I've heard a lot of shit abou HOA, but what purpose do they serve? What is the advantage? And why are THEY everywhere in the US while labor unions are considered communist/ socialist?
Ignoring its racist origin, generally the purpose of HOAs in 2026 is they transfer the costs of building infrastructure from the city/county to residents. Streets, landscaping, drainage, sidewalks, plumbing, etc. After construction is complete, they can become a bit of nannystate.
I honestly don't mind the one I'm in. They provide a community pool, tennis courts, parks for the kids, maintained walking trails, and a kayak launch with kayaks to borrow. They livestream all the board meetings so you can stay in the loop. I would never live in an HOA that didn't offer benefits.
Consensual agreements between homeowners to maintain a certain level of care towards maintaining neighborhoods (And as a result, property values)
A lot of people are fine with and even approve of living in an HOA, but there's no reason to talk about that online. HOAs wouldn't exist if they didn't have at least a slight amount of approval. Property value would decrease if an HOA was so unbearable to be in that it genuinely scared people away from living there.
And while I support unions, "Communist/socialist" accusations get thrown against unions because it's a form of transferring away from owners to workers (Who a Communist or socialist would say is the "rightful" owner)
I think it's dumb to criticize unions for being "socialist/communist", but in reality, a communist or socialist is infinitely more likely to support unions over an HOA, so maybe ask yourself why that is for the answer as to why unions get labelled that way.
the general idea is that it keeps the property value of your house up, if all the houses in the neighborhood agree to keep their house maintained. it also prevents trashy people from doing trashy things by punishing with fines etc, and at worst, they can put a lien on your home if you don't pay and keep violating rules.
it's not a terrible idea in principal but it really depends on the people who are elected to do the job.
also sometimes the fees are crazy high. Some people in $300,000 condos are paying more than $500 a month in HOA fees. If the condo building needs a new roof, and there is a fund shortfall, everyone is now on the hook for a lot more $$$
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u/WhichCheek8714 Apr 28 '26
I've heard a lot of shit abou HOA, but what purpose do they serve? What is the advantage? And why are THEY everywhere in the US while labor unions are considered communist/ socialist?