title companies will need in order to pass a clean title over to the new owner.

Separately, many associations charge transfer fees to transfer ownership to a new member. It’s often written in the CC&Rs as a percentage of the sale. This fee can be negotiated between buyer and seller.

Conclusion

Within an HOA, both the association and the homeowner have tasks they must accomplish before successfully selling a home. The association needs to maintain a clean, inviting property that a prospective buyer would be willing and excited to move into. They also need to enforce the CC&Rs in their documents, as this will help keep property values up.

The HOA provides maintenance and repairs that homeowners don’t normally have to worry about. HOAs are also there to mitigate disputes between homeowners in order to keep sensitive situations less confrontational. Homeowners are less likely to fight when the HOA is there as a neutral party.

When it comes to selling, the HOA should help the seller with the procedures they need to follow before getting the house on the market. The house also might require some repairs by the owner and the HOA should be able to outline which of these need to be done first. If there are any outstanding financial issues, homeowners will need to take care of them before the sale. The seller will pay for the costs of the resale package that the new buyer needs.

Overall, it’s important as a seller to work closely with your HOA to make sure you are ticking off all of the necessary boxes before you decide to sell your home. Notifying the HOA should be your first step, and the board will help ensure you have a smooth sale.

Tags: HOA Community members, homeowners association, Selling A Home