Being part of a home owner association has some great advantages, but there are also some limitations. Take a look at some of the scenarios a home owner in an enclosed community can face before you decide whether this is a step you should take.

A home owner association can very strictly manage a community or have only some basic rules and guidelines. Before you consider buying property in an enclosed community, know the rules. You may agree with every one, but it’s important to know what you’re getting into ahead of time.

There are several kinds of communities that have home owner associations. Some are gated and the major advantage here is that the area is typically very secure. To enter (and leave) the community, you must pass by a guard, gate or both. You have to have a pass showing ownership to gain entrance.

This can be both a positive and a negative point. Solicitors are not allowed inside and home owners typically have to notify the guards ahead of time for visitors to gain admission.

The home owner association is generally supported by dues paid by home owners. Those dues may be as little as a few dollars per year or may be thousands. The dues may then be used to build and maintain pools, tennis courts, golf courses, trails, parks and numerous other amenities for the home owners to enjoy.

A home owner association may also employ workers to repair and maintain homes. Imagine, never again having to worry about fixing a broken window or painting the eaves of your home. On the downside, the home owner association may also dictate the color your house can be painted and whether your white picket fence can wait until next year to be repainted.

Control also becomes an issue with some home owner associations. Like any governing body, the association board is charged with spending funds, making rules and settling disputes. It works well as long as those serving have the best interests of the home owners at heart. But like any board, there’s a potential for conflict. One member won’t support some measure simply because it was the idea of an opponent. One refuses to vote for much-needed pool repairs because he doesn’t think the association should even have a pool, leaving the pool to become the area’s largest planter.

You can get an idea of how well the board functions by checking into past meeting minutes before you become a home owner in the area. Major conflicts will typically show up in the minutes.

Cost may be another factor in this decision. In addition to home owner association or property owner association dues, home owners may be levied additional taxes if the neighborhood approved improvements.

Being a home owner in an enclosed community has some definite advantages, but there are also some disadvantages. Before you buy a home, take time to research how homes have traditionally sold in the area. If there are lots of homes for sale and few are actually being sold, it may indicate that the neighborhood has a bad reputation and new families are reluctant to make the investment of home ownership – a fact that could seriously affect your efforts if you should ever decide to sell your home.